Gas-Guzzler Trade-In Calculator

Editor-in-Chief

Should you trade in your old gas guzzler on a more fuel efficient vehicle? Well, Edmunds came up with this handy little calculator to help you decide. I wanted to see if it made sense for us to trade in our 1988 Volvo 240 grocery getter in on a new Prius. The calculator only works for cars back to 1990, so I had to use a 1990 instead. Ok, whatever. Anyway, I was told I’d get $317 in trade (considerably less than all that Swedish steel is worth in scrap) and that the old Volvo gets around 19 mpg (which is about right). I factored in that we only drive it about 500 miles per month. The calculator showed me that if we switched to the Prius, we’d save $66.63 in gas per month, and that at this rate it would take 348 months (or 29 years) to reach break even and begin saving on gas. Hmmm, I’m thinking that the $23k might be better spent on some more old Mopars…

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Posted at 9:51 am in Edmunds, Gas

Comments

phone recycle
Oct 11, 2008 at 6:53 am

Looking for mobile phone recycling companies to trade my phones for cash within a week.

Anonymous
Jul 10, 2008 at 4:05 pm

I guess my junk is wirht 848 dollars and quote
“You will not save any money by trading in your current vehicle for the fuel-efficient vehicle you have selected.”
the almost sense of honesty brings a tear..

Anonymous
Jul 10, 2008 at 3:50 pm

it is indeed bad to think about. the volvo at 19mpg should be tearing up the streets with a turbo, but it seems you found how absurd they treat trusty million dollar masterpieces sold for 300 dollars anyway.I wondered how a little volvo could ven suck in that much fuel and not misfire..it is extreme for strange reasons. Go get a weber jetted correct and run that beast.Keep the volvo. the only inline four that actually worked longer than the length of a subcompact. old volvo is in same predicament like alot of cars (like subaru wagons with 1781cc boxers pullin tractor trailers clombing mountains and flyinf at 800ft at 200mph- to be worth 312 dollars on trade in.) Ironically am watching financial reform live on cnn.. we think car concepts with financing is crooked. only the tip of a crooked iceberg….

Josh
Jul 10, 2008 at 1:38 pm

great tool, thanks!