GAS (gasoline!)
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^ 2 months? Wow! You must not go out of the house much. I usually need gas every other week. I go out every day to the park with my dog & weekly out for dinner.
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Hopefully you don't have to get groceries, goods or have to have any service done for awhile.
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oobu24 wrote:
^ 2 months? Wow! You must not go out of the house much. I usually need gas every other week. I go out every day to the park with my dog & weekly out for dinner.
My mom doesn't drive any more and we're both retired, so trips out consist of the grocery story, hair salon, WalMart, Walgreens, Dollar Tree and to doctor/dentist appointments. All these places are 5 miles or less from our house. I alternate which car I drive. We don't usually eat at the same time, so rarely go out to eat.
My 2016 car has 27,000 miles on it. I bought it in Jan. 2020 and it had about 23,000 miles on it then! My mom bought her 2015 new and only has about 15,000 miles on it!
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The_Fool wrote:
Hopefully you don't have to get groceries, goods or have to have any service done for awhile.
Were you talking to me? Why hopefully? *confused*
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NJR wrote:
The_Fool wrote:
Hopefully you don't have to get groceries, goods or have to have any service done for awhile.
Were you talking to me? Why hopefully? *confused*
I understand the "confused"... this comment was meant for many people.
The price of gas and diesel go beyond just the car or truck ... a person can fill up the gas tank and think, "good I don't have to pay until next time." So many other things are affected - groceries, goods and services etc ... if a person can fill the car and not have to do the other things - then they only get pounded at the gas station... hopefully is said in this way that you don't have to see the high prices related to high gas until the next time you need gas.
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Meant to mention this earlier, but on July 26th I filled up my mom's Honda Fit which was almost on empty. The gas was $3.52/gal and then I got 3 cents off per gallon. Was $30 to fill it.
Now today I noticed the Kroger gas I normally go to (which was closed for some reason on the 26th) was back in business, but the price was $3.79/gal!
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We're about 4.50-4.75 here in the suburbs.
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oobu24 wrote:
We're about 4.50-4.75 here in the suburbs.
Yikes! I know it is way higher like in California.
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NJR wrote:
oobu24 wrote:
We're about 4.50-4.75 here in the suburbs.
Yikes! I know it is way higher like in California.
And that's the price now that it has come down! A week ago I paid over $5 a gallon.
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Okay, don't hate me, but glancing at this thread prompted me to pull out my electric bill and calculate what it costs me to "fuel" my 2020 Hyundai Kona electric. Unfortunately, the way Hawaiian Electric structures its bills makes it nearly impossible to get an exact figure, but here's a very crude calculation based on my July bill:
Energy used: 755 KWH (kilowatt hours)
Cost $310 (including all taxes, fees, surcharges, etc.)
This works out to $0.41/KWH
My car has a 64 KWH battery, so a "fill up" from zero is 64 x $0.41 = $26.24
But that's actually an overestimate because I'm on HECO's time-of-use plan which drops the rates during low-use times of the day, and I always charge when the rates are lowest. The rate per KWH is much lower during those times, but it's unclear from the bill how that affects taxes, surcharges, etc., which are a non-trvial part of the overall bill. Still, it's a safe bet that my "fill up" is significantly under $25. In the real world that lets me travel about 320 miles.
For comparison, the Kona has a gas model which gets 32 MPG per the EPA, so it would take 10 gallons to go about the same distance. At $3.75 a gallon, that's $37.50. Of course, Hawaii has some of the highest gas prices -- currently about $4.75 -- so that tankful here would be $47.50.
Yes, electric vehicles are still pricier to buy, but you can get a perfectly decent used one for under $20K these days. And you'll never need a tune up, never need an oil change, etc.
Your gasoline-powered car is going the way of the flip phone.
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^ I don't hate you Bruce - I think you're correct and "ahead of your time!" I had a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (which I later gave to my daughter) and have since had a 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid and now a 2016 Honda CR-Z Hybrid. I'm betting my next car will be full electric. If all cars were electric, can you imagine how much it would help global warming?
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I really hope someone comes out with a decent entry-level model that's a bit less expensive to buy new. I know some people are reluctant to buy a used car. Right now the Nissan Leaf if the only EV with an MSRP under $30,000 (though for a couple others available federal and/or state tax credits or rebates and bring the price down substantially under $30K). But if you can swing the initial cost the thing will eventually pay for itself, and be a MUCH more pleasant driving experience than the internal combustion engine, which was the cutting-edge technology of 1885.
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NJR wrote:
^ I don't hate you Bruce - I think you're correct and "ahead of your time!" I had a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (which I later gave to my daughter) and have since had a 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid and now a 2016 Honda CR-Z Hybrid. I'm betting my next car will be full electric. If all cars were electric, can you imagine how much it would help global warming?
Oh, by the way, my prior car was a CR-Z hybrid. I loved it but it was getting to be a bit too low to the ground for my creaky old legs.
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Bruce M. wrote:
NJR wrote:
^ I don't hate you Bruce - I think you're correct and "ahead of your time!" I had a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (which I later gave to my daughter) and have since had a 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid and now a 2016 Honda CR-Z Hybrid. I'm betting my next car will be full electric. If all cars were electric, can you imagine how much it would help global warming?
Oh, by the way, my prior car was a CR-Z hybrid. I loved it but it was getting to be a bit too low to the ground for my creaky old legs.
My 91 year old mom hates it too! I bought this device that you slip into the metal loop on your doorframe - it has a handle you can use to push on to help yourself out of the car. My dad would use it, but my mom refuses to!
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Bruce M. wrote:
I really hope someone comes out with a decent entry-level model that's a bit less expensive to buy new. I know some people are reluctant to buy a used car. Right now the Nissan Leaf if the only EV with an MSRP under $30,000 (though for a couple others available federal and/or state tax credits or rebates and bring the price down substantially under $30K). But if you can swing the initial cost the thing will eventually pay for itself, and be a MUCH more pleasant driving experience than the internal combustion engine, which was the cutting-edge technology of 1885.
I think you mean 1985!
My problem is, I don't have enough deductions to itemize. (no mortgage) The standard deduction is much better! How much of a deduction do they give you? I remember I got something for my 2003 Hybrid, but then they dropped that as a deduction.
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Back to gasoline - saw a station for $3.19, but we were in the Honda Fit which had a full tank. ️
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NJR wrote:
Bruce M. wrote:
I really hope someone comes out with a decent entry-level model that's a bit less expensive to buy new. I know some people are reluctant to buy a used car. Right now the Nissan Leaf if the only EV with an MSRP under $30,000 (though for a couple others available federal and/or state tax credits or rebates and bring the price down substantially under $30K). But if you can swing the initial cost the thing will eventually pay for itself, and be a MUCH more pleasant driving experience than the internal combustion engine, which was the cutting-edge technology of 1885.
I think you mean 1985!
My problem is, I don't have enough deductions to itemize. (no mortgage) The standard deduction is much better! How much of a deduction do they give you? I remember I got something for my 2003 Hybrid, but then they dropped that as a deduction.
No, I definitely meant 1885. That's kind of a compromise date, though. The modern internal combustion engine was actually invented in 1876 and the first commercially produced ICE vehicle was in 1886: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine. Most of us are literally driving using technology dating from before most people had telephones or indoor plumbing.
As for the federal EV incentive, it's not a deduction, it's a credit -- meaning it's counted against the total of taxes you pay, not something to deduct from your income. So taking the standard deduction or not is irrelevant. But the rules are changing a bit under the Inflation Reduction Act so you'll need to look for updated details re: what cars qualify and how much you get.
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The first Electric Car (that was historically recorded) was made in 1890. Technology before people had phones and indoor plumbing.
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Bruce M. wrote:
NJR wrote:
Bruce M. wrote:
I really hope someone comes out with a decent entry-level model that's a bit less expensive to buy new. I know some people are reluctant to buy a used car. Right now the Nissan Leaf if the only EV with an MSRP under $30,000 (though for a couple others available federal and/or state tax credits or rebates and bring the price down substantially under $30K). But if you can swing the initial cost the thing will eventually pay for itself, and be a MUCH more pleasant driving experience than the internal combustion engine, which was the cutting-edge technology of 1885.
I think you mean 1985!
My problem is, I don't have enough deductions to itemize. (no mortgage) The standard deduction is much better! How much of a deduction do they give you? I remember I got something for my 2003 Hybrid, but then they dropped that as a deduction.
No, I definitely meant 1885. That's kind of a compromise date, though. The modern internal combustion engine was actually invented in 1876 and the first commercially produced ICE vehicle was in 1886: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine. Most of us are literally driving using technology dating from before most people had telephones or indoor plumbing.
As for the federal EV incentive, it's not a deduction, it's a credit -- meaning it's counted against the total of taxes you pay, not something to deduct from your income. So taking the standard deduction or not is irrelevant. But the rules are changing a bit under the Inflation Reduction Act so you'll need to look for updated details re: what cars qualify and how much you get.
Okay, I see! I thought you were talking about the car itself! Most people were still using the horse and buggy until the 20th century.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car
If I get another car it won't be for probably at least 5 years, but thanks for the info on the electric vehicle credit!
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Today I decided to go ahead and fill up my tank even though I still had 1/2 tank. Wanted to use my Kroger discount for July before it expired Aug. 31. Gas was $3.49/gal and I got $1.05/gal off, so only $2.44/gal!! (My Lord, when I started to drive in 1971 gas was 29.9 cents/gal!!)