Minnesota Focus Owners Club

Well, the wife has been pestering me for a new car, in 1 hand, I want another car so I can take my back seats out, but, at the same time, I don't want to pya for a new car.

Just for kicks, I ran some numbers to see if there is anything to gain in buying another viechle, that, gets better MPG.

I am going to post my work, see if I did it right...

ok so lets say the truck gets 15mpg, and, the car she wants gets 30mpg.

At the gas price of 2.75$ lets say..

To travel 1 mile
30mpg= $.09
15mpg=$.18

30 miles of travel in 1 day...
30mpg=$2.75
15mpg=$5.50

Lets say an average of 23 days a month of work or travel...
30mpg=$63.25
15mpg=$126.50

Ok, so, now lets figure the cost of a new car, lets say that combined monthly insurance and payment is $200, the truck thatis paid for costs $125.50 to run a month, new car costs and extra $137.25 a month(thats with a 200$ monthly payment for the car) over the truck, because of the payment...

Its sorta interesting, I mean, gas prices are on the up, and, people are looking for a more effecient way to travel, so, they buy a new(er) car that gets better gas milage, but, still have to pay for the car, whereas, some people already have a car that is paid off....

now do the math over the course of a 5 year loan and see if the truck still wins?

~$130 per month x 60 months = $7800

or ~ $10k + $65 x 60 = $13900 + loan interest

yep lol

I think it is something interesting, I think more people that want to go out and buy a more fuel effecient veichle should punch in the numbers for thier milage/budget.

I'll admit, I bought the slocus because of gas prices, but, I shoulda kept my old beater and kept driving it, that would be about 300$ less a month I would spend on a car...

oh yeah, lets do some MORE math... lets see how many miles you have to drive per year over 5 years to break even with the truck not including interest on the car.

$333.3 gas per month x 60mnths = $20,000

$166.6 gas per month x 60mnths = $10,000 + 10k car = $20,000

120 Gallons of gas @ 15mpg = 1,800 miles per month or 21,600 miles per year for the truck

60 Gallons of gas @ 30mpg = 1,800 miles per month or 21,600 miles per year for the car

So it basically only pays off to buy a new car with good gas mileage if you are a tree hugging hippie that is trying to save the environment from pollution, or if you drive an ass load of miles.

I should break it down with one of them turbo diesel beetles, after all, diesel costs the same as regular, I remember when diesel was cheap, then, it costed more then premium, now, its about the same as regular.

How about ethonal(e-85?)(surprised you boosted guys don't switch to it), ethonal is usually 25-40 cents less the regular, it would be interesting to see what a car running e-85 gets for milage, some say you get less milage(this could make sence, since that ethonal does not pack the BTU's that petro does).

e85 is a joke, it is very abbrasive for one, and your right it dont have the punch tha pettrol has.. so in other words you use more of it(its cheaper),but it will destroy the fuel system and cost the same in the long run as a regular fueled vehical.

focinite wrote: e85 is a joke, it is very abbrasive for one, and your right it dont have the punch tha pettrol has.. so in other words you use more of it(its cheaper),but it will destroy the fuel system and cost the same in the long run as a regular fueled vehical.

Um...flex fuel cars can run it all day long w/o problems....

e85 is also 104 octane....and its a solvent, abrasive is like sand....20% more fuel to get 104 octane, cant beat that with a stick.

I'm going to invent a car that runs on popcorn butter

sc0tty8 wrote:

focinite wrote:e85 is a joke, it is very abbrasive for one, and your right it dont have the punch tha pettrol has.. so in other words you use more of it(its cheaper),but it will destroy the fuel system and cost the same in the long run as a regular fueled vehical.

Um...flex fuel cars can run it all day long w/o problems....

e85 is also 104 octane....and its a solvent, abrasive is like sand....20% more fuel to get 104 octane, cant beat that with a stick.

you say they run allday wit no problem... all flex fuel cars run stainless and teflon fule parts and line as per ford" the fuel is very abbrasive, it after awhile will wear away at the fuel lines and other fuel system componets." ive had ff cars(mainly taurus) foul out injectors left and right, if you get a chance to look at one closely , you wont find a rubber o-ring in the fuel system at all. not to mention you have to/should run the special oil for the e-85 and filters, they dont come ready to use e-85 they have to be converted to run strictly off that corn piss... and i dont think it 104... you should know how hard that would be to run at 30 below in the winter, but i could be wrong i have before, ive never found a reasone to run the crap. leave the ethenol for the dirt track roundy-rounders( outlaw sprinters, modifieds and such...ja know)

FF isn't at every gas station!? its a gimic, just like hybrid... the only hybrid that works in a car that I'd buy would be a turbo

You where prob working on first release FFV, like the first release of everytihng, there is always problems, my mom bought the first year escape, and, had a few issues with the radio, speakers, and, at about 48k miles, the trans took a dump, she drives like a grandma, but, she is, but, thats not the point.

If I ever do a project car, it will run e85.

http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/e85q&a.html

Read 1/2 way down about octane raitings, 100-105 octane.

Notice how it says that a FFV is not tuned for the car? I should almost get my hands on a FF taraus and play...I bet with a tune and some minor work, it would be a bad ass granny getter

well wit a tune you can runn off of ever clear, they say the human body can injest 100 percent ethenol~! has any one actually DRANK evr clear? i dont reccogmend it.

I was reaind once on ethonal, its impossible to get a true 100% ethonal becasue of how its distilled...

I'd highly recommend not drinking ethonal, it would prob kill you or make you really retarded...

i dont know i mean it has potential to be really good , but i think it would have to be a prime source of fuel before any one starts really looking into e85, i mean they have looked into it but it dont have the R and D like gas .

everclear is wicked... you can have ONE everclear screwdriver and be nearly black out drunk... hard to see how much more "strong" it is compared to 151

its hard to breathe after a shot of that crap, and vomitting usually comes thereafter