No kidding. Our family car, nicknamed the Blackhawk, is a Toyota Sienna minivan and according to an article on Boston.com is up there with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis in being the least fuel efficient*. Too bad we don't have the glamour associated with being a foreign exotic sports car. At least we have bragging rights in claiming that we're "classified with Lamborghini"!While we were up in the San Francisco Bay Area this past weekend for a wedding, I was adamant about not paying $4.09 for a gallon of gas. Little did I know that I would end up paying $4.19 and the $4.09 I tried to backtrack to was the best deal in what seemed like a 30 mile radius.
Since we've arrived in LA ten months ago, I've seen the gasoline prices rise from $2.89/gallon to $4.15! That's an increase over over 43% in less than a year! Granted we're a one-car family and Air Boss doesn't require a car to "commute" to his "office," we're still flabbergasted by the prices. When I would gas up the car, I used to manually stop the pump once the total price hit $50 - even if I was short of a full tank. There was just some mental barrier for paying over $50 for a tank of gas. Now, if I continued that practice, I may not have enough fuel to drive back home from the gas station!
All this is to say that we're now seriously contemplating getting a second car sooner than expected. A much more fuel efficient car than the Blackhawk. Air Boss has been eyeing the 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid. Yup, we're gonna spend $35,000 (not including insurance, registration, smog fees) so we can save $2,300 a year on the gasoline difference between our gas-guzzler and a hybrid.
Yup. Makes total sense to me. = ]
Photo: Texas Tech Marketing Department
*Incidentally, for those of you who drive an Odyssey or Caravan, the Sienna has you beat by a SLIGHT margin. It's just ironic that the manufacturer that came up with the epitome hybrid (Prius) also makes the most fuel inefficient minivan.
4 comments:
the sad thing is, I remember when spending $20 seemed like A LOT to fill up the gas tank. And I'm not even that old, I think! There isn't much sense in trying to make sense (or cents?!) of these crazy gas and food prices! As Mom said, I should just walk to the store and make sure I wear my old shoes while I'm at it!
BTW, I got gas at $3.85/gallon this morning. Of course, I had wait idle in line for 5-10 minutes to get it at that price! (see - it doesn't make sense to spend money idling your car to get cheaper gas, does it?)
Haha! I guess I'm waaay older than you! I remember $8-10 was enough to "top off" the car (and I think I was old enough to be driving!!)
The best way to save money? Don't bother walking (even in your old shoes)...burns up too many calories thus resulting in consuming more of the expensive food. Sit at home and exert the least amount of energy.
funny yet so sad.
gas was .99 at one point when i was in college.
the pump stopped the other day because i hit the limit - $75! OMG. i can't even imagine what it's like to live in a big commuting area like so-cal. you have our deepest sympathies.
happy car shopping!
I also remember filling up my tank for under $15, in my SUV. Now, it costs about $65. Still cost me over $36 the other day to fill Steve's Prius - because the tank is so small! At least it lasts a couple of weeks.
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