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Consider
Fuel Efficiency When Buying a Car |
by:
Fisher
Swanson |
When
you need to buy your next automobile make
sure that fuel economy doesn't get lost
in the shuffle. Buying a compact car with
good gas mileage is both friendly to the
environment and your pocket book. You will
enjoy the savings throughout the life of
the vehicle.
There is a lot to consider when buying a
car. If you are buying a used car the condition
of the clutch, brakes, engine and transmission
will play a huge role in how much that car
will cost to operate. Even minor problems
can result in $300 repairs.
With new cars you need to find the make
and model that has a proven track record
and fits your needs. Make sure that fuel
efficiency plays a role in your decision
making. If you emerge from the car buying
process with a fuel efficient car you will
burn up less cash in your tank and have
more money to spend on things that matter.
Take advantage of what is known.
When it comes to vehicle maintenance, the
one thing you can easily and accurately
predict is how much gas you are going to
use. Gas prices may fluctuate but most people
can spend a week or two logging their gas
consumption and get a good idea of how many
gallons they use. If you don't already,
track your gas consumption so you can use
this information when purchasing a car.
Make it the #1 priority.
One way to make sure that fuel efficiency
is considered is to start by looking at
cars that get good gas mileage. Make it
the #1 priority and see where that leads
you. The problem with today's car market
is car manufacturers know that gas mileage
is not a major consideration when purchasing
a new vehicle for many U.S. customers.
Crunching the numbers.
When you are evaluating a car's fuel efficiency,
ask yourself how long you think you will
be driving the car and determine how much
gas will cost.
Let's say you want to get a used car for
$5,000 and hope to drive it for 5 years.
Below are some 5 year gas cost estimates
based on driving 15,000 miles per year and
buying gas for $1.40 per gallon. If gasoline
is more expensive than $1.40, the costs
will be even higher.
A Sampling of Used Cars:
1994 Ford Explorer SUV (2WD)
5 year gas estimate = $5525
1994 Honda Accord Sedan
5 year gas estimate = $3885
1994 Honda Civic DX Sedan
5 year gas estimate = $2385
A Sampling of New Cars:
2004 Ford Explorer 2WD
5 year gas estimate = $6175
2004 Honda Accord
5 year gas estimate = $3750
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid
5 year gas estimate = $2235
2004 Toyota Prius Hybrid
5 year gas estimate = $1910
This is a small sampling of cars but you
get the picture. Unless you really need
an SUV or large truck, you can save a lot
of money by buying a fuel efficient compact
car. You will sacrifice size and sometimes
luxury when choosing fuel economy first.
Part of this is because bigger cars and
trucks are heavier and will naturally get
worse gas mileage. But it is also a function
of consumers not worrying about gas mileage
when they make a decision on purchasing
a new or used car.
A great site for comparing cars fuel economy
is www.fueleconomy.org. At www.fueleconomy.org
you can compare numerous makes and models
of both new and used cars and set the default
gas costs to reflect the current prices.
The numbers above are based on a $1.40 regular
gas price which is really hard to find right
now. In the case of the 1994 Ford Explorer
you likely pay as much in gas over a 5 year
span as you payed for the vehicle in the
first place.
Put fuel economy first and you will find
yourself with more money in your pocket.
About the author:
Fisher Swanson is a regular contributer
to The ThriftyFun.com News. ThriftyFun publishes
information about thrifty living. Send an
email to thriftyfunnews-on@thriftyfun.com
to subscribe to The ThriftyFun.com News.Fisher
Swanson is a regular contributer to The
ThriftyFun.com News. ThriftyFun publishes
information about thrifty living. Send an
email to thriftyfunnews-on@thriftyfun.com
to subscribe to The ThriftyFun.com News.
www.thriftyfun.com
fisher@thriftyfun.com
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