idleprocess
Flashaholic
I'm thinking of buying a new vehicle one of these days/months/years, and was wondering how the cost breakdown really works on fuel economy. Note that this spreadsheet just attempts to estimate fuel costs.
I generated a spreadsheet and was a bit surprised at the results.
Some scenarios:
15,000 miles per year, gas averages $3/gallon, 50% city driving, 50% highway driving
The hybrids are definitely more economical to operate, but surprisingly don't offer too many advantages over their conventional siblings. With gas at ~$3 per gallon, buying one becomes a chancy proposition on payoff.
25% city, 75% highway
75% city, 25% highway
Ah, but gas prices have stablized at $3 per gallon now ... what if they jump to $5/gallon? There seem to be any number of geopolitical events that could cause this...
15,000 miles per year, gas averages $5/gallon, 50% city driving, 50% highway driving
The hybrid premium still looks a bit dicey, but if you're hedging your bets it may be the way to go.
25% city, 75% highway
75% city, 25% highway
But the snowball keeps rolling...
15,000 miles per year, gas averages $7/gallon, 50% city driving, 50% highway driving
I'm not sure I'd want to be driving the Hummers or anything below 25 MPG city at this point.
25% city, 75% highway
75% city, 25% highway
A note about my data ... I know that EPA mileage estimates are rather unrealistic so I was able to find some more "real-world" numbers for some of the hybrids as indicated in my spreadsheet. All other numbers are EPA values, which are typically off by as much as +20%.
I generated a spreadsheet and was a bit surprised at the results.
Some scenarios:
15,000 miles per year, gas averages $3/gallon, 50% city driving, 50% highway driving
The hybrids are definitely more economical to operate, but surprisingly don't offer too many advantages over their conventional siblings. With gas at ~$3 per gallon, buying one becomes a chancy proposition on payoff.
25% city, 75% highway
75% city, 25% highway
Ah, but gas prices have stablized at $3 per gallon now ... what if they jump to $5/gallon? There seem to be any number of geopolitical events that could cause this...
15,000 miles per year, gas averages $5/gallon, 50% city driving, 50% highway driving
The hybrid premium still looks a bit dicey, but if you're hedging your bets it may be the way to go.
25% city, 75% highway
75% city, 25% highway
But the snowball keeps rolling...
15,000 miles per year, gas averages $7/gallon, 50% city driving, 50% highway driving
I'm not sure I'd want to be driving the Hummers or anything below 25 MPG city at this point.
25% city, 75% highway
75% city, 25% highway
A note about my data ... I know that EPA mileage estimates are rather unrealistic so I was able to find some more "real-world" numbers for some of the hybrids as indicated in my spreadsheet. All other numbers are EPA values, which are typically off by as much as +20%.
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