I believe it was Nixon that first set wage and price controls. My father was the first to bring it to my attention. They found a simple solution. They started calling items by other names like hambuger meat vs. ground beef. When they called it something else, they could increase the price. I was in middle school at the time.
To take the pinch out of fuel cost, I bought a Prius. It is a small car but on long trips I prefer my SUV. On a good day, the SUV gets 25 MPG. The Prius worst case is 50. I don't like the government dictation what kind of car to buy but the Prius didn't cost more than an average car so I bought it. I've had the Prius for a few years and was pleasantly surprised by the low maintenance cost. On a negative note, the high voltage battery is $3000. The HV battery has a 100,000 mile warranty.