With fuel prices making big jumps each week it's getting quite expensive to drive. My family has made quite a few changes recently to our driving habits to save money. Which begs the question....
Loading ...I would love to hear how you've changed your habits or why you haven't.
Every Success,
Jeremy
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Not being an American I have different driving habits. For example I often walk to the store. I drove my Porsche 12,000km last year. I'm also not overweight and I'm in my late 40s.
Sorry to say, but Americans are not yet envirimentol thinking - they are 10 years after EU - where people since long yet are thinking on these problems , and try to find solutions, like cars use a lot less , or change yo gas or buy a new hybride.
Driving is not healthy for me. A car/truck is basically a Motorized Wheel/Chair. I used to drive because it was something to do. You know, make a run to get this and another run to get that. I cut my driving down from 18,000km/year to only 10,000/year. Most of it 9,000km is to get to work. I plan all my shopping in one swoop. Then I either walk, or ride my bicycle. If I could afford to live just a little closer to work, I could get rid of this wheel/chair. For me it is not about the $$$, it is about the health.
I often see other people in other countries say that they pay $7 to $8 a gallon, all I can say is WOW that’s high! But also keep in mind that most not all but most of them live in well establish cities where the drive from home to work is less than 10 miles at best if not a few blocks away, they can ride their bikes to work.
Here in the USA we do have cities of course but most of the US is open land, where the drive time from home to work is 45 to 60 miles away one way (can’t ride our bikes even if we wanted to). And that’s not counting sitting in rush hours traffic (like living in a major city) adding to the long distance drive time we already have.
Here in CA I have to commute to have a good job; the local jobs in my area aren’t very good. Unfortunately all the good jobs are in the same direction so lots of people in my area commutes which cause high traffic delays. So $5 a gallon for the USA is like $8 for the other countries, because we must refuel so often. If the USA paid $8 a gallon it will hit us hard, it would be the equivalent of the other countries paying $11 to $12 a gallon which I believe will happen soon.
I just bought a hybrid this week.
I live in the country - just drive to the ranch and to work, mostly. Might take a vacation this year, if I retire - then gas becomes an issue. As it is, I have no choice.
As a European I pay more than 8$ a US gallon and when the prise is above a certain level the gouvernment decreses some taxes.
Prius is great for around town (which is where most people drive) Not so good for highway trips. Once the battery discharges and you are on gasoline power only the battery and electric motor are dead weight which reduces mileage. The Chevy Volt more so. If you discharge that you will need your AAA card for a lower tow rate. Diesels (VW tdi gets 45-50?) are better for road trips.
That's why I bought a Prius. I don't see lower energy prices anytime in the foreseeable future on an extended time basis. Higher prices are here to stay (or continue to go higher), so plan ahead and minimize your costs.
I think the days of gas guzzling vehicles are coming to an end.
Whats the MPG on the Prius? I was thinking of getting one.
Better mileage cars have been around awhile (as have poorer mileage vehicles like the Hummer). Its just a choice thing.
Many years ago a friend gave me a Pontiac LeMans (1989 model) to drive for a while. It had a 1.4L 4 cylinder engine and 5 speed manual transmission and got 45-50 mph. Cruising on the highway in 5th gear for a long trip might have beat that. Made in Korea I believe.
The Fort Fiesta never sold well here in the USA and is no longer available here. Too small. But in Europe there a version with a 3 cylinder diesel engine that gets 75 mpg.
I currently drive a Buick Le Sabre with 3.8 litre V6 that gets close to 30 mpg. My choice might change if the price of fuel rises a lot.
I have one of my cars being converted to natural gas. It will cost me $1.89 a gal plus it is a Hybrd. I will not be able to drive it on long trips but it will work around my local area. Plus it is a lot cleaner burning than gas. WOW! I never thought I would sound like a enviro weenie.
Once upon a time I almost bought a used 4 cyl pickup truck with nat gas conversion. The catch is the most expensive part of the conversion is the tank which must hold compressed nat gas at 3-4 thousand psi. Those tanks are stamped with a certification that is good for maybe 10-12 years. After that it is illegal to use. So you buy a new tank or disconnect the conversion. Since I was interested in using the nat gas and a new tank was several thousand dollars (which was more than the price of the truck, I did not buy). People are keeping cars longer so this is a factor in the used market. Less expensive tanks (steel rather than composite) are available from Brazil where alternative fuel has been in use for some time. It would be good to be sure such a tank would be legal where you are.
I live in Canada, And gasoline prices have been over $5 per US gallon for years.
It is something you gradually get used to, and it doesn't change your driving habits.
It is only when there is a big change in prices as some parts of the U.S. have right now, that gets drivers attention.
I get 15 mpg in my ford bronco. I hedge rising gas prices with UGA United States Gas Fund. I am more than compensated for additional gas price rise at the pump.
Several years ago I began pushing my car everywhere that I go. I have to leave earlier than I used to but I don't have to spend any time at the gym. Lately I have been thinking that a "Smart Car" might be a good idea - I am getting older and it would save me the cost of a coffin.
I think about driving even during business- I never used to think about it before. If I have to go meet at a clients land and drive 50 miles one way to get there, I try to justify the odds of making a sale- never, never in the past did I try to justify the expense.... Which leads me to my question-
How many other small business men/women are being stymied by gas prices for chasing business? Don't you think this is being reflected in the overall economy? I do.
I changed my driving habits 4 years ago by moving to a small town. By driving less than 100 miles weekly, and a car that gets 35 mph, I use approximately a tank of gas(around 10 gal)monthly except when a trip is called for.
Mostly, I think since the start of the rise in gas prices several years ago, we have used care in planning our driving, but we don't have long commutes anyway, and one gas is a Japanese gas sipper.