It comes up every few years, roused by the specter of rising gas prices or a hike in Jersey's famously low gas tax. Or whenever an out of stater stops at a service station for the first time.

Why the heck can't you pump your own gas here?

Advocates of repeal have argued it could save anywhere from 5 to 7 cents per gallon, but defenders of full-service counter that would come at the cost of tens of thousands of jobs — not to mention the emotional toll taken as grown, functioning adults across the state struggle to learn a skill most motorists master by age 17.

Robert Scott III, an economics professor at Monmouth State University, took a deep dive into New Jersey's self-service gas ban in a 2007 paper titled "Fill 'er Up: A Study of Statewide Self-Service Gasoline Station Bans." His research looked at the costs associated with self-serve bans in New Jersey and Oregon, the only other state with a similar law.

"I really expected to see that there would be a significant cost," Scott told NJ.com. "But you add all these jobs with almost no expense."

And although Scott relied on the data to support his conclusions — even sending undergraduate researchers to gas stations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to clock service times — nobody can escape the allure of anecdotal evidence.

"There's nothing better than when it's pouring down rain or freezing cold than just rolling down your window like one inch to slide the credit card out," he said. "I mean, that's just awesome."

Did we miss something in the timeline? Got a gas pumping story to share? Let us know in the comments.