Here's to mild weather

Unusually mild weather has allowed me to keep the ol’ stang on the road well into the month of December. I usually use the first snow event and its associated sand and salt as a sign that its time for the winter nap. In fact, I had the car out last weekend. Although, now that I can’t drive with the top down, I have been driving it less than once weekly and have been keeping the battery on the maintainer regularly. Since it finally feels like this is it for the “season” I thought it was a good time to sum it up.

In 2006, I drove the car a reasonable amount. It was all pleasure driving. I don’t even like to run errands in it. I like to say that I don’t take it “anywhere”. My annual mileage is still down from the years before we had the little guy even though he is a little older now and enjoys a cruise in it. He still does not like to drive with the top down. That time will come.

The total mileage driven for the last 12 months was 995. This is good since it keeps me well under the mileage limit imposed by my insurance policy. Since this was a year of high gas prices I paid more attention to gas mileage. I averaged 18.5 mpg. I even had two tanks where my gas mileage was just over 20. That’s not bad for the type of driving I do. I almost never take the car on the highway. I mostly drive two lane roads in relatively rural areas so there are not many stops but I probably don’t go much over 50/55 mph. I like the V8 rumble so I don’t hesitate to get into a little from a stop. A side note: I have a coworker who drives a Corolla and likes to brag about how his foot is like a feather on the gas pedal and that he is barely touching it. Let me just say that my gas pedal definitely knows that I am there.

For now I hope that the snow stays away. But, it is only a matter of time before the “typical” weather pattern takes hold and I have to take the cover out.