So here’s the break down. We are a family of 7 with 3 drivers now. Each one of us drives a fair amount, and with gas prices heading north of $4 a gallon we had to do something.
| Vehicle | Average MPG | Mileage | $ Status |
| 2000 Ford Excursion | 11 | 130,000 | Paid For |
| 1999 Chrysler Cirrus | 24 | 138,000 | Paid For |
| 1993 Ford Club Wagon | 14 | 132,000 | Paid For |
Before anyone complains about the Excursion, let’s do a little math.
We have a family of (7), one in a car seat. To go anywhere as a family you need something this size. In fact your options are somewhat limited.
Taking two cars that get 25mpg each, nets you 12.5 mpg in the end so there’s no savings. It’s worth the premium to take one vehicle.
Since everything is paid for, every time we look at new vehicles and do the math… The cost/payment on something new that would hold us or almost hold us would buy a lot of gas and a lot of repairs. (We also have to pull a horse trailer and other stuff from time to time).
In any event, having Michael commute to Kings Island for work and down to UC for the summer for his college class and eventually to CCM at 12-14MPG didn’t have me very excited. The van does have advantages; it’s paid for, is fairly reliable, and is pretty safe as well.
We’ve been keeping our eye out for a good deal on something and finally landed it last week.
| Vehicle | Average MPG | Mileage | $ Status |
| 1998 Ford Escort ZX2 | 30 | 88,000 | Paid For |
We now have a 1998 Ford Escort ZX2… Yeah, the sport model. It was literally driven by a little old lady to work each day and church on Sunday. It’s 10 years old and only has 88,000 miles. (OK, so Melody isn’t that old).
It’s in really good shape for it’s age. It’s got 10 years worth of scratches and dings but overall was a great buy for us. With estimated mileage at 30MPG it will pay for itself in 10,000 miles vs driving the van. So that’s all good. It is by far the highest MPG car we own, as well as the lowest overall mileage.
It’s a stick though, and Michael didn’t know how to drive a stick. We worked with him this weekend and while he did well, we’re not sure he’s ready to take this to the hills of Clifton just yet. Perhaps next week.