Is It Time for a New Car?

I'm amazed at the price of gas these days. It's crazy. The last time I filled up my Explorer, it cost $70! And that was at Costco, when gas prices were still under $4.00/gallon! Ugh. $70 is a pair of shoes. $70 is 41 cups of Peets coffee (plus change). $70 is a new pair of jeans (as long as you're not buying designer jeans). $70 is a weeks worth of groceries (sometimes). $70 is about 15 frozen yogurts. $70 is a whole lot of doggie treats and toys.

It seriously made me pause and wonder if it was time to get a more fuel efficient car. Who knows how long gas prices will stay at this inflated level. If it costs me $70 each week to fill up my tank, that's $3,640/year or $303/month. That's a car payment!

Granted my daily commute is something like 10 miles, round trip. But we do drive the Explorer to other places. After I told Greg how much it cost to fill up my tank, he replied, "We're not driving your car anywhere." The funny thing is that we've actually started to not drive my car. And it's not only when we're going someplace together. I've taken the Scion (aka Milk Truck) instead of the Explorer when I'm going someplace, like JACL volleyball or the store, by myself.

I wonder if the benefits of getting a new, more fuel efficient car would be worth it. I probably wouldn't need to fill up as much as I do now. When I did fill up, it wouldn't be as expensive as it is now. I wouldn't be so reluctant to drive my car more than 10 miles each day. Of course the extra driving might off-set the lower frequency of filling up. And it's probably better for the environment too.