10 savvy ways to save on gas

While we all probably the basis to do so, as know to save - money on gas not crank AC (as if the an option this summer is!), not tool city here are some aimless (duh!) - lesser-known options, the cost of gas this summer cutting:

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1. Buy cheap gas gift cards
Sites like PlasticJungle.com and GiftCardGranny.com sometimes to sell cheap gas gift cards for gas stations like shell, Gulf, and mobile. This means you get a gas card in the value of, say, $100 but only around $95 for it could pay. That is $5 in free gas!

2. Drive like a sensible person
Sure, you can make crazy traffic jams, slow drivers on the left lane and rubber Eckers. But how quickly speed up - costs, says "drive angry" - Kelli grant, the senior consumer reporter for DowJones. "If you away peel from a traffic light, as they will in the Indy 500, you pay for it," she says. In fact in a test by Edmunds cutting of green light slowly speed up and gradually stop for a red light fuel consumption for someone driving a Land Rover by more than 35 percent and for a Mustang more than 27 percent. In addition, the study found that cruise is the way to go on the Highway: A Land Rover has around 14 percent better mileage with cruise control set at 70 km/h compared to a driver cruises between speeds of 65 and 75 mph; The Mustang had gone better it 4.5 percent.

3. Strategically time your trips to the pump
During a normal week on Wednesday or Thursday before 10, your tank be filled to, Chris Faulkner, President and CEO of Breitling says oil and natural gas, a Dallas-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company. The reason: "gas prices rise on Thursday in advance to weekend travel" and "10 is the most station change their price of the owner making", he writes. ", If it's an emergency, not you buy gas, Friday, Saturday or Sunday." During the holidays, some experts say could increase prices in anticipation of more riders on the road.

4. Use your smartphone
The AAA TripTik or GasBuddy apps use to find the cheapest gas in your area, says grant. Can your phone (the maps app on the iPhone shows you traffic), the movement to check before you leave the House, so that you are wasting gas backtracking and can avoid idle.

5. Consider a gas rewards card (even a could offer your supermarket)
If you drive much, it can perform useful, so a credit card to get rewarded for buying gas. To see if it makes sense for you, see NerdWallet.com, where you will enter in your spending, and will recommend it to good credit cards for you. (NerdWallet.com started just a site for cheap gas in the area find.) It should be noted that the most rewards take cards but high-interest, so these cards are likely unless you pay from your credit completely each month not the right place for you (instead look for a low interest card). In addition "grocery chains such as Safeway, Kroger and Winn-Dixie gasoline rewards program, offer," says Jim Toedtman, editor of the AARP Bulletin, which save a list of gas tips published. He adds "get friends and family, the map to share, so that points accumulate faster,". However, says it is important that the price at the pump might be best price is not, so even with the savings it is not the best deal, grant.

6. Let not the engine idle too long
"Not letting your car idle if you will it warm or you are quiet," Faulkner writes. "If you're going to stand for more than a minute wasted your engine running more gas than to restarting the engine."

7. Pay correctly
Some gas stations free of charge a premium credit card to pay to compensate for the service fee, the credit card companies them free of charge. So, if you want to pay by credit card or direct debit, "service stations search where cash costs to pay the same as with a credit or debit card," says Faulkner. Double your car an attendant filling have, ask him to ensure that "when you pay cash, that 'Money' on the pump, noted he adds.""You lose 'Credit' were $.05 per gallon, when he accidentally presses."

8. Have the right care
Keep your tires filled with air and you can save your clean air filter size. "To reduce under-inflated tire gas mileage and can affect the handling, braking and tread life," says Robert Campbell, Senior VP of operations for express oil change & service center. The reason: "If your tires not enough air in them, their rolling resistance dramatically increases and it takes more gas to get anywhere," Faulkner said. In fact, you could improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 per cent hold pumped up your tires to the correct pressure after the Department of energy. Moreover, "Cleaning the air filter your gas mileage can improve in your car up to 7 percent, which can equate to a saving of over $72 for all 10,000 miles," says financial consulting, LLC Xavier EPPs, the founder and financial consultant at XNE.

9. Picky where - and how - you recharge your batteries
"The cheap gas station on the side of the highway avoid how you drive home from work, which can be up to $0.15 per gallon more," says Faulkner. And although warehouse clubs like Costco have gas often low prices, they do not always - so make sure that gas-app (see tip # number) before you fill just automatically up there, grant says. In addition go premium gas not just automatically with the. "Confirm what octane engine of your car really needs gasoline, with your mechanic" says Faulkner. "" The most car engines gasoline does not require even though the manual will tell"is recommended."

10 Not tote around your entire home
OK, this sounds obvious, but people often remember what is in their car not. Conclusion: not lug around a bunch of crap in the car, how "everybody eats 250 pounds an extra mile per gallon gasoline," says Faulkner.

You are looking for more tips on how to get money on gas save this piece of moneycrashers.com.

© 2012 Forbes.com

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10 cool cars with great gas mileage

Not long ago Zack O’Malley Greenburg had a problem.

His parents had finally decided to replace the 1991 Nissan Sentra he had driven in high school and still used occasionally to make the trip from Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., back to Manhattan.

The Sentra, among other foibles, lacked air-conditioning and a side mirror. It rattled and hummed at any speed approaching 80 miles per hour. Thing is, the elder Greenburg wanted to replace it with something affordable and fuel efficient, such as a Honda Civic or Chevy Cruze. Greenburg the younger wanted — nay, needed — something cool.

“When I heard what they were looking at, I kind of groaned and thought that I would be doomed to be borrowing rental cars from them for the rest of my life,” he said.

Fortunately for Zack — a music reporter here at Forbes — his sense of style won out. After weeks of debating the relative merits of reliability, maintenance costs, safety scores and, most importantly, fuel economy, he convinced his parents to choose a cherry red, black-roofed Mini Cooper. With rally-car handling and an impressive 37 miles per gallon on the highway, the iconic coupe proved the perfect compromise between efficiency and style.

“In the end they decided to buy the Mini because it had personality and spunk,” he told me. “It was fun to drive — and got good gas mileage.”

Fighting the bulge at the pump

In this instance, Zack’s sense of style prevailed. But his parents weren’t totally wrong to insist on something fuel efficient. Gas prices currently average $3.59 per gallon nationally, with analysts at Kelley Blue Book saying they will surpass $4.00 per gallon sometime this year.

Alec Gutierrez, the senior market analyst of automotive insights at KBB, said the change won’t cost consumers that much. Assuming 12,000 annual miles driven on a 20-mpg car, even a $1 raise in prices from $3.60 to $4.60 per gallon would result in paying $11.50 more per week. In short, he says, don’t assume high gas prices mean you’ll get a special discount on a high-efficiency car this year.

But wanting to save money on gas doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be stuck with a Toyota Prius. Consider the 2012 Subaru Impreza. The $20,295 2.0i Sport Premium edition gets 36 miles per gallon on the highway and is renowned for its dexterity in the snow. It also has 17-inch gunmetal alloy wheels, roof rails and fog lights; standard, too, is an all-weather package that will do wonders on weekend trips up to the mountain.

Or try a more luxurious hatchback, the Audi A3. This $30,250 diesel gets 30 miles per gallon and 40 on the highway — and has fantastic electronics like speed-sensitive steering, quattro all-wheel drive, ambient interior lighting and electronic brake stabilization. Plus a leather-clad interior and halogen headlights.

For a more urban environment, consider the Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTEC. Mercedes is known for its progressive technology and posh interiors. The E Class doesn’t disappoint: It has advanced sound and comfort technology in the cabin paired with burnished trim and wooden veneers. It also has LED daytime lights and enough stability programs to ensure a smooth ride in even the most pockmarked of Manhattan streets. The $51,690 BlueTEC diesel edition gets 32 miles per gallon on the highway.

And for likely the best overall value on this list, consider something from Hyundai.

“Veloster is one of my favorites,” says Jake Fisher, the head automotive tester for Consumer Reports.

He’s right: The $17,300 hatchback is distinctive because it has three passenger doors rather than two or four — one side of the car has a second side door while the other has only a driver-side door. Veloster combines an aggressively styled front grill with a 1.6-liter engine that sips fuel with the best of them (40 mpg on the highway). But it drives with spunk, thanks in part to the fact that it weighs about as much as a Mazda Miata.

Electric Avenue

The ultimate high-mpg status symbol, though, requires nothing less than electricity. Fisker’s plug-in Karma sedan, with a buttery smooth ride and exotic good looks — plus 300-mile driving range — has received rave reviews.

And the Tesla Model S, due out in July, combines progressive technology inside with a 0-60mph time on par with the Porsche Panamera.

A 40 kWh version of the seven-passenger sedan will cost just under $50,000 with federal rebates; the higher performing will cost more: $59,900 for a 60 kWh (230-mile-range) model and $69,900 for an 85 kWh (300-mile-range) model. The 85 kWh performance Model S, which comes with additional equipment like Nappa leather interior and performance wheels, will cost $79,900 after federal tax rebates.

The dashing good looks and cool personality of both these sedans are nearly as electric as their motors. Of course, if you drive a green car like one of these, you may miss the sound of a rumbling engine and the challenge of changing gears.

It’s no small thing. Just ask Zack.

“I’m really thrilled because with the Mini because I get to drive a car that actively excites me,” he says. “But I still wish they had gotten a stick shift!”

© 2012 Forbes.com

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