Arco

There gas so cheap… why even go to costco when you have this place. Plus the bathrooms are clean.

This is not just any gas station, this is one belonging to a jazz enthusiast. I like to think I go here for the gas, but I’m really here for the tunes.

I hate the fact that the machines are always down for debit or cash, so you have to go inside to buy gas even with a debit card. And still pay the 35 cent fee.
I like the spaciousness of this place.
I just don’t like that hassle.

It seems like every time I come here, a couple pumps or credit card machines are down. I’ve never seen a closed pump at the station on Monterey and Fair Oaks. Unless your car is *really* on empty… drive to the Arco on Fair Oaks.

Love this gas station, it’s off the Orange exit on the 110N in South Pass, close to TJ, Señor Fish and restos. It’s the lowest price gas in the Pasadena, no lie. It’s a standard Arco gas station but hey, this week it’s $ 2.45 a gallon, that’s freakin’ cheap and while there are other gas stations with lower rates, this is close.. I don’t think I was born then when gas was this cheap, LOLs.
Tip: No credit cards. Debit cards only for 35 cent transaction fee.
Visits: Countless.

Cheapest gas in the area. There’s a 35cents charge if u use debit card, but if u get a full tank of gas, still worth it. Gets busy around rush hour at night when everyone is stopping for gas on their way home, but otherwise there’s no wait.
The convenience is tiny. Good selection of energy drinks and gum. Meager on snacks.

It can get crowded, but the gas’s cheap and the air pump works long enough to pump your tires. Beats the Valero on Fair Oaks for both price and service by a long, loooong shot!

They play jazz on the speakers, prices are right, within walking distance of Trader Joes and within minutes of the 110 fwy!!!

An actual clean bathroom in a gas station. In all my life, this is the only one I’ve discovered. That deserves 5 stars in my mind…

I loathe this place. It is always crowded, any time, any day. Getting in or out is a pain in the ass, as it is on the north west corner of Orange Grove and Mission (two busy streets). Bad setup-​the pumps are wide enough to get two cars, but when two cars are side by side, there’s not much room in between. Not only that, they have the stupid short hoses, which barely reach the car as it is, so it definitely won’t reach if you are too far from the pump. I feel stuck going here, as it has low gas prices for the area and is close to the freeway. They get one star because you can’t give no stars, and the second star is purely because their prices are the lowest around the area.

Think place lost it’s cheapness,
is better now.

Cheapest gas in the neighborhood but their staff are dicks! I had a minor fendir bender and needed a screw driver to attach my bumper so I could get home to my real tools. They have a mechanic station. I asked to use a screw driver and the told me no. So I walked in there and took a screwdriver, used it and returned it right after. If those guys has their way I would have been stranded. Fuck those guys.

Very small gas area and an even smaller store. The drinks were really disorganized! We had to look in all the cases just to find the regular-​sized bottle of Sprite. They really try to sell the 1-​litres or the cans. Instead of either organizing it by brand or type of drink, they just mix it all up!
We had a bad experience, but it was our first time there and it was just the particular cashier we dealt with.
While I was inside getting drinks, my uncle was outside pumping gas. Apparently, another customer had mistakenly given the cashier my uncle’s pump number, so my uncle wasn’t able to buy gas because it kept saying «pump in use». It then let him pump about $ 20 worth of gas, but stopped working. My uncle came inside to see what was wrong with the pump while I was checking out with the cashier. She pointed at my uncle and asked if he was with me, loudly saying that he didn’t pay for his gas. My uncle handed her his debit card and said to charge him for the gas and put the drinks on his card as well, since I hadn’t paid yet. She charged him, put the drinks in the bag and handed them to me. As we’re leaving the store, she YELLED for us to come back because I hadnt’ paid for the drinks yet. Why on Earth did she bag them AND give them to me if they weren’t paid for yet? Ugh. Idiot!

So I’ll make it a fact that I love driving my automobile with my wife. Sure, she gets upset when I forget to tell her to make the proper turn, but it’s a good thing we share. The only disadvantage to driving one of these modern day horseless carriages is that unlike a horse, these pieces of metal are powered by combustible engines that require gasoline in order to function.
This is why I like Arco. Sure, they get their gasoline from BP which is resulting in the anal rape of the Mexico Gulf, but hell, this gas is pretty darn cheap. My wife in particular likes going here for the very nice classical music they always have playing. Me, I’m not into that type of music so much, but whatever can get her to stop talking for a Goddamn minute is always fine by me. In fact, when we went tonight, they were playing Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and she was excited. How did I even recognize this music is beyond me, but I know it was.
Anyways, I’m getting beside the point. The nice man working inside, Frank, was very helpful in making sure my gas was properly dispersed into my engine. I drive a 1994 Honda Accord and it seemed to have accepted the gasoline pretty well. I made it from there to our studio apartment in Reseda without the car turning off once, so I’m going to assume the gasoline was effective.
My only complaint for the evening was when I got home, my passive aggressive wife began complaining about the dinner we ate. We ate mediocre Japanese food, but she didn’t want to tell me while eating it that it stunk. Instead, we went home and argued about it for about a good forty minutes resulting in an another sexless night for me. Instead, I stayed up petting my cat and watching re-​runs of Mama’s Family. Oh well! C’est la vie say the French. I’m not French, but that’s a pretty good comment, I say!
Bottom line: Good gas. Get gas here. Great gas gets going great at Arco!

Most inexpensive gas I’ve seen! The only bummer is they close down at 9 pm. But I still give them a 5.

Ahhh Arco how I love thee. You consistently have the cheapest gas prices around and you are walking distance from my apartment. So even when I’m a dumbass and drive to the gas station without bringing my wallet. I know I can make a 3 minute walk to pick it up and come back.
Since gas prices are the cheapest in town, be prepared to wait during heavy traffic hours. It won’t be a long wait, but some people are pretty damned aggressive when it comes to pulling up to the pump.

When you’re going to get something fixed on your car, I don’t care what it is, you’re never in a good mood. It’s a given fact. no one shows up to an auto repair shop with a smile.
SOooo. I was in this situation this morning. I needed a flat tire fixed. I had no idea it needed to be replaced. I stepped into their service center. There was ONE technician and he was fixated on changing the oil on a Miata. I waited for a while, with no recognition. No, «hi can i help you?» no «be right there.» not even a flippin hand wave, for cookies sake.
finally i asked the gas attendant if there was anyone who could help me, seeing as Miata-​tech guy couldn’t scratch his ass and change oil at the same time if he had an itch. but alas, gas attendant-​guy couldn’t leave his designated post, and only said, «there should be.»
after waiting what seemed to be another 5 – 10 minutes, Miata-​guy finishes up and decides to help me out. before checking out my tire, he jumps in my car to move it.
now, i just want to know, what does it mean when your auto guy asks, «is there a trick to turning on your car?» and you have to tell him, «try stepping on the clutch.»
after finding the «kill switch» he discovered my tire was beyond repair and switched it out for the spare. finally, big-​boss man decides to show up, just in time to lay the bill on me.
i expressed to big-​boss-​man my displeasure for paying for a quick tire change. the fact that i could have done the same thing myself for free should relate the incredible ease of this service. i waited longer for someone to recognize me than the service actually took.
big-​boss-​man, now big-​ANGRY-​boss man flails his arms in a raging banter, reaches behind himself a flings a handful of poo at me, while i’m trying to pay. .
. ok, so there was no poo involved. but he did rant off something about the pressure gun and crap.
whatever — i’d rather pay good money for a tech who knows how to turn on my car and can take care of me in a timely, pleasant manner, than to hassle with angry, poo flinging, techs who cant multi-​task.