My Lilikoi will be 1 month old next week. So far I have saved $76 in fuel costs. I know that if I don't make plans, my activities will likely absorb that savings if I don't capture them right away. Right now I plan to have an automatic deduction of the weekly difference (what I would have paid - what I pay now) going into my savings account. Does anyone have a system for making their savings tangible?
Manny will say there is no true way to "save" by acquiring a vehicle - regardless of your vehicle. That's because they depreciate and they wear out. If you want to consider an optimistic way of looking at your loss or savings - you have to compare it to something else. So if you got rid of a Hummer - then comparatively you save a lot. If you were riding a bike to work or walking then you wasted a lot. If your time is the most valuable thing then maybe you have to commute by flying. Everybody's needs are different - so there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to transportation. .
Did you enter the MPG of your last car so that the savings are calculated correctly? The readout will show what you saved in gas VS the old car. If you use a ball park assumption that wear & Tear and deprecation are around the same as what your old car cost the gas savings are a valid figure. Remember this is just a merit of saving the cost of gas. Putting it in the bank or using it for your car payment is a great idea. John
John, I didn't enter the old car info into the Prius. I'm going to do it now! I know how often I filled my Jetta each month and the amount paid per fill up. I know that based on the numbers I should have about $120 staying in my pocket every month. I just don't want the pocket gremlins to get it. I consider it savings and want to put it to use.
Also enter the price you paid per gal for your fuel. It will ask you for this each time you fill-up. Then each time you take a trip it will show you exactly how much you saved. The ODO trip setting gives you info on the current trip (since you turned on the car each time). Good to show how much you used or saved going to the groceries store, etc. Then I use trip A for when I want to get the information on a trip with multiple start/stopping of the engine or multiple fill-ups. IE a round trip to grandmas. I set trip B each time I fill-up so it tells me at a glance how I am doing on each fill-up. Just the way I use the trip settings. John
In the 10,400+ miles I've driven since I purchased my C (in November 2012) I've spent $642 and some change in fuel. My old vehicle was a used GMC Yukon with 300,000 miles on it. I was putting $100 a week in gas to feed that beast. My savings in fuel are making my car payment as a matter of fact. (This is why I opted for a new car, it would literally be cheaper even with a monthly payment depending on how much I spend in fuel, PLUS I get a warranty and all the latest gadgets!)
