A friend who drives a turbo-charged car once said his car’s fuel consumption was far BETTER than a nine-year old Persona 1.6. He was right.
Then he said, “I can save more money.” What a joke! There’s no way he can save more money. A little offended, he asked about the fuel consumption of the Persona 1.6.
Well, as of today (Nov 18), the Persona’s fuel consumption is 7.6 litres per 100km. That’s about one litre of RON95 petrol to every 13km.
His awesome car however, gives him almost 20km for every one litre. Unsure though if that’s solely on the highway or not. Because if it’s only the highway, the Persona could also do way better than its one litre to 13km.
However, let’s do some real calculations here since it involves the issue of personal finance.
Let’s assume that the price of petrol is RM2.50 per litre for RON95 (higher than the current price to be conservative).
That’s RM2.50 for 13km for the Persona, and RM2.50 for 20km for his turbo-charged car.
Assuming both cars are driven 30,000km per year (a very high estimation that works out to 85km every day), the following would be the breakdown.
RM2.50 every 13km = 19 sen per km.
RM2.50 every 20km = 12.5 sen per km. That’s a whopping 6.5 sen less per km.
6.5 sen x 30,000km per year = a RM1,950.
After 10 years of driving 300,000 km (most drivers will never reach this distance), he would have saved RM1,950 x 10 = RM19,500.
That’s a LOT of money. There’s just one issue. His turbo-charged car is at least RM30,000 more expensive than the Persona. If you bought a Persona, you would have saved RM30,000 right at the very start.
Let’s not debate the image of a Persona driver versus a non-Persona driver. Perhaps it’s true – those driving nine-year-old Persona cars will lose “some face” but that’s another matter altogether.
It’s also wrong to assume that those driving old Persona cars will spend more time in the workshop because these cars are reliable and will not stop in the middle of the road due to electronic/mechanical issues.
For those who just love turbo-charged cars, just say, “I love turbo-charged cars” or “I love this particular car brand” and leave fuel savings out of your justification for buying the car.
Both statements are perfectly fine, just like if someone loves the Audi as a brand or the latest Volvo XC40. By the way, a very good friend said his HYBRID car saves him LOTS of money because of fuel economy.
The issue is, he paid three times more for his car. If however you got “cheated” by a car advertisement selling you the idea of petrol savings, just read this article.
Love your car, whichever brand it may be. Diversity is great for everyone.
This article first appeared in kopiandproperty.com
Charles Tan blogs at property investment site kopiandproperty. He dislikes property speculators and disagrees that renting is better than buying. He thinks it’s either property or poverty. He is presently the CEO of an auction house auctioning assets beyond just properties.