With oil prices hitting record highs every week, and gasoline prices following suit, I think people are actually starting to drive less, even here in "drive everywhere California". If gas prices keep heading up (and possibly hit $10 a gallon which would be on par with European prices) some major changes are going to have to happen in my driving habits/choices. To do my part, I am considering buying a scooter.
This was mostly brought on with my car being in the shop and having to bike to work.
I've been looking at different models available here in Fresno, and there's actually a wide variety both in style and price. The styles range from modern speed bike looks to Vespas and classic European styling. Prices range from $1800 to $8000. After comparing a number of different models, I think I have decided on the Yamaha Vino Classic.
It has that classic European look, which I like, and it is on the cheaper end of the scale at about $1949.
According to Yamaha and the EPA it gets about 110mpg, which is phenomenal.
I did a little calculation to figure out how much I could save in gas money by driving this to work and back, and makeing errands throughout Fresno, and this is what I have come up with.
The blue line is my current car, and the red line is the car I will hopefully take possession of between August and October. This shows that even with conservative estimates of gas prices, the scooter could pay for itself in 2 years. (This is considering that both the Escort and Smart car are quite fuel efficient, if I had a truck or an SUV I would be saving even more money).
The best part about this is that these scooters are so small and I'm a pretty big guy (at 6'3"), so it should look pretty awesome when I'm cruising around town.
This was mostly brought on with my car being in the shop and having to bike to work.
I've been looking at different models available here in Fresno, and there's actually a wide variety both in style and price. The styles range from modern speed bike looks to Vespas and classic European styling. Prices range from $1800 to $8000. After comparing a number of different models, I think I have decided on the Yamaha Vino Classic.
It has that classic European look, which I like, and it is on the cheaper end of the scale at about $1949.
According to Yamaha and the EPA it gets about 110mpg, which is phenomenal.
I did a little calculation to figure out how much I could save in gas money by driving this to work and back, and makeing errands throughout Fresno, and this is what I have come up with.
The blue line is my current car, and the red line is the car I will hopefully take possession of between August and October. This shows that even with conservative estimates of gas prices, the scooter could pay for itself in 2 years. (This is considering that both the Escort and Smart car are quite fuel efficient, if I had a truck or an SUV I would be saving even more money).
The best part about this is that these scooters are so small and I'm a pretty big guy (at 6'3"), so it should look pretty awesome when I'm cruising around town.
2 comments:
just don't get run over!!
Remember to buy a really good helmet - you've got an important melon there to protect!
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