My point was made, based upon your post. Not being a wiseass, but we all do as we damned please, within our amounts of disposable income, of course.
But, I don't cruise my 14 mpg Blown Smallblock powered '34 to the grocery store or or the mall . . Simply for preservation of the ride . . and 85 octane in my little Dakota is a hell of a lot cheaper than 91 octane in the Hot Rod . . And goes a lot farther (Further?)
And, unless we nuke most of the Middle and Far East, eliminating 99% of the population there, and thus the demand for gasoline for their cars, gasoline prices won't ever level to the prices we used to see in the '50's or even '70's.
However, some of the EPA mandates requiring special blends of gasoline for seasons and specific metro areas continue to make refiners want to sell all their output to foriegn retailers because anyplace else in the world will buy 70 octane, 2% MTBE, 15% ethanol (From Brazil) is legal. Not so much here . . Thus, the WORLD MARKET!
Just one of the many things that make gasoline prices high . .