Won't let go...

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

...fuel cost is the second most expensive part of vehicle ownership behind depreciation (unless you buy an old car, in which case fuel is the most expensive cost).

Yes. It's a rough guess, since I didn't keep track of varying fuel prices over the years, but I think my Insight paid off its $8500 used price a couple of years ago, comparing to a 35 mpg alternative.

The sad thing here (IMHO, anyway) is that if he'd just biked "across town" to work most days, he'd have saved a lot more money, and lprobably have been in a lot better health too.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

The sad thing here (IMHO, anyway) is that if he'd just biked "across town" to work most days, he'd have saved a lot more money, and lprobably have been in a lot better health too.

Didn't you know that exercise will kill you?

[jamesqf]

Not as fast as sitting on your butt will :-)

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by markweatherill

1. Is there no mandatory roadworthiness test where he lives?
2. He drives 'across town' every day and back; I doubt that warrants four oil changes a year!

My father owned a truck (6 banger) like that and did a good deal better than 10mpg but he had a stick

4 oil changes a year is what you would do in 1950 when oil was non-detergent, but I doubt he uses throw away oil in it, or maybe he does?

[Xist]

He does not know how far he drove it each year or how many miles it has total. It was twenty years old when he bought it, he drove it for thirty-eight years, and he guesses that it has a total of 300,000 miles on it, but it could be two hundred thousand or four hundred thousand, or even higher or lower.

300,000 / 38 ≈ 7,900 miles per year. I say that we focus on him never fixing the odometer because we can only guess what else he did wrong.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

I say that we focus on him never fixing the odometer because we can only guess what else he did wrong.

My 1998 Ram Cummins stopped turning the odometer at 297,000 miles. I estimate 340,000 miles on her now. What am I doing wrong?