Hey, so you guys like to save a buck. How much effort do you put into buying the cheapest gas, maximizing gas mileage, reducing miles driven, etc. etc.? (And any strategies that you recommend?)
I keep a mental log of the “reliably not highest price” fuel stations I’m likely to pass, and make a point of checking the gauge as I approach them. If I need fuel, I stop. Costco, Walmart/Murphy, and Sam’s Club figure prominently on that list.
My Costco membership is more than paid for by the fuel savings. They’re typically 20 to 60 cents cheaper than other gas stations in my area.
Also a bit over 2 years ago, I bought a hybrid. That’s paid for itself too – but that’s because I bought it as “dead, hybrid battery needs replacing”, for less than two months of new car payments. FWIW, the fix was just knowing where there’s a button to press.
(What vehicle anyway? If it’s not a common failure, then a good used one is a value option. If it is, then a new or rebuilt replacement is the suggested option.)
@jouest@narfcake I’d say rebuilt may be better than new if the original one is one that tends to fail. I had that issue and stupidly the first two times I replaced with new. The third time it was rebuilt and it never broke again.
@jouest@narfcake Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, it may be difficult to get a reliable rebuild. Many of the CVTs and any Honda automatic will not last long unless the shop doing the work has considerable very specific experience with the units, plus access to extremely esoteric tooling and the techniques used with those tools.
Drive a small vehicle very gently. I highly recommend it.
I drive a 2014 Nissan Versa Note with a manual transmission. Almost all of my driving is in town, and I don’t accelerate hard, I brake gently, and I coast when I can. I average about 41MPG. That’s 2.44 gallons for 100 miles.
@Limewater@narfcake and their CVTs are horribly sucky to drive. Maybe all CVTs are? A reason I would not buy a new Subaru Outback because they are all CVTs now I think, though maybe better than Nissan Versa automatic which one internet site called the absolutely worst new car you can buy in the U.S. I think that was 2022. My friend had one and I convinced him to trade it in on an electric Nissan Leaf. He is mostly happy with it, just around-town driving can plug in at home and has solar on his roof so in some ways could look at it as “free” except when he uses too much A/C in his house.
But now he’s sorry he didn’t get a Tesla like me but would have had to fork out a few more $. After recent drops quite competitive. creepy Elon Musk notwithstanding.
@narfcake@pmarin I don’t trust any CVTs yet. I don’t even really like automatics, but I have to admit that there are makes and models that can go 200,000 miles on a transmission.
@Limewater@narfcake@pmarin Our new Toyota hybrid SUV has a CVT, but it’s not like the old-style “2 conical pulleys with a rubber band” CVTs. It has some kind of sophisticated computer-controlled planetary gear setup that I don’t fully understand, but it doesn’t act like previous CVTs that I have experienced.
@macromeh@narfcake@pmarin “How they act” is part of the problem.
I don’t know a ton about this because I don’t keep up with new cars, but drivers apparently didn’t like the feel of a responsive CVT because they were used to automatics. So some manufacturers started tuning their CVTs to be less responsive so the engine would rev before an adjustment. This is worse for the vehicle, but makes customers happy.
@Limewater@narfcake@pmarin
Thanks, I’m not sure I understand completely yet, but this definitely helps.
In any case, I definitely prefer this CVT to others I have experienced in the past.
I try to make all my gas purchases at Costco. I really don’t drive a lot and I combine trips as much as possible (that’s to save time as well.)
2012 Honda Fit with <16,000 miles on it.
@jouest 🫤 I have four within an hours drive!
Of course, I usually go into Costco when I’m there and promptly spend all the money I save on gas, and then some.
@Kyeh@jouest I get gas at Costco when I am there shopping for other supplies (about once a month), but as it is about a 2 hour round trip, it isn’t practical most of the time. Fortunately, the gas station closest to home is also the cheapest in the local area (and top-tier fuel) and I drive past it for most outings. (Plus I’ve been friends with the owner since high school.)
I buy at Speedway. I use the app to find locations near me with the lowest price and I get 7¢ off per gallon when I swipe my membership card. Occasionally they offer an additional 11¢ off per gallon. I think I can cash in my points for an additional 10¢ off per gallon but haven’t done that yet. My current Subaru Crosstrek gets lousy gas mileage compared to my previous one.
Drove an electric car for ten years. With rebates it paid for itself in gas money in about 3 years. It needs work on the drive battery and I haven’t found someone willing to do it yet. I am buying gas again but I drove 3000 miles last year so driving any distance to save a few cents is not worth it for me.
I am eyeing a replacement vehicle but it is hard to justify spending the money for the little that I drive. It helps that I walk to work and live close to shopping needs. Every time I look I cringe at the cost to get something that would fit us better.
@speediedelivery Drove a hybrid for a long time, but didn’t really drive enough to make the difference. Last two places I worked, my commute was about 4 miles each way, so didn’t put on a lot of miles, more than you but not by much.
Then my father died, and I moved and did a lot of back and forth, so drove 3x my usual last year. Or more. Now, I do go here and there, but not every day. I would like something else, because well, I like having new things, but can’t justify it and as a result, I just buy gas when I need it wherever is close.
@speediedelivery We had an electric car on a 3 year lease. We liked it (my wife mostly drove it) but the model had a number of widely publicized battery fires, so they did a recall/software update that limited it to 80% of maximum charge (= reduced range). Then they offered us a $1400 bribe if we agreed to not join the class action lawsuit against the manufacturer. Since we only had a few months left on the lease at that point anyway, we took the cash. (From what I’ve read, we are still eligible for any payout that might result from the lawsuit anyway.)
When we returned the EV at the end of the lease, we replaced it with a tried-and-true Toyota hybrid. Pretty happy with it so far…
@macromeh@speediedelivery in the event that you can’t get that class action money, you’ll be missing out on potentially dozens of dollars after lawyer fees!
@narfcake I-MIEV It probably is not worth fixing because the range was only 80 when new but I don’t drive much or far so it was perfect. It is surprisingly roomy for hauling stuff. It sits low but is easy to get in and out. Dealer wants15k for a new battery with a 30 day warranty. If it was another 10 years I would think about it.
I am driving a right hand drive Jeep Wrangler now and the height is harder to get in/out. The gas mileage is awful and a few other minor issues push me to go car shopping.
@speediedelivery 62 miles when new, and their $15k is a “we don’t want to work on this so here’s a stupid price” quote.
Also:
I didn’t delve deeper into the feasibility of replacing the bad LEV50 blocks with 18650 cells – or whether folks have done Hayabusa swaps into what’s about the closest street legal Kei car sold in the US.
@jouest@speediedelivery There are two major ones: Cars&Bids is his site (or rather, the investment group’s that paid him $37 million for it); Bring a Trailer is the longer running platform and they’re owned by Hearst.
@jouest@narfcake You can swap out the bad cells - last I checked was about $40 for the part. Few bolts to drop the battery, open and test with a meter. If I had space I would think about doing it. I would need help getting the battery out but the rest is a screwdriver, meter and common sense. Company in Australia was changing out the battery and the new one doubled the mileage.
Dealer also quoted $1500 for inspection. I think it was shocks, maybe something fancier but at least 8 months to order the parts. I declined. The car came with “free inspections” because I bought it new. Not from that dealer because they refused to sell me one and would only lease it. I bought from a dealer about 75 miles away. Not a fan of the dealer but the car was me.
I was still getting 55 miles on a full charge. Makes me think it likely is one cell that needs to be replaced. It has a safety feature that shuts down charging if it detects a bad cell.
But really, calculating time and gas spent going to and from a farther location, it’s better to get gas nearby if you have a discount code. Even a neighbor’s discount code
@pakopako That’s why I don’t bother with our grocery store gas discounts. The “security” code is your phone number, so our granddaughter always pillages it.
@blaineg@pakopako I have found that (local area code) + 867-5309 is about 80 percent effective in getting a gas pump discount if you don’t have the card or whatever
Basically for me Tesla most of the time, usually charge at home (low current; didn’t do the big rewiring project yet) and Superchargers occasionally. In Portland OR area can’t spit out your window without hitting a Tesla model Y or 3 (of course I wouldn’t actually do that to a fellow Tesla driver unless it was Elon himself and then I’d least think about it. But I’m still hoping to get to Mars; that would probably cross me off the list…)
And then I drive across the country usually once a year in a Dodge Ram diesel with camper on it. (Now they just call it Ram but I’m proud mine still said Dodge. Anybody remember the “Dodge Boys” ads? As a kid I heard the ads and was hoping someday I could be one of the Dodge Boys whatever that was.)
So that’s about the only Time I care about gas (Diesel) prices. And the trip generally runs about $1K of fuel each way, maybe more some years. Also a lot of Costcos only have gasoline, Not Diesel. Even in places like Idaho where I swear half the vehicles are Diesel pickups, so Costco’s omission of Diesel there seems strange.
I’ve found that the few cents per gallon you save by hunting isn’t worth the effort. My time is more valuable than $1 savings for 10-15min of effort.
@Thumperchick Not only your time but the distance you may need to drive to get that price could well cost you more than paying more a gallon.
I keep a mental log of the “reliably not highest price” fuel stations I’m likely to pass, and make a point of checking the gauge as I approach them. If I need fuel, I stop. Costco, Walmart/Murphy, and Sam’s Club figure prominently on that list.
I use my walmart+ benefit
My Costco membership is more than paid for by the fuel savings. They’re typically 20 to 60 cents cheaper than other gas stations in my area.
Also a bit over 2 years ago, I bought a hybrid. That’s paid for itself too – but that’s because I bought it as “dead, hybrid battery needs replacing”, for less than two months of new car payments. FWIW, the fix was just knowing where there’s a button to press.
@narfcake is there a button fix that reassembles my catastrophic transmission failure??
@jouest Alas …
(What vehicle anyway? If it’s not a common failure, then a good used one is a value option. If it is, then a new or rebuilt replacement is the suggested option.)
@jouest @narfcake I’d say rebuilt may be better than new if the original one is one that tends to fail. I had that issue and stupidly the first two times I replaced with new. The third time it was rebuilt and it never broke again.
@jouest @narfcake Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, it may be difficult to get a reliable rebuild. Many of the CVTs and any Honda automatic will not last long unless the shop doing the work has considerable very specific experience with the units, plus access to extremely esoteric tooling and the techniques used with those tools.
Drive a small vehicle very gently. I highly recommend it.
I drive a 2014 Nissan Versa Note with a manual transmission. Almost all of my driving is in town, and I don’t accelerate hard, I brake gently, and I coast when I can. I average about 41MPG. That’s 2.44 gallons for 100 miles.
@Limewater That’s a huge factor with Nissans, namely that their CVTs don’t last.
@Limewater @narfcake and their CVTs are horribly sucky to drive. Maybe all CVTs are? A reason I would not buy a new Subaru Outback because they are all CVTs now I think, though maybe better than Nissan Versa automatic which one internet site called the absolutely worst new car you can buy in the U.S. I think that was 2022. My friend had one and I convinced him to trade it in on an electric Nissan Leaf. He is mostly happy with it, just around-town driving can plug in at home and has solar on his roof so in some ways could look at it as “free” except when he uses too much A/C in his house.
But now he’s sorry he didn’t get a Tesla like me but would have had to fork out a few more $. After recent drops quite competitive. creepy Elon Musk notwithstanding.
@narfcake @pmarin I don’t trust any CVTs yet. I don’t even really like automatics, but I have to admit that there are makes and models that can go 200,000 miles on a transmission.
@Limewater @narfcake @pmarin Our new Toyota hybrid SUV has a CVT, but it’s not like the old-style “2 conical pulleys with a rubber band” CVTs. It has some kind of sophisticated computer-controlled planetary gear setup that I don’t fully understand, but it doesn’t act like previous CVTs that I have experienced.
@macromeh @narfcake @pmarin “How they act” is part of the problem.
I don’t know a ton about this because I don’t keep up with new cars, but drivers apparently didn’t like the feel of a responsive CVT because they were used to automatics. So some manufacturers started tuning their CVTs to be less responsive so the engine would rev before an adjustment. This is worse for the vehicle, but makes customers happy.
@Limewater @macromeh @pmarin Maybe this will shed some light?
(Ford hybrids use the same design, as the system is licensed from Toyota.)
@Limewater @narfcake @pmarin
Thanks, I’m not sure I understand completely yet, but this definitely helps.
In any case, I definitely prefer this CVT to others I have experienced in the past.
I try to make all my gas purchases at Costco. I really don’t drive a lot and I combine trips as much as possible (that’s to save time as well.)
2012 Honda Fit with <16,000 miles on it.
@Kyeh our Costco is about an hour and a half away. Barely breakin’ even over here!
@jouest 🫤 I have four within an hours drive!
Of course, I usually go into Costco when I’m there and promptly spend all the money I save on gas, and then some.
@Kyeh @jouest I get gas at Costco when I am there shopping for other supplies (about once a month), but as it is about a 2 hour round trip, it isn’t practical most of the time. Fortunately, the gas station closest to home is also the cheapest in the local area (and top-tier fuel) and I drive past it for most outings. (Plus I’ve been friends with the owner since high school.)
I buy it at Costco. Not worth the hassle of getting fancier than that.
@blaineg said as if Costco isn’t THE FANCIEST
@blaineg @jouest Lots of gas stations are fancier than Costco. Buc-eee’s, for instance.
@blaineg @jouest @werehatrack Buc-ees: the IKEA of gas stations. Only been to one so far.
I buy at Speedway. I use the app to find locations near me with the lowest price and I get 7¢ off per gallon when I swipe my membership card. Occasionally they offer an additional 11¢ off per gallon. I think I can cash in my points for an additional 10¢ off per gallon but haven’t done that yet. My current Subaru Crosstrek gets lousy gas mileage compared to my previous one.
Drove an electric car for ten years. With rebates it paid for itself in gas money in about 3 years. It needs work on the drive battery and I haven’t found someone willing to do it yet. I am buying gas again but I drove 3000 miles last year so driving any distance to save a few cents is not worth it for me.
I am eyeing a replacement vehicle but it is hard to justify spending the money for the little that I drive. It helps that I walk to work and live close to shopping needs. Every time I look I cringe at the cost to get something that would fit us better.
@speediedelivery Drove a hybrid for a long time, but didn’t really drive enough to make the difference. Last two places I worked, my commute was about 4 miles each way, so didn’t put on a lot of miles, more than you but not by much.
Then my father died, and I moved and did a lot of back and forth, so drove 3x my usual last year. Or more. Now, I do go here and there, but not every day. I would like something else, because well, I like having new things, but can’t justify it and as a result, I just buy gas when I need it wherever is close.
@speediedelivery We had an electric car on a 3 year lease. We liked it (my wife mostly drove it) but the model had a number of widely publicized battery fires, so they did a recall/software update that limited it to 80% of maximum charge (= reduced range). Then they offered us a $1400 bribe if we agreed to not join the class action lawsuit against the manufacturer. Since we only had a few months left on the lease at that point anyway, we took the cash. (From what I’ve read, we are still eligible for any payout that might result from the lawsuit anyway.)
When we returned the EV at the end of the lease, we replaced it with a tried-and-true Toyota hybrid. Pretty happy with it so far…
@macromeh @speediedelivery in the event that you can’t get that class action money, you’ll be missing out on potentially dozens of dollars after lawyer fees!
@speediedelivery Nissan Leaf? They didn’t have much in the way of active thermal management and the batteries degraded much more than other EVs.
@narfcake I-MIEV It probably is not worth fixing because the range was only 80 when new but I don’t drive much or far so it was perfect. It is surprisingly roomy for hauling stuff. It sits low but is easy to get in and out. Dealer wants15k for a new battery with a 30 day warranty. If it was another 10 years I would think about it.
I am driving a right hand drive Jeep Wrangler now and the height is harder to get in/out. The gas mileage is awful and a few other minor issues push me to go car shopping.
@narfcake @speediedelivery tell me you back through drive-throughs though
@jouest I have nearly wrecked other people waving with both hands out the left window.
@speediedelivery 62 miles when new, and their $15k is a “we don’t want to work on this so here’s a stupid price” quote.
Also:
I didn’t delve deeper into the feasibility of replacing the bad LEV50 blocks with 18650 cells – or whether folks have done Hayabusa swaps into what’s about the closest street legal Kei car sold in the US.
@narfcake @speediedelivery haha I was just looking at a Kei car on an auction site. (was probably Demuro’s auction site now that I think about it…)
@jouest @speediedelivery There are two major ones: Cars&Bids is his site (or rather, the investment group’s that paid him $37 million for it); Bring a Trailer is the longer running platform and they’re owned by Hearst.
@jouest @narfcake You can swap out the bad cells - last I checked was about $40 for the part. Few bolts to drop the battery, open and test with a meter. If I had space I would think about doing it. I would need help getting the battery out but the rest is a screwdriver, meter and common sense. Company in Australia was changing out the battery and the new one doubled the mileage.
Dealer also quoted $1500 for inspection. I think it was shocks, maybe something fancier but at least 8 months to order the parts. I declined. The car came with “free inspections” because I bought it new. Not from that dealer because they refused to sell me one and would only lease it. I bought from a dealer about 75 miles away. Not a fan of the dealer but the car was me.
I was still getting 55 miles on a full charge. Makes me think it likely is one cell that needs to be replaced. It has a safety feature that shuts down charging if it detects a bad cell.
Get someone else to siphon nearby cars.
But really, calculating time and gas spent going to and from a farther location, it’s better to get gas nearby if you have a discount code. Even a neighbor’s discount code
@pakopako That’s why I don’t bother with our grocery store gas discounts. The “security” code is your phone number, so our granddaughter always pillages it.
@blaineg @pakopako I have found that (local area code) + 867-5309 is about 80 percent effective in getting a gas pump discount if you don’t have the card or whatever
@jouest @pakopako Thanks Jenny!
@blaineg @jouest @pakopako I will have to try [local area code]382-5968 and see if it works.
@blaineg @pakopako @werehatrack took a minute, but I got there
@jouest I think @Carl669 would approve.
@jouest @werehatrack is it bad I didn’t even need to look at my phone let’s to know what that spelled??
Grocery shopping at kroger (or whatever you area of the country’s equivalent). On Friday’s it’s 4x the points days. I got $1 off per gallon tonight.
Also if you have tmobile, you can get discounts at shell stations
Basically for me Tesla most of the time, usually charge at home (low current; didn’t do the big rewiring project yet) and Superchargers occasionally. In Portland OR area can’t spit out your window without hitting a Tesla model Y or 3 (of course I wouldn’t actually do that to a fellow Tesla driver unless it was Elon himself and then I’d least think about it. But I’m still hoping to get to Mars; that would probably cross me off the list…)
And then I drive across the country usually once a year in a Dodge Ram diesel with camper on it. (Now they just call it Ram but I’m proud mine still said Dodge. Anybody remember the “Dodge Boys” ads? As a kid I heard the ads and was hoping someday I could be one of the Dodge Boys whatever that was.)
So that’s about the only Time I care about gas (Diesel) prices. And the trip generally runs about $1K of fuel each way, maybe more some years. Also a lot of Costcos only have gasoline, Not Diesel. Even in places like Idaho where I swear half the vehicles are Diesel pickups, so Costco’s omission of Diesel there seems strange.
@pmarin rare Costco L