Meanwhile back at the Ranch

Greetings from Northern New England, the part of the country that is supposedly in the 'deep freeze'. I just can't understand the hype surrounding the weather these days. What were you expecting in the middle of Winter at 45 degrees north latitude? Beach weather? Its like Winter is back to the old days of walking to school ten miles up hill both ways. Put on a scarf and quit yer whining!


But seriously, the sensationalism of weather reporting reflects two facets of modern life: everything has to be extreme to attract advertisers AND everyone cares about the weather so much because hardly anyone spends any significant amount of time outside. That said, I was outside yesterday at the Land of Goshen (also know as the Wagner Estate)

We've had a bit of new snow recently, about a foot over the weekend. Its time to get out the snowshoes, because without them you're up past your knees in snow.

Looking northwest along Ben Brook

Now looking south along Ben Brook.

Southeast into the woods.


Wags, the younger.

Back north towards the Egypt Road.

As promised, here is a quick numerical run down of all things vehicular:

2004 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT (weighing in around 6800lbs with me an my tools)
Since June 2009 acquisition:

9703 miles driven

$8319.33 All in cost of operation (I know! a $3500 down payment really adds to upfront cost)

$0.60/mile of payments + down payment

$0.86/mile All-in cost (Fuel, Ins, payments, maintenance)
or
$40.58 per day of ownership whether I drive it or not.

12.34 mpg overall ( about 8mpg when plowing )

$786.51 total fuel cost
or
$0.215 per mile

Service performed: 1 oil change in the driveway in six months and its due for one now.

Conclusions: a 3/4 ton truck gets terrible fuel economy no matter how you slice it. I knew that going into it. The overall cost of operation will decrease as the miles driven increases versus the payments + downpayment, but maintenance will likely increase as the truck takes on more miles (its in the shop right now....). Looking back, maybe I should have bought a $5000 used truck and had no payments, but maybe would have had more maintenance issues, like getting stranded. Its all about trade-offs with vehicles, there really is no-winning, just throwing more money into an ever widening, never-satiated black hole......I digress.

Better news ahead:

2001 Mercedes-Benz E-320 4matic wagon:
Since June 2008 acquisition:

36,645 total miles

$14,574.29 All-in cost of operation

$0.40/mile all in cost
or
$25.22 per day of ownership

$0.12/mile fuel
$0.28/mile other costs (payments, maint, insurance)

$4721.60 total fuel cost

at

24.66 mpg overall (not bad for a 4000lb vehicle with 123000 miles on it)

Service Performed since acquisition: left tie rod replaced, front ball joints replaced, alignment performed, front and rear brakes (pads and rotors) replaced, spark plugs replaced, tires replaced (new tires constantly leak due to corrosion from road salt/calcium chloride), several marker and headlight bulbs replaced, wiper blades replaced (front still doesn't work very well), exterior temp sensor non-functional and non-essential, four full-synthetic oil changes, and it needs the electronic throttle looked at soon.

Conclusions: the car gets expected fuel economy, rides pretty much like a luxury car should (like a tank!). Parts and repairs are relatively expensive, but compared to the miles we put on are pretty reasonable. Overall cost of operation is less than the federal mileage rate ($0.55/mile) and less than half of the Dodge. Payments are low ($221/month compared with Dodge @ $350/month). BUT, the rugged driving conditions are starting to take their toll. In Maine, its always a race against the rust.

I got a little spooked by the rust and leaky tires just after Christmas and went to a couple car dealerships to see what I could get into for a similar payment. The answer is: not much. The only thing we really liked was the 2009 Dodge Nitro and its payments would have been $430 month! Other vehicles we test drove:

2008 Ford Escape: plasticky garbage
2008 Chrysler Pacifica: rides like minivan, drives like a minivan, why not get a minivan for $5000 less? Also I expected more out of a 4.0liter engine. Lame.
2007 Subaru Legacy sedan: ok, but too small and plasticky

And I've got a 2005 Dodge Intrepid loaner vehicle from the dealership and it is a piece of junk, but its a loaner......

After all that, we really decided that the Benz 'is what it is' and that is better than 90% of the other cars out there.

In other news, my work schedule has slowed considerably. A regular mid-winter slump. A run down to work on Cape Cod is not out of the question as early as next week....

Planting

Greetings,

Since the yard is a big mud pit and the tractor won't start (without a jump) and I was gettin' antsy about gardening, I went out and bought a bunch of seeds to start (and some more to plant when the ground dries out). So here is how much gardening adventure begins with a bunch of seeds, eight-packs and some potting soil. So far I've got lettuce, onions, kohlrabi, turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and chives/garlic started. By the time they need to be transplanted, the ground should be a little closer for cultivation. I've got big plans!

(Help! my hand is caught in the jaws of a potting soil monster!)

Some of the veggies I plan to grow.

A little update on vehicle performance to please the numerically and automotively inclined. After 10 months of ownership and 21500 miles (its at 107500 now), the Benz continues to carry us wherever we wish to go with little complaint. Winter took its toll on the fuel economy and body with the car now averaging 23.35 mpg and having developed some small rust spots around the wheel wells and the drivers side door threshold. At that mileage rate (with fuel costs averaging 2.929 from 91/93) the car costs about $.125 per mile for fuel, $.113 per mile for repairs etc, and $.152 per mile for payments on the loan. All of that adds up to exactly $.39 per mile for the all in cost of running the vehicle, which seems low but its due for a tuneup (Benz's need periodic infusions of cash to keep them happy, so ~$500-1000) and for insurance at the end of this month. Those will certainly bring the cost per mile closer to the IRS deduction rate of 55 cents per mile. But the numbers don't lie, a working-class couple with no children can afford a newish Mercedes if its bought used/pre-broken-in.

The truck, oh the truck, how I wish I would have bought a bigger one! After 6 months and 6274 miles of driving, the truck has averaged 14.47 mpg and (at an average fuel cost of $1.968 for 87) $.131 per mile for fuel. Repairs and maintenance have been minimal at $.06 per mile, while loan payments come to $.39 per mile! which brings the truck's all in cost to about $.59 per mile which will be even higher soon as I plan to put a lift kit on it, new tires, and a plow (and pay new insurance...). In the final analysis, the truck is (per mile) way more expensive than the Mercedes, but it is a necessary tool for my carpentry business, otherwise I'd probably drive a little honda or something (I ran the numbers on adding a 35 mpg or so honda civic to the fleet and even saving $4/day on fuel it doesn't even come close to making financial sense).

Anyway, I find it incredibly interesting to see where all the money goes.

----W----