So if I buy a Jetta, as discussed yesterday, my insurance rates will rise by about $400 a year. If I buy a Forester, they will raise by $300 a year. I priced out the TDI Jetta against the regular 4-cylinder model, and it’s only about $15 cheaper, which is funny, because the diesel has a whopping 90 horsepower vs. the 115 for the base 4-cylinder gas model.
Assuming I drive about 16,500 miles a year (averaged from the last 3 years on the Taurus), if I was to believe the mileage ratings provided by Volkswagen and Subaru, here’s the breakdown on gasoline costs (estimated.)
| 20 mpg gas engine | 835 Gallons | X $1.50/gal | = $1252.50/yr. | + Ins. $224/yr. | = Gas/Ins. $220/mo. |
| 40 mpg diesel engine | 417 Gallons | X $1.40/gal | = $584.50/yr. | + Ins. $209/yr. | = Gas/Ins. $158/mo. |
Providing I could actually get an interest rate of 3.9%, the monthly payment estimate on a loan of $12,000 is around $236 for a five-year loan. A four year loan is $290. At 4.9, the prices increase by about $5 across the board.
I have the break from Ghostwriter, one of the RJD2 tunes on the album mentioned yesterday, going through my head today.
Wow. The memory I ordered yesterday from Crucial arrived, via free shipping, this afternoon. That’s good service.