RetireJapan

I like that link, thanks. I wish our local Costco had gas.

Expressway SA are a ripoff. I only get gas there if I am desperate, and even then just 10-20L. New Year's day I couldn't find an open place between our hotel and the the expressway. Once driving I noticed we were down to a range of 35km and the next SA was 50km. Agghh. We had to get off and search in another town. Took 30 minutes to find one that was open.

The non-self service are also pretty steep, adding an extra 10 yen/liter.

I am seriously considering a RAV4 PHEV. They are expensive but have a lot of features that appeal to me. Unfortunately, since they have only been out for 2 years the used car offerings are pretty slim.

My wife's hybrid Aqua gets excellent mileage despite being 9 years old. We would spend about 30,000/yr. total on gas were it not for roadtrips.

An update on my EneKey progresses ... today I eventually got one!

I had to try at a few ENEOS gas stations and today I got lucky... finally I found one whose operator was friendly enough to spend a few minutes explaining that I needed to go to a self-service station ... he even was so kind to point on my phone's google map where I could find the closest one.

At the ENEOS SS station, I found another gem of a human, getting the EneKey was the easiest thing ever, this guys was smiley, over polite and fast.

Well, I am very happy... I was going to get two EneKey (one for the motorbike, one for the car), but unfortunately one of the two credit cards I wanted to use wasn't supported... I'll figure something out later.

TBS wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 3:15 am This website has a map with up to date gas stand prices - https://gogo.gs/map/. Useful for finding the cheapest stands in your area. ...

At the cheap place I usually go, now listed at 162.

mikele3 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 25, 2022 8:31 am An update on my EneKey progresses ... today I eventually got one!

I had to try at a few ENEOS gas stations and today I got lucky... finally I found one whose operator was friendly enough to spend a few minutes explaining that I needed to go to a self-service station ... he even was so kind to point on my phone's google map where I could find the closest one.

At the ENEOS SS station, I found another gem of a human, getting the EneKey was the easiest thing ever, this guys was smiley, over polite and fast.

Well, I am very happy... I was going to get two EneKey (one for the motorbike, one for the car), but unfortunately one of the two credit cards I wanted to use wasn't supported... I'll figure something out later.

If you go back within a month can also use the QR Code discount on the receipt. That's another 1 or 2 yen a litre off.
At least at the self service near us.
We use the car quite a lot and usually fill up at least once a month.

I am going to check the tank leading up to a costco visit as i had no idea it could be that much cheaper.

Moneymatters wrote: ↑Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:23 am If you go back within a month can also use the QR Code discount on the receipt. That's another 1 or 2 yen a litre off.
At least at the self service near us.
We use the car quite a lot and usually fill up at least once a month.

I am going to check the tank leading up to a costco visit as i had no idea it could be that much cheaper.

this is amazing news... I had no idea, I will definitively check that out.
I don't use the car that much, but the motorbike needs refueling quite often.

I have an Idemitsu credit card, and combined with my T-point card, I get 5 yen off all petrol every Friday. Right now, it is 153 yen for a liter where I live. You can apply for the credit card at any Idemitsu petrol station. The T-point card alone is pretty awesome. I can fill up for free once every three months or so. I drive about 2000km per month, on average (kei car).

Roger Van Zant wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 3:06 am I have an Idemitsu credit card, and combined with my T-point card, I get 5 yen off all petrol every Friday. Right now, it is 153 yen for a liter where I live. You can apply for the credit card at any Idemitsu petrol station. The T-point card alone is pretty awesome. I can fill up for free once every three months or so. I drive about 2000km per month, on average (kei car).

Did you mean Eneos?? Or maybe something changed since 2022? Now Idemitsu is not connected with T-points. For Idemitsu, I use my SBMC cc connected with T-point (now called V-points) and then I scan my Rakuten card to get the cheaper gas price deal. So I accumulate point in my "T-card" but I cannot use them at Idemitsu.

EVs are the obvious way to avoid fuel costs, but the starting prices are hard to swallow (though coming down steadily).
The kei hybrids get excellent mileage these days.
Regular hybrids are good, though the mileage is still not that great for larger vehicles.
Nissan's e-power cars also do quite well.
E-bikes are another way to go if the commute isn't too far.

Got curious and found a good site that gives rankings:
https://e-nenpi.com/

TJKansai wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2024 6:37 am EVs are the obvious way to avoid fuel costs, but the starting prices are hard to swallow (though coming down steadily).

I know a couple of people who have bought Teslas recently. Not sure if they will break even on the purchase, but seems to be doing the right thing, so...

I am still concerned about the lithium batteries in EVs. I have seen lots of footage of them catching fire on ships, and a few e-bike batteries caught fire recently in Japan as well.
Is this technology really stable?