This is an email conversation between Kurt (my boyfriend) and two of his friends.
From Kurt:
There is a commercial on the radio for Harley. They say, “Getting 50 mpg, the gas money you’ll save riding to work will darn near pay for the monthly payment.”
Let’s examine this fictitious person. He of course drives a Hummer H2 that gets an average of 8 mpg. He buys a Heritage Softtail Classic (MSRP $16900). Going price for one of those in July is $19000 plus $500 shipping and prep plus 8.9% tax makes the total price $21235.50. That’s assuming he doesn’t spend $5000 extra on chrome and Screaming Eagle pipes like most guys do. At a 72 month loan with $1000 down at 6.9% his monthly payment is $385. With gas at $2.00 per gallon, he would have to commute 77 miles round trip, 5 days a week in order to break even.
The Normal Friend:
Only an engineer would go through all the trouble to figure that out…Most people wouldn’t even be listening to the commercial, they would be talking on their cell phone and/or putting on make up and trying to change lanes and pick their nose all at the same time!
Engineer Number 2:
Christ, I feel like I’m taking the SATs again. =(
If a train leaves Boston at 5:30pm going 87 mph with 234 women and 126 men and 35 of the men are New Yorkers, how many Red Sox fans will be assaulted on their way to Los Angeles?
Engineer Number 2 sends a second email:
I get $344/month, rather than $385, (Bank loan calculator, $21,235.5 / 72 mo / 6.9% / $1000 down) for a payment which works out to 68.8 miles per day. (What does that make me, that I’m checking his math?)
However, you can’t ride/drive any vehicle for free, so on top of the monthly payment, we have to add gas for the HOG as the total monthly cost of ownership (I’ll generously neglect maintenance and repairs, since Kurt generously neglected chrome and Genuine Harley-Davidson accessories which always accompany a Harley purchase) and then compare that to the price of driving the H2 for a month in order form him to break even. So really, it comes down to the difference between how much it cost to drive the H2 vs. how much it costs to ride the Harley being equal to the monthly payment. At 50 mpg and against a monthly payment of $344 (since I couldn’t duplicate the $385), that works out to…carry the one, 81.9 miles per day round trip. Worse (91.7 mi a day round trip) if you use Kurt’s $385 a month payment. Of course, this assumes that the H2 is paid for and that he doesn’t trade it in for the Harley.
Or have I just wrapped myself around the axle? Shit. Aaaaand, I’ve gone cross-eyed. Yes, I’m fully wrapped.
Your turn to check my math, Kurt. =D
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