As you drive up to the petrol station pump and fuel your car up with $10-$70 worth of gas, you may find yourself heaving a huge out sigh. How on Earth did fuel become so expensive? Should you consider one of those new hybrid cars you saw on the TV? Everyone's talking about hybrid cars anyway. Hybrid cars and other types of cars may seem to be a good idea, but before you go out and do something you'll regret, perhaps you should ask yourself some basic questions about how you can begin saving money on fuel.
Nowadays, there are so many options out there including everything from not going out to purchasing a hybrid car, but you have to find out what is best for you personally and you can best do that by posing yourself the following questions.
Should you just drive less?
For sure, you could spend the rest of your life at home on the couch, but how would you eat then? I know what you're thinking! You will walk more and so get more exercise. That may be true, but what will happen when you get bored with walking and riding your bike? How are you going to be able to get to the gym then? And, have you forgotten about work? You know you just love listening to your books on tape while you are sitting in the traffic jams at the end of the workday. Should you drive less? Perhaps not then. But what should you do? Well, have you ever considered purchasing a hybrid car?
Perhaps, I should buy a car that is more economical on gas?
Yes, you could do this, but what about when the vehicle starts to depreciate with age and it becomes less fuel-efficient than you thought it would be? Moreover, subconsciously, because you know you have a car that gets more mileage per dollar, you are going to start travelling more miles than you traveled before.
Should I get up earlier each morning to look for the cheapest gas prices in the area?
Really, who has the time to do all that? If you really think about it, you would probably spend your time better finding the right answer to the real question. Do you really want to spend extra time looking for a cheap fuel station? What would your boss think if you arrive late for work and tell him you were trying to save money on petrol? And anyway, how long do you think you'd keep that up?
Should I find a way to run my car on electric batteries?
Well, you certainly don't want to have to recharge your car every day before you go to work because that might make you late too. With a hybrid car, you wouldn't have to worry about that. Therefore, the next question should be obvious.
How about purchasing a hybrid car?
Maybe you should. It's possible that buying a hybrid car could be a sensible way to avoid high fuel prices. Does your car depreciate after you drive it off the forecourt? A hybrid won't do that so readily. It brings the buyer in more and more money as they save on gas. A hybrid car just might be a good choice here. However, it's still a good idea to conduct further research before buying a hybrid car.