Smuggy got a new license plate in January:
Now our blog and our car have similar labels. It's one small step closer to building our Timbecca empire. I also like the new license plate because it differentiates our car from all the other silver Priuses we see driving around town.
I'm still totally smitten with the car, even though our mileage has taken a beating over the winter months. Smuggy doesn't like the cold. When I first calculated the aggregate miles per gallon the car had gotten last November, it was at 46.54. Since then, that average has slowly crept downward as the average temperature has dropped. (When it's cold out, it takes longer for the car to warm up, which negatively affects the mileage. Plus the wind is worse in the winter, and Smuggy and I hate the wind-- unless it's directly behind us, in which case we love it.) During January, I was lucky whenever I broke 40 miles per gallon on my commute to work.
As of the end of February, our aggregate mileage has fallen to 43.41. Here is a chart that shows how many MPGs I got each time I filled the car up:
As you can see, aside from the fact that I've totally geeked out over my new car, our best mileage was during September & October and the worst during December & January. Now it's starting to get better again as the weather gets warmer. Yesterday, on a trip to the tennis center, I averaged over 50 MPG for the first time in months.
Now I have yet another reason to love spring.
Although our decision to buy a Prius was not a financial one, it is worth noting that since buying Smuggy last August, we've saved an estimated (by me, of course) $676 in gas costs. That's more than two car payments out of six. So every third car payment is paid for with gas savings.
We love you, Smuggy!
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2 comments:
Tim and Rebecca,
Sonia and I want a Prius, it will probably be our next car within 2 years. Nice chart!
I've been driving my Prius since February 2005. It's my work car. Don't ask how many miles I have on it. My son Henry and I drove it for two weeks through Mexico, where we got a sustained 52 MPG. I haven't gotten very good mileage this winter, under 40. Usually, I get 42. In September through November, though, I got 52 MPG over something like 5000 miles, because of the mild weather, I guess. Mexico probably just has better gas. Mine's silver, too.
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