The significance of a shorter commute

"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen) 09/12/2013 at 17:15 • Filed to: None

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I am apartment/house hunting right now, I am looking to rent in a different area of town, that is more desirable to me, now that I've gotten to know the city I live in. It will also cut my commute in half from 18 miles to 10 miles. Assuming my SHO averages 22 mpg, what do I save in a month?

20 days * 2 trips * 18 miles = 720 miles / month
720 / 22 mpg = 33 gallons
33 * $3.65 = $120.45 in gas per month

20 * 2 * 10 = 400
400/22 = 18 gallons
18 * $3.65 = $65.70 in gas per month

For giggles, how much would upgrading to a 32 mpg car help me out in my present situation?
$82.13 in gas per month...
New Situation?
$46.63 in gas per month

Moral of the story? I'll save $55 per month by moving to a new, funner neighborhood. (I'll save another $200 in rent per month as I found someone to split rent with).

Another moral of the story? Moving 8 miles closer to work saves you more money than buying a 10 miles per gallon better car. SHIT! THATS AMAZING!

So... Are you a renter? Considering a low(er) mpg car with a V8, or in my case a AWD Twin Turbo V6? Can't justify the mpg? All it takes is relocating 8 measly miles closer in your daily commute.

bob262 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 09/12/2013 at 17:24

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After several housemate fiasco's, I would rather live further away AND by myself, even if I had to walk to work or to school in the freezing rain every single day for the rest of my days!

jovimon7 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 09/12/2013 at 17:58

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"It was my understanding that there would be no math."

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 09/12/2013 at 19:22

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Now think of how much you'd save if you had a motorbike :) seriously speaking the worst thing with a short trip like that is your car probably never hits peak efficiency until its almost the end of the trip.

Soloburrito > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 09/12/2013 at 22:19

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Hell it's not even about gas for me. Simply the fact that spend less time in traffic and therefore have more time to do other things is enough to always make me want to stay reasonably close to work. 20-25 mins is about all I can tolerate. Even then thinking about it depresses me.

JasonStern911 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 09/13/2013 at 00:40

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The savings aren't linear. Cars burn more fuel and are less efficient when the motors are cold. That's why my mostly freeway driven 996 technically is more fuel efficient than my friend's short commute Camry.

So... don't do it. Live down the freeway and buy a 993/996, justifying it thanks to the fuel economy. :)

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > JasonStern911 09/13/2013 at 10:47

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Haha, the point I was making, I'm sure is still valid, maybe I won't save $55 a month, maybe it's $45 due to loss in efficiency. But in the end, my logic still stands, no matter how much you'd like me to get a 996 :P

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 09/13/2013 at 10:47

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Yes this is true, so maybe I should subtract 10 bucks from my monthly savings. Motorbike? No thanks. haha.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Soloburrito 09/13/2013 at 10:48

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20 minutes is quite a lot, that's how far I drive now, I'd like 15 minutes or less.

JasonStern911 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 09/13/2013 at 11:40

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I have no problem selling you on other Porsches. If you're patient, you can pick up a 986 Boxster S with about 60k miles on it and possibly a hardtop for ~$15k, then rationalize that the $10k you saved can buy a lot of gas. :)