For kicks I decided to compare this to the 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue that my Yaris replaced, and my wife’s 2000 Ford Explorer 4×4.

Your cost savings will very depending on your vehicle. Things to take into consideration with my calculations:

• I used the manufactures’ city MPG numbers because I do most of my driving in the city, but there were times when I drove both highway and city
• I subtracted 1 gallon from each of the tank capacities because most people do not pull up to the pump on an empty tank (My Yaris has an 11 gallon tank and I fill it up when it gets down to the 1 gallon mark)
• The estimated number of fill ups was calculated by dividing the total miles I drove in the Yaris by the range someone can drive in the city for each respective vehicle
• The estimated fuel consumed was calculated by multiplying the estimated number of fill ups by tank capacity
• The average price per gal was determined by taking the price per gallon I recorded each time I filled up the Yaris, and averaging those prices together
• The estimated cost to fuel was calculated by multiplying the estimated fuel consumed by the average price per gallon
• The estimated cost savings was calculated by subtracting the actual total cost to fill the Yaris from the estimated cost of fueling the other vehicle

I realize that most of time they do this to antagonize and annoy the environmentalists. The majority of which believe that everyone should be sporting some kind of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle when not making use of environmentally friendly public transportation. I don’t have issue with people wanting to be good stewards of the environment, it is the only one we have, but I believe that the environmentalists take things to extremes. They also tend to take a more liberal agenda when it comes to government because they believe big government is how you are going to force people to become more environmentally minded. Which is a fallacy in it self, and a completely different topic.

Most conservatives tend to be Capitalists, which refers to an economic and social system in which the means of production are predominantly privately owned, are operated for profit, and in which investment, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a market economy.

Most liberals tend to be Socialists, which refers to the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community. This control may be either direct – exercised through popular collectives such as worker’s councils – or indirect – exercised on behalf of the people by the state. As an economic system, socialism is often characterized by state, worker, or community ownership of the means of production, goals which have been attributed to, and claimed by, a number of political parties and governments throughout history.

As a conservative I value the ability to stretch my money, so I can purchase the things in life that I want and need. Be that a trip to my favorite vacation spot, dinner at my favorite stake house, or saving for my kids college tuition. This is good for me and it is also good for the economy. But that is not how most people think about things, at least not in this day in age. Today most people believe that they need the latest and greatest good and services, and they need them yesterday. Kids want to come out of college with the same buying power as their parents who have probably spent most of their kids lifetime building up to what they can currently afford. You best friend from school buys a 3,500 SQFT home and now all of a sudden the 2,400 SQFT home that you have been paying on for the last 15 years is no longer good enough and so you go out and get a 3,700 SQFT home just so you are not out done. We do things based upon impulses not long term goals or plans. We give into the need to feel important and be recognized by the things we own versus who we are as people. We feel more proud of the fact that we can go out and purchase the newest Cadillac versus the fact that we were able to get our kids through college without them turning into alcoholics.

How, might you ask, does this factor into driving a fuel efficient car? Doesn’t it make sense then that if I value my hard earned income and the things it brings me in life that I wouldn’t want to go blow it on $35K vehicle that got 19 – 27 MPG. Instead I would want to spend it on something that cost $12K and got 31+ MPG. I’m not talking about a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle like a Toyta Prius or a Honda Civic Hybrid, both of which run $25K – $35K. The hybrid technology in these vehicles has not been completely proven yet. Most people just see the 40 MPG number and don’t factor in the other costs such as replacing and disposing of the fuel cells. Not to mention most people don’t under stand how hybrid systems work. The fact that the conventional engine has to warm up to a certain temperature before the hybrid engine kicks in, or the fact that when you are tooling down the interstate at 70 MPH that you are running the conventional engine and not the hybrid engine.

No I’m talking about the subcompact cars such as the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit. The Mercedes Smart Car and the Toyota IQ. Unfortunately the Smart Car is in such high demand not only did customers have to pay $99 to reserve the right to buy one but the price of these little city cars is putting them around $26K and thats for a used model. The MSRP is suppose to be about $12K USD.

I purchased a brand new Yaris at the end of January for $10.5K (tax, title, and registration not included). To date I have gotten no less than 31 MPG driving in the city. I calculated it out that it is costing me approximately $0.09 in gas for every mile I drive based on $3.25 per gallon. It has an 11 gallon tank and I typically fill up after I’ve used between 9 and 10 gallons of gas which means that I’m filling my tank for less than $33 every 11 days. I go 9 days if I do allot of driving on the weekends.

Is this the way everyone should go? Nope, I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is think about your needs, think about your budget, and then make an informed decision on what kind of car you pick to drive back and forth to work or school. Just because a car is small and compact does not mean that its going to get good gas milage. The Mazda Miata, Ford Focus, Chevy Aveo are small compact cars but in my opinion getting 24MPG in the city and 32 MPG on the highway is not acceptable. It might be if you are use to 19/24 MPG but lets face it we can do better.

If you enjoy the occasional camping trip and feel that you need your Ford Explorer or Chevy Trailblazer, consider renting one for that occasion. Most of the time we use it to haul all our stuff to the campsite and once we get their the vehicle gets parked until we are ready to haul it all back home. The way I look at it, renting one for a weekend or even a week is allot less expensive than the cost of fueling, maintaining, and insuring it all year round.

The same goes for trucks. Home Depot, Lowes, and U-HAUL will rent you a truck for $20 per day. If you are going on a long trip and don’t want to drive your city car there is always the option of renting a Lincoln Town Car or Cadillac to make the ride more enjoyable, and that’s all possible because you are managing your money. In my opinion this is a much more conservative approach to owning a vehicle for the average person.