The price of fuel and your solutions for using less.

Is it just me or does it seem to be going up every other day?
cheapest unleaded i can find round here is Sainsburys but even that is £134.9 a litre, at 23mpg the Beetle is a thirsty beast and the Van does less, i'm seriously going to have to review my driving this year which means less short breaks in the van and more long weekends nearer to home, i'm already contemplating cycling to work but it's 8.8 miles and it's very hilly so it ain't gonna be fun, my fuel bill has doubled since getting the Beetle i was getting 50 mpg out of my old Fiesta diesel so i have to do something quick sharp. Anybody else suffering or reviewing their driving habits?.

 

I drive everywhere slow

 

I agree with you Ricky, these prices are Wrong...

As you now I run a Heating Business and can only get to my customers by driving.. I have been swallowing the increased fuel costs lately, but now I must pass this this cost on to the customer..

But when someone asks for my hourly rate, they think thats what I earn... I actually get half of it when you deduct overheads..
I'd be better off on the checkout in Sainsburys Fuel garage !

 

My daily is a small 60bhp hatchback does about 400 miles to a 10 gallon tank, so much better than my old polo, which I would be lucky to get 35mpg most of the time, from a 1.4!!

With the van I'm resigned to the fact that if I want it to get somewhere, I'll have to pay the fuel cost - am planning on visiting my sister and her family in Scotland soon - she lives near Inverness, so that's nearly a 1000 mile round trip!!

I figure that's going to cost me about £300+ in fuel.

 

thats seems heavy for the beetle rich, i thought they were better on fuel than that...
If I had a diesel and had a heating business i would used some heating fuel lol...
if you do i lot of milage i would get it coverted to lpg.
or do as i did move closer to work... what i save on fuel pays my mortage and i aint joking.

 

I had mine converted to LPG which is 68p a litre. It cost a £1000 to be done but I've saved that in a year of driving.

 

luckily in the midlands we can reach the coast in 100 miles and there are plenty of lovely areas in a 50 mile radius so camping in scotland and the south for example are not going to happen for me very often (if ever) i'm not prepared to pay £300 for fuel before my holiday starts, luckily i love Wales and i am only 50 miles from the border.

 

I'm with baghead... I'm an electrician and have to swallow the fuel hikes as my customers just can't see it when you increase your hourly rate to cover overheads. I would love to be able to cycle to work..but I wouldn't get far with my ladders and all my kit. Am using my camper as works van at the moment which is slightly better to the gallon than my Land Rover...but saying that..the Mother-in-laws Heating tank (1000 galls) often came in handy whilst she was at church on a Sunday morning...saw me right up to midweek

 

Think yourself lucky rick

I get about the same fuel consumption from my daily drive
I also have a heating oil tank to fill at home and coal to pay for through the winter
Plus living rural if we need anything it involves driving for it

 

I get average 65 mpg from my Golf TDi. I drive like grandad, rarely use the brakes and coast everywhere I can. I had it up to 80 mpg with the wind behind me over 12 miles to work once. There are no hills where I live - that makes a whacking great difference.

I honestly believe if I towed the van with the golf it would be more efficient than thriving the van.

Ricky - if you're worried about mpg why buy a car that doesn't do many?

 

i'll be honest, i've ran on "heating oil/cherryade" in the past but last time i bought some it was 97p a litre and it got to the point it wasn't worth the risk of getting dipped. The penalty ismental if you get caught but now i have no Diesel cars that fiddle is all dead and done.

 

i dont drive anywhere!
after living in nz and oz where you need a vehicle to get anywhere i came back to uk and realised you dont need one here. (well obviously that depends on your personal needs) but for me i ride a push bike to work (about 3 1/2 miles one way) or catch the train if its really cold or pishing down.
i last ran a car in the uk in 2005 and looking at cost to run a daily these days id rather not bother.
im in the process of buying my first home and adding up what i will be paying out a month i wouldnt be able to afford one anyway. (well if i did i would be left with pennys)
i do miss the convenience some times but enjoy a bit more money to spend on the things i want!