$75 To Fill Up The Burb!

I hate it when they cut you off like that. I do not know why they do that.

Ouch!

And here I was complaining that it took $25 to fill up my Corolla.

Ouch!

And here I was complaining that it took $25 to fill up my Corolla.

You can probably go farther on your $25 than RO goes on his $75.

It pays these days to drive a fuel efficient vehicle. I am eagerly awaiting the birth of the hybrid minivan. ;-)

I figure my car needs to be fuel efficient, since Mr. Mouse's Passat only gets average mileage and will throw a fit if it doesn't get fed premium gas.

You can probably go farther on your $25 than RO goes on his $75.

If .... and I do mean IF I drive responsibly I can getg 450+ miles to a tank on the freeway 😀

If .... and I do mean IF I drive responsibly I can getg 450+ miles to a tank on the freeway 😀

Just got a big shock when I filled up my Honda CRV here in the Midwest (St. Louis)...paid $2.55/gallon....ouch!!! :shock:

RO-

I filled mine up this morning to the tune of $67.00 and my tank wasn't even empty.

$2.55 here in Montgomery.

The best part of all, I get 8 miles per gallon. :bang:

RO-

I filled mine up this morning to the tune of $67.00 and my tank wasn't even empty.

$2.55 here in Montgomery.

The best part of all, I get 8 miles per gallon. :bang:

K5 Baby!! 😀

Yep. I shouldn't complain. I just can't bring myself to sell it!

I about fainted the last time I filled up. So I decided to look into getting a hybrid. I compared equally equipped Highlander LTD versus Highlander Hybrid LTD. For a 60-month purchase, the difference in monthly payment is $155. Assuming that I drive 15,000 miles a year, the price of gas would have to go up to $15.44 a gallon for me to save money with the hybrid. Am I missing something here? That just doesn't sound right.

I about fainted the last time I filled up. So I decided to look into getting a hybrid. I compared equally equipped Highlander LTD versus Highlander Hybrid LTD. For a 60-month purchase, the difference in monthly payment is $155. Assuming that I drive 15,000 miles a year, the price of gas would have to go up to $15.44 a gallon for me to save money with the hybrid. Am I missing something here? That just doesn't sound right.

One could quibble on the assumptions a bit (most new vehicles are designed to function without major repair for at least 100,000 miles these days and most folks put more that 15K miles per year on a primary vehicle), but generally the point is on the mark - the substantial cost premium for a hybrid offsets any savings in reduced fuel expenses. From what I've read though, the hybrid Highlander out-performs its gas-only cousin...

One could quibble on the assumptions a bit (most new vehicles are designed to function without major repair for at least 100,000 miles these days and most folks put more that 15K miles per year on a primary vehicle), but generally the point is on the mark - the substantial cost premium for a hybrid offsets any savings in reduced fuel expenses. From what I've read though, the hybrid Highlander out-performs its gas-only cousin...

You're right about the assumptions. My car isn't primary - it's 3-1/2 years old and just hit 30,000 miles. Even if I factor in a four-year lease (rather than purchase) which I typically do since I get new-car fever every 3-4 years, the hybrid doesn't pay off.

It really just depends on how much you drive it, and how long you own it. We would probably buy a used one (depreciation value is ridiculous for vehicles) and keep it long after it's been paid off. In that case I think it would be worth the expense (of the vehicle AND any battery replacements - which can cost $1000-$3000).

One could quibble on the assumptions a bit (most new vehicles are designed to function without major repair for at least 100,000 miles these days and most folks put more that 15K miles per year on a primary vehicle), but generally the point is on the mark - the substantial cost premium for a hybrid offsets any savings in reduced fuel expenses. From what I've read though, the hybrid Highlander out-performs its gas-only cousin...

Ok, here it's. I say the best way to deal w/ the oil scarcity problem, is do what others do when they want to ruin a "problem" group -OPEC. Take away their money! Cancel the flying bomb project{space shuttle}, spend the money on a Manhattan Project for alternative fuels/technologies, keep driving our SUVs on hydrogen/fuel cell/God Knows what, and give the collective finger to a part of the world that has been a never-ending hellhole as long as I've been alive. The only thing that Pres. Carter said that I couldn't argue with , way back in the late 70's, was that we need to be independent of foreign oil by 2000! Of course, I could be wrong.

I dunno about that, but my husband pointed out another fact that I hadn't considered with hybrids. If I understood him correctly, one gets a nice tax write-off for buying a hybrid. I hadn't factored that into my calculations. Nevertheless, I'd have to drive a boatload of miles, and gas would have to cost a boatload of money, and I'd have to keep the car longer than my preferred 3-4 years to save money by buying a hybrid. But aren't there environmental savings for *THE PLANET EARTH* that I'm not factoring in?

Hey, this is clearly not my area of expertise. I just need to decide on which car I'm going to buy when my lease runs out.

I'd have to keep the car longer than my preferred 3-4 years to save money by buying a hybrid.

There is also resale value to figure in. But I agree, if you are only going to keep it a few years, it might not prove financially profitable. However, if you do decide to get one, and have had it the standard 3-4 years, call me and we'll talk. :wub:

I nearly keeled over this afternoon when I got in my car and saw that teenage son had run it dry (so what else is new under the sun??). After driving a few blocks on fumes I had to finally pull into the gas station.

Here in Indianapolis, it was $2.69 a gallon, no matter what station you went to. (I should know; I looked all over the place.)

My measly $15 gave me a few gallons over a quarter of a tank. Next car is going to be a hybrid!

Now where'd I put my walking shoes? :idontno:

Okay, I've decided. I'm getting an E320 CDI - 37 mpg highway. I'll just have to ignore truck drivers at the truckstops and keep mace in my pocket as a backup. Been there, done that. My Mom had a Mercedes diesel during the Jimmy Carter gas crisis - her CB radio call name was "Lady Mercedes," and she had to deal with the problem of intimidation. Nothing against truck drivers, BTW, so I don't mean to offend anyone. Two of my uncles did that for a living.

Okay, I've decided. I'm getting an E320 CDI - 37 mpg highway. I'll just have to ignore truck drivers at the truckstops and keep mace in my pocket as a backup. Been there, done that. My Mom had a Mercedes diesel during the Jimmy Carter gas crisis - her CB radio call name was "Lady Mercedes," and she had to deal with the problem of intimidation. Nothing against truck drivers, BTW, so I don't mean to offend anyone. Two of my uncles did that for a living.

I "test" drove one of those for giggles one day and all I have to say is WOW! If they didn't make such a big deal out of telling you that car is a diesel you would never know. 0-60 in 7.2 seconds ..... 😀 . From the Nooga we could drive to SoWal, drive around while we are down here, head back home and fill up in B'ham :cool:. The car had no smoke, no hesitation, it was quiet and the price (for a Benz) wasn't that bad. If I had Beach Runner's money I'd buy it 😀

I'll just have to ignore truck drivers at the truckstops and keep mace in my pocket as a backup.

Things have changed since Carter days - more "regular" stations have diesel these days than not...

Things have changed since Carter days - more "regular" stations have diesel these days than not...

I wish ole' Romeo would offer some free $250.00 gas cards. 😀

Things have changed since Carter days - more "regular" stations have diesel these days than not...

That's good to know. Being whistled at and ogled at a truckstop was very intimidating for my mom.

And RO, thanks for the review of the E320 CDI. The diesels of the 70's were sluggish, noisy, and smelly. According to the MB website, today's diesel is totally different.

K5 Baby!! 😀

The Saudi's sent me a fruit basket last week.

The Saudi's sent me a fruit basket last week.

They may be sending you a whole tree before long. Odds for those that bet on that sort of thing have gone from 30:1 to 7:5 since last Fri that peak market gas price will break $3/gal before EOY (http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/11/markets/gas_betting/index.htm).