Liniment Formulae

The 2012 mileage report

The arrival of a new year here at Hartnett headquarters can mean only one thing: Obsessive detailing of my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta’s mileage performance.

This is a very important event for the world and its people and fish. Indeed, many have said, and untold millions silently agree, that the new year has not truly begun until the publication of this very report.

Imagine, then, the look on my face as I imagine the look on your face immediately after you have read the following, most startling development in the history of annual mileage reporting here at Poor Hartnett’s Almanack of Annual Mileage Reporting, Bird Migration Forecasts, Liniment Formulae & Homeric Fan Fiction: I sold my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta in September. (more…)

The 2011 mileage report

The arrival of a new year here at Hartnett headquarters can mean only one thing: Obsessive detailing of my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta’s mileage performance. Previous editions: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.

It’s important. For example, were you aware that two years ago human Ryan Sholin confessed this annual post is the only reason he still does Internet? It is a fact.

Now here is a driving story from 2011. As you are no doubt aware, I worked at a newspaper in Florida for more than a decade. (Newspapers used to be a thing. In 2012 they do not exist. Wikipedia it.) As of the evening of April 8, 2011, the facts were thus: My wife was enrolled in grad school in Atlanta, my wife was the temporary residence of a small human woman, the small human woman was expected to move out in two weeks, I had just completed my last day of work at the newspaper in Florida and planned to finish my many-phase move to Atlanta in two days. (more…)

The 2010 mileage report

The arrival of a new year here at Hartnett headquarters can mean only one thing: Obsessive detailing of my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta’s mileage performance. Previous editions: 2007, 2008, 2009.

Here’s a graph of my daily miles per gallon from mid-2001 to the end of 2010. Click the image for the full-size version:

Meet me after the jump for an irresponsible amount of hot, sweaty chart action. (more…)

The 2009 mileage report

The arrival of a new year here at Hartnett headquarters can mean only one thing: Obsessive detailing of my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta’s mileage performance. Check out the 2007 edition here and the 2008 installment here. Here’s a graph of my daily miles per gallon from mid-2001 to the end of 2009. Click the image for a bigger version:

Meet me after the jump for an insane amount of hot, sweaty chart action. (more…)

The 2008 mileage report

The arrival of a new year here at Hartnett headquarters can mean only one thing: Obsessive detailing of my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta’s mileage performance. Check out the 2007 edition here, and get a feel for the extent of my mileage-tracking obsession over here. Here’s a graph of my daily miles per gallon from mid-2001 to the end of 2008. Click the image for a bigger version:

Well, I say daily, but I’ve actually applied each tank’s overall MPG to each day between refuelings. So two obvious trends are that I buy gas much less often these days and get significantly better mileage. Meet me after the jump for more chart fun. (more…)

The 2007 mileage report

I’m obsessed with tracking my mileage. I’ve even been known to record my mileage in rental cars. Here then, for no very good reason, is the year-end mileage report for my 2001 1.8T manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta, with comparisons over 2006:

Miles driven: 7,263.1 (+15.5 percent)
Gallons burned: 248.424 (+4.1 percent)
Miles per gallon: 29.237 (+11.0 percent)
Average price per gallon: $3.123 (+19.3 percent)