Fuel Economy

Does Your Trade-In Qualify for the Cash for Clunkers Program?

Published by G

Here is a quick way to find out if your clunker qualifies for the government’s Cash for Clunkers program. Simply follow this link. Then select one of the following:

1) A car, pickup truck, van, or SUV with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs. or less
2) A truck, van, or SUV with a GVWR greater than 8,500 lbs. and less than or equal to 10,000 lbs

Then select the year, make and model, engine and transmission.

In the end, you should see a screenshot similar to the one below.

c4cresult

Cars over 25 years old do not qualify for this program, so the cutoff is essentially 1984.

Real World Fuel Economy

Published by G

If you are at all concerned about fuel economy on your next vehicle, I suggest a visit to FuelEconomy.gov. This is a government website that provides you with real world fuel economy recorded by drivers around the country. I have actually contributed my numbers on-and-off for the past two years. It’s a great site for research since I never trust EPA’s or Manufacturer’s MPG estimates. Check it out, and if you have the time, try to contribute your numbers too.

Want Your MPG? Here’s how!

You can use your onboard computer if you have one, but I find it to be inaccurate. It is typically around 2mpg higher than real life averages, so I suggest doing the math. It’s pretty simple, check it out:

  1. After your fill up, reset your trip counter.
  2. On the following fill up, write down the number of gallons you filled up.
  3. Take the number of miles on your trip counter and divide it by the gallons you filled up.
  4. Repeat the process if you want to keep track of it a few more times. I recommend doing this for about a month so you get a pretty good idea as to what your monthly average is.

I normally travel about 280 miles on 12 gallons of gas with my Mazda3, so I average about 23-24 miles per gallon on mixed driving conditions. Not too bad I guess, could be better for a 4-banger.