What You've Just Bought!

[Yami]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

I think Americans must be better with money than us or something. Out of the 10 or 15 so friends, and my cousins etc my age I speak to regularly, I don't know ANY that are saving for the future.

I'm not saving yet since I'm on student loans and I usually end up spending all of that on reasonable things, but if I had a job I definitely would be saving.

 

[Oreo]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

I'm not saving yet since I'm on student loans and I usually end up spending all of that on reasonable things, but if I had a job I definitely would be saving.

DUDE! Dont encourage the lynch mob.

You would struggle to save much on 690 a month if you only had 200 left over for stuff you want. Trust me, it's super easy to get through. A few drinks, a game or two, takeaway..

 

[Nukem]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

I get 34-36 MPG in my 20 year old Escort so I won't complain even it is does look like crap.

Same here with my little Kia Spectra. Which I just used Amazon.com: SEA FOAM SPRAY - 12 OZ. AEROSOL: Automotive to blow most of the carbon out of the intakes... runs like a champ now.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

Strange, I know someone here working, making only $600 a month, yet has a 2 year old son, and a lazy female that refuses to do anything. Oh, this is also a family that lives alone, no outside help. They manage if only barely, but they still do, and he is still able to save money from time to time. "Only 200 for what I want", that translates into 200 for w/e the hell you wanna buy off of a shelf in the electronics department IMO.

My buddy, he has maybe $5 at the end of a month to go into "extra" stuff, and that tends to be saved for basic car maintenance. Has no credit card, refuses to use them. Rather strange as he is only 22 and knows better than most adults.


Nukem, seafoam is like gold to me. :3

Oh, this is also someone that saved his money since being 16 so he could afford nice things, never depended upon anyone, most americans blow tax payouts the same month they get them. This guy manages to keep most of his till the next tax season, then buys or repairs whats needed.

 

[GhOsT1321]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

I get 34-36 MPG in my 20 year old Escort so I won't complain even it is does look like crap.

That's hard to believe if that is your actual fuel economy. Is that what it is rated for, or what you calculated with a MPG system/math based on your driving conditions?

My 2000 Escort ZX2 is rated for 33MPG highway, but I average 25-27 in reality.
How I calculate my fuel economy is: full up tank until full, drive car, and at next fill up, fill up until full. Then divide the difference on your odometer (say 250 miles) by the amount of gallons you put in (say 9.5 gallons) and you get your actual combined fuel economy. In this case, it would be ~26 MPG.
Even with a bit of hypermileing, I never broke 29mpg. In the winter, when I have to run the car and heat for a few minutes to break up an eight inch of ice, the MPG sucks. I tend to get around 18MPG during very icy and snowy winters.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

Ghost, older cars can actually get great mileage, believe it or not, at one time, EPA estimates was always lower than what most would see, the last few years, they are above what people would typically see. That's why on my car, with an engine essentially from the 80's I got GREAT gas mileage for what most consider a tank.

 

[Trotter]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

Yeah, I figure mine fillup to fillup as well. If I put my foot in it it will get 33-34, but if I leave a little early for work so I can drive 65-70 then I run 34-36.

I have no idea what the car was originally rated as far as MPG goes. I could look it up but I'm not too worried about it.

 

[GhOsT1321]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

@c0rr0sive
That is very interesting, I had thought otherwise. What primarily determines fuel economy?
I had thought it was fuel combustion efficiency, but that's just a guess of mine.

@Trotter
That is awesome mileage you are getting. I would love to hit the 30s one day for MPG, but sadly, I don't think it's gonna happen with this vehicle

 

[Trotter]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

Having a 1.9L four-banger comes in handy sometimes.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Re: The What You've just Bought thread!

Ghost, it's a combo of things, the reason my intrepid got great mileage is due to the shape of the car, properly inflated tires, and making sure as few things as possible would slow it down, such as sticky calipers causing a pad to stick to the rotor, or worn bearings on the hubs.

If I remember right, the intrepid had one of the lowest drag co-efficients ever for a car of that year. It's also the only car I have ever drove, where the wind will actually shut the trunk completely instead of just barely pushing it down.

In the end it comes down to, how much power is needed by the transmission/differential/drive shafts just to get the tires to spin, is there any other forces to fight against to move the car, how easy is it for the internal components of the engine it self to move, and how efficient is the engine at burning the fuel. Every bit and piece of your car can actually change your fuel mileage in the end, only slightly, but it adds up over the life of a car.

The EPA got in trouble at one point recently for how they was branding cars with estimates, none of the tests that they did simulated actual real world driving habits, and it showed, people got 50% or less real world sometimes. I think they have straightened up and actually drive the cars for testing now in days instead of having them sit in a lab with a computer controlled acceleration, no drag on the body that would be "normal" and so on.