I was looking for a car that got better mileage than my old ’93 Volkwagen Golf.   I also wanted  a fuel saving car that wasn’t boring.  Most modern-day eco-friendly vehicles are quite stylish and can be fun to drive. I looked at the Toyota Prius, a gas electric hybrid car, but decided that it was out of my price range.  I thought about the old 3-cylinder Geo Metro’s but they haven’t made them for over 15 years.  I didn’t want to buy a used car.


As I was looking for a suitable car for myself I noticed a few that I liked.  The one that stood out the most was “the smart car.”  It only had 2 seats. Most of the time I was by myself when commuting to work so it made sense that I didn’t have to take a couple of extra seats with me.  The trunk space was amazing.  I watched people in the parking lot at my local Costco store load up their smart cars with a lot of groceries.


So I went to the Smart dealer and took a test-drive.  I chose a red 2006 Smart Fortwo coupe.  Originally in partnership, Swatch and Mercedes-Benz developed "the smart car."   When I bought this car I was  putting in about $17 worth of fuel.  Even now with diesel more expensive than gasoline I’m still filling up for less than $24.


So how much was I really saving by switching to my smart car?  At todays gasoline prices I’d be paying between 60 to 65 dollars a week for my Volkswagen.  So conservatively I would be saving 60 - 25 = 35 dollars a week times 52 weeks =  $1820 a year, which is about what I pay for car insurance.  So that’s break even.  But I was paying about $1300 for car insurance on the VW.  Plus, the VW was starting to break down a lot.  One thing after another needed to be fixed.  So I estimate I am saving over $1500 a year, even after paying for the maintenance on my Smart fortwo.

What’s an ecosnob?


People who want to take steps  to conserve more, consume less without sacrificing their lifestyle.  We take the bus to work.  We ride our bikes to school.  We walk to the store instead of driving two blocks just to pick up a few things.  We drive cars (like the Smart Fortwo and Toyota Prius and others like them) that get better fuel economy than average.  We embrace new products which promise to reduce our dependency on foriegn oil - like the Chevrolet Volt electric concept car.  We challenge our manufacturers to create greater efficiencies from the products we use.  We love products that can do these things and can still be cool and stylish. 


It’s finding ways to save money without really trying. Fixing things instead of throwing them away to our overflowing landfills.  It’s more than just thinking about the environment.  It’s more than just thinking Green.  It’s the way we live. 

Made on a Mac

Links -


  1. •The best jig in the joint

  2. •John Wayne filmography



Green Links -


  1. •Evo’s green online marketplace

  2. •Commute by Bike

  3. •Plug In America



If you’d like to get your website listed here then email me.

Tip of the day - If you want to save a little bit of money for that something special, save your 1 dollar bills. 


Try not to spend them when you get them in your change.  It will add up before you know it!