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• Tuesday, July 3, 2007 07:23 AM

  Gas Tax is the only way to go

  Until gas taxes are raised so the inflation adjusted price of fuel takes a significant bite out our people's budget, why should we change our driving habits? If congress wan really serious about reducing oil dependence we'd match or exceed Europe's tax structure.

  I drive 8000 miles a year to get to work. At the 20 MPG my Sienna averages, I spend $1200/yr on gas and get the utility of being able to haul my three kids around, groceries, etc when it suits me. Overall, I drive about 15000/yr and spend rougly $2300/yr. In the grand scheme of things, it's a less important expense than my mortgage, property tax, food, travel, electricity, etc. Gas doesn't break the top ten of things I spend $ on. I could drive a Pious and save $1200/yr, but I'd give up the utility and safety features of the larger vehicle.

  It's no wonder the Pious isn't selling. If I truly cared about mileage/emissions, I could buy a Corolla, get 35-40 MPG and save $4-6K on the purchase price. If you can do basic math, there is no ecomonic reason to favor the Pious over a similar small car, say a Mazda 5. The Pious, is more a "look at how eco-friendly I am statement", the green equivalent of buy a McMansion to impress your coworkers.

  This weekend, I took a 900 mile roundtrip in my van with my family + in-laws. We do trips like this 3-4 times a year. What is better for the environment, 7 people in one van getting 25 mpg, or 7 people in two cars averaging 35 mpg?

  Tax me and I'll change my behavior. Put the taxes into mass transit that is accessible and goes where I need to go, & I'll use it. Until then, all a 35 mpg cafe does is create a mismatch between what people want and what the automakers have to sell.

  —car guy Read car guy's other letters
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