High gas prices in Needles, California
Here is a tip for you: Do not fill up your gas tank in Needles, California. Needles borders Arizona near the southern tip of Nevada. It was a popular stop on old Route 66, which is now I-40. For west-bound motorists, Needles in the first stop in California. But take my advice: don't buy gas or diesel fuel there. It's a ripoff. I think it always has been.
Yesterday, I filled my motorhome's tank at an Arizona gas station just a mile east of the California border at Blythe. It costs $2.05 a gallon. Then I drove 100 miles north on lonely U.S. highway 95 to Needles. The same diesel fuel I had purchased early for $2.05 a gallon was now between $3.29 and $3.59. It was hard to believe.
Then, 100 miles or so north through mostly desert, I decided to top off my fuel tank tiny Daggett, a few miles east of Barstow: The price? $2.59 a gallon -- a dollar less than in Needles.
Needles has always been an unattractive town (it's honored many days of each summer as the hottest spot in the country), but it did have some great old motels in the Route 66 days. Now, most of the motels are gone or closed, and the main street looks anemic.
Just drive past the gas stations in this town unless you are running on fumes.
Yesterday, I filled my motorhome's tank at an Arizona gas station just a mile east of the California border at Blythe. It costs $2.05 a gallon. Then I drove 100 miles north on lonely U.S. highway 95 to Needles. The same diesel fuel I had purchased early for $2.05 a gallon was now between $3.29 and $3.59. It was hard to believe.
Then, 100 miles or so north through mostly desert, I decided to top off my fuel tank tiny Daggett, a few miles east of Barstow: The price? $2.59 a gallon -- a dollar less than in Needles.
Needles has always been an unattractive town (it's honored many days of each summer as the hottest spot in the country), but it did have some great old motels in the Route 66 days. Now, most of the motels are gone or closed, and the main street looks anemic.
Just drive past the gas stations in this town unless you are running on fumes.
posted by Chuck Woodbury at
2/06/2009 09:00:00 AM
9 Comments:
I travel from Las Vegas to Parker, Az. often. You're right about Needles, I go east on I-40 to the Lake Havasu turn off and buy gas at the Pilot station. I won't spend any money in Needles because of the rip-off gas prices.
By
stingraybob, at 3:28 AM, February 07, 2009
Needles' exhorbitant gas prices are common knowledge for I-40 travelers -- at least, after they pass through there once. Two other gas rip-off locations in California are Truckee and Bridgeport; plan ahead.
By
Anonymous, at 5:45 AM, February 07, 2009
Needles is also a rip off on tires. The people at the Shell Station convinced naive tjat I was in real bad need of new tires. Being stupid and a bit nervous I purchased 4 new ones and really got rip[ped off. Stay clear of that place
By
Anonymous, at 12:30 PM, February 07, 2009
Any time I see I'm going to be driving far enough to probably want to get* gas, I almost always check http://www.gasbuddy.com/ all along the route I'm going to follow. It's trivial to use and has saved us LOTS of loot!
E.g., when running from Puget Sound to San Francisco, it is MUCH cheaper to fill-up in Oregon, than in Wash State or Californica {sic}.
*-I typically try to fill-up when the tank's about half-full. That way, I know I have an ample reserve if some hoped-for fuel-sites are closed, or if I wanna run the genset for hours on end in some boondock site.
By
jim, at 4:20 PM, February 07, 2009
I began filling up at a Shell in Needles. I put in 8.00 and tin n he pump shut off. The attendant came out and changed the price (up .15/gal). I paid the 8.00 and left. BIG rip off town?
By
Anonymous, at 5:27 AM, February 08, 2009
If you go about 2-3 miles more on the road toward Bullhead City, you will see a dollar less difference in pricing. There is an Arco just past the bridge (Arizona Side of Colorado River) that is always less than Needles.
By
Anonymous, at 7:50 PM, February 08, 2009
And we were ripped off in Needles last month trying to get our RV repaired. The manager of the RV place said he was "very familiar" with our brand of motor home. We they spent a day trying to fix a fuel problem that turned out to be a minor timing adjustment. They charged me 300 bucks for nothing. My regular guy drove out from Upland Ca 250 miles on a Sunday morning and made a simple timing adjustment and we were all fixed up. Not kidding about the sunday morning. Who says there are not heroes that are mechanics.
By
Robert, at 2:22 PM, February 09, 2009
Does anyone know if there are ANY rv manufacturers in the process of making a truly fuel efficient, aerodynamic, solar-equipped (read "green")Class C rv that's more suitable for full timing? (It would be interesting to take a survey to see how many of us are waiting for that type of unit!)
By
Anonymous, at 8:51 PM, February 10, 2009
Anonymous,
There are different definitions of a full time capable coach, but IMHO Dynamax makes many class C coaches very capable for full timing. They are at the high end though. And I looked at a Jayco Seneca about 10 days ago. It has the classic 2 (or 3) slides, basement storage, and island bed. So I would say the Seneca would make an acceptable full time coach. The level of the interior on the Jayco is mid range stuff though so not as durable as the Dynamax. There are several competitors with similar setups to the Jayco that would also qualify. As far as solar, you can put that on any coach.
By
Robert, at 9:16 AM, February 11, 2009
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