So yesterday Mom made a comment about how their neighbors bought a car that required premium gas. As the owner of a car that does, I told her that it wasn’t really a big deal. This morning, I realized just how little it affects me:

52 fill ups per year * 10 gallons * $.03 extra (I fill up on Thursdays and Sundays, which are discounted in Arlington) = $15.60 in gas that it costs me to drive a sports car as opposed to a Corolla.

Sure, not everybody gets such a great deal on gas or as good gas mileage as me, so on the extreme end of the spectrum:

100 fill ups per year * 12 gallons * $0.13 extra = $156 extra per year for someone who is doing rougly 25,000 miles per year in a vehicle of average economy (20mpg), and they never get a deal on their gas.

Having a car that requires premium gas is hardly any sort of financial burden. What is a burden, is that those neighbors now own four of the least reliable makes in the world: Ford, Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Audi. Hurray for ignorance!