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["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On Sat, May 31, 2008 at 9:15 AM, Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com> wrote:

>
> My morning muse is of a new homestead business: using a van to take
> rural people shopping for a fee smaller than the gas dollars they
> would pay to drive their own vehicle.


We recently checked the gas mileage on our 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan, we let
the gas go low enough that we were driving on fumes. Filled it up spending
$65+ for the first time. We did this experiment twice and learned we're
averaging 26 mpg. My best guess is that the mileage was better than we
thought it would be because it's 13 mi. to town with no stoplights (there is
only one stoplight in all of Floyd), other than to make a quick stop to turn
from one road to the other. If we drive to the nearest city, the trip is 30
mi. one way, again with few stops.

We've thought of replacing my husband's 1996 Jeep with a used Subaru so that
we can still have traction on snow and ice in winter, but a vehicle that
gets better gas mileage. He quit driving the Jeep when gas hit $3/g. and has
learned to like the van.
.

> When I go shopping I call my
> neighbor friends to see if I can pick up anything for them.


We do that here in Floyd, but usually w/ the same result as you've had.
Things will change as this gets worse, we'll be forced to pool together and
shop one day every couple weeks or similar arrangement.

Lisa