Gas prices are gonna keep going up what with all the freedom loving, pro-democracy forces in the Middle East overthrowing "dictators" and "screwing up" my "gasoline" "prices" here in the "United States"!!!
Why, I oughta.....
Anyway. It's times like this I'm glad the second vehicle in our household gets 110 miles to the gallon.
That's right. We're the lucky few in the Midwest who happen to be a TWO vehicle family. The Escort and the Zuma.
Our primary vehicle one of the finest automobiles ever made which, as I tell my son, only the richest and most successful Americans can afford, which gets around 30 MPG. It includes such luxuries as Heat and AM/FM radio and manual window rollers AND has functional breaks. It's the 1998 Ford Escort with a 1.8 liter engine to deliver the apex of power. The only thing it's missing is cruise control. Yessir, our car would be the height of automotive technology back in the 1940s. And at 170,000 miles, this sweet baby takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Seriously, since we got it 7 years ago we've probably put all of $800 of repairs into it.
Our second vehicle...our pride and joy, our 110 MPG beauty...
The Yamaha Zuma.
Now...granted, it's not the best vehicle for children. It's a little bit on the sporty side for kids. Plus....there's...really no place to put them. Legally. In the United States. But that's neither here nor there. This little ninja takes up all of $8 of gasoline per month and goes almost 35 MPH on it's awesome 49cc engine. Forget about the fact that my chainsaw has a slightly larger engine than the Zuma. It gets around.
Let me repeat the gas expenditure just to be smug....the Yamaha Zuma takes about $8 of gasoline PER MONTH. And the insurance is tiny.
Now....if you're wondering "Why not public transit...or a bike?" I'll tells ya why...the nearest bus stop is about 1.5 miles away. And work is about 6 miles away, through some fairly heavy traffic areas on 35mph to 45mph streets that have no shoulders...and the route passes over a highway, through exit ramps. So going 35mph with the flow of traffic is important. Sadly...many cities aren't set up very well for bikes. Also...the lady works retail and can't be sweaty when she gets there.
Anyway....
We've had the moped for about three years...my wife drives it to work every day in the spring, summer, and fall and pays for gas with loose change.
And the scooter itself cost around $2000. There are cheaper scooters out there, and to be sure, a used one can be had for a couple hundred bucks, if that. But if you're going to be using the vehicle as a genuine, consistent mode of transportation to get to work and back, or make the trip to the store for a gallon of milk (which fits under the seat) I'd recommend committing to a well reviewed, reliable moped. For the price of a used scooter you can make a 10% down payment on a very reliable, new scooter with a monthly payment of around $50 for three years....which in transportation terms is fairly reasonable. And again, the insurance is cheap.
We've known folks who went the used route and the "off brand" route with scooters and were pretty frustrated with their purchases. We've been working the Yamaha pretty hard for three years with little complaint.
There are just a couple of down-sides.
1. You can't much drive it during the snowy winter months, so there's about 3 or 4 months out of the year when you can't drive the Yamaha Zuma.
2. You know those traffic lights that use a magnetic sensor to determine if a vehicle is waiting at the traffic light? Yeah...the Zuma doesn't trip those. You'll be waiting at a late night traffic light for hours.
3. To my knowledge there are no dealers for domestically made mopeds anywhere near us. And...actually, I don't know of any domestically made mopeds.
In summary...mopeds are cool. Also, there's enough capacity under the seat for a six pack of beer and a bag of Doritos. Or, like I said before, milk and some veggies. There's also a little rack on the back so you can strap more groceries back there.