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Money Saving Tips

Saving gas by switching cars

19 years ago

We came up with this simple idea a couple of months ago and it makes more and more sense now that the price of fuel is skyrocketing once more. My husband and I traded cars. He has a gas guzzler and I have a little sports car with a 6 speed that gets twice the gas mileage his does. I drive 7 miles round trip to work; he drives 25, so we switched cars. On the weekends, if we have separate things to do, we decide who gets which car based on who has the most miles to drive. I miss my zippy little car, but I do like his satellite radio. We've saved at least a tankful of gas a month and maybe more.

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Comments (5)

joyfulguy
19 years ago
Hi sudiepav,

Developing a real effort to making as few trips as possible, taking care of multiple errands per trip will save a lot more, unless you're making a substantial effort to do that now.

ole joyful
Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
19 years ago
We've saved at least a tankful of gas a month and maybe more

That's 'found' money...or like a monthly raise in your income! Any idea how you're going to use it to its best advantage?

Sue
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bud_wi
19 years ago
I bet if you both drove cars that get high mileage out of a tank of gas you could save even more.
azzalea
19 years ago
We have 2 vehicles--one is a small pick-up truck that gets great mileage and is good for hauling things when needed. The other is a 2007 SUV that gets not so good mileage, but is comfortable, has some important features to us (like the household outlet in the cargo area, an interior that can be hosed down)--good for day and overnight trips. We both enjoy driving both of them, but DH--who works fulltime, takes the pick up to work, while the SUV stays home with me. It's a rare week, indeed when I put more than 10 miles on my car (8+ months old, and it's only got $2500 miles on it now). So we're doing pretty much the same thing.

I know some probably think I should have picked something with better gas mileage, but given the fact that I do drive so little, the difference--in cost, to the environment--is negligible. My last car was 18 years old when we traded it in, and had only 120,000 miles on it. And those miles were wracked up in the days when I was driving my dd to high school every day, to dance lessons, practices, etc; and then when she was in school about 700 miles away, and we were doing that run frequently. This one should be even lower at that age, since we're at a stage of life where we don't really need to do as much driving.
sudiepav
Original Author
19 years ago
I consolidate trips the best I can. Before I leave the house, I try to think about where I'm going and what is on the way. I keep finished library books in the car, so that when I pass the library, I can drop them off. I seldom shop more than a couple miles from home. As to what to do with the savings, I'm just trying to keep the cost of our gas the same as it was a few months ago when it was .25 a gallon cheaper. Yes, we could both drive more economical cars, but the cost of breaking a lease which has a year to go makes this impractical. When we replace this car, a small SUV, we'll probably get a similar car, as there are so many features that we like, but this time, I will insist upon a standard transmission.

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