For anyone who says they can't afford a ScanGauge...

[MetroMPG]

Of course there's the less than $50 MPGuino option for the DIY crowd...

But I've often said to reluctant noobs that if you can't bear the thought of parting with $150 for a new ScanGauge, you could always use it for a while and re-sell it later to get most of your money back. There's no shortage of people willing to fork over $ for a used one.

Never mind the long term reality that if you're serious about saving fuel, the thing will pay for itself many times over anyway if you use it to hone your driving techniques and learn your vehicle's fuel economy idiosyncrasies.

Anyhow, the proof is in the pudding: the latest eBay auction for a used SG2 just ended at $126.52 + $8 S&H = $134.52 ... for a used ScanGauge!

A whopping savings of $14.48 over buying new (@ the EM group buy price).

used SGII on eBay (not mine)

I should own stock in the d@#n company...

[PaleMelanesian]

I agree. Mine paid for itself in 6 months. Any of these will make the payoff come sooner:
- thirstier car than a civic
- higher prices. Gas was 2.50-3.00 during those 6 months.
- more miles. I drive 11 miles to work and 11 home.

[MazdaMatt]

Is this thing primarily marketted towards the fuel saving crowd? Or is it primarily an engine info device that is just useful for FE folks?

[MetroMPG]

I interviewed the inventor a while back. He described 3 main markets:

• Traditional gearheads: Ron explains, "these are the guys who in the old days used to install extra gauges on the dash that gave more info than the idiot lights could." Typically "performance" (speed) oriented folks, these DIY types want to know everything the car is doing when it's being pushed hard.
• RV owners: these people have a kind of mixed interest. The engines in their (typically heavy, un-aerodynamic) vehicles also tend to get pushed fairly hard, so the drivers want to keep an eye on critical info. At the same time they're also concerned about fuel economy and want to monitor that as well.
• Fuel economy nuts: these are the MPG obsessed folks (you know who you are) who, prior to the ScanGauge, had to rely on infrequent fill-ups, or relatively crude vacuum gauges for feedback on driving technique or changes made to their vehicles.

From: http://metrompg.com/posts/scangauge-interview.htm

Though with the recent run in fuel prices, and free advertising the SG has had in the mainstream media, I think the fuel saving crowd is their biggest market now. Based on the fact they never had an order backlog before $4 gas.

[MetroMPG]

(deleted duplicate)

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Any of these will make the payoff come sooner...

Good points.

[azraelswrd]

Both Mazda -- to me, if you drive a car that is OBDII compliant and care about what your car is doing, that's reason enough to get it. I know the $150 price shock is scary but I just did the math and figured it would pay for itself in 9 to 10 months (assuming gas is $4/gal and the SGII gets me a boost of 3-4 mpg -- obviously individual results will vary -- the hungrier your car is the sooner it can pay for itself)

And so far, my last 3 tanks with the SG installed bear out this positive trend, going from 38mpg to 41 to 41 to recently 43. Could not have done it without some sort of feedback device.

[dcb]

2 assertions I'd like to inject:

1. There's no more cost effective way to get better mpg than to adjust the nut behind the wheel.

2. There is no better way to adjust the nut behind the wheel than to give the nut feedback on what works and what doesn't.

[MazdaMatt]

If my track car was OBDII I'd have ordered one already. Maybe in a few months if i find some money 'layin around' or I need a code scanned...

Hmm... wonder if my 94 F350 7.3L Deisel is OBDII... doubt it.

[Tango Charlie]

I just sold some junk laying around the house on eBay so I could buy one. And it's Garage Sale season. Don't tell me you don't have 150 bucks of junk laying around the house. C'mon, look a little harder...