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Note: In early 2009 I came across a brilliant fuel additive called ‘Dipetane’. I have been using it since, and I have noticed incredible performance / economy gains. Check it out in the ‘Products’ section!
It looks like the days of the 20 mile drive to the Hardware store to see if they have paint for the kid’s model aeroplane are over. Instead we are now faced with cutting out unnecessary journies, and with even the horror term ‘car pooling’ and the attendant fear it instills being mooted. The thoughts of sharing your car with people who talk to themselves and smell of urine is indeed horrific, but hopefully with a few thrifty moves this can all be avoided.
For what it’s worth, here are my thoughts and observations:
1 / The obvious, but it’s true ... The experts keep on telling us to drive smoothly, keep the windows shut on Motorways and keep tyres properly inflated to save fuel. We all know it, and most - like me until now - disregard it. I live in rural Ireland, and the roads resemble the surface of the moon. The ‘potholes’ are more like big sections of road missing. The difference between the limit ( 50 mph / 80 kph ) and 40 mph ( 60 kph ) are staggering in terms of fuel consumption. I never would have believed it, but thanks to being forced to drive slower I am saving literally litres of fuel per week!
Welcome to Rural Ireland, where the roads save you money!
Most people are in a ‘hurry’ simply because they are used to being in a ‘hurry’. Let ‘em stew. The last guy who overtook me in a rage went straight into a huge hole which sent his van all over the road. Petrol saving and satisfaction supreme ( for me! ).
2/ Warm - up is for the 1960’s It may seem strange to include this, but it is amazing how many people still think that starting a car and leaving it running in the driveway for 10 minutes in the morning is somehow doing some good! Not only is it bad for the car ( modern cars should be brought up to ‘operating temperature’ a.s.a.p. without flogging it ) but it’s wasteful too. The sooner your car warms up, the sooner it becomes economical. Oh, and if the car gets nicked, that obviously is bad for economy!
3/ Plan your route intelligently Obviously this a bit circumstantial, but worth bearing in mind. Sure, if you’re stuck getting to work in the mornings and there’s no alternative route, what to do? I have noticed, however, that people willingly drive straight into lengthy traffic jams at weekends. This is the biggest waste of fuel, as well as an environmental disaster. Why not arrange that trip down the countryside at 9 p.m. the night before? It’s a pleasure to drive on scarcely - populated roads, rather than sitting in non - moving traffic for two hours. Whatever you do, do it later! ( if you can ). Listening to traffic reports as you drive helps too ...
For people who purposely drive into traffic jams I have borrowed this picture from elsewhere on the site. It seems entirely appropriate.
4/ Be careful how / where you buy products Every country has them. In Ireland / U.K. it’s ‘Aldi’ and ‘Lidl’ among others ... discount retailers, that is. A pair of wipers in Lidl? - 5.99 euro. In a Petrol station shop when stuck? - four times that. I am a great believer in ‘stockpiling’ car products when I come across them at a reasonable price: the savings are massive, and I always have what I need when I need it. Between ‘special offers’ in the aforementioned stores, and the ‘Sale bin’ at my local Motor Factors, I have saved about 200 euro on 500 spent.
Note: Be careful of storing large amounts of flammable aerosols in your home, due to the hazard they present in the event of a fire.
5/ Useless Passengers This one could be extended endlessly, but for now we will stick to inanimate objects! It often occurred to me that I spend most of my time driving a 3 peice - suite around the place: otherwise known as vacant car seats. While I am not in favour of piling in the great unwashed for a ride, driving around with 3 bags of cat litter in the back or a bag of coal makes little sense. Be active, take out the heavy stuff that doesn’t need to be there, and save fuel.
Cat Poop - 1, Fuel economy - 0!
6/ Rediscovering the art of slowing down A Welsh friend pointed this one out to me years ago, and just when I was on the verge of making jokes about the Welsh Rugby team, I realized he was right. We Irish, as he put it, “either drive on the brake or the accelerator”. It’s a good way to make ribbons of the brake pads.
I do not know where in the World you are viewing this, but here in Ireland the story goes as follows: the garages are full of second - hand cars that desperately need to be sold, and “There’s never been a better time to buy”.
Hmm. Heard that one before, but it’s probably more true now than ever. I tend to look at buying a car in the longer term. Will these garages fix it if it goes wrong, or try to force you to buy a new car when it does? That’s the million dollar ( or euro / Sterling! ) question.
7 / Buy an Oldie with a track record! One thing the Web is good at - no, very good at - is providing information. Sometimes it takes a bit of rummaging, but sites like www.carsurvey.org are invaluable for getting the ‘background’ information on different older ( and not so old ) cars from the people who count: the owners. You can look up older Volvo’s such as mine, or just about any other car you can imagine. Find the one you like and which stacks up in terms of owner satisfaction, then hop on Ebay to check the availability / prices of parts. If your search returns 17 pages you’re on to a winner: if 1, forget it and return to carsurvey!
Below a certain level, you can forget the mileage. Actually buying an older car can be very stress - free. Depending on your competence / people you know for repairs, it can be very rewarding. Check out ‘Bangernomics’ on the links page. Get it right and you will have years of virtually free motoring.
The dream seller: Old couple who go to the shops every day and are now selling the 1982 Fiesta with 60,000 miles on the clock!
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