Fuel Cost Per Mile these days

[Beer Snob]

Hi Folks:

After completing my first substantial trip (5000-plus miles) I calculated my fuel cost at just a bit under 30 cents per mile. The travel was between Long Island and Texas and the fuel cost ranged from about 3.55-4.00 per gallon.

I have a 6 cyl Tacoma and pull a 20 foot Safari.

I was just wondering how this stacks up with any of you who might calculate along these lines. There's probably been a thread about this in the past?
(And save me the wise-acre quote from back when gas was 35 cents per gallon please!!)

[Wabbiteer]

As I watched the fuel gauge repeatedly crash down to empty and felt near panic when I watched an easy access station drift by with a mere 1/3rd of a tank left, the only consolation was it could be worse, we could be calculating gallons per mile...

[masseyfarm]

This (cost per mile) number is good for your own reference, but you have the variable of price, which makes the result meaningless for comparison discussion.

MPG is really the only way to quantify efficiency.

Dave

Originally Posted by Beer Snob

Hi Folks:

After completing my first substantial trip (5000-plus miles) I calculated my fuel cost at just a bit under 30 cents per mile. The travel was between Long Island and Texas and the fuel cost ranged from about 3.55-4.00 per gallon.

I have a 6 cyl Tacoma and pull a 20 foot Safari.

I was just wondering how this stacks up with any of you who might calculate along these lines. There's probably been a thread about this in the past?
(And save me the wise-acre quote from back when gas was 35 cents per gallon please!!)

[TouringDan]

Beer Snob

I tow a pretty light trailer, 66 TW, with a 2wd Tundra, 5.7L and 6 speed. I tow pretty gently, usually about 60, and the last three trips have all been on flat land at about 13.5 mpg. Assuming about $3.80 per gallon fuel cost, this calculates to about 28 cents per mile. The big Tundra only turns 1,600 rpm at 60 mph and I think this helps on the fuel economy.

Dan

[RickDavis]

For budgeting purposes I use $.30 a mile. For the actual cost to be this high fuel would have to be at $4.50 a gallon so except for a brief time in 2008 my estimate tends to be high

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by RickDavis

For budgeting purposes I use $.30 a mile. For the actual cost to be this high fuel would have to be at $4.50 a gallon so except for a brief time in 2008 my estimate tends to be high

Ditto...

I tow with either an F-150 or a F350 PSD, mileage is about a wash. Diesel costs more... But the dually will go uphill with the AS and the F150 doesn't like to.

Aaron

[JBinKC]

Here's a great (and free) mileage log that computes MPG, cost per gallon, cost per mile, etc.: Gas Mileage Calculator and Mileage Log for Excel. I'm mostly watching MPG to help identify maintenance issues. And it's interesting to see how fuel costs vary around the country. Lately my cost per mile has hovered around $.26.