Original Timmy Chan's Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Also some of the Gas in that part of NM - near Silver City - is 85 octane.I noticed that...what's the difference?We have noticed that we seem to get better gas mileage out west where they have lower octane gas. Is there a correlation? I usually get 30 mpg in Houston, but I'll get 32-33 mpg out west....and even had gas mileage approaching 36-37 mpg on a couple tanks up in Colorado a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I noticed that...what's the difference?We have noticed that we seem to get better gas mileage out west where they have lower octane gas. Is there a correlation? I usually get 30 mpg in Houston, but I'll get 32-33 mpg out west....and even had gas mileage approaching 36-37 mpg on a couple tanks up in Colorado a few years ago.That most likely has to do with driving habits. Urban vs. rural aren't typically comparable, even if you stay completely on the freeway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I noticed that...what's the difference?We have noticed that we seem to get better gas mileage out west where they have lower octane gas. Is there a correlation? I usually get 30 mpg in Houston, but I'll get 32-33 mpg out west....and even had gas mileage approaching 36-37 mpg on a couple tanks up in Colorado a few years ago.I always thought it was due to altitude, i.e. that you can get away with running cars at lower octane in higher altitudes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I always thought it was due to altitude, i.e. that you can get away with running cars at lower octane in higher altitudes.indeedThe higher the altitude above sea level, the lower the octane requirement'http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/f...%5Foctane.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scharpe St Guy Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Was at a Habitat house yesterday in a very black neighborhood/area and Gas prices were very high compared to the nicer areas. We are talking $3.09 for regular, I saw a $3.05 a bit futher down and then finally when I drove closer to the Heights I was able to buy the premo gas for $3.05 the cost of regular a few miles north of there. Explain that now! I run a small business on the side and I have begun to notice that fuel costs a bit more in the poorer areas of town then in the middle class areas. There is validity to the high prices charged around River Oaks and West U though so perhaps if we are hunting for gas we go to the more average areas of town or check out:http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=77023Scharpe St Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijonmang Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 The majority of our higher gas prices come from the added ethanol and tax we pay for our bad air. The EPA or one of those organizations makes it so a county with bad air quality is charged a tax and forced to add more ethanol to the fuel...which is pretty much what some people had already said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 The majority of our higher gas prices come from the added ethanol and tax we pay for our bad air. The EPA or one of those organizations makes it so a county with bad air quality is charged a tax and forced to add more ethanol to the fuel...which is pretty much what some people had already saidI am unaware of any additional tax on Houston gas. In fact, I seriously doubt it. Distribution problems related to the switch from MBTE to Ethanol DID cause prices to jump in Houston, but I don't think EPA has any taxing authority. We pay the same tax as Muleshoe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijonmang Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 (edited) I am unaware of any additional tax on Houston gas. In fact, I seriously doubt it. Distribution problems related to the switch from MBTE to Ethanol DID cause prices to jump in Houston, but I don't think EPA has any taxing authority. We pay the same tax as Muleshoe.Don't shoot the messenger...that was what I heard on the news the other day. Maybe I shouldn't read too deeply into because it was Ch. 2...but eh whatever. Edited June 9, 2006 by brijonmang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimberlySayWhat Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I saw this on Channel 11's news at 6:http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/kho...e.8ceb47e3.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Good to see that things are looking healthy for the office market, even if it's costing us all a buck extra a gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijonmang Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I saw that report too, it was short and sweet but good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Being a native, and having lived the bust and boom, this type of growth makes me nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desirous Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Being a native, and having lived the bust and boom, this type of growth makes me nervous.That is assuming fuel prices plunge in the future, which is less likely than twenty years ago.I thought the reason would be downtown's bus coverage. At least among people I know, business at southwest-side Park & Rides is picking up. Any non-downtown location requires driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Being a native, and having lived the bust and boom, this type of growth makes me nervous. They're not constructing skyscrapers yet... or any plans... So I think we're good for a little while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 They're not constructing skyscrapers yet... or any plans... So I think we're good for a little while You are correct ----- No new skyscrapers in downtown right now. The rental market will not justify it. There are some new suburban developments going up on the West side of Town. The Midway Group is close to breaking ground on a new Office Building as part of the T&C makeover. I also heard Granite is building a new 14 story building at Richmond and BW8. It I am not mistaken, Metronational is building another office building with at Memorial City. The first two of these deals are already being pre-leased and will most likely happen. Rental rates are going for about $27 a foot in this market (for new class A stuff). which makes these deals possible. With the price of downtown dirt a new building would have to get upwards of $30-$35 PSF for it to make sense. Downtown is far from those rates. $22-$24 are legitimate rates right now with many right at $20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Downtown is where the action is and where the big employers should be.I've worked all over this fair city and hope to stay downtown for the long haul.The prospect of working in an office building near Memorial City sounds terrible to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Downtown is where the action is and where the big employers should be.I've worked all over this fair city and hope to stay downtown for the long haul.The prospect of working in an office building near Memorial City sounds terrible to me.Hey you are preaching to the choir here, but there has been a huge shift in the way companies look at office space. The high cost of benefits, triaining, and employee retention has caused some of these huge companies to look at many factors that were not an issues in times past. Location is one of those issues. People typically want to work close to where they live. If you live in Midtown then Downtown is ideal. I live at BW8 and Briar Forrest and would love to work in the Westchase area. Many of these companies are realizing where their employee base is coming from and will try and locate near by. THis is not always the case and is not always feasible, but it is happening more than you might think. Downtown Houston will always be the HUB, and is it also the biggest office market in Houston. It has seen some bad days with Enron, Calpine, and other energy companies contracting space. The sub-lease market has been a big problem and rental rates and lower occuapancy numbers has caused a lot of short term issues. Right now Downtown it is what it is and rental rates are nowher near the level where new construction can be justified. I know there are a lot of pie in the sky people on this website that want to see a new 100 Story massive high rise built in Houston. Well it aint happening anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 In today's job market, I don't see how people are able to live near their work. I used to commute to The Woodlands from Midtown everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 In today's job market, I don't see how people are able to live near their work. I used to commute to The Woodlands from Midtown everyday.Nevermind. You are clearly not even reading what I am saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 People typically want to work close to where they live. Oh, I am reading it, and it's junk.And I'm a little more particular when it comes to a career than to want to work somewhere becuase it's close to my house.But that does make sense for fast food workers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 (edited) Oh, I am reading it, and it's junk.And I'm a little more particular when it comes to a career than to want to work somewhere becuase it's close to my house.But that does make sense for fast food workers.Great analysis MidtownCoog!!! No Seriously. Do you have any clue of what you are saying or are you just shooting generalities out there to see if any stick. I assume this is the case as I have read most of your posts and half the time you tend to argue for the sake of arguing. You did mentiond in an earlier post that you worked in the Woodlands and commuted from Midtown. Where, if I might ask, were the majority of your co-workers living? Most likely a majority lived in the Woodlands. I would also wonder why you left that job. I am sure you were offered a better opportunity downtown, but some of the allure might have been the fact that your commute was substantially lessenod. While it is possible it could have been the only factor, most likely it was just part of the equation. If you try and deny that fact I would then wonder why you brought it up in a previous post !!Bottom line is I am in the Real Estate Industry and I know Office Product very well. I see the trends happen and I am on the frontline of the analysis of these trends. There has been trend over the past few years where we have seen a movement to suburban office markets. Why would rent be more in a Westchase building vs downtown if there was a not some pent up demand for companies to be located out there?Obviously, there is a big supply and demand factor when comparing downtown to suburban markets. Quite frankly, Downtown has a lot more supply available than most of the suburbs. I will also contend the fact that recently there have been more companies moving back into downtown. This is very much due in part to the lower rental rates in the downtown market. To conclude, there is still a strong demand for new construction in certain areas of the town. Downtown is not one of those markets right now.... 3-5 years this could be the total reverse. If you read this and want to call it junk then by all means go ahead. We can agree to disagree. Most of the crap that you post is junk too. Good day. Edited June 20, 2006 by Trophy Property Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 There has been trend over the past few years where we have seen a movement to suburban office markets. Maybe you should read the article on KHOU.You obviously don't work for Cushman & Wakefield who says " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 (edited) Fair enough. I went back and re-read the article - not a lot of meat in that article, but I can see where the confusion might have arisen. For starters in my last post I stated: "I will also contend the fact that recently there have been more companies moving back into downtown. This is very much due in part to the lower rental rates in the downtown market." This is precicely what Tim was saying in the article. He mentiond deals that occurred in the past 6 months. He failed to mention El Paso has a huge company that consilidated downtown. I guess for every big move downtown there are 5-10 smaller moves that effect the intended sub market and tightened supply in those areas. To answer your other question I went back and read the previous posts. Montrose made a comment that even though the market was getting better there was no new skyskrapers downtown. I responded in agreement and then mentioned a few Suburban buildings that I had heard about and thought others here might be interested in hearing about. Maybe I posted that information in the wrong thread. My bad. You then responded with "Downtown is where the action is and where the big employers should be. I've worked all over this fair city and hope to stay downtown for the long haul. The prospect of working in an office building near Memorial City sounds terrible to me." The progression started from there and quite frankly I got annoyed with the tone of your posts and that started to piss me off. That is my problem. Bottom line is that the Houston Office Market is a dynamic one and is always changing. It is easy to make a case for both sides of the discussion. P.S. I worked for C&W for years and happen to know Tim very well. But now I am just bragging Edited June 20, 2006 by Trophy Property Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Just call me biased against suburban offices no matter how nice they are.One good thing about Bob Lanier is that he encouraged companies to locate downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Just call me biased against suburban offices no matter how nice they are.One good thing about Bob Lanier is that he encouraged companies to locate downtown.Its cool. You caught me at a bad moment. Chalk it up as me having a case of the extended Mondays.Keep on Keepin On. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AftonAg Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 The fact that gas is cheap in Iran has nothing to with it having a lot of oil. Iran has no oil refineries that can produce gas for cars. Iran imports all of its oil.Also, Iran imports more oil based products than the oil they export. Oil based products outside of simple gasoline such as lubricants, plastics, polymers, rubber, asphalt, etc.The cheap gas comes from the Saudis who do have gas refineries.The easy solution to gas prices in the US is to expand and build more refineries. BP is planning to build the world's largest refinery in Port Arthur. Much of the environmental regulations also cause prices to go up.What's silly is that every nation that has access to oil reserves on land or offshor is going after it yet the US just sits here because of regulations that make it difficult to drill for oil.Mexico is drilling in the gulf and pacific, yet we don't dare drill off our west coast or florida because some people don't want to see oil rig lights off in the horizon at sea. Norway is putting up oil rigs all over it's coastline and in the north see. Russia and china are also drilling of their coasts.We need to relax some of these silly rules and start actually using what we have (which is plenty).You are correct on this point. The major oil companies are now bringing some projects online offshore of West Africa. ExxonMobil just brought on online this spring in 1200 meters of water, that has steel lines connecting the wells on the seafloor (through a manifold) to what is basically a 2,000,000 barrel tanker with a crude refining unit sitting on it's deck, it also has a 110 bed "hotel" on board for the workers. Think about the dynamics involved in making a connection to a boat bobbing on the surface of the ocean in three dimensions. This is actually the third such development of it's type for ExxonMobil. And there have been zero leaks. The technology is there, it can be done without spilling any oil or seriously disrupting the environment in any way. Oil companies go to gret lengths to make certain they don't spill any oil - it is bad publicity number 1, and it is a loss of profit and an additional expense to clean it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 You are correct on this point. *Rubs eyes* AftonAg is in another thread?!?!?! Shocked! Back to the topic, I read the OPEC was freaking out when $$$ per barrel was hovering around the upper $50's and did what ever they could to keep in in the $65-$75 range. And they succeeded. We will never get a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 We will never get a break. I have to disagree. The higher the price goes, the more incentive there is to produce more oil, and find alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I have to disagree. The higher the price goes, the more incentive there is to produce more oil, and find alternatives.We have as much oil as we did your ago, maybe more.The demand is getting higher because China is becoming industrialized and everyone there is building company and home and thus people buying cars. All of these thing attribute to higher energy demands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 We have as much oil as we did your ago, maybe more.The demand is getting higher because China is becoming industrialized and everyone there is building company and home and thus people buying cars. All of these thing attribute to higher energy demands.I takes time to bring more production online.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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