Welcome the newest member of our family-The experiment begins!!
After a few weeks of watching the gas pump read this each time I filled up.
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I decided to try an experiment and get this....
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I paid $2500 for a 2002 Ford Escort with around 95k miles on it. CR recommends the Escort as a decent vehicle. If it goes a year at the current prices, it becomes a free car thanks to the difference in use between my 3/4 ton pickup and what this vehicle will use.
If you want to do the math, I fill up once a week so that means the amount I was spending on fuel was hitting around $400 a month.
Now on to the question of fuel prices influencing behavior. Would I have done this if the price of gas were lower? Not at all. At the current prices though the money is spent in my mind and the costs sunk so I might as well see what I can get for that money other than gasoline.
I wouldn't have purchased a new car even if it was fuel efficient because it would take me a dozen years to somehow make that money back. This bet though, I am willing to take.
For those that care about car spec stuff, it is automatic with power windows, locks, etc. I have no idea what the rims are and if you tell me or have me say the name to you, I still won't know what it means.
But hey.... possible free car... if the prices stay high, the calculations are right and if there isn't too much maintenance.
[CENTER]
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I decided to try an experiment and get this....
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]I paid $2500 for a 2002 Ford Escort with around 95k miles on it. CR recommends the Escort as a decent vehicle. If it goes a year at the current prices, it becomes a free car thanks to the difference in use between my 3/4 ton pickup and what this vehicle will use.
If you want to do the math, I fill up once a week so that means the amount I was spending on fuel was hitting around $400 a month.
Now on to the question of fuel prices influencing behavior. Would I have done this if the price of gas were lower? Not at all. At the current prices though the money is spent in my mind and the costs sunk so I might as well see what I can get for that money other than gasoline.
I wouldn't have purchased a new car even if it was fuel efficient because it would take me a dozen years to somehow make that money back. This bet though, I am willing to take.
For those that care about car spec stuff, it is automatic with power windows, locks, etc. I have no idea what the rims are and if you tell me or have me say the name to you, I still won't know what it means.
But hey.... possible free car... if the prices stay high, the calculations are right and if there isn't too much maintenance.
Comments
not quite...
regardless, congrats! now if only you had decent public transit...
Oh and decent public trans got me fucking soaked today so it sucks.
I don't know why people buy trucks. I can rent a E350 van (huge) for $20 a day when I need it. Every day I drive a Honda.
Oh and decent public trans got me fucking soaked today so it sucks.
Try an umbrella...does wonders on rainy days.
After a few weeks of watching the gas pump read this each time I filled up.
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]
I decided to try an experiment and get this....
[CENTER]
I paid $2500 for a 2002 Ford Escort with around 95k miles on it. CR recommends the Escort as a decent vehicle. If it goes a year at the current prices, it becomes a free car thanks to the difference in use between my 3/4 ton pickup and what this vehicle will use.
If you want to do the math, I fill up once a week so that means the amount I was spending on fuel was hitting around $400 a month.
Now on to the question of fuel prices influencing behavior. Would I have done this if the price of gas were lower? Not at all. At the current prices though the money is spent in my mind and the costs sunk so I might as well see what I can get for that money other than gasoline.
I wouldn't have purchased a new car even if it was fuel efficient because it would take me a dozen years to somehow make that money back. This bet though, I am willing to take.
For those that care about car spec stuff, it is automatic with power windows, locks, etc. I have no idea what the rims are and if you tell me or have me say the name to you, I still won't know what it means.
But hey.... possible free car... if the prices stay high, the calculations are right and if there isn't too much maintenance.
Amen brother,,,
Now that is what I am talking about!!!!
Go Trumpt!!!!!!!
Fellows
And if this experiment doesn't work out... the moped or scooter is next?
That would be a no.
The first three days have been a struggle - its 8-10 miles there, which im managing to do in 40 minutes depending on whether I go for the straight but dangerous route, or take the lanes.
But its quite amazing how much better i feel after just 3 days - I also went out on Sunday for an exploratory ride, so 4 days really. On the way home tonight, I almost wished there was another 5 miles to do as I felt so good - unlike Monday when I nearly passed out at the front door - well it was quite hot.
Get out on your bike - everyone benefits, your health, your wallet and the environment.
Try an umbrella...does wonders on rainy days.
Not this rain.
I paid $2500 for a 2002 Ford Escort with around 95k miles on it. CR recommends the Escort as a decent vehicle. If it goes a year at the current prices, it becomes a free car thanks to the difference in use between my 3/4 ton pickup and what this vehicle will use.
How is the resale holding up on the pickup? Since it's a 3/4 ton you might be in luck, because there are always people who need trucks. I would guess that there will be a lot of plunge in the resale of crossover trucks, but I'm just curious. It seems pretty logical, also, that a hybrid system would be good for trucks. Large equipment (like bulldozers) have been going to hybrid simply due to the high torque of electric motors.
How is the resale holding up on the pickup? Since it's a 3/4 ton you might be in luck, because there are always people who need trucks. I would guess that there will be a lot of plunge in the resale of crossover trucks, but I'm just curious. It seems pretty logical, also, that a hybrid system would be good for trucks. Large equipment (like bulldozers) have been going to hybrid simply due to the high torque of electric motors.
I don't know that there is that much resale value to worry about in the pick-up. It is a 1991 Chevy 2500 extended cab 5.7L with 4 speed auto. I purchased it to replace my Jeep Cherokee and also to haul around our travel trailer during our summer vacation. It is probably worth $3-4,000.
My theory is purchase used vehicles at around 80k miles for around $4000. I won't buy new or finance anything. The reason I purchased this car for $2500 was because I had grown tired of a project RV I was farting around with, a 1971 Winnebago Brave and that was what I got for it in selling it.
That car will have maintenance issues depending on your driving. Though I don't know if your truck was any better. 95K miles is a lot. The economics definitely make sense though.
Why would it necessarily have maintenance issues?.... my 170,000 mile van doesn't have any. In the same vein, I wouldn't consider 95k a "lot" of miles. I've owned numerous vehicles that drove over 200k.
I've a 110k, 16 year old Miata that gives no issues running at 7000+ rpm all day long. Age/Mileage does not mean high maintenance.
I'd expect that Escort to run flawlessly for another 95k!
I don't know that there is that much resale value to worry about in the pick-up. It is a 1991 Chevy 2500 extended cab 5.7L with 4 speed auto. I purchased it to replace my Jeep Cherokee and also to haul around our travel trailer during our summer vacation. It is probably worth $3-4,000.
My theory is purchase used vehicles at around 80k miles for around $4000. I won't buy new or finance anything. The reason I purchased this car for $2500 was because I had grown tired of a project RV I was farting around with, a 1971 Winnebago Brave and that was what I got for it in selling it.
Why do you need a nearly giant truck at all? Would a smaller truck not do the trick? That is, assuming you need a truck. My baby truck is great for most hauling needs (brush, leaves, some heavier stuff) and for towing small things. My scooter is perfect for commuting to work (65 MPG), weather permitting?although I live in the desert, so rain ain't much of an issue. We have a Jeep Liberty for larger groups and longer trips.
Now, granted, I don't haul anything huge?and I ran into this trying to get a yard of concrete last week...they would not LET a truck as small as mine go with it.
I guess I don't really have a point other than that, because of how we divvy up our travel vehicles, I'm not as affected by gas prices as I would have thought.
Why do you need a nearly giant truck at all? Would a smaller truck not do the trick? That is, assuming you need a truck. My baby truck is great for most hauling needs (brush, leaves, some heavier stuff) and for towing small things. My scooter is perfect for commuting to work (65 MPG), weather permitting?although I live in the desert, so rain ain't much of an issue. We have a Jeep Liberty for larger groups and longer trips.
A smaller truck would not do the trick. I purchased the trailer and hauled it home with my father's pick-up since it had a brake controller. I then figured I would try it out with my Jeep Cherokee which is roughly the same as your Liberty. It sat the Jeep down on the stops for the springs. I decided to go with the larger truck since I gained so much more I could do and actually lost very little in terms of MPG. My truck gets 14 mpg. Our Explorer gets 15-16 mpg. I know the Liberty gets an average of 18 mpg as did my Cherokee. I also know that the Tacoma doesn't do much better either than the Liberty or Cherokee.
Our travel trailer is basically our summer "home" since we park it at a private campground 15 miles away from our house for a month each summer. When we camp further out, we don't take it (as you are well aware of) and instead just toss the tent and other equipment into the bed with the shell. We also tend to go to this membership campground we belong to several other times a year. My view on it is the truck, trailer and membership are probably better environmentally than owning a full blown second vacation home.
Finally the one thing we gain with the pick-up that we would not with a Tacoma, Liberty, Cherokee, etc... is the ability to seat six which comes up more often than you might imagine when you already have four in the family. In terms of miles per person per gallon, or miles per gallon per pound hauled, it simply does better. I say this as someone who very much preferred the Cherokee and wouldn't mind owning one again. The truck simply did what I needed better.
Now, granted, I don't haul anything huge?and I ran into this trying to get a yard of concrete last week...they would not LET a truck as small as mine go with it.
I guess I don't really have a point other than that, because of how we divvy up our travel vehicles, I'm not as affected by gas prices as I would have thought.
The wife has decided to leave the district she was in, stay home and try to get into the local district next year. That should eliminate a major fuel expense as she will literally drive a few miles at most. I would gladly apply closer but public schools do not automatically let you transfer all your years and units of service between them and the result would be a substantial pay cut. When the price of gas is more than the pay cut, I suppose I will reconsider, however I already did buy the car to try to limit the effects there.
The tow capacity of your truck is 3500lbs and a yard of concrete is 5300lbs. They did a little more than not let you go with it. You would have been a serious accident waiting to happen. In California you would need a trailer with electric brakes to haul that load around.
So we have the vehicle that can carry six, tow what we need, and also haul anything my home or rentals would need. We also have a vehicle that can get decent gas mileage, haul 4 adults, possibly 5 if some are kids and can be used as a commuter. The Explorer.... well we are conducting an experiment to see what can stay and go.
The tow capacity of your truck is 3500lbs and a yard of concrete is 5300lbs. They did a little more than not let you go with it. You would have been a serious accident waiting to happen. In California you would need a trailer with electric brakes to haul that load around.
Yeah. They said that a guy with my truck came through the week before and they wouldn't let him haul with it and he got all bent out of shape, claiming that he'd assume the risk. The guy said he just told the guy that a) you can't assume everyone else's risk and b) you may be able to pull it, but you can't STOP it.
Yeah. They said that a guy with my truck came through the week before and they wouldn't let him haul with it and he got all bent out of shape, claiming that he'd assume the risk. The guy said he just told the guy that a) you can't assume everyone else's risk and b) you may be able to pull it, but you can't STOP it.
That's a disconcerting image...
*Screech*
Of course, there are other options. Getting something smaller is really not one of them. I also had a 4 cyl Camry that frankly wasn't much better in terms of MPG. Used hybrids cost as much as a new, non-hybrid vehicle.
I may feel different if gas hits $5.00. That means I'll be pushing $90 per tank. Right now the $65 is annoying, but not much more than that. I don't drive that much in the summer anyway, and if I do...it's often highway driving.
A total of 466 miles, in part due to family graduations, swim meets, that sort of thing. We are using the car as a family vehicle to save gas and hopefully recoup costs that much quicker.
It used 18.9 gallons of gas. Which represent one complete fill-up and another 80% fill up.
My truck would have used 33.3 gallons to travel the same distance instead of 18.9.
That is a "savings" of 14.4 gallons at an average of around $4.55 for a total of $65.52 in gas savings for ten days.
I multiply that by three and I am at $196.56 which is close to what I am hoping for in terms of savings.
The Ford so far is averaging a bit under 25 mpg which is less than the new "conservative" fueleconomy.gov claims. I'm going to see if I can work on improving my lead foot a bit to help that.
So we have had the car for... 10 days.
I multiply that by three and I am at $196.56 which is close to what I am hoping for in terms of savings.
The Ford so far is averaging a bit under 25 mpg which is less than the new "conservative" fueleconomy.gov claims. I'm going to see if I can work on improving my lead foot a bit to help that.
Nick I am happy for you man!!
I wish and would have thought that car would get more mpg but none the less I am most happy for you doing better at the pump.
The Honda civic is getting us a reliable tank after tank of mixed driving of 34 mpg.
On a road trip fully loaded down with luggage and running cold air the car will get 37 on trips which are 95% hwy miles.
I have never had a tank above 37mpg with the civic but for day in and day out living with mixed city / hwy the car gets 34 over and over.
I wish your car did more like 34 but I am very happy for ya man!!
Fellows
Nick I am happy for you man!!
I wish and would have thought that car would get more mpg but none the less I am most happy for you doing better at the pump.
The Honda civic is getting us a reliable tank after tank of mixed driving of 34 mpg.
On a road trip fully loaded down with luggage and running cold air the car will get 37 on trips which are 95% hwy miles.
I have never had a tank above 37mpg with the civic but for day in and day out living with mixed city / hwy the car gets 34 over and over.
I wish your car did more like 34 but I am very happy for ya man!!
Fellows
Well I do drive through the mountains each day which I am sure is not helpful to the gas mileage.
Your numbers are a bit higher than what everyone else seems to claim. I'm naturally skeptical about such things since everyone also swears their towing rigs all get 12 mpg on gas when pulling a 30 ft trailer.
That said, there are still some differences. Yours is probably newer.
Still I will try to see what setting the cruise control at 60 will do. The wife has it for the next two weeks as she still has school and I am done for the year. She knows she MUST take pictures for the experiment.