What you really need to do is swap that engine out for a 35 mpg diesel, that has lots of low end torque, then use it for the daily driver and off road!:clap:
Another option is to keep a fresh egg under the gas peddle. That way you learn to use the gas peddle softly and save lots of gas. The way it works is if you break the egg it's a mess to clean up, and if you don't clean up the mess the smell makes it undrivable in about 2 weeks, either way the DD uses less gas as you learn to be soft on the gas peddle, LOL.
That suggestion was published in car and Driver back in 1979 during the last great gas crisis.
By the way the last time oil jumped 500% in a short time (78-79 IIRC) it lead to a massive recession that took oil back down from about $48/barrel to a stable $9/barrel. Only took a few weeks too, once all the speculators ran for the exit! Everyone was so broke after that, gas was on sale for under a dollar a gallon for the next 10 to 15 years. The oil speculators that drove up the price all went belly up taking the banks and local real estate with them, just like the recent housing buble burst, the oil buble will burst too, and it maybe sooner than later.
Sorry to hear your selling out and keeping an Xterra! Gahd! :gag:
I am facing the same cost problem with my house, it is about to reach $300 to $400 a month just to cool the damn thing, and it's only 900 Sq. Ft. Time to spend $$$s insulating and repairing the leaks, and maybe replace the AC. Hell the electric bill is nearly what the house payments were.
My only problem is I am always too busy fixing my jeeps, to fix my house!hasta
:shocked:
