NightMares
Senior Member
Could we have a round of applause for all the math Nightmares did on this? Here, here!
This is a good forum and the Second Gen guys know their **** in here.
Check all around that throttle body, make sure everything is connected and no ports are open or hoses cracked. The IAC motor will get gummed up and go to hissing sometimes too. To check the plenum - open the TB butterfly's and look down into the intake - if there is oil in the bottom - then it's a bad gasket.
I'm a big fan too of servicing the transmissions to include front and rear band adjustments. It will literally make the truck drive and shift crisper in the event the bands are out of adjustment.
Dump the truck and buy a Civic.
Or dump the truck and buy a.....*shudders* 2WD diesel........
I get 13 on a good day with my tires and mods.
Speaking of these two quotes, I've been trying to find a write up I saw like 8 years ago regarding the selling of a 2nd gen 5.9 Magnum truck for the purchase of a brand new prius to save gas money, but have been unsuccessful.
So, again, what the hell. I'll do the math.
To start with, this will be based on owning a ram outright, and selling it to purchase a brand new Prius. This will be minus insurance and whatever maintenance crap, just utilizing price of gas vs purchase price of new vehicle.
You average 15000 a year.
To start, again, say your ram averages 13 miles to the gallon, that's an average of 325 miles to a tank on a 26 gallon tank, because, once again no body runs their trucks to empty. That's about 46 tanks per year, $68 per fill up. That makes it $3128 per year in gas for the Ram.
Now, you purchase a Prius. This Prius, for example. $30,805.00 for the car. It has about a 12 gallon tank, and gets average of 50 miles to the gallon according to their tech specs. So you drive 15000 a year. You get 550 miles to a tank. $30 to fill her up. You fill up about 27 times a year, at $30 per tank, so $810 in gas per year for the Prius.
But now, calculate in the cost of the car and gas per year, then compare it to the Ram. You pay $487 a month for that car, or $5844 per year. Plus the $810.
Now you're at $6654 per year to own that Prius, or $3128 per year for the ram. You pay for the car for about 5 years before it's paid off, then you're at $810 per year for the gas. In the 5 years you own the car, you pay $33,270, or you could have paid $15640 for the truck. At the rate of $810 per year for fuel vs the $3128, it'll take another 8 years before the truck breaks ahead of cost for the Prius.
8 years at $810 per year is $6480, plus the $33,270 for the previous 5 years, makes it $39,750.
8 years at $3128 per year is $25,024, plus the $15640 for the previous 5 years, makes it $40,664.
8+5 makes it 13 years.
13 years before you'll benefit owning the Prius over our series of Rams.
That's if you go new. Want good gas mileage? Sell the Ram and buy a Civic outright. Immediate benefit. Done.
Orrrrrrr buy a Civic and keep the ram. Buy the car for 2k, takes you less than a year to break even.

