Posted on 08/31/2005 9:53:59 AM PDT by Millee
Absolutely!
15 MPG SUV driving 20,000 miles per year will consume 1333 gallons of fuel.
30 MPG Subcompact driving 20,000 miles per year will consume 667 gallons of fuel.
At $3.00 per gallon, the difference is $2001 per year.
Depending on your income, that might be OK, but let's assume that the subcompact costs you $5000 more than what your SUV is currently worth.
That means it would take 3 years to recoup your losses---if gas prices hold at $3.00 per gallon.
It also is a big change. Is the safety of an SUV worth $2000 per year?
Lots of questions.
I'll take those gas-guzzling '70s muscle cars off your hands! Man, missed my chance back in the Carter years to score. They were giving away 426 hemis!
There. *Now* it makes sense to dump it.
No, no, no, not yet.
What if the new, fuel efficient car costs you an extra $10,000 over your current SUV?
Then it might not.
You have also not considered what is the "cost" of having a smaller, less useful car versus a safe, roomy SUV.
It's tough to put a dollar value on those types of things.
Absolutely. I'm all for folks driving whatever the heck they want.
But if you have a car payment on an SUV it makes it a heck of a lot easier to exchange it for another car payment.
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