Cars Gas Mileage Is A Lot Bigger Deal Today!

As a kid, I never learned, was taught how, or paid attention to finances, technical or mechanical or monetary or other responsibilities, and hence I never had a concept of taking note of one’s car’s gas mileage.  It wasn’t until a few years ago, really, that I cared about, paid attention to, and learned how to record my car’s gas mileage—and more importantly—WHY doing so is beneficial.  My friend, a retired grocery store clerk who took on a new job tutoring, would often take me along on his Saturday errands.  One of those errands involved filling his van’s gas tank.  Once a week, my friend would pull up to the pumps, gas up, then get back in his van and pull from the glove box a little hand-size spiral notebook.  He would write down the date, the car’s mileage, and the amount of gas he had just put in.

At the times he did this, I would think that the act of recording one’s gas mileage was for him in character with the way his brain worked: a genius by most standards, my buddy was always calculating something, always reaching into the geeky pocket protector for a pen, often scribbling or discussing an innovative, historically-based, or scientific idea.  So I thought his recording his gas mileage was merely an additional intellectual activity he did to assuage the mental demons or ward off senior dementia or something.

Then I bought a used car.  Before doing so, for months, I researched everything from a car’s emission standards ratings to a car’s reputation for wear and tear to a car’s gas mileage….  Aha! It hit me: my friend did this not for some mentally onanistic reward, but to literally attend to the car’s gas mileage!

So, I bought a used Saab—which I LOVE, in spite of the original desires for a truck, a hot rod, or a sports car—and as I drove away from the guy who sold it to me, remembering he said it needed gas, I went to the station and immediately after filling up recorded the date, the mileage, and how much gas I put in.  I do the same thing every time now, and am able to watch the car’s gas mileage (which is reported for Saabs and hundreds of other makes on such sites as epa.gov…which anyone could consult before buying a new or used car, by the way).

At the writing of this article (April, 2006), the gas prices are 25 cents higher than they were last year at this time.  Translated, that’s between $2.60 and $2.62 a gallon!  NOW I get the logic behind recording one’s gas mileage!