Ration booklets for fuel in early 70s

[Dave54]

I had a part time job on a petrol station in 70-71. Five star was 6 bob a gallon then.

Interesting - I used to do the same part time job in `69 - forgot the prices . I worked out a gallon of diesel now is £6.50 so a rough comparison is you need £1 now to buy what a shilling bought in 1970

I've got a bit of faulty memory going on here,
I've just looked up petrol prices, and I reckon the five star was seven bob not six.

Still your 20:1 ratio sounds about right.

 

[RickH]

Anyone remember ration booklets being issued for petrol/diesel in early 70s ?.
I think the rationing was 4 gallons a week-per car.
At that time I had 2 cars
1/ a Bond Equipe-- 1256 cc--based on Triumph chassis and mechanics
2/ A Mk 1 Jag- 2.4 in white-- (a real chick puller).

I got 2 ration booklets.
However- the scheme was abandoned -due to a change in economic situation in UK.
I think it was something to do with Suez crises too.
Also remember a voluntary 50mph speed limit .


I think I still have my booklets-- at my mothers house amongst some old junk.

Nothing to do with SUEZ that was 1956 with troops staying there until 1957.
The Fuel crisis of 1973 was caused by OAPEC putting an oil embargo in place ...... pure greed no other reason.
(not called thieving Arabs for nothing)

I passed my test in 1974 ... and my first car a Triumph Herald came with the Government issue Petrol ration booklet - luckily never used.

At that time the advantage was petrol was only 49pp per gallon.

 

[Peter.N.]

I was TV engineer in my working life, in the '70s when secondhand colour TVs became available I used to sell them reconditioned for around £120.00 with a 12 month guarantee and business was good. As a result of this I installed my own diesel tank and pump, I could put 100 gallons or so of diesel in it on the proceeds of one TV sale, I couldn't fill the tank in my car on what I would make now.

Peter

 

[Dave54]

I was TV engineer in my working life, in the '70s when secondhand colour TVs became available I used to sell them reconditioned for around £120.00 with a 12 month guarantee and business was good. As a result of this I installed my own diesel tank and pump, I could put 100 gallons or so of diesel in it on the proceeds of one TV sale, I couldn't fill the tank in my car on what I would make now.

Peter

The thing is you have to remember the 20:1 difference in the value of money from then to now.
When we had out first colour TV, I was still living at home with mum and dad. She went out one Christmas, early 70s, and rented one. They were some horrible price to buy new! If you were selling recons for £120 then, that'd be £2000 odd quid today!
Don't know what make that one we had was, it was a hybrid with valves from Granada IIRC. I do remember the engineer was always out to it.

 

[peterperfection]

Anyone remember ration booklets being issued for petrol/diesel in early 70s ?.
I think the rationing was 4 gallons a week-per car.
At that time I had 2 cars
1/ a Bond Equipe-- 1256 cc--based on Triumph chassis and mechanics
2/ A Mk 1 Jag- 2.4 in white-- (a real chick puller).

I got 2 ration booklets.
However- the scheme was abandoned -due to a change in economic situation in UK.
I think it was something to do with Suez crises too.
Also remember a voluntary 50mph speed limit .


I think I still have my booklets-- at my mothers house amongst some old junk.

Nothing to do with SUEZ that was 1956 with troops staying there until 1957.
The Fuel crisis of 1973 was caused by OAPEC putting an oil embargo in place ...... pure greed no other reason.
(not called thieving Arabs for nothing)

I passed my test in 1974 ... and my first car a Triumph Herald came with the Government issue Petrol ration booklet - luckily never used.

At that time the advantage was petrol was only 4pp per gallon.

Nah- diesel was a lot cheaper I am sure. But- who wanted to drive a diesel car then ??? Radios would always crackle .

 

[Peter.N.]

I was TV engineer in my working life, in the '70s when secondhand colour TVs became available I used to sell them reconditioned for around £120.00 with a 12 month guarantee and business was good. As a result of this I installed my own diesel tank and pump, I could put 100 gallons or so of diesel in it on the proceeds of one TV sale, I couldn't fill the tank in my car on what I would make now.

Peter

The thing is you have to remember the 20:1 difference in the value of money from then to now.
When we had out first colour TV, I was still living at home with mum and dad. She went out one Christmas, early 70s, and rented one. They were some horrible price to buy new! If you were selling recons for £120 then, that'd be £2000 odd quid today!
Don't know what make that one we had was, it was a hybrid with valves from Granada IIRC. I do remember the engineer was always out to it.

Oh yes I appreciate that, just shows how things change though, most TV engineers are retired now not necessaraly because they are as old as me but the job doesn't exist any more.

The TV you had was probably a GEC although they had Granada on them, they were the ones I sold, used to travel all over the country to ex Granada rental outlets. I also had about 150 out on rent at one time - I still have one

Peter

 

[Dave54]

^ The last guy I knew doing TV repairs down here from a shop, packed in 15 or so years ago. I'm way out of date with electronics, I learned mine in the early 70s when we learned about valves first (the tutor said it was a waste of time then but it was in the course), but I'll take a guess at there not being much that's (economically anyway) repairable in a modern flat screen job. IIRC that "Granada" set had GEC on it somewhere, so you're probably spot on.

"Great service you'll get renting your colour set from Granadaaaaa!"

 

[RickH]

Anyone remember ration booklets being issued for petrol/diesel in early 70s ?.
I think the rationing was 4 gallons a week-per car.
At that time I had 2 cars
1/ a Bond Equipe-- 1256 cc--based on Triumph chassis and mechanics
2/ A Mk 1 Jag- 2.4 in white-- (a real chick puller).

I got 2 ration booklets.
However- the scheme was abandoned -due to a change in economic situation in UK.
I think it was something to do with Suez crises too.
Also remember a voluntary 50mph speed limit .


I think I still have my booklets-- at my mothers house amongst some old junk.

Nothing to do with SUEZ that was 1956 with troops staying there until 1957.
The Fuel crisis of 1973 was caused by OAPEC putting an oil embargo in place ...... pure greed no other reason.
(not called thieving Arabs for nothing)

I passed my test in 1974 ... and my first car a Triumph Herald came with the Government issue Petrol ration booklet - luckily never used.

At that time the advantage was petrol was only 49pp per gallon.

Nah- diesel was a lot cheaper I am sure. But- who wanted to drive a diesel car then ??? Radios would always crackle .

The price I quoted was for 4 Star petrol, don't know what price of diesel was then but assume 20% or so cheaper.

 

[chapeau]

I was TV engineer in my working life, in the '70s when secondhand colour TVs became available I used to sell them reconditioned for around £120.00 with a 12 month guarantee and business was good. As a result of this I installed my own diesel tank and pump, I could put 100 gallons or so of diesel in it on the proceeds of one TV sale, I couldn't fill the tank in my car on what I would make now.

Peter

Ha, but all you could watch in colour was bleeding Play School.

Petrol has, in my remembered life, always cost less than bitter. And that's what I use to judge cost of living over the years.

Back in 70's I seem to remember a gallon of petrol costing the same as what I got paid per hour in a student job in a burger bar or similar. That would be minimum wage, and the price of petrol now is about the same per gallon as minimum wage.

However we need to drive more, certainly we spend more on petrol now a month than the mortgage, I think it's our highest monthly expense.