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When we finally got word that the insurance company was going to total the M3 I cried. Like, actual tears. I LOVED that car. I loved the sound of air rushing through my cold air intake, into the motor and rumbling out through my twin can exhaust. I loved the feel of taking onramps a little too fast and never being scared the car couldn’t handle it. And I ABSOLUTELY loved the feeling of sinking into my seat at the slightest romp on the gas pedal…
One thing I did NOT love: Keeping it gassed up.
Like any good sports car, she was a gas hog and every three days when I filled her up it hurt my heart. And my pocket book. And the Earth would groan and flip me off.
So when we heard that she was going away for good my initial thought was “I am totally getting another BMW!” Then Ben and I sat down and started calculating. And talking. And debating. And more talking and finally we realized that what we really needed was to be spending less money. At the time Ben was still not working and we were hitting REALLY LOW NUMBERS in our checking account.
So we bought a Prius.
After about a month I FINALLY got used to my car turning off and becoming completely silent at stop lights. The first time it happened I got a little concerned. Actually, to be completely honest I was like WHAT THE FUCK MY CAR IS ALREADY BROKEN. Then I took my foot off the brake and it moved and I was like OMG IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! CRAZY!
Also, keyless entry and keyless push button start is so easy to get used to. I never take my keys out of my purse EVER. And I used to lose my keys about three times a day but I never lose my whole purse! And on board GPS is great! And the carpool lane? There are NO WORDS for the love affair I have started with the carpool lane. We are exclusive and I DO NOT SHARE.
And then there’s this:
This is the real reason we bought the car. So here is the quick and easy breakdown for what is costs to drive JUST TO WORK and back every day. This does not include trips to see my mom (40 miles round trip), to take Cassidy to her dad (220 miles round trip) or our every day running around.
BMW M3:
100 miles a day to work
23 MPG
$4.09 per gallon of supreme gas.
$355.65 per month
Prius:
100 miles a day
44 MPG
$3.85 per gallon of regular gas
$175.00 per month
We got $7000 for the M3 and used $4000 from our tax return to cover the rest so we had no car payment (we had no payment on the M3 either). In one year my gas savings is $2167.00 so a little less than two years the gas savings will pay for the car itself.
It might not go fast, it might be slow as a snail when taking onramps and it might look like a dirty bean driving down the street but my pocket book has been a LOT less grumpy since we got this car.
Also, the Earth has stopped punching me in the face every time I stop at a gas pump.
That is awesome. I wish I could have a hybrid myself. If I could’ve afforded it I probably would because gas is insanely expensive.
Peter has a similar commute
Peter has a similar commute and after he totaled his Mustang he was driving his parent’s Cadi and, oh man, the savings! I love it.
I’d love a little car like that. Way awesomer than the M3!!
I’d like to get a hybrid, the next car that goes might get replaced by a hybrid, but I don’t know if we can do a Prius. With both babies I doubt we’ll ever go smaller than an at least a midsized SUV, but now even those can be hybrid or biodiesel.
It’s not what you drive, it’s how you drive it.
Oddly enough Top Gear did a test of a BMW M3 versus a Prius to see which was more economical for fuel consumption: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk The M3 won.
And the Earth hates you more for that Prius 😛 <3
That’s not real world driving though. I drove my BMW hard and kept track of fuel milage. That 23 MPG estimate was a GOOD week. Yesterday on the way home from work I got 54.2 MPG in the Prius. If I didn’t have to drive 100 miles a day in traffic that might change but until that happens, the money I save with the ugly bean is worth it.
Wow that is SO awesome!! I want to have a car like that someday. <3
OMG. All I got from that was YOU DRIVE 50 MILES TO WORK AND BACK EACH DAY!?!??!