At what point is it worth buying a fuel efficient vehicle?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 12:48 am

If I move back to New Mexico, I’ll be driving long distances again. I’m having a hard time trying to justify buying a more fuel efficient vehicle when the savings doesn’t seem to pay off. I’m confused as to why people sell their SUV’s that average 15-17 mpg and buy a more fuel efficient car that average 28 - 32 mpg. If the average person drives 15,000 miles per year, there isn’t much of an annual savings.

jnaut · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 1:56 am

If you can truly double your mileage, it can pay off if the price of fuel is sufficiently high. But if the price of gas starts to drop, the savings take longer and longer to make up.

But you have to significantly increase your mileage. What's baffling to me are people that invest significant sums of money to increase their mileage by 20% or so.

It also depends on how long you keep your new fuel efficient vehicle, and how much you had to spend to acquire it. Your goal should be to spend as little as possible, if not nothing at all.

For instance, if gas mileage is your primary goal, there are reliable compact cars that you might be able to sell your KJ and get for less than the sale price of the KJ. Some of these compact cars get over 30mpg. At that point, not only are you saving a lot of money on gas, but it didn't cost you a dime to get the higher mileage.

At an average of 15000 per year, that's 1250 miles per month. At 15mpg that's 83 gallons per month. At $3 per gallon (roughly) that's 249 per month. Double your mileage and that's a savings of $124 a month. But $124 a month equates to a yearly savings of 1488. So if you spent $3000 to save money on gas, you're looking at 24 months for ROI.

Speaking specifically on the KJ though, if you're doing a lot of highway driving (New Mexico) you should be getting close to 20mpg. So now you really have to increase the mileage to make your ROI.

Boiler · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 2:26 am

Generally most people don't know what they are doing. In about 95% of the cases where someone I knew sold their vehicle to buy one with better fuel economy, they got about a 20-40% more efficient vehicle, and spent a TON of money to get it. They trade in 3 year old Trailblazers for new CRV's.

Brilliant!

If you want a CRV and you were going to sell anyway, great, whatever. But if you did it for the gas milage savings potential, that pretty much makes no sense at all.

vintageroy13 · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 4:07 am

i traded in my 04 toyota corolla that got 32 city and 39 highway for my liberty---call me crazy but FTW

ihatemybike · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 6:36 am

My thought is to drive a vehicle that you love. If commute/fuel cost go up beyond what is really economical for you to drive this vehicle, don't get rid of it. Pick up a cheap used econobox or motorcycle that will pay for itself quickly and use that for when you need to drive. Keeping the love vehicle for when you want to drive.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 8:28 am

That is why I bought a motorcycle a few weeks ago.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 8:33 am

Whatever you do, don't go to work for Gallup/McKinley. Follow in our footsteps and go to Alaska where the need is great, and the pay is greater. Don't even need a car in the bush. We will be back up there in a year.

yodejt02 · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 9:22 am

I would think too that if someone buys an eco car they will increase the frequencey of usage because of the preceved thought that they are still using less fuel, and are left with more fuel in the tank at the end of the day. But when averaged out the amount of fuel used is more than one would have if they had kept the non eco car. :2cents:

InCommando · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 9:25 am

I like the boneheads whothat buy a prius to save gas money. The premium you pay over say a similarly equipped Corolla would take you like 8 years to make up for in fuel savings. And the fact that Yoda-san has been caught lying numerous times about the Prius' efficiency may make it longer than that.

Boiler · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 9:32 am

yodejt02 wrote:

I would think too that if someone buys an eco car they will increase the frequencey of usage because of the preceved thought that they are still using less fuel, and are left with more fuel in the tank at the end of the day. But when averaged out the amount of fuel used is more than one would have if they had kept the non eco car. :2cents:

This was the opposite for me.

I've added about 40% to my yearly milage totals since buying the liberty. Having a vehicle you like to drive equals "just going for a ride", taking every little excuse to go drive, traveling to M&G's, etc etc.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 10:21 am

InCommando wrote:

I like the boneheads whothat buy a prius to save gas money. The premium you pay over say a similarly equipped Corolla would take you like 8 years to make up for in fuel savings. And the fact that Yoda-san has been caught lying numerous times about the Prius' efficiency may make it longer than that.

I like the hypocite tree huggers out here that buy a Prius, then drive 20 mph over the speed limit.

Powerman04 · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 10:34 am

BVCRD wrote:

InCommando wrote:

I like the boneheads whothat buy a prius to save gas money. The premium you pay over say a similarly equipped Corolla would take you like 8 years to make up for in fuel savings. And the fact that Yoda-san has been caught lying numerous times about the Prius' efficiency may make it longer than that.

I like the hypocite tree huggers out here that buy a Prius, then drive 20 mph over the speed limit.

True, but if I remember right the speedometer on a Prius only goes to 90 anyway. :goink:

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 11:28 am

Powerman04 wrote:

BVCRD wrote:

InCommando wrote:

I like the boneheads whothat buy a prius to save gas money. The premium you pay over say a similarly equipped Corolla would take you like 8 years to make up for in fuel savings. And the fact that Yoda-san has been caught lying numerous times about the Prius' efficiency may make it longer than that.

I like the hypocite tree huggers out here that buy a Prius, then drive 20 mph over the speed limit.

True, but if I remember right the speedometer on a Prius only goes to 90 anyway. :goink:

Around here the speed limit is 55-60 so ........ Freakin tree hugger tourists driving their yuppie power wagons.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 7:44 pm

ihatemybike wrote:

My thought is to drive a vehicle that you love. If commute/fuel cost go up beyond what is really economical for you to drive this vehicle, don't get rid of it. Pick up a cheap used econobox or motorcycle that will pay for itself quickly and use that for when you need to drive. Keeping the love vehicle for when you want to drive.

Yeah, so far I have taken your philosophy. I really enjoy all three of my vehicles and have no desire to sell/trade any of them. I don’t think my wife would let me either. She knows how much time and money I have put into maintenance, upkeep, and aftermarket parts. Instead of buying a fuel efficient vehicle (in which I have no desire to own), I think I’ll just bite the bullet on fuel and run what I have.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 7:53 pm

BVCRD wrote:

Whatever you do, don't go to work for Gallup/McKinley. Follow in our footsteps and go to Alaska where the need is great, and the pay is greater. Don't even need a car in the bush. We will be back up there in a year.

LOL, we’re working on licensure to get back to Gallup/McKinley. I thought about Alaska a few weeks ago when I was in Grand Forks, North Dakota teacher recruiting. Alaska had several booths setup. I could be making $72,000-$98,000 (depending on if I went as an administrator or teacher) and my wife could be making $72,000 as a teacher. Good money for sure. But we are ready to settle down and build a home. I’m 34 and my wife is 31 with no kids yet. We’re ready to start a family. But I’m not going to lie, Alaska is very tempting.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 7:58 pm

When diesel was sky-rocketing in Florida 2008 I thought about buying a scooter to get to the office. I then calculated that diesel would have to hit $5.00 to break even on the expense. The price of diesel peaked at $4.98 in Ft. Lauderdale so I never purchased a scooter.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 8:01 pm

dieselenthusiast wrote:

If I move back to New Mexico, I’ll be driving long distances again. I’m having a hard time trying to justify buying a more fuel efficient vehicle when the savings doesn’t seem to pay off. I’m confused as to why people sell their SUV’s that average 15-17 mpg and buy a more fuel efficient car that average 28 - 32 mpg. If the average person drives 15,000 miles per year, there isn’t much of an annual savings.

I'll save you the trouble, just go ahead and get a CRD now.

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 8:02 pm

~500-1000 bucks , Ninja 250, 125mpg

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 8:14 pm

Sir Sam wrote:

I'll save you the trouble, just go ahead and get a CRD now.

The KJ CRD is still a possibility. If I can find one cheap enough, then I might do it.

The wife wants the Jeep Commander........... The plan was to buy the European 3.0 and do an engine swap. They get 30 mpg.

Honestly, it depends if the school district gives me a work car or not. If they pay mileage, then my mileage check will help pay for the cost of the vehicle.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 8:17 pm

JeepinJarhead03 wrote:

~500-1000 bucks , Ninja 250, 125mpg

Perfect idea except for three reasons.
1. My vision is poor
2. There’s a lot of mule deer and elk, and I’d hate to hit one of those bad boys
3. I’ll be living at 7,000 feet, and the weather is cold a good part of the year.

At what point is it worth buying a fuel efficient vehicle?

Who is online