by Tim Joseph
Over the next few weeks I'm going to be writing a lot about fuel economy. Traditionally, gas is at its highest prices in the summer months when most people are traveling. It seems to spike even higher during holidays like July4th. With the 4th less than a month away, gas prices are expected to go up to $150 per barrel which is about $20 more than they are now. Today the gas station I pass on the way in to work had 87 octane for $4.05. At Dick Scott we have several high mileage vehicles that will get you where you want to go for a whole lot less. Vehicles like the Nissan Versa or the Kia Rio. I'll tell you a lot more about those vehicles as we progress in the series but for now let's talk about fuel economy in general.
FuelEconomy.gov is a great reasource for everything fuel related. Do yourself a favor and download the Fuel Economy Guide for 2008. A lot changed in the way fuel economy was calculated in 2008 so if you bought your car in 2007 you may want to see what has changed. You car hasn't changed but the new testing may give you a more accurate look at where your money is going.
One thing of interest on this website is the section about "Find Your Car's EnergyImpact Score". This made me think of a good friend of mine who had a 2005 Ford F-150 w/ the big 5.4L V8 engine. He drove around 15,000 mile per year. He traded it in for a Versa, admitting that there was no need to have such a big vehicle. I did a side by side comparison between the 05 F-150 and the 07 Versa and here is what I found:
| Versa | Ford F-150 | |
| Cost To Drive 25 Miles | $3.52 | $7.04 |
| Fuel To Drive 25 Miles | 0.89 per gallon | 1.79 per gallon |
| Cost to fill up | $26.81 | $126.55 |
| Mile on a tank | 333 | 450 |
| Tank Size | 13.2 gallons | 35.7 gallons |
| Annual Fuel Cost | $2110 | $4220 |
Not only did Derek lower his payment a couple hundred dollars a month on his payment (even more on insurance) but he cut his gas bill in half! If you are considering a Nissan Versa or any one of Dick Scott's high mileage vehicles, please compare your vehicle to the new one to see how much you'll save. Now that's being frugal!
Dick Scott Kia - 800-730-9872
Dick Scott Nissan - 800-504-8536
Dick Scott Dodge - 800-571-6906
Dick Scott Motormall - 800-486-2415
