Friends,
Yes, gas prices are pretty outrageous, but I’ve been forced to step back a little…
In my little piney paradise at this moment (who knows what’ll happen tomorrow), a gallon of regular unleaded petrol goes for $4.89. I don’t buy gas up here. I buy gas down in the desert, where I work, and filled up the Mighty Dakota with $4.43 gas. You know, because it’s much cheaper.
I’ve been warned off buying a used British Racing Green Mazda Miata because it’s either too girly or actually built for gay men. (Cripes, am I gonna do this? Okay, here goes…) I’m not really sure about the characterization. I think the image the car conveys swings both ways. (thank you! I’ll be here all week!)
But let’s do the math with an extreme example. Presume the Miata gets an optimistic 28 MPG. The Jeep Grand Livingroom gets a meager 17 MPG. I drive 100 miles every day and we’ll presume $4.50 per gallon. When will buying a $9,000 used car make financial sense? Anybody? Bueller?
I’m thinking not for decades. And that whole scenario presumes that I’ll continue the desert commute throughout that time. That is not assured.
The car is really supposed to be fun to drive though. Thoughts?
– bob
UPDATE: Here’s a number—three and a third. That’s how many years it takes, given the above numbers, for the used Miata to pay for itself. Maybe the idea isn’t so crazy after all…