60 Mile Hike For Cheap Gas

I know the mileage from light on to tank empty on my specific vehicle due to a moronic drive for cheap gas.

About a year ago, about 10 miles from work (I commute about 60-65 miles one way) the "empty warning" light on my 2000 Mazda MPV LX lit up. No prob, I'll just tank up on the way home.

I had noticed that, the farther I get from my local Metroplex out into the country, the cheaper the gas. So, instead of doing the smart thing and tanking up in the big city, I decided to shoot for gold.

Well, I traveled about 50 miles from work (10 away from home) pushing empty, and finally died about .5 miles from the cheapest gas station in the area. I had to hike up the hill and purchase a gas can and some gas and hike back to get the car into the station. I could have gone the last .5mi, I'm sure, except for the fact that I was on a hill and a curve, which most likely shifted the vapors around.

In any case, that's my story, and that's how I know what my absolute upper limit of driving from light-on is. Be this a lesson to you: the money I saved on the tank of gas in the country DID NOT cover the price of the gas can, by any stretch of the budget. Shoulda tanked at work.

• Shawn. AutoDMC.org

(NOTE: The "empty light" of a Mazda MPV lights up at 1/8 tank, but the fuel gage will go nearly a full "quarter tank" worth under the "E" line before it finally dies. So I know I have a full quarter tank (~4.5 gallons) when the light blinks on)