Europe does have areas that don't provide such great public transport. If you live out of the city you are reliant on your car also. Not everyone lives next to a bus stop or train station that actually goes anywhere useful.

I've been to numerous places in the UK and France that require a car for just getting the milk in (10 mile drive to get milk).

Wow if thats real then I never realised how easy other countries get it. Although I'm sure they add taxes to that price?

It's 1.55 euro a liter here at the moment, works out to $7.53 per gallon.

I'm paying about $AUD1.30 per litre which is about $USD1.18/L or $USD4.47 per gallon

Does petrol pricing follow a weekly cycle in other parts of the world? Around here it's usually cheapest on Thursday. There have been numerous anticompetitive investigations into price fixing but no one in the govt seems to be able to figure out that petrol prices changing around the RETAIL market (not the supply prices) are highly suspicious...

I agree. Americans have no idea what expensive means when it comes to gas :)

what do people in Europe pay for car insurance?

Over here (Central Europe, Czech Republic) it's roughly about:

engine:

1.6 - 1.8 - cca $ 350 a year

over 1.8 - cca $ 450 a year

over 2.5 - cca $ 550 a year

This is the basic mandatory insurance that you are forced to pay with any registered vehicle, not including any assistance services or accident insurance, that can add as much as another 50 - 150 pct. on top of that depending on the plan.

I filled up 2 days ago

74.58 litres - £89.42 - $132.05 - €103.91 :disgust :)

And that's not even the most expensive price in the area.

space...that is it in a nutshell. I live in a very small town..... the population is under 6K but is spread out over a pretty large area. Lots of it is rural and the area could not support public transportation. We have vans that will help out the elderly and infirmed to get around but that is it. Americans also seem to be pretty strong opposed to paying taxes for improved infrastructure which would include public transportation

I used to talk to this guy in Germany several years ago. He used to delight in giving me a hard time about how Americans were 'obsessed' with their autos. It was difficult trying to explain to him that not only do you practically have to have a car here, but it better be reliable.... he told me he thought it was foolish and very American.

Then he visited here for his sister's wedding and could not believe how vast the distances were here with absolutely no civilization for miles in any direction. :1orglaugh he stopped giving me a hard time and said he understood now

American gas is cheap.

Compared to most of the world. Yes.