First time this happened! Gasoline woes!
I drove the Expedition to work the other day and as usual, it was out of gas - the light was on. So I stopped to get gas and the pump shut off at $75. Appears that is all you can get on a credit card. It could have held probably 2-3 more gallons but I just left it at that. Ouch!
Expedition - 11.5mpg
Charger - 15.5mpg
We gotta get a better commuter car! I am thinking about a totally stripped Yaris - 40mpg! The fuel savings would almost cover the nut on that car.
Trip to work = 55 miles round trip
Charger = 3.54 gallons (premium gas) = $12.06/day = $242/month
Expedition = 5.23 gallins = $15.66/day = $314/month
Yaris = 1.37 gallons = $4.11/day = $83/month
= $159/$231 month savings!
Expedition - 11.5mpg
Charger - 15.5mpg
We gotta get a better commuter car! I am thinking about a totally stripped Yaris - 40mpg! The fuel savings would almost cover the nut on that car.
Trip to work = 55 miles round trip
Charger = 3.54 gallons (premium gas) = $12.06/day = $242/month
Expedition = 5.23 gallins = $15.66/day = $314/month
Yaris = 1.37 gallons = $4.11/day = $83/month
= $159/$231 month savings!
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Allen -
It's the Imperial Valley - about 500 miles of it is pretty much straight as a string and flat as a board. Total trip for me is 1100 miles.
When I'm at 105, the semis are at 90, and the fast guys are 120+. I am not pulling your chain. On the whole trip I'll see 2 or 3 State Troopers in OryGun(that's the first 300 miles), and usually no more than two in the final 800. I do it without sleeping.
I generally make it in 15 hours, including gas, food, and rest stops.
I5 is a long, straight road, but pretty boring.
Doug0 -
Well, Doug, I thought that was a typo.
I didn't know there was anywhere in America where you could drive 105 without getting a ticket.0 -
12mpg in the F 150 (had it two weeks and already feeling the burn)
33mpg in the Tiburon
But I get 45-50+ on my bike, which I'll be riding again come March/April.0 -
Doug--Sounds like Sube is a good idea. I'm going to drive the crap out of my Blazer before I get rid of it for the Sube so I can pay cash for the Sube. 0 -
Allen - I'm sure that plenty of folks get speeding tickets, but I can't even remember the last time I got one. Yes I do - it was September 13, 1972...driving North to get married with my soon-to-be-wife. The CHP paced my '70 390 AMX at 115 - ticketed me for 80.
I make this round trip two or three times a year.
I have driven this stretch since before there was an Interstate there. I keep my eyes open, my CB on, my radar detector on, and my scanner on. I also watch what the truckers are doing.
Besides, I'm pretty lucky.
idsman - There are lots of good cars around. I just really like the confidence that 4WD, anti-lock brakes, and nimble handling brings.
Doug
*edited for spelling0 -
The Subaru is a "throwback to the future."
It has a glorified Volkswagen engine! It is a horizontally opposed 4 cylinder, very unusual engine. Thank God the Jap engineers water cooled the Subaru, so it doesn't blow like the VW which was air cooled.
Most Subarus are rated at 28 mpg, which they were getting when gas was $1.25 a gallon, when nobody cared about good mileage. Also, all models are 4 wheel drive, or "all wheel drive," again very unusual.
In my area in the North Carolina mountains the Subarus are wildly popular, cheap, reliable, good mileage, and good in the snow.
I have owned a little Subaru hatchback, and my brother in law owns the wagon, I know they have a reputation for bullet proof reliability.0 -
I look at cars after accidents - just an interest of mine. Those lil subarus can sure take a lick!! Of all the small cars, I am most impressed with the subarus - friend had one of the tiniest, the Justy, and it got punted by a dump truck into opposing traffic. The woman inside got out with only minor injuries.
Another friend had the Forester - rolled it when pulling off to the shoulder - it was soft, and gave way. The car went over 1.5 times, ending on its lid, against a tree. Held up admirably.0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
The Subaru is a "throwback to the future."
It has a glorified Volkswagen engine! It is a horizontally opposed 4 cylinder, very unusual engine. Thank God the Jap engineers water cooled the Subaru, so it doesn't blow like the VW which was air cooled.
The horizontally opposed 4 layout only makes sense if you are going to use air cooling. Otherwise an inline makes better engineering sense. You only have one head casting, one cyl mating surface to machine in the block, fewer gasket surfaces to eventually leak, one or two cams instead of 2 or 4 [ assuming OHC ], one exhaust manifold, simplified exhaust pipe routing, easier servicing, etc.0 -
Doug, you're getting 22mpg at 105 mph? Is your engine a four or a six cylinder? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by mlincoln
Doug, you're getting 22mpg at 105 mph? Is your engine a four or a six cylinder?
Hell, I got 30mpg running 100-110 with the A/C for an hour in my Tiburon.
Coming back from Chicago, it's either do 110 or get run over.0 -
19-21 MPG highway
16-18 MPG city
Out of my 2007 Chevy 1500HD Silverado with a 5.3 v-8. If ever there was a perfect truck/engine combo this one is it. I traded in a 2000 Explorer and actually significantly improved my fuel economy.... that is just sad.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubslover
12mpg in the F 150 (had it two weeks and already feeling the burn)
33mpg in the Tiburon
But I get 45-50+ on my bike, which I'll be riding again come March/April.
A few years back we went from here to Columbus, Ga (800mi. ea. way) and I did 100mph most all the way. Figured I'd get home to aa malbox full of speeding tickets, the way they do this these days. But not a one.[:D][8D]<knock wood>
Gotta go to STL tomorrow, 250mi. round trip. Won't be going near as fast, but hope I'm as fortunate.[:)]0 -
The Taurus gets 23 mpg driving around 80 mph and the F-150 gets 10-14 mpg. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ladams
19-21 MPG highway
16-18 MPG city
Out of my 2007 Chevy 1500HD Silverado with a 5.3 v-8. If ever there was a perfect truck/engine combo this one is it. I traded in a 2000 Explorer and actually significantly improved my fuel economy.... that is just sad.
Wow, does it have that cylinder deactivation system? My F150 is a 4x4 with the 5.4L and 3.73 gears, pushing 12mpg.0 -
Love my metro 45mpg and goes good in the snow. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Tailgunner1954
SUV's and big trucks, loved only by those that have compensation issues.
Compensation issues? I love big trucks. How do I fit in this theory?
Try pulling a bulldozer with a Yaris and a big woody and see how far you get.[;)]0 -
$159/$231 month savings!
How much of that will you get to keep once you make the car payment issurance and upkeep?0 -
I couldn't fit a hard gun case in the trunk of my Civic and, if I was on a hunting trip, forget about throwing it in the back seat after I forced the door closed on my 150-quart cooler. My Blazer may get half the gas mileage but I only live 9 miles from work. Why not? 0 -
$80 to fill my van![:(!] 0 -
Here we are choosing which vehicle to drive and complaining about the price of gas. While the rest of the world can barely afford one vehicle.
Why is it that untill we pay the highest in the world per gallon we do not have the right to complain?
The price of gas has tripled here in the last 8-10 years. Show me another country that this is also true?0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hunter Mag
Here we are choosing which vehicle to drive and complaining about the price of gas. While the rest of the world can barely afford one vehicle.
Why is it that untill we pay the highest in the world per gallon we do not have the right to complain?
The price of gas has tripled here in the last 8-10 years. Show me another country that this is also true?
I personally have not complained!
Would I like it if gas was back to $1 per gallon? Sure I would!
But I personally do not worry about the price of gas too much. I pay it and drive!
I only have two places that is a nessesity to drive too! That is to my doctors apointments and to the grocery store! Everything else could be cut out if needed!
My full sized bronco gets averages 15 to 16mpg and I am happy as hell!
So if you see this viechle comming up behind your yugo just get out of my way!
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grd...I drive regional O/operator. 25 + years...Fuel/gas prices are killing the working person/comuter.costs me nearly 900 dollars a day in a 24 hr period. most of this is passed on to the consumer...it has started & will continue to show up at the cash register as retails ajust there prices.It is nothing to joke about.....most working people that have to drive are really stuggling....things are going to get real ugly if prices don,t stabilize soon.[:(] 0 -
It's a 4 cylinder.
The horizontally opposed engine was put in the car to lower the center of gravity, as well as the hood line. It also shortens the overall length of the engine, considerably.
I pay attention, and I hear no anecdotal complaints of gasket/seal failure. Nor have the people I know had those problems.
Doug0 -
The base Yaris starts at $11,900. It will take you 6.2 years of commuting to work at current prices and projected savings for you to be coming out ahead of just continuing to drive what you have.
Probably worth it but only just.
I've thought of getting a moped or scooter but I only have a 7 mile round trip commute. That works out to $4.50 a week to commute with my 24 mpg mustang with $3.10 gas. At about 100 mpg the scooter would cost $.99 per week for a difference of $3.51 per week savings.
A scooter costs $3200 for a halfway decent one. I would only drive it May through October, or 6 months a year, or 26 weeks a year. Meaning in 26 weeks or per year I would save $91.26. At that rate it would take 35 years for it to pay off.....so I won't be doing it.0 -
When you take into account one or more adults sitting in seats that are higher than the engine then I would just hazard a guess that the flat 4 lowers the CG of the car probably 2 or 3 inches. All the accessories have to be mounted above the engine. Alternator, ac compressor, PS pump, etc. On an inline engine these acc are mounted on the side of the engine. 0 -
My personal opinion since we all have one here? Get a fuel-efficient vehicle and let it pay for itself even more over the long run by dumping the fuel savings into something like T Rowe Price New Era. 0 -
If gas costs $3.00 a gallon, and you drive 12,000 miles per year, then a years worth of gas will cost you:
at 10 miles per gallon = $3600
at 15 mpg = $2400
at 20 mpg = $1800
at 25 mpg = $1440
at 30 mpg = $1200
So switching from a 15 mpg guzzler to a 30 mpg miser will only save the average driver $1200 per year.
And the guzzler is probably a LOT safer and more pleasant to drive than the miser, (plus probably more useful in hauling people, stuff, etc).
The fact is, even at these relatively high gas prices, the cost of fuel still takes second place to insurance and depreciation for any newish car.
Nice thing to do is to make sure you have lots of air in your tires and you aren't hauling around a lot of extra weight. Avoid jackrabbit starts, and try to plan your trips (when possible) to save mileage, and avoid lots of start-and-stop traffic (when your fuel efficiency goes way down). Do these things and you can such several extra miles out of each gallon.0 -
While I agree with your economic analysis, beantown, I have to disagree with the apparent majority opinion here that large vehicles are "a lot" safer. Sure, there is no denying physics if a heavy vehicle and a light vehicle collide. But there is "a lot" more to safety than that one factor. Small vehicles are, in general, much more nimble, affording the ability to stop and/or steer and avoid a wreck. They are also a lot less prone to roll over. And many big, heavy vehicles are actually worse when smashed into an immovable object such as a tree or bridge. You also have to consider other safety features such as air bags, crumple zones, etc.
I also disagree that a large vehicle is more pleasant to drive. I don't like driving big vehicles, like a full-size pickup or full-size SUV or van. I feel much more in control when driving a smaller, lighter vehicle, particularly one with a good suspension and a low weight-to-HP ratio.
In any event, I stand by my earlier statement that it hardly ever makes sense to change vehicles for fuel economy. When it comes time to change vehicles for other reasons (dependability, lifestyle, simple desire), fuel economy will be taken into consideration to a much larger degree than in years past.0 -
quote:Originally posted by farmplinker
While I agree with your economic analysis, beantown, I have to disagree with the apparent majority opinion here that large vehicles are "a lot" safer. Sure, there is no denying physics if a heavy vehicle and a light vehicle collide. But there is "a lot" more to safety than that one factor. Small vehicles are, in general, much more nimble, affording the ability to stop and/or steer and avoid a wreck. They are also a lot less prone to roll over. And many big, heavy vehicles are actually worse when smashed into an immovable object such as a tree or bridge. You also have to consider other safety features such as air bags, crumple zones, etc.
I also disagree that a large vehicle is more pleasant to drive. I don't like driving big vehicles, like a full-size pickup or full-size SUV or van. I feel much more in control when driving a smaller, lighter vehicle, particularly one with a good suspension and a low weight-to-HP ratio.
In any event, I stand by my earlier statement that it hardly ever makes sense to change vehicles for fuel economy. When it comes time to change vehicles for other reasons (dependability, lifestyle, simple desire), fuel economy will be taken into consideration to a much larger degree than in years past.
I will agree with you that my '03 Civic EX was MUCH MORE fun to drive than my Blazer but I gotta tell you that there are times where some of us really NEED 4WD. Sure, I put snow tires on my Civic and made it only because I have extensive snow driving experience having grown up in Minnesota and having lived a couple years in upstate New York and Iowa. However, there have been many times where I thought I was on the brink between life and death out on those roads. The funny thing is I felt safer in my Civic from a maneuvering and handling and stopping distance standpoint. I also felt that I had less blind spot area around me with my Civic. There are a lot of positives and negatives to take into consideration. I live 9 miles from work so fuel costs aren't really that big of a deal. Sometimes you have to balance the emotional with the functional. Sometimes you just have to go with what you like. If we lived our lives by the functional and the practical then we wouldn't have any fun either.0
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