Sun 13 Apr 2008
As if you need a reminder of the rising price of gas, here’s the national average gas price today and the predicted gas price a year from now:
TO SHOP OR NOT TO SHOP, THAT IS THE QUESTION
Yikes! With price predictions like those, you may be starting to re-think what car you should be driving. You’ve may have even done a little shopping around. If not, you should check out Mgp-O-Matic to get started.
If you’ve been considering getting a hybrid car or SUV, take the “IS A HYBRID CAR RIGHT FOR YOU?” quiz from Bankrate.
You should investigate the available hybrid car tax credits and read “Edmunds Data Proves Diesel ‘Break-Even’ Is Shorter Than Hybrids”.
Once you have some new car candidates, use this calculator to compare the MPG of your current car to the MGP of cars you are looking at:
It might help put things in perspective so see how much it would cost in each car to travel between two particular cities. If so, try this FUEL COST CALCULATOR from AAA.
BUT HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Well, for one thing you’ll probably have to decide between getting a big fat rebate or a lower interest rate, so:
You’ll also need to calculate how much you should put down on your auto loan.
If you still feel like you need more input to make a decision, you can compare two car-buying scenarios, in great detail, using the Car Cost Comparison Calculator.
IN THE MEANTIME…
While you try to work out whether to get that more fuel efficient car, find the cheapest gas in your town using GasBuddy and educate yourself on how to:
$ Drive more efficiently
$ Keep your car in shape
$ Plan & combine trips
Even if gas prices do drop in the short-term, the long-term reality is they will continue to climb and we’re all going to have to make some tough decisions about our lifestyles, transportation needs, and budgets. The sooner we start planning for it, the less painful the changes will be when the time comes to make them.
