Have high fuel costs changed the way you drive? Poll results/discussion

pault123

I chose B.

combined with a 1.9 TDi modern diesel engine I average over 600 miles per tank (55 litres to fill)

700 miles can be had is I keep below 60mph.

What I love about a big diesel engine is at 80mph the revs are at about 2500 and even at this speed 47-50 mpg can be obtained on the motorway! :T:money:

MORPH3US

Have just seen this, but wanted to add.... as a result of high motoring costs, I have now sold my car and cycle to work (and use g/f's car when required).

This was thankfully possible due to me getting a new job closer to home though.

Now, I am much better off money wise, fitter, its quicker to cycle to work than drive and I can take out my frustrations on my ride to work and back = better relationship with customers / the gf.

Only downpoint is the rain which soaked me the last two days :-(

Natalie6999

Due to the high fuel costs & only having a limited budget, I have ditched my diesel 4X4, bought a more modern, more economical, petrol supermini & am now enjoying driving again instead of panicking every time the fuel gauge needle moved. Everything about my new car is cheaper- insurance, servicing, tyres & fuel. What I am saving is more than paying for my new car, my fuel costs have more than halved & I don't have to worry about my car letting me down.

economiser

Natalie6999 wrote: »

Due to the high fuel costs & only having a limited budget, I have ditched my diesel 4X4, bought a more modern, more economical, petrol supermini & am now enjoying driving again instead of panicking every time the fuel gauge needle moved. Everything about my new car is cheaper- insurance, servicing, tyres & fuel. What I am saving is more than paying for my new car, my fuel costs have more than halved & I don't have to worry about my car letting me down.

I have a thirsty 2.5 V6. Its 10 years old and going well and I reckon it will go on for at least another five years, possibly more. Its costing me about £1500 a year in petrol which I suppose I could reduce by about £750 a year with a new small car. I am not up to date with new car prices but I shouldn't think I could get much for under £10000 (must be an air conditioned automatic), and if taken from my savings that would cost me somewhere in the region of £500 in lost interest. It would take a long time for me to be in pocket at a £250 a year saving and I am not really sure that I want a small car anyway so I can see no economic option but to hang on and pay the fuel bills driving as economically as possible.

Natalie6999

economiser wrote: »

I have a thirsty 2.5 V6. Its 10 years old and going well and I reckon it will go on for at least another five years, possibly more. Its costing me about £1500 a year in petrol which I suppose I could reduce by about £750 a year with a new small car. I am not up to date with new car prices but I shouldn't think I could get much for under £10000 (must be an air conditioned automatic), and if taken from my savings that would cost me somewhere in the region of £500 in lost interest. It would take a long time for me to be in pocket at a £250 a year saving and I am not really sure that I want a small car anyway so I can see no economic option but to hang on and pay the fuel bills driving as economically as possible.

You would be surprised how cheap you can get a newer car for, more & more people are either downsizing or just getting rid of their cars, dealers buy them for peanuts & put them on the forecourts for a small mark up. They would rather sell a lot of cheaper cars than a few higher value ones.

£10000 would get you an almost new car if you looked in the right places - car supermarkets are a good place to consider. You don't have to go down to a supermini, some of the medium size cars now have much more efficient engines & you wouldn't lose out on performance as smaller modern engines are just as nippy but cheaper to drive.