"Zoltan Finks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Fair enough. It's actually too new/expensive for us too, but we are
> just exploring the options offered by some of these 40 mpg+ VWs. We
> are slowly coming back to our senses and remembering that we really
> do enjoy being free from car payments.
IMO you are much better off driving a car you can afford without
making payments, even if the fuel mileage is unremarkable or even low.
40 MPG *sounds* nice in light of current fuel prices, but if you do a
few calculations you may come to a different conclusion. Let's say
you'd actually achieve 40 MPG in a new TDI, and you paid $20,000 for
it (no idea -- maybe they're more or less, but bear with me). Assume
you drive 15,000 miles a year, and fuel is $3.50 a gallon:
(15000 / 40) * 3.50 = $1313 fuel costs for the year.
Now compare to let's say a diesel benz such as my 300D. I get about
23 MPG last time I checked:
(15000 / 23) * 3.50 = $2283 fuel costs for the year.
So I "save" $970 a year in fuel by driving the TDI. But I only paid
$3,000 for my 300D, a difference of $17,000. I'll have to drive that
TDI for over 17 years before I recoup that in savings on fuel.
Another way to look at it is that my $970 "savings" will be eaten up
by interest on the loan in just a few months. Meanwhile the value of
the car is depreciating rapidly.
There are a lot of *good* reasons to buy a brand new car, but I think
that doing it to get a car with better fuel mileage is not one of
them.
Allan
--
1983 300D
1966 230
