Bits & Pieces

Odometer Miles: how far your car has traveled in its lifetime is a data point often quoted. In my case, most of my cars have traveled less than 100,000 miles when I traded them in for another vehicle. Four cars were over 100,000 miles when I sold them. Most of those worked well before selling them. I became used to their high mileage and drove them far in spite of the numbers. I drove an 87 Mustang GT to and from Arizona a few times with 120,000 miles on its odometer. One Prius had 104,000 miles pm it when it finally died. On the road. Two tows later, I traded for another Prius, this one with 140,000 miles on it.

That car was excellent in every way. It looked new inside and out. It performed admirably. But this time, at my age of 82, I felt 140,000 miles was too high for reliable long road trips. Before I die, I want to visit New Mexico and Arizona again. I want to visit friends and places in New England, too. And then there is the trip to Glacier National Park in Montana that I have been trying to get to for 40 years. Never done it. Still want to. Besides, traveling through North Dakota to get there will finish my list of visited states to all the lower 48 states. I can’t drive to Hawaii, nor will I drive to Alaska. So the chances of me seeing those two states is nil.

Anyway, I traded the 2012 Prius this week for a leased Hyundai Tucson. Mileage? 0. It now has 35 miles on it. That gives me the confidence of long road travel and I hope to do so early in 2026. Meanwhile, the Tucson is hybrid and all-wheel drive. Gets 35 miles per gallon compared with the Prius’ 48, but I still have hybrid and four-wheel drive. And wow, is it quiet!

Fuel Economy: I have owned two Toyota Priuses. They both got high fuel economy; the 2008 earned 42 mpg while the 2012 came in between 44 and 53 mpg. Impressive, especially when comparing it to an old 1968 Chrysler 300 that came in at 8 mpg. That number is shocking but represents how little we cared back then about fuel economy. Today it is all about saving money at the pump and saving the environment. My current new car gets 35 mpg in most driving circumstances. That’s pretty good when you consider I don’t drive much yet the car is safe and capable of long road trips. We all should pay attention to fuel economy, however; it is the planet we are saving for future generations, but it also saves us cash when the price of gas is $3 or more per gallon. Back in 1968 gas was likely about $1 a gallon. Still, 8 mpg?  Gad.

December 19, 2025

 

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