Keep the guzzler?

There’s no doubt that recent gas price drops have been a bit of a relief. They’re still higher than they were a couple of years ago, but they’re down about a third from what they were a couple of months ago.

Some unusual points in this Scott Burns article on MSN:

Dumping your gas hog?

With gas north of $3 for a while, that Hummer was a pain in the wallet to drive. (Heck, our Town and Country was a pain in the wallet, too!) But is it worth it to switch it out for a hybrid?

Maybe not. Consider the following points brought up in the article:

Gas is not the whole cost of owning a car, and it still isn’t the biggest cost.
Gas guzzlers suffered more depreciation recently than fuel-efficient cars because of higher gas prices.
Retrofits for fuel efficiency can be expensive.

Also suggested indirectly in the article is that fuel-efficient cars now command a premium because of high gas prices.

So, if you sell your guzzlerator, you’ll only get a relative pittance for it. And getting that gas-sipper will cost you relatively more.

Another option? Drive less. Your yearly transportation costs will go down if you don’t put as many miles on your vehicle. And, if you have the choice and more than one vehicle, put more miles on the more efficient vehicle.