So. Let's talk oil...

[Charon]

If we postulate that the "average" US driver drives 13,500 miles per year, and the "average" car gets the CAFE required gas mileage of 24.5 mpg, then the "average" driver burns about 551 gallons per year. Insert your favorite gas price, and you can know what the "average" driver pays per year or per mile for gas. If gas is $3.50, $1929. If gas is down around $2.20 as it is here now, about $1212.

[Draigflag]

Sure we can all do our own working outs, I personaly do more miles than the average driver too, purely pleasure miles, about 5% is commuting. But I was going off the survery I read as someone had obviously researched it and comped the data, for comparison sake if nothing else.

[BDC]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

There's probably a misinterpretation of data there.

draigflaig? Deceptively misinterpreting data? NO WAY

[Draigflag]

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm not saying that Draigflag misinterpreted the data, but possibly whoever wrote the article he's referencing.

[BDC]

It was sarcasm. draigflaig has been mis-representing data, mis-citing sources, and at times just plain making stuff up for years, and mostly just to bash americans. It got old a long time ago.

[Draigflag]

Originally Posted by BDC

It was sarcasm. draigflaig has been mis-representing data, mis-citing sources, and at times just plain making stuff up for years, and mostly just to bash americans. It got old a long time ago.

Im quite offended by that. My sources are just as reliable as anyone elses on here. Making stuff up? When have I ever made stuff up? Bashing Americans? Dont think so buddy, I might have thrown the odd negative comment around about American cars, thats because I dislike American cars, but thats a right and an opinion of which im entitled to. Please explain?

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by Charon

I consider oil to be a "precious liquid" to the extent that it costs me money. The most "precious" oil I use is the synthetic stuff Bombardier says my two-stroke Rotax boat engine needs. That stuff runs nearly $60 per gallon, and the engine uses it only once. I have not been able to calculate it precisely, because usage is dependent on throttle opening, but I figure it adds well over a dollar an hour to the cost of running the boat.

Most service outfits around here "recycle" their used oil. One I know of burns it in the furnace used to heat their shop. I am told that is the fate of most recycled oil, and to the extent it replaces new oil in heating use it is recycled. Before the new requirements for cleaner diesel fuel, some trucking outfits used to run their used engine oil through a centrifuge and filter, then mix it at about 5% with fuel oil. It would not surprise to learn that used motor oil gets burned in ships, too. A local museum used to have an operational steam-powered train. They went to local service stations and collected used oil, then burned it in their locomotive.

A pie chart I saw several years ago had about half of used oil being burned for heating. If I still had oil heat, I'd be mixing the couple gallons of used oil I had into a full tank of heating oil.

[Jcp385]

Oh man, I forgot some people still have oil heat...

[Draigflag]

Some still use oil here too, in some rural locations, it's easier, cheaper and quicker to have an independent oil tank, than to lay natural gas pipes and rig them up to the mains.