Steve posted:
"Show me a man who knows his gas mileage, and I'll show you a failure in
life!"
Well, maybe I am; certainly I don't have an income that allows me to
make any purchase without thinking about the cost.
In early 1975, I was eighteen years old and attending the local
community college, and working part time. I got laid off, and was without
work for a few months (s*cky economy, and not a whole lot of job skills on
my part). My mother actually started giving me an allowance again, as
embarrassing as that was. However, it was only just enough for gasoline
to/from the college, and for a couple of movie tickets for my girlfriend and
I every other week. So, for a little while, gasoline absorbed a _big_ chuck
of my disposable income.
I never forgot it. That's when I got in the habit of coasting down
hills in neutral, and I decided to switch soon after from Big V8 cars with
automatics to little fourbangers with manual transmissions, and keeping a
gas logbook in the car. The Garage Queen is my first car since then with
more than 4 cylinders.
Yeah, it's not much in the scheme of things. I think I consume more
beer, in gallons and in dollars, than gasoline. :^) But still, when I'm out
in the GQ, I look at the gas gauge even more often than I do the oil
pressure or temp gauges. Really.
The moral of the story? Well, it's not a lot of money. But the
reasons for being concerned over prices aren't always rational.
Yeah, and I just love it when I still in the slow lane at 55mph and
get passed by an endless stream of Excursions and Grand Caravans doing
75mph.
Lawrence R. Wright, Purchasing Analyst
"Nose gone, grindstone still here"
U S Office Products, Mid-Atlantic District
Formerly Andrews Office Products
larry.wright@usop.com
Ph. 301.386.7923 Fx. 301.386.5333
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