Gas Math
My car holds approximately 15.9 gallons, if my manual is to be believed.
Right now, gas costs about $3.02 where I live, I reckon.
If my car was bone dry, it would cost roughly $48 to fill up.
I bought it for $600.
That's 8 percent of the value of my car.
Since I fill up basically once a week, that means I've paid for my car in gas in about 12.5 weeks.
In a year's time, that's $2600- which is over four times the value of my car.
I understand the fact that I'm driving a cheap rustbucket, but it seems to me that the fuel should be less expensive than the actual vehicle. And I definitely shouldn't be spending almost 10 percent of my car's value everytime I fill up. It's absurd.
Those who buy $20,000 vehicles should actually factor in the $10,000 or more cost of actually fueling the thing for five years.
I hope the car companies wise up and either build electric cars that actually accelerate, or small one-passenger automobiles that zip around and sip gas. There's got to be a better answer.
I leave you for the night with a quote my English teacher told me, and one I'll never forget: "If we all still rode horses, everything would be a lot closer together."
Right now, gas costs about $3.02 where I live, I reckon.
If my car was bone dry, it would cost roughly $48 to fill up.
I bought it for $600.
That's 8 percent of the value of my car.
Since I fill up basically once a week, that means I've paid for my car in gas in about 12.5 weeks.
In a year's time, that's $2600- which is over four times the value of my car.
I understand the fact that I'm driving a cheap rustbucket, but it seems to me that the fuel should be less expensive than the actual vehicle. And I definitely shouldn't be spending almost 10 percent of my car's value everytime I fill up. It's absurd.
Those who buy $20,000 vehicles should actually factor in the $10,000 or more cost of actually fueling the thing for five years.
I hope the car companies wise up and either build electric cars that actually accelerate, or small one-passenger automobiles that zip around and sip gas. There's got to be a better answer.
I leave you for the night with a quote my English teacher told me, and one I'll never forget: "If we all still rode horses, everything would be a lot closer together."
posted by Yorick at 3:00 PM
2 Comments:
I say export the illegals and switch to Ethenol.
Ethenol is the way of the future. Look it up. South America is using it and Ford already manufacture's Ethenol-running vehicles in South America...so it is ENTIRELY possible.
They make their fuel from their sugar cane crops and fruit. Last I heard is that the fuel would cost the consumer around $0.27 a gallon. We could use all of the WASTE we produce in the US and make our fuel at a fraction of the cost. For example, orange peels that are likely used in compost, or any other ethenol producing byproduct. Maybe cornstalks can make it too, I'm not sure.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060811/bs_nm/autos_hybrid_alliance_dc
article on hybrid transmissions being developed
Unfortunately, the cost of hybrid cars is still higher than normal gas cars. Thus it is often cheaper to buy regular gas engine vehicles and pay for more in gas, especially if you are not going to own the car for a multitude of years. Of course, over time, paying more for the hybrid now will reap savings...but only after a certain point in the future
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