Has the cost of gasoline changed your driving habits?

[project15]

I've started biking to work. Saves me about $4 every day I bike. 30 mile round trip isn't so bad, some of you should try it!

[Fern]

Confession time: You know the woman you end up behind at the stop light that's at the bottom of a hill who forgot to shift her car back from Neutral to Drive, so you have to sit there while she shifts her car and gets moving? Well, that's me!

Yes, I'll admit that I have turned in to a "coast downhill in Neutral" driver due to the higher gas prices. I promise, I am trying REALLY hard to remember to shift back in to drive before I hit the bottom of the hill.....

I'm not sure that putting the car in neutral is saving you much money, and i think it's somewhat dangerous as that means you have temporarily lost complete control of your car and could not as quickly move if you need to, such as another car careening toward you.

[project15]

I'm not sure that putting the car in neutral is saving you much money, and i think it's somewhat dangerous as that means you have temporarily lost complete control of your car and could not as quickly move if you need to, such as another car careening toward you.

I agree with this. You shouldn't be shifting into neutral in an automatic, it's not saving you any gas the way modern automatic transmissions work.

[Ima saver]

I agree also. I do turn off my car when I stop at the drive in at the bank.

[janeysaurus]

No, my lifestyle (as in work, school, and where I'm living, not general errand-running) tends to dictate my driving habits rather than the price of gasoline. But I've always considered cars to be a necessary evil, so I've always tried to minimize car costs in general.
I did get worried when the media stirred up a frenzy when gas first went up in price and people with SUVs/sports cars/low-mileage cars started feeling the pinch, but when I looked up various gas-saving tips, I realized I was doing most of them anyway.
All in all, I think the car is one of the least expensive items in our budget. It's low enough that I don't track it that carefully.

Oh, I just realised something I did change when gas prices first started going up. I switched to a lower grade gasoline. Initially we switched back and forth, with me getting a higher grade and my partner getting the lower grade, but now we stick with the lower grade. This was something I was moving towards anyway as the car was getting older, but the rise in prices sort of kick-started that habit.

[disneysteve]

I switched to a lower grade gasoline.

You should only use a higher octane fuel if the manufacturer specifically recommends it. Very few cars require anything above Regular 87 octane.