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How To Find Best Diesel Price?

2K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  Goodspike 
#1 ·
I've been spoiled living an a part of my geographic area where gasoline sells for less than most other nearby areas. Unfortunately that doesn't translate into diesel prices. And in my area diesel prices seem to be a crap shoot, with some stations having cheap gas but expensive diesel.

I've been using GasBuddy, but seemingly no one except me reports the price for the 76 station that I've found has the cheapest prices other than Costco. So I always have to go there to find out the price. Fortunately I've not been disappointed with their price yet, and I like it because every pump has a diesel pump, but that makes me think . . ..

Are there other stations GasBuddy isn't telling me about that might be cheaper, or at least give me a second choice for location for one close in price? What other tools can you use to find prices? (Excluding OnStar which I don't care to pay for).
 
#2 ·
I’ve only been using GasBuddy (website, not app. Apparently they’re not so nice with our data from the app) but unless I’m on the road away from home I don’t check too often since the prices are usually pretty close to one another. The most expensive places being truck stops which is just wonky, they used to be the cheapest years ago.


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#3 ·
I don’t check too often since the prices are usually pretty close to one another. The most expensive places being truck stops which is just wonky, they used to be the cheapest years ago.
Locally our prices are all over the board. I've commented on it before that some places have diesel for 30 cents less per gallon than regular and some 60 cents more. Some places with cheap gas have expensive diesel and visa versa. Costco right now is 30 cents cheaper for diesel and the place I go to 26 cents cheaper for diesel, but it's 14 cents more than Costco. It is though generally the cheapest non-Costco I've found. (BTW, I avoid Costco just due to the lines.)

But yes the truck places seem to be not on the cheap end, but also not as bad as some of the regular places.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Not sure which cellular service you have, but I have Tmobile and if you do too, every Tuesday they have 15 cents off/gal up to 20 gallons codes that last 2 days when you claim them at Shell stations. Also if you have the Shell credit card you get 30 cents off for the first 5 fillups, then 10 cents off afterwards. So combining them through the rewards app you get 15c + 30c off or 15c + 10c off per gallon.

Another thing I use is the app GetUpSide, you open the app, claim the discount at whichever station you're going to, then pump your diesel, then take picture of receipt within the app and you get discount back in the form of gift cards, PayPal, or check in the mail. The highest I've ever gotten from this app is 35c off per gallon. I often combine this with the rewards from above, but this app takes 2-5c off the discount if combined with other discounts. Also occasionally during non-busy hours, random stores in your area will mark themselves as having a happy hour and you can get high discounts off during those periods, typically these are like at odd hours of the day tho.

Other day I filled up, Used Tmobile Tuesday rewards 15c + 30c from credit card + (15c-3c)=12c off from the GetUpSide app for a combined discount of $0.57 off per gallon of diesel and because the fuel tank goes so long on these trucks the Tmobile rewards are available like every time I need to fill up. Diesel was $2.67/gal with discounts it was $2.10/gallon

*If you want to try out the GetUpSide app, use my referral link and you will get a bonus discount for signing up on your first fill-up, I think it's like 15c/gallon extra.
My code WILLIAM9494 gets us both a 15¢/gal bonus: https://upside.app.link/WILLIAM9494
 
#7 ·
How is a question about buying diesel not appropriate for the diesel forum? Buying diesel seems to be a function of owning a diesel, and different than just buying gasoline.

I actually did consider the forum to put it in, but the second choice was not this one. It was "General Off Topic."
 
#9 ·
Yes I read the sticky. And as I said I debated where to put it. I would suggest you edit the sticky for clarity because I don't read it the same as you do. I read it as:
"Please keep posts in this section for questions . . . unique to the Diesel Twins." Buying diesel seems to fit the diesel forum.

I appreciate the work you do merging threads and stuff, but this is only a 2nd generation question only in that the diesels were only 2nd generation. The average 2nd generation buyer would have no interest in the thread.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Counterpoint is that the same tools used to find diesel prices also work to find gasoline prices, as such it's not really specific to the diesels and the methods used to find fuel prices are the same ones that both gas and diesel owners can and do use.
 
#11 ·
Maybe and maybe not. Truck stops and special fuel cards being examples of diesel only options. But you're right, one of the most useful posts here did post items that would apply to both gas and diesel. I was sort of hoping for a diesel only Gasbuddy since people don't tend to report the cheapest diesel options on Gasbuddy (Costco being the exception).

Also, the diesel market is different than gas somehow. I continue to believe that some stations only change their price each time they get re-filled. It's not like where if regular is priced at X you can expect premium to be priced at X + Y cents.
 
#12 ·
I have two Mobil/Circle K stations in my little city, one is 1.5 miles from home and the other is 3.5 miles from home. Same owners, same fuel.

The one 1.5 miles away is a mini-truck stop as they have a few big rig islands, otherwise it's like any other Mobil/Circle K. Current price is $3.09/gal for diesel.
The one 3.5 miles away is on a corner almost in the middle of town, no big rig access, minimal parking/space. Current price is $2.84/gal for diesel.

$0.25/gal more just because it has big-rig islands and easy on/off freeway access. You would think they would lower their price due to higher volume, but it's the opposite. They charge more because they know they'll get business that the other location can't and there's no other big rig stations with easy freeway access within about 20 miles in either direction.

Highway robbery.
 
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#14 · (Edited)
I get "fuel points" from Kroger, they sell through Loaf 'n Jug stations around here. There are two stations near my house, both are high volume stations. I like to buy from those due to the good pricing (up to $1 a gallon off, typically $.65 or so) and high volume. The cool thing about our trucks is they go a long time between fill ups, which allows the fuel points to add up again. I also like my local Kroger station as it has diesel at the end of every aisle, and it has probably 6 or 7 aisles, so the incredibly frustrating clueless soccer mom in a minivan diesel pump blockage with all the other non diesel aisles open scenario is unlikely.

I have no doubt the Kroger diesel, which is likely provided by a variety of suppliers, is your basic 40 cetane stuff. While on a trip, I filled up at a Sinclair station, the truck loved that fuel. Cold starts were quieter on that fuel for sure. I add Optilube to boost the cetane of the usual Kroger fuel and it does fine - the fuel filter looked great at 20K miles, no water in the box, the fuel works for me. In my opinion, fresh but lesser quality fuel is better than expensive "good" fuel that has sat around for a long time. Ideally fresh good fuel at low cost is the goal, if one finds that unicorn, please let me know :laugh:
 
#17 ·
excuse me...you paid way extra for a diesel and are pinching pennies for the fuel? huh...
You do realize how ridiculous this comment is, right? Implying that we must have money to burn because we bought the diesel? I didn't realize we weren't allowed to find the cheapest fuel options. So sorry to have disturbed you. :roll:
 
#23 ·
Yesterday I was in a part of town I hadn't been in for a while, and the diesel price at a station had dropped significantly during a period where they have generally been going up. The station had been rather high priced and now was somewhat reasonable (but not great). I think this is perhaps evidence that some only adjust their prices when they get a new load of fuel.
 
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