[puddleglum]

Glad to see someone started a thread like this. Hopefully it gains some discussion momentum. What you drive and how much you drive definitely affects how much you can spend on mods and have them pay for themselves. It raises the question, what is a reasonable payback time for a mod? Is it a year, two, the life of the vehicle? Does a mod need to pay for itself at all or is it enough to just have bragging rights that we're getting awesome mileage. Everyone's situation is different so I don't know if there is one right answer. I haven't had this car a year but I only expect to drive it about 5000 km/yr. Any mods I do have to be really cheap if I ever want to see a return, even if the mod gains me 3-4 mpg. I see guys here doing some pretty expensive mods, engine and tranny swaps, major body work. Some of it is pretty awesome stuff and it may even pay off for them. Lots of guys here drive more in a day than I drive in a week. It certainly wouldn't for me. What or how far we mod is really subjective to our situation.
In a way, my car itself is a ecomod. It replaced my van that used three times as much fuel and was useless to me. I've been able to reduce the use of my other car that uses twice the gas by a couple hundred km a month. Finding the right vehicle for your needs, if your current one isn't, may be one of the best mods. As for biking, going out and buying a $1000 bike to save gas may not pay off quick, as you say. But, if you have a bike already, or you buy a $300 bike to save you from driving the 12 mpg gas guzzler, it's payback will be pretty quick.