Do you ever find yourself reminiscing about the days when filling up your tank didn’t make your wallet cry? With gas prices continuing to rise, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic for the times when fuel was cheap, and life felt a bit simpler. From the ’60s to the early 2000s, there was a time when paying just a few bucks for a full tank was the norm. Back then, the rising cost of gas wasn’t a constant worry, and hitting the road for a spontaneous trip didn’t require a second thought about your budget. Whether it was cruising down the highway or just getting to work, a full tank of gas stretched so much further, and so did your freedom. Here are 17 photos of cheap gas proving life was better in the past.
1. Pumping gas in the 1970s.
That car brand-new was probably around $3,000.
2. $5 for a car wash and a full tank of gas.
This photo was taken in 1988 when gas prices were 74 cents per gallon.
3. 90 cents in the ’90s.
We love the gas prices, not the shredded tire.
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4. I can’t believe gas was ever this cheap in LA.
Today, $6 per gallon is a good price in Los Angeles.
5. 16 gallons of gas for $15.
This anomaly could only happen in the ’70s.
6. He’s headed up there to set the prices even cheaper than that.
Not only were gas prices cheaper, but policemen were also more lenient.
7. High gas prices didn’t even reach the ’90s.
This photo is from 1996. Think about it, gas prices have risen 300% in just 30 years.
8. Non-leaded gas for just $.99.
It looks like he’s admiring those cheap gas prices.
9. La Brea Ave LA, 1975.
Today it seems impossible that gas was $.57 in Los Angeles.
10. Bring back ’70s gas prices.
Now they throw in the lead for free.
11. A free drink with a full gas tank, sign me up.
In the ’70s they may not have loved these prices, but hey a free glass makes up for it.
12. Only a dollar a gallon in 1985.
And even a dollar is considered expensive in the ’80s.
13. Come on 7/11, we can go back to how it was.
If gas was still this price, everyone would be delivering.
14. Who remembers prices this low?
A car wash was included with a full tank back when they cared about the customer.
15. People today would drive hours for these prices.
People today would drive hours for $2 gas.
16. $.17 a gallon during The Great Depression.
I’m not saying I’d want to go back in time to The Great Depression, but I’d take their gas prices.
17. I miss gas prices under a dollar.
Even in the early 2000s, gas was around $1.00.
