nurkvinny Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 When gas hit 3.33 a couple years ago for the first time, I took a half PTO day and went and bought a 98 Civic that day. I managed around 32mpg. Not bad, but was it worth the $2900? This chart shows yearly savings - assuming my 17,500 miles a year - for various mpg vehicles using gas prices from 2.75 - 4.05. http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/nurkvinnyz06/MPG.jpg My current GTP is getting about 25mpg. If I moved up to a car that gets 40mpg, I would only save $800 at current prices. At $4.05, I would save just over a thousand bucks per year. The fun factor of the GTP, combined with the taxes and fees involved in buying another car = keep current car in my situation. Thought some of you might get some use out of the chart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitrousbird Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Idiots always buy these better MPG cars when the cost of gas goes up. They also are willing to pay a price premium for them as well (as they are always more expensive during that time). We sold my wife's 01 Sentra SE during the last time it was in the upper 3's a gallon. Got a heavy price premium, and that's only because idiots didn't research to find out this car didn't even get all that great of gas mileage (mid-high 20's out of a slow-ass 4-banger). One just assumes 4-banger econobox = good mileage. Unless you go from something getting in the teens to something in the 30's MPG wise, buying a car just to save fuel usually never works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Idiots always buy these better MPG cars when the cost of gas goes up. They also are willing to pay a price premium for them as well (as they are always more expensive during that time). We sold my wife's 01 Sentra SE during the last time it was in the upper 3's a gallon. Got a heavy price premium, and that's only because idiots didn't research to find out this car didn't even get all that great of gas mileage (mid-high 20's out of a slow-ass 4-banger). One just assumes 4-banger econobox = good mileage. Unless you go from something getting in the teens to something in the 30's MPG wise, buying a car just to save fuel usually never works out. Back then, I was driving a 16mpg truck. Maybe your Sentra buyer was driving a 13mpg SUV that needed replaced anyways? I'm thinking hard about organizing a carpool for work. I used to think the idea was retarded, but there are several folks near me, and cutting work mileage immediately by 1/2 or 2/3 is very appealing. Oh, and green too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Borgen Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 i had a $1000 civic that got 10mpg better and I resold for $1700 i think that worked out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RX-7 Addict Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I get as good of mileage in a twin turbo I-6 then I did in a 4-cyl NA. Probably because I had to beat the hell out of that 4-cyl to get it to go anywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossle Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Yeah mileage claims on craigslist are ALWAYS BS, I ask to see their receipts to prove it and they are never available...hmmmm. Interesting table though. I love Subaru's to death, but man the mileage blows for a 4 cylinder lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I get as good of mileage in a twin turbo I-6 then I did in a 4-cyl NA. Probably because I had to beat the hell out of that 4-cyl to get it to go anywhere That's the truth man, you gotta floor the damn thing just to keep up with normal traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitrousbird Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Maybe your Sentra buyer was driving a 13mpg SUV that needed replaced anyways? Nope, just replacing a shitty econobox - hell, the buyer didn't even see it until we were at the bank getting the money from their lending department. Her dad went to look at it. But I had several other interested parties as well, and we were not making any deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmrmnhrm Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 You guys can play around with some real data if you like... My '06 Civic Hybrid's real life performance. A couple of notes on how it works... - I fill up on a day, mark the current odo reading, and the octane I used. Then move up to the previous row to note how far I went on that last fill, the mpg according to the car's computer (FCD), how much I put in (refill), and the sorta-average temperature of when I was driving. The gallons used is computed based off the FCD. This results in two different values lower down for actual mpg... one according to the FCD, and one according to refill. The FCD value is always a little worse than the refill version, some folks barely at all, others by as much as 2mpg. - Individual cells: == B182 - This lets me stick in a guesstimate of how much gas has cost over the lifetime of the car == B183 - This gets used in B184 to compare against other cars. == B184 - Uses the guesstimate in B182 together with the 'versus another car' in B183 to figure out how much money I've saved compared to that other car. == F184 - Since the trip odo reads in tenths, and the lifetime in whole, simply adding up all the trips doesn't quite match the lifetime anymore. This cell just lets me address that inconvenience in one place. You can do some really whack things, like say "Gas costs $0.01/gal, and that other car gets 100mpg," to make it look like I'm losing money, or a cost of $6/gal versus 10mpg (say you're comparing to a H2 in Europe) to make it look like the car's actually paid for itself in gas savings alone. Right now, my best guess is that gas has averaged roughly $2.80 since I bought this, and I generally compare to 35mpg (what I think the top-of-the-line non-hybrid Civic would be getting with my driving style). Interesting notes: - Temperature plays a huge role in fuel efficiency - Changing from Bridgestone SE200-02 tires to Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires knocked a good 15% off fuel efficiency - My new job's commute (6mi stop-and-go down Sawmill) versus my old (35-50mph non-stop up into Delaware Co) also fscks up efficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Unless you are driving something getting 10-15mpg, NO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Modern automatics are getting better, but if you get a 4cyl economy car with an automatic pre-2002, your mileage is still going to be shitty. True 3-pedal manuals > automatics for fuel economy. I'd rock a used CTS-V with a 6-speed manual over an automatic Civic all day long even if gas was $5 a gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Ride motorcycles problem solved Seriously though if I am looking at a new car and it doesn't say around 50 mpgs, I get angry and punish the car companies by buying something old and more fun with a transmission final gear of .50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furloaf Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I've tracked my MPG for a long time by writing the miles down between fill-ups and documenting in an Excel sheet. When I went from the old beater 94 GMC Jimmy to the 05 Mazda3, I calculated the difference in gasoline costs. By the time I paid off the loan the savings in gasoline pretty much broke even with the loan interest and fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwashmycar Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 filling up once every week and a half is sooo much better than every 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Be Jones, drive A4, be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattsv8 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 just get a ls1 camaro high 20s highway and enjoy having a vehicle that can actually spin a tire, actually pick up chicks, and actually be fun. if gas prices were 5.00 a gal. still wont help to buy a car that gets 35mpg. ur spending more than ur saving. no new car is going to have a payment less than 3000 in a yr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berto Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 you might be able to justify a more fuel efficient car by helping reduce our dependancy on foreign oil? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VOLK_DC5 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontiacfreak142 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 When gas hit 3.33 a couple years ago for the first time, I took a half PTO day and went and bought a 98 Civic that day. I managed around 32mpg. Not bad, but was it worth the $2900? This chart shows yearly savings - assuming my 17,500 miles a year - for various mpg vehicles using gas prices from 2.75 - 4.05. http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/nurkvinnyz06/MPG.jpg My current GTP is getting about 25mpg. If I moved up to a car that gets 40mpg, I would only save $800 at current prices. At $4.05, I would save just over a thousand bucks per year. The fun factor of the GTP, combined with the taxes and fees involved in buying another car = keep current car in my situation. Thought some of you might get some use out of the chart. personally, i would say no, my big ass boat of a bonneville averages 30-31 on the freeway, still has plenty of pep for a 200 hp V6 and can carry like 3 dead bodies in the the trunk alone, nope not worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bam Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 i once went from a jeep that averaged 11-12mpg to a civic that average 33-35mpg...and I sold the jeep(that was 3 years older w/ more miles) for $600 more than the civic that I bought. That worked out nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 no new car is going to have a payment less than 3000 in a yr. o rly? first new car i bought in 2003 was a hyundai elantra. got ~28mpg city, 36+ on freeway, and my payment was $235.51/mo = $2826.12/yr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 just get a ls1 camaro high 20s highway and enjoy having a vehicle that can actually spin a tire, actually pick up chicks, and actually be fun. and what a prize they will be http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzhYr4Vkkf11NRFleFSIduzMvPOrpr8oDaP_apNUg6pFhHWFL9OQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWW$HEEET Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I worked it out mathematically, I think getting a mini cooper only minimally pays for itself over the jeep. I only figured it based on miles driven for work, so there is chance that if I am taking trips, etc, that it will really add up and start paying for itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Mini parts are pretty expensive when you start replacing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudiOn19s Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 (edited) Sometimes I think that my wife's car isn't really necessary since it gets 12mpg on average. When I kicked it down on the freeway this morning and spun the tires @ 60mph it put a stupid little grin on my face and I remembered why the 12mpg is worth it. We just enjoy the crap out of it. Edited January 12, 2011 by AudiOn19s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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