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SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to gas prices, David Coleman just stopped paying attention.
"Over a hundred bucks, easy," Coleman, a Salt Lake resident, said about filling up his old Doge Hemi engine.
Because gas money took such a toll on his wallet, Coleman bought a more economical model that saves on gas.
"Thirteen miles per gallon on the 8-cylinder hemi to 35 miles per gallon," Coleman said.
However, as gas prices continue to drop, he may wish that he had kept his truck a little while longer.
In the past three months, gas prices nationally have dropped by more than 50 cents a gallon.
In Utah, the average gas price last month was $3.45 per gallon. Now, gas prices are down to an average of around $3.26 per gallon.
With a membership at Sam's Club or Costco, drivers in South Jordan, Sandy, Murray and Salt Lake, can expect to pay somewhere between $2.50 and $3 per gallon. Without a club membership, gas prices hover anywhere between $3.07 in South Jordan and $2.99 per gallon in Provo.
"That is exciting," Coleman said.
However, in places like Bicknell, Hanksville, Beaver and Milford, gas prices still range between $3.50 to $3.99 per gallon.
In Cedar City Tuesday, drivers were paying around $3.40 per gallon.
"I don't know why. I guess it's greed here. I don't know what else to call it with these distributors here in Cedar City," said Fred Lutjens, a resident of Parowan.
Overall, Utah is still enjoying its lowest gas prices in nearly four years — which, in a way, Coleman thinks is funny. Who would have thought people would be happy with prices within the low $3 range.
"I remember back in 1999 or so, and the gas was 99 cents," Coleman said.
No one knows how low gas prices will continue to drop, but it's probably safe to assume that the below-a-dollar days are long since gone.
However, if gas prices drop to a more reasonable $2.50 per gallon, gas container sales might start to increase. That's because people will likely stock up on gas in anticipation of an inevitable increase.
Contributing: Sara Jarman
