Has Your Ride Paid for Itself?

[Marktur]

I'm about where you are Datz...but I'm anxious to see my AMEX bill this month - I always use it for gas, so I can really start comparing to previuos months. I've been commuting steadily for at least a month now...11 miles a day + errands and things.

All I know is that it costs about $80 a fill up on my Acura MDX, and I usually fill up every week...and I haven't been to the gas station but twice this month, I think. I had to drive about 120 miles on Father's day, but other than that it's been a little "around town" and that's it. I get about 16/24 on good days.

My lease is up in a few months, and although we want to have a good sized SUV, I'm so green lately it's killing me! I've looked at the specs on just about every SUV in it's class, and none get 30mpg on the highway. NONE. When is Detroit going to get smart and take back the auto industry? All they have to do is make cars more efficient...grrrr....and I really need an SUV living in the hurricane zone here in South Florida...they don't take pets in the shelters, so we need an "escape" vehicle...(and also a way to get my airplanes back and forth to the field, as well as my surfboard to the beach!).

I LOVE MY MOTOR BIKE!

 

[ZnsaneRyder]

I'm hoping my bicycle pusher will pay for itself in gas mileage and escaping costly car repairs, insurance, etc. I've spent ~$350.00 building it, and a LOT of the cost was the LITTLE stuff like nuts, bolts, tube steel, and drill bits. I got the engine cheap at only $130.00 on sale @ Harbor Freight Tools.

 

[ihatemybike]

My lease is up in a few months, and although we want to have a good sized SUV, I'm so green lately it's killing me! I've looked at the specs on just about every SUV in it's class, and none get 30mpg on the highway. NONE. When is Detroit going to get smart and take back the auto industry? All they have to do is make cars more efficient...grrrr....and I really need an SUV living in the hurricane zone here in South Florida...they don't take pets in the shelters, so we need an "escape" vehicle...(and also a way to get my airplanes back and forth to the field, as well as my surfboard to the beach!).

You could get a 2005-2006 Jeep Liberty CRD. They'll do 28 mpg hwy and you can brew your own bio-diesel from waste vegetable oil.

If you want newer/bigger, 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Diesel Power magazine recently picked one up in Detroit, installed a lift and big tires, then drove to their offices in California averaging 27 mpg.

 

[Marktur]

Diesel is NASTY, man. Why would I want to pollute the environment with both noise and exhaust pollution to gain 3-4 MPG? And the performance hit....and the need to find diesel gas, which btw costs more than 93 octane gasoline....nope....gotta keep looking.

The Lexus SUV does around 28mpg on the highway - non-hybrid. So far, that's the best gas mileage I'm seeing. (If I'm going to be making payments, it needs to be a nice vehicle...not trying to sound snobby, but I would like the same luxury level as I have now).

VERY COOL PIC, BTW! I'm 43 now...my mind tells me YES, YOU CAN STILL DO THAT! My body....well...um....well....it will not bounce off the ground like it did 20 years ago without breaking!

But I still surf whenever there's waves...so I'm an extreme old dude.

 

[ihatemybike]

You're not thinking of modern diesels. They are cleaner, quieter, and more powerful than you think and get much better gas mileage than the petroleum version of the same vehicle. My wife drives a lifted gas powered Liberty and gets about 18 mpg, we know two lifted Liberty CRD owners that get 28 mpg. That's a 55% increase in mileage for 20% more expensive fuel, advantage diesel. The MPG numbers I stated are all for lifted Jeeps with real world experience. The 28 mpg for the Lexus is the EPA number which most people aren't able to duplicate with normal driving. Diesel drivers (Jeep, VW, Benz) I talk to consistently get above EPA rating without trying. Using hypermiling techniques there are people pushing their VW TDis (EPA rating of 39 mpg) to above 60 mpg.

The Grand Cherokee Limited edition comes with all the "luxury" bell and whistles.

Also, if you brew your own bio-D at home your effective fuel cost will be below $1.00 per gallon and since you're burning waste vegetable oil instead of dino your vehicle would be environmentally carbon neutral. Talk about having a Green SUV

Give the Jeep CRDs a chance. Go take one for a test drive, you'll be surprised.

--------------------------

Thanks for the comp on the pic. I was 32 when that pic was taken January 2007. I'm still pushing and learning new tricks.

Been wanting to try surfing, but any time I'm near the ocean I'm either too busy or it's too cold. If the cycle keeps repeating itself then the next time I head to Florida will be Sept 2012. So I might actually get to try surfing just before my 38th birthday. Guess I should work on my skateboarding and snowboarding some more in the mean time as I hear it helps.

 

[Marktur]

OK, you've got my attention now...I'll go check out a Jeep next week...can't hurt, that's for sure. So what's the recipe for making your own diesel?

 

[CheazyRider]

Ahem. Meanwhile, back in the bike lane . . .

Anyone else got to the point where their ride has paid for itself? Do you reward yourself with upgrades once you get there?

 

[lennyharp]

I have rationalized good bike equipment for years by this saving philosophy. The more I ride the more I save and the better equipment I need to ride more. That is why I started with a Staton kit when I started because I knew I would pay the $600.00 off in less than a year of riding. At 6 weeks in I have 800 miles collected so I am working on my upgrades and a second bike all at the same time.

 

[Large Filipino]

Sorry for derailing but the whole diesel thing.... do you know it's actually cheaper to make? Makes you wonder what oil companies are after. You know diesels go in semi's. Semi's run America.
Anyway,back on topic!

 

[greenevegiebeast]

on the deisel front

Diesel is NASTY, man. Why would I want to pollute the environment with both noise and exhaust pollution to gain 3-4 MPG? And the performance hit....and the need to find diesel gas, which btw costs more than 93 octane gasoline....nope....gotta keep looking.

The Lexus SUV does around 28mpg on the highway - non-hybrid. So far, that's the best gas mileage I'm seeing. (If I'm going to be making payments, it needs to be a nice vehicle...not trying to sound snobby, but I would like the same luxury level as I have now).

VERY COOL PIC, BTW! I'm 43 now...my mind tells me YES, YOU CAN STILL DO THAT! My body....well...um....well....it will not bounce off the ground like it did 20 years ago without breaking!

But I still surf whenever there's waves...so I'm an extreme old dude.

deisel may be nasty, but gas isnt mutch better. bio or a vegie oil con version are th way to ge. besides think about it one af the first ic engines was a deisel.

on the otherote im getting excited to finish my mb recombant tadpole i call "OVERKILL"