1000 Gallons "Milestone"

I filled up early this morning with 7.955 gallons of gas which pushed me to the 1005.6 gallons mark for the 38+ months and almost 54,000 miles I've been driving my Prius. That works out to a LMPG of 53.4mpg.

I guess it's a bit of an odd milestone to some, but to me it may be one of the bigger ones. All along I've tried to reinforce to those who complain about the cost/benefit ratio of buying a Prius and how "you'll never get your money back" and such that, for me, it wasn't about saving money. It was about saving gas and doing a little bit to reduce the environmental impact.

I can and could afford just about any car I want...not that my wife would let me, but the money is there. I was driving a '97 Ford Expedition LTD 4WD 5.4L that I loved. It was big and roomy and comfy and it could go anywhere. I got 12-14mpg (calculated..I've always done that even BP (before Prius)). I drove around 18k miles/year.

Thus, in 9 months with the Expedition I burned, in gas, what it's taken me over 3 years to burn with the Prius. What I lost in roominess, power and comfort I've gained back 100x in the satisfaction that I did the right thing. I've done a little to promote this car to others who might not have, otherwise, ever considered it. I've dramaticly reduced the fuel I would have used (~4400 gallons) had I gotten another Expedition (my second choice to the Prius actually).

And yea, at an estimated average $1.80/gallon I've saved well over $6000 on fuel alone...I like to think of it as taking money out of Big Oil's bank account.

Anyway, you can click on my mpg thing in the sig if you want to see my mileage history...or if you're having trouble getting to sleep. But thanks for 'listening'.

BTW, I LOVE my Prius!