Gas bill reduction contest!

pdxer · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:59 am Post subject: Gas bill reduction contest!

I have always been in the habit of using a shell credit card for all my gas purchases. A couple of days ago my new billing cycle started so i'm very curious how much less per month i will actually see. This brings me to a contest without a prize, other than bragging rights, to see who holds the record of reduction of gas bill due to buddy riding. Bring on the stories! Very Happy

Ronin · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:03 am Post subject:

I'm not posting necessarily for bragging rights, but I am extremely happy with the money that I am saving since I switched to my Buddy!

My cage is a 1991 Cadillac Brougham and I was spending about $85 a week in gas (horrible gas mileage with a 20 gallon tank). Now I spend about $6 a week, for a savings of $316 per month!

pdxer · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:06 am Post subject:

ronin....you are now the reining champ! nice job!

irishtim · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:08 am Post subject:

I've been driving a Honda Civic Hybrid since June of 2002 (49 mpg combined). I'm still saving with the Buddy but not feeling guilty (or tapped out) when I drive it.

docutech · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:09 am Post subject:

KA-CHING! Ronin! Cool

My cage is a 2005 Kia Optima and I still managed to spend around $75 dollars per week on gas. Now that I drive the Buddy exclusively I spend around 8 dollars per week on gas. A monthly savings of $260 greenbacks!

WOOT!

sotied · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:32 am Post subject:

I can take this easily --- if I don't include all the specifications.

I was driving 134 miles each day to a client's office in NH (from MA).

The car is a 2004 Scion xA that gets 30+ regardless of city/highway or how I drive it.

I was spending about $100 a week on gas.

But now I've purchased Scootle and started a one-year writing sabbatical. So I don't travel to NH anymore. I've ridden 1400 miles in 7 weeks which is 200 miles a week at $4 per 100 miles. Which is $8 per week.

So instead of paying $700 for that period, I spent $56.

Knock off a few weeks to make it an even month and you get $400 for a month vs. $32. A savings of $368 a month.

Good?

docutech · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:39 am Post subject:

I think the OP was intending on fuel savings based on driving the scoot the same distance as the cage but hell sotied, that amount of money saved ain't nuthin' to sneeze at!

What are you going to do with all that extra cash? Lemme guess... A nice Swarovski vase? Cool

sotied · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:55 am Post subject:

SCOOTERSOLDIER · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 114 **07Buddy125**

What a fun thread, I drive a 2004 F-150 and I average 16MPG with it due to some modifications otherwise it would get less, my scooter due to a few tweeks here and there is getting over 100MPG per the last two fill ups but we will just make it 95MPG and see what this turns out to be.

I drive a Minimum of 662 Commuting miles per month, that is with no extra driving but everyone does so I will round this up to an even 700 miles per month and that is probably fairly accurate.

Using Current Gas Price of $4.00 Per Gallon( I use Mid Grade 87 in both my scooter and F150).

If I travel 700 miles per month using my F150(16MPG) I will need 43.75 Gallons of Gas which will cost me a Grand Total of $175.00 Per Month.

If I travel 700 Miles per month using my Buddy 125(95MPG) I will need 7.37 gallons of gas which will cost me a Grand Total of $29.47 Per Month.

Savings Per Month----$145.53

Savings Per Year------$1,746.36

Of course I can not ride year round due to snow and Ice etc, but I do ride year round weather permitting if the temp is above 30 Degrees I ride!

The Buddy is going to pay for itself very quickly!

The Following is just for fun but I have 6,250 Miles roughly on the scooter and obviously gas prices were lower a short time ago so I will use an average Gas price of $3.50 for this comparison.

Cost to Drive the Scooter 6,250 Miles is----$230.26!

Had I not had my scooter and had to drive my F150 those 6,250 Miles it would have cost me----------$1,367.18!

Now I have used the scoot for recreational purposes so keep that in mind but so far the scoot has saved me roughly $1,136.92!!!----- less upgrades and maintenance. Not Bad for a scooter I only bought last year!

LisaLisa · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:16 am Post subject:

Paah. My gasoline bill has doubled.

I was only traveling to and fro, 4 miles a day in a 30 mpg (city) car. 20-30 miles a week

Ok, I'm easily getting 95-100 mpg on the buddy, but I am riding at least 200 extra miles a week in pure skootvergnugen.

However, the good news is that when I ride with my husband, he usually fills my tank after his on his card. Heh heh heh.

betsy q. bramble · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:33 am Post subject:

SCOOTERSOLDIER · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 114 **07Buddy125**

LisaLisa · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:32 am Post subject:

Biggest tweak is reducing the throttle Wink

Then tire pressure.

SCOOTERSOLDIER · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 114 **07Buddy125**

jfrost2 · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:42 am Post subject:

There have been times where I've gotten nearly 140 miles to a tank of gas and still could go, but would have ran out onto a empty tank. But usually, with all the stop and go, I get around 85-90mpg.

newslinky · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:03 am Post subject:

Ok well my box is a 2000 Nissan Maxima and on average gets me about 25 miles per gallon. My work commute is 25 miles each way and I do that 4 days a week. Having a family I also do a lot of additional driving and get about 350 miles a week in before needing to fill up. Downside to my Maxima is it requires premium fuel otherwise I get a serious performance hit and knocking occurs. This means my gas costs me 4.25 a gallon or more. Weekly I was finding myself spending $65 to $67 to drive my box.

So previous to my scooter :
$65 per week or $260 per month or $3380 per year

Now as I mentioned I do have a family which includes the slightly below average 2 whole kids (average was 2.5 who in the heck has half a kid! lol) This means that out of my weekly driving up to 150 miles will still have to be in the box. I get this as my weekly work driving is 200 miles. I know that in truth my family necessary box driving is probably less than this number but I will take the 150 number in my figures to insure my estimation is well padded and can be pleasantly suprised by the actual numbers once I have them. (Yes I am recording my mileage and gas expeditures) (I know I fell very anal right now) Hey WAKE UP! lol

So taking all the above boring details into account I get the following figures:

Scooter 200 miles per week requires 2 fill ups per week at approx $5 each
$10 per week or $520 per year
Box 150 per week requires fill ups now once every 2 and a half weeks approx.
$65 per 2.5 weeks or $1365 per year at 21 fillups for the year

$1365+$520=$1885

$3380-$1885=$1495 per year savings using conservative estimates at current gas prices Shocked

My Buddy will have paid for itself in no more than thre years if the gas prices stay the same and that's counting insurance and maintenance costs!

DennisD · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:08 am Post subject:

Have no idea how much I'm saving, but my Astro van gets about 16mpg around town but has set in the driveway for the better part of a year. Its probably been driven a total of 500 miles in that time.

On a club ride the other night we stopped at a gas station before our "ride after the ride" and I filled up. Noticed the miles since last fillup was 124 and the fuel purchased was 1.25 gal. Close enough to 100 for me. I attribute the great mileage to changing the break in program after 350 miles from the manual's recommended "only 1/2 throttle for engine mileage good and gentleness no break of new performance" or something similar. Anyway now its ride wide open, back down a tad, git it again! Goooooood mileage.

I'm not saving any money but sure am enjoying spending it elsewhere!

tunseeker1 · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:37 pm Post subject:

Well lets see I think I might have the lowest savings of anyone. I have a car that about 30 mpg and I ride the bus to work and walk to store and things in walking distance.

I have a sunfire that I filled up for $52. That was about 2 and a half months ago and I have 3/4 of a tank left so its like $5 in gas a month.
Scooter is about $3 a week so I spend about $7more on gas a month.

sotied · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:01 pm Post subject:

I made $3 by getting to the beach parking lot today BEFORE the college kids got up to start taking the parking fee.

I explained to my girlfriend that we 'made' $3 and she just stared at me. Now we're not really talking. But I think it's because I'm right.

In fact, I like to hum a song that goes la la la la la laaaa laaaa.

The words to this song are:

We saved three dollars and IIIIIII'm Riiiiight.

That' could be the real reason she's not talking to me.

In conclusion, I didn't just SAVE money, I MADE money.

Ronin · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:28 pm Post subject:

DennisD · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:47 pm Post subject:

k1dude · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject:

pdxer · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:02 pm Post subject:

sotied · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject:

This is sotied's gf, who wants to tell everyone that there was a FREE parking lot at the breakfast place where we could have parked this morning while spending $37 on our first meal of the day.

I'm neither mad (about that anyway), nor do I think sotied is right that we "made" $3. But, if pretending he earned some cash makes him happy, then so be it.

La la la la laaaa (insert mouth popping sounds here) la la la la LA
I'm not, I'm not mad (pop pop pop) I just wish I got up earlier so I could walk on the beach at low tide. Yo.

DennisD · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:57 pm Post subject:

The plot thickens! Cool

Just the facts ma'am, just the facts.

Eddy Merckx · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:56 pm Post subject:

my average monthly bill is about $25.00 give or take a fiver since the weather turned from winter........