That is exactly why po' folks who seldom leave the county or say a 30
mile radius, drove the big ol boats of the 70s and 80s for decades. the
cheapness of buying the car offset the loss in fuel consumption. When
we were driving over 60 miles a day, 6-7 days a week, the wabbit dissel,
and later the Quantum, and Escort Dissels made sense. I could justify
the cost of a new escort on fuel savings alone over the 17 MPG Plymie
Valiant.
A $500 boat nobody wants vs a $5000 car buys a lot of fuel on a modest
number of miles/year. The trick is to find a boat in good shape for $500.
Merkun ppl have figgered this out, as most new vehicles sold are pickups
and SUVs that are NOT miserly. Back in 1975, you could not give away a
peecup or a suburban, or even the big bronco/rumchugger/whatever the GM
versions were called. Caddys were cheap, as were linkuns and the big
crypslers.
Donald Snook via Mercedes <mailto:mercedes@okiebenz.com>
September 8, 2016 at 12:39 PM
I have liked the Jeep Grand Wagoneer ever since I was kid. Maybe it
was because we could never afford one or it could just be because I
like the looks of them. I was thinking about trying to find one to
buy. The prices on them are outrageous - but that is another subject.
One thing I was considering was how bad the gas mileage is for them.
They get about 11-12 mpg. With cars routinely getting 20-35 mpg (or
more) anything that gets 11 or 12 sounds truly awful. Of course, when
gas was $1.25 a gallon people didn't care that much. And gas is still
relatively cheap when compared to the price increases in other things
(food, housing, medical costs, etc). I started thinking about whether
we (as Americans) are really concerned about gas mileage. I have seen
lots of anecdotal evidence (and a few actual studies) that show
selling a car or trading in a car to get a newer car only to increase
gas mileage doesn't really make economic sense when you consider all
the factors. Of course, if your primary concern is fuel mileage than
it does make sense.
I did the math and my current car (2001 BMW 740iL) costs me
approximately $1900 a year in gas (premium unleaded). If I bought a
Grand Wagoneer, which would be widely regarded as a gas hog, the cost
for the same 15,000 miles of driving would be approximately $2500. So,
for about $50 extra a month I can drive a gas guzzler Grand Wagoneer.
Therefore, the question is does it really bother me to buy one extra
tank of gas per month? Probably not. This surprised me because when I
first considered a Wagoneer my immediate reaction was the gas mileage
would really hurt and I thought it would be a real burden. But, its
really one extra tank a month - who cares. And my own attitude has me
a little concerned. Shouldn't I care more?
I suppose if I was driving a car that averaged 30 mpg, then I would be
spending about $1000 a year and multiplying my fuel cost by 2.5 times
probably would be noticeable and painful.
I don't know if this is just food for thought or my own rambling
thoughts that may or may not be relevant.
Don Snook
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