Anyone thinking of selling their gas guzzler and buying a more fuel efficient car?

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Posted: 8/15/2005 4:35:43 AM EDT

My car gets about 19 MPG and I drive about 50 miles round trip to work everyday, plus all the weekend driving. I currently spend about $45 a week on gas at $2.59 a gallon (premium). I think if gas hits $3.25 a gallon here in Texas, I'll be seriously thinking about getting a more fuel efficient car.

What about you guys? Where's your price per gallon breaking point?

Posted: 8/15/2005 4:47:11 AM EDT

[#1]

Assuming that you drive 20,000 a year, and a more fuel efficient car gets 30 MPG:

Current fuel consumption: 1052 gallons
Expected fuel consumption: 666 gallons
Difference: 386 gallons

Current cost difference (annually): $999 (Premium).

But with a fuel effiecient car, you will not have to use premium, so for low grade: $922.

If fuel goes to $3.25, the difference is: $1254.

So, it works out to be ~$100 month difference, assuming the worst.

Posted: 8/15/2005 4:48:05 AM EDT

[#2]

No, if it gets so ridiculous that I can't afford to fill my car.....I think we'll be well beyond "trading in" for more effiicient vehicles. YMMV.

I get about 16 mpg and I have a 100 mile roundtrip M-F.

I need to buy a motorcycle.

Posted: 8/15/2005 4:50:33 AM EDT

[#3]

We chose to go with smaller, more fuel efficient cars 12 years ago. I miss my Thunderbirds.

Posted: 8/15/2005 4:52:07 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
No, if it gets so ridiculous that I can't afford to fill my car.....I think we'll be well beyond "trading in" for more effiicient vehicles. YMMV.

I get about 16 mpg and I have a 100 mile roundtrip M-F. I need to buy a motorcycle.

I'd probably keep my existing car and find a used Honda Civic or something like that, and use it for my work commute.

Posted: 8/15/2005 4:57:08 AM EDT

[#5]

Already took on step in that direction, sold my 02 Sport trac for an 02 Maxima.......Sport trac got 20mpg hwy, Maxima gets 27mpg hwy.....helping a little bit.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:04:55 AM EDT

[#6]

80 mile round trip commute to work / 14 mpg X 2.40 per gallon = one broke ass Rabbit9.

Throw in the local driving, and I'm running about $100 / week for my truck alone. If the gas prices reach the $3-4 / gallon they're predicting, my "personal economy" is going to suffer.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:09:28 AM EDT

[#7]

I prefer mid-sized sedans or bigger. I will just keep paying a bit a more for gas for the increased safety provided by a more substantial vehicle. There's no way I'd put myself or those I care about into a sardine can to save a few cents on gas. JMO.

Granted, these type of cars sit between the gas guzzling SUV's and the subcompacts. But those with fuel efficient engines get great gas mileage anyway. Heck, look at the 1990's Chevy Caprice with the LT1 350. Those cars got outstanding fuel mileage, yet provided you with plenty of room, power and good safety.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:11:37 AM EDT

[#8]

I only burn about 20 gallons a week out of my tyrannasaur eating Chevy 4x4.

I ltry not to live far from work because you lose so much more than gas by driving that far every day.

If you're driving 1 hour each way, each day, you are adding 10 hours to your work week.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:11:43 AM EDT

[#9]

No, but I'll be waiting for the good deals on the big gas guzzlers when it happens. Maybee some tree hugger wants to sell his '69 GTO to conserve the enviorment.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:15:07 AM EDT

[#10]

4.6 L 281 inches 18 lbs of boost Limited edition Mystichrome paint 600hp detroit muscle hell no ill jsut drive the company car a little more often headbang.gif

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:23:42 AM EDT

[#11]

I did that back in 1990, sold my 1979 Jeep Cherokee, have regretted it ever since .... I'm not doing that again.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:26:07 AM EDT

[#12]

I just paid the record amount to fill up my '02 Ranger Edge 4X4, $42 for 18 ga. I get about 15mpg City and 20 mpg HWY unfortunately, I drive 16 miles round trip to work and back all city. I had a 4cyl that got 22mpg all the time but would not get out of it's own way. I'm good till about $3.25 gal. at that point I stop driving so much.

FWIW, we will never be able to conserve ourselves into cheaper gas. When everyone has a hybrid getting 70mpg the cost of gas will be $10/gal.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:27:47 AM EDT

[#13]

My 4 cyl Forester does just fine and has plenty of room and power

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:29:28 AM EDT

[#14]

Hell No - gas mileage is only one factor.

I was in a 5 car pileup a couple years ago - I was in the middle.

I was in a small car, BMW 3 series, and it was totalled. Luckily BMW's crash good and the car did it's job.

But I'm not ever going back to something even that small. GIve me some metal, more safety

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:30:30 AM EDT

[#15]

Nope.
It aint that expensive yet.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:31:17 AM EDT

[#16]

I'm just riding the bike more and more. 45 miles to the gallon and fun to boot.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:34:40 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
I prefer mid-sized sedans or bigger. I will just keep paying a bit a more for gas for the increased safety provided by a more substantial vehicle. There's no way I'd put myself or those I care about into a sardine can to save a few cents on gas. JMO.

Granted, these type of cars sit between the gas guzzling SUV's and the subcompacts. But those with fuel efficient engines get great gas mileage anyway. Heck, look at the 1990's Chevy Caprice with the LT1 350. Those cars got outstanding fuel mileage, yet provided you with plenty of room, power and good safety.

Preach it bro. My wife drives a Tahoe and I've got a not so efficient Toy Taco Crew Cab (weighs 5100 lbs, believe it or not). We have young children and want some meat around them. I'll pay the extra.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:38:51 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Nope.
It aint that expensive yet.

+1. I might drive a little slower, but I aint gettin no pussy-ass car for bubba. A man has to have pride about some things...

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:39:41 AM EDT

[#19]

Last year I replaced my wife's dying minivan and my pickup with Corollas. We keep talking about needing a Suburban for those times when we want to haul stuff or what not, but we have yet to get to the point where we actually needed a bigger car. The little cars are a little cramped with us and 3 kids, but for 33mpg around town, 46 for long trips I can live with a little inconvenience.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:49:42 AM EDT

[#20]

I won't be trading in the truck any time soon, but might think about buying a POS gas saver.

Posted: 8/15/2005 5:59:30 AM EDT

[#21]

fuel is only one cost of owning a car. Other costs are insurance and cost of the car. If you're going have to shell out 10, 20, $30K to save a few bucks and feel smug at the pump, you're not saving any $

Posted: 8/15/2005 6:00:15 AM EDT

[#22]

Cut my gas bill more than half by buying a house 25 miles closer to work. I'm keeping my 4x4. Will start riding the BMW into work if it gets REALLY bad. The only reason I don't now is there is no secure parking for a bike.

I burn more gas in the boat than I do in the truck per month. 110 gallon fillup.

Posted: 8/15/2005 6:08:03 AM EDT

[#23]

Yep, I'll be trading in my 13 mpg Silverado for a 30 mpg Saab 93-x next week. I'm gonna miss my truck though

Posted: 8/19/2005 8:50:54 PM EDT

[#24]

I am thinking about it now that gas has hit the $2.60 mark here....

I drive a 97 Ford Expedition with about 123,000 miles and I get about 18-19MPG highway but no idea what I really get in my 5MPH commute to work...

I am not really planning to get rid of my Expedition as with 3-kids I need a big vechicle but I am thinking of getting a third smaller car to save some money on gas when I don't need to haul the whole family for a trip somewhere...

I am looking at the Saturn and Ford Focus but I would like to get at least 35MPG and it has to have four doors... It's tough as my kids are 8, 5, and 1.5 so I need the middle one in a booster and the youndest in a full child seat... makes it tough to get a small puddle jumper... I am considering a lease so that I can give it some time to figure out what is going to happen with gas prices...

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:00:12 PM EDT

[#25]

I think we ought to just kick some ass and take some gas.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:01:46 PM EDT

[#26]

So long as the freakin media keeps preachin $4 a gallon it will happen. It just amazes me what will drive the cost of oil up. Someone important dies in the middle east and wham there goes the oil prices. Hysteria and the sheeple go hand in hand, along with the oil futures speculators and other greedy individuals. It all really makes me mad.

As far as buying an additional car that gets better mileage, there is no economy in that considering the additional costs of owing the car.

Everyone just needs to relax, prices will settle down in a month or two.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:02:54 PM EDT

[#27]

My truck gets 11 mpg - hell yes I'm considering a more fuel-efficient vehicle. $75 to fill the tank adds up brother.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:04:37 PM EDT

[#28]

good luck on finding a 35 mpg car

there are very few that get better than 30

a TDI VW jetta might work for you

the Chevy HHR gets 30 mpg

not bad for 18k bucks

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:05:01 PM EDT

[#29]

I get about 20mpg on the highway in my S10....

When I get back from Iraq, I'm planning on buying like a '99-'01 Grand Prix GT/GTP. Our current '02 GP SE with 3.1l gets about 30-33mpg. The 3.8l gets about 27-28mpg and the L67 gets about 26-27mpg.

And then a 4x4 beater....

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:05:35 PM EDT

[#30]

Not hardly.

Life is too short to drive a whimpy car/truck (any more!)

Back when I was in the military it took too many years before I made enough money to actually not care about things like gas milage. Now that I'm retired it's time to burn up my share of the planet's gas.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:05:44 PM EDT

[#31]

Hehe, I drive a big car and still get good gas mileage. Err, diesel.

Gotta love the Older diesel Benzs!

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:07:05 PM EDT

[#32]

1997 Toyota Corolla, 2004 Honda Civic (hot girlfriend's car), 1985 Dodge full size pickup with slant 6 engine, 1989 Toyota 4Runner, and 1993 Dodge Spirit.

Talk about a Mexican war fleet I have.

vmax84

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:07:46 PM EDT

[#33]

Well, my current daily driver (03 Hyundai Tiburon V6) averages me about 21mpg overall. It can go as low as about 15-16 if my toes tickle the injectors a lot, or up to about 28-30 on highway driving. Of course my recent trip to and from Houston wasn't so good because my air filter was SO focking filthy... but I cleaned that up.

Anyway, if gas does go above $3/gal, I think it will be the straw that gets me to move to something else. Right NOW, I live so close to work it wouldn't be worth it, but next year, I may be trying to get a house, or rent/lease something, and may end up further away.

The Ford Escape Hybrid has aroused my curiosity. It averages 36 city and 30 highway, but I've read owner's reviews specifically regarding fuel economy, and found that some people can get the city economy as high as 44mpg, and the highway in the 33mpg area. Compared to my current car, that's not really a whole lot, but if my commute increases, and I have a house (possibly needing to haul a few things that would be difficult in a coupe), the Escape would end up being more handy. Having driven a hybrid before, I think I would adapt to it quickly. (your driving style GREATLY affects how well a hybrid vehicle does)

On top of that, being a Dell employee, we get a great discount on Ford products. I think it's only slightly less of a discount than the Ford employee discount, but it could save me a bit.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:09:54 PM EDT

[#34]

I had parked my truck back when gas hit 2 dollars a gallon. I use my car to commute to work in. We use the truck now to haul something or take on a trip.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:31:00 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
good luck on finding a 35 mpg car

there are very few that get better than 30

a TDI VW jetta might work for you

the Chevy HHR gets 30 mpg
automobilemag.com/auto_shows/los_angeles_2005/0501_chevy_hhr_front_445.jpg

not bad for 18k bucks

After seeing that pic, I think I threw up in my mouth a little...

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:41:43 PM EDT

[#36]

OT: To maximize your gas milieage be sure that your tires are inflated correctly, and the air filter is clean.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:42:16 PM EDT

[#37]

not really, its a bet annoying paying through the ass at the pump.

but i just can bring myself to trade in the V-8's. for a fricken go cart.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:44:45 PM EDT

[#38]

Yup ... if I didn't have the motorcycles to commute with, I'd be in the market for a more fuel efficient truck. I get about 10 mi/gal in the truck I'm driving now ... costs me > $10/day just to drive this thing to work! To fill the 35 gal tank with today's gas prices costs nearly $90.

The real pisser is that I could perform all my job duties from home - as could most of my coworkers - but management isn't quite that forward thinking (yet).

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:44:45 PM EDT

[#39]

I'm putting up my fuel-efficient Civic Si for sale if anyone's interested. Its all over the internet but I even put it up for sale on the EE boards.

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=91&t=287617

Runs a 15.2 in the quarter mile and gets about 32 mpg average.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:45:41 PM EDT

[#40]

I drive my 5.0 V8 Mustang to work (on the far side of town) because it gets much better mileage than my 2.8 V6 Ranger.

For the 4th of July I bought a Pace Arrow Motorhome with a Big 454 that gets 9mpg - I prepaid $280 and it wasn't enough to fill the tank... But I'm still glad I bought it.

BTW - want to replace the 2.8 V6 Ranger with a 4.0 V6 Ranger - Either that or find me a good FULL sized Bronco.

I spent years living off the top of a motorcycle, might do it again someday, but not soon.

Posted: 8/19/2005 9:52:43 PM EDT

[#41]

I drive an F-350 crew cab diesel. Its my company truck and I just pass the costs on to my customers.

Posted: 8/19/2005 10:18:00 PM EDT

[#42]

I may have to turn in my company car at the end of the year and I'll be looking closely at the VW Jetta Turbo Deisel.
I was in Germany a couple of years ago doing a sales presentation and the other engineer I was with was driving an Audi station wagon 1.8 TDI. We were doing 140 mph on the autobahn.
I was impressed. That was as fast as I'd ever driven my Porsche.

Posted: 8/20/2005 12:52:30 AM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:
My car gets about 19 MPG and I drive about 50 miles round trip to work everyday, plus all the weekend driving. I currently spend about $45 a week on gas at $2.59 a gallon (premium). I think if gas hits $3.25 a gallon here in Texas, I'll be seriously thinking about getting a more fuel efficient car.

What about you guys? Where's your price per gallon breaking point?

Could this be a plot to eliminate SUVs and the recent revival of muscle cars? I am keeping my Mach1 even if I can't afford to drive it. I will just ride my FXDWGI.

mark

ps - i know that is a weak jab, but something is going on here that needs to be explained

Posted: 8/20/2005 12:56:50 AM EDT

[#44]

Yese, the wife and I had been thinking about buying a H2....then an H3...with gas prices like they are now...not a chance in hell. I'm not even considering a large SUV right now. If I gotta pay $50 bucks to fil it up to go 200 miles...forget that!

Posted: 8/20/2005 2:15:24 AM EDT

[#45]

No, I reckon not.

Posted: 8/20/2005 3:19:34 AM EDT

[#46]

Hell no! How else am I going to haul all my toys around? Trailers full of dirt bikes and gear aren't going to pull themselves.

Our club(FDCC) is about to buy a covered trailer to store and haul all our targets and building materials around. How the hell is that bad boy going to get to he range? A fuel efficient hybrid road gnat isn't going to get the job done.

Besides, gas is cheap as far as i'm concerned. It cost me about $2.69 to go about 12-15 miles in my truck. Go out and walk that distance at 1pm and then tell me how much you would pay for a ride instead.

Gas is cheap! Get over it!

Posted: 8/20/2005 3:23:25 AM EDT

[#47]

No! When my Expedition is paid off in 14 months, I won't care about the cost of gas. I need a big rig because my boys are 6'2" and 6'3". When family visits, I can pack in 7-8 passengers and all their luggage (in back and on top). Try that in a small car. They can have my Expedition when they pry my cold dead hands from the wheel.

Posted: 8/20/2005 3:31:44 AM EDT

[#48]

If you sit down and do the math it rarely is worth the trouble unless you are useing a suburban to commute 2 hr a day and a vw golf would suit your needs .
I need my pickup for certain uses so I would need to keep it and also buy a gas miser. When you work out the additional cost of taxes and insurance on the second car it just doesn't save any money with the miles I drive .
It usually costs a heap of money to swap out vehicles even if you aren't moveing up in value .
If it is time for a new vehicle anyway you would have to be crazy to not factor gas mileage into your choice.