14 Fill-ups ... for all of 2011

[low&slow]

I was checking the gaslog for my car when I noticed that I was filling up only a little over once a month for the past year. This is due to 3 factors: 1) I'm driving my car ( 2000 Jaguar S type 3L V6 with 5sp AT) more efficiently ( 28 mpg+ average), 2) I 'm driving my car less total miles and 3) I'm using other more efficient means of transportation ( more motorcycling and bicycling with some public transportation ).

I'll have to do some analysis for annual totals of miles traveled, gallons consumed and compare those totals to past years. I also find that I appreciate driving more when I do get behind the wheel, as that is usually when I have to carry cargo or passengers or the weather is bad for motorcycling.
all the best, L&S

[redyaris]

With all the money your saving you will have to take up lighting expensive cigars with $5 bills...

[SentraSE-R]

Very commendable, L&S. I do about the same, except for my unfortunate habit of taking long trips with my car.

[Old Mechanic]

Very similar situation here. I find myself driving the car when it's raining, or in the case of last week, when I have a head cold. The week before last the car went 65 miles. Last week (head cold) it went another 320. Since July I have put 3500 miles on bikes and probably close to that on the car. It will tend to go higher in the car in winter here and higher in the bike in summer.
My wife and I take my car for most of our travelling together including the local short trips to restaurants and entertainment. I think the last time she filled up her Sorento, it was close to 3 weeks between fills and she never lets it get down to 1/4 tank. She did take a trip to visit her daughter and piled some miles on her Sorento, but even then it has just over 2k since the 15th of September, without that trip it would have been probably 500 miles a month.
Like Darrell, I like to take trips, but as age slowly catches up with me, the trips have become less frequent amd shorter distances. Last one for me was a day trip to the mountains that was 332 miles. We took my Maxima and it got 32-35 MPG on that trip. About the same as her Sorento would get but in a car that cost 10% of the price of the Sorento. At 140k miles on the 99 Maxima mean little as far as depreciation. it's already there.

regards
Mech

[tylermj23]

Congrats! I want to use the same approach less total miles driven each month!