Confessions of a Gasaholic

Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t buy into the theory of man-made global warming/climate change, nor the expensive and job-killing legislation that world governments are proposing. Okay, with that out of the way, I’m a changed man.

17.4 miles per gallon. That’s the average consumption of the 11 cars I’ve owned over the past decade. In the 200,000+ miles driven over that time period, I came to an inescapable conclusion: Dinosaurs taste good. To my cars, at least. Good thing they don’t taste like chicken, or I’d have had a heck of a time cleaning feathers out of the fuel filter. Those 11,500 gallons were consumed like a good Cabernet, and left me drunk on petrol. In my adult life, I can’t remember ever making an automotive purchasing decision based upon fuel economy – ever. Bigger, better, faster, more. A V6 engine was just too small, woefully inadequate to propel the average 4400 lb. vehicle from stoplight to stoplight in air-conditioned and leather-clad luxury. I had been fortunate enough over the years to work hard and make smart business and investing decisions that put me in a position where the economic factors of fuel economy were not a consideration.

Then the economy collapsed. Being in marketing communications, my business was hit earliest and hardest. Marketing budgets shrank like wool in a clothes dryer on the high heat setting. Real estate, where I was heavily invested, fell like a rock. I was faced with some hard decisions. I had to trim back the staff of our 24-person agency down to 7, get rid of overheads like office space and move to a virtual agency model. My auto fleet was reduced down to two vehicles, a BMW 740iL (17/22 mileage rating) and a Land Rover Discovery (12/16 mileage rating), both with thirsty V8 engines. The wife and I decided to leave the NYC metro area and moved to Florida, bringing the Land Rover down with us.

Jetta Sportswagen

After totaling up the cost of the move, we realized that we spent more money in fuel on the Land Rover than the moving truck. Faced with the brutal facts, it was time for a rethink. As much as I dearly loved that 6014 lb. hunk of British steel, it was time to part ways with the Land Rover and embark upon a new sense of ‘discovery’ – fuel economy. The wife and I reviewed our priorities and driving habits – which had shifted from highway cruising to mostly suburban crawling. We set an arbitrary limit of $40,000 for the purchase, and measured our decision on a 5-year ownership term with 12,000 miles of city driving. After endless comparison shopping and test driving, we arrived at the conclusion: a VW Jetta Sportwagen turbo-diesel whose sticker price left us with plenty of change left over. The automotive sales force of Sarasota breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Our new wagon has averaged 36mpg in town, with spurts of 44mpg on the highway. The overall carbon footprint (not that I’m into those things, mind you…) is less than a hybrid. While the acceleration is not quite what we’re used to, a six-speed manual transmission makes up for the fun factor in our commutes. And we’ve discovered a new ‘fun factor’ associated with our purchase: trying to out-do each other in the lower consumption of fossil fuel.

I realized the impact of our new discovery this morning, when I drove past a neighbor’s house and admired his classic Mercedes coupe as I always had. My thought process had changed; for as I drove by I thought about the cost of feeding its 15mpg habit, and the car had suddenly lost its appeal.

My gasoline diet has left me with a greater appreciation of my new fuel economy ‘figure’. I like the results of my new diet, and how the savings look in my wallet.

Rob

As a marketing strategist, expert photographer, cigar aficionado, and kitchen magician, Rob Gardner is comfortable with his self-aggrandized arrogance. When he’s not busy making people and products famous, you can find him shooting many of the art and cultural events around Sarasota. A Florida native, he returned to Sarasota last year with his pregnant wife and her recalcitrant feline after 16 years in the New York metro market. He is happiest when wearing shorts in January.