Lessons Learnt on My First Car Trip from Melbourne to Sydney

LJFurter on 14/01/2018 - 20:18
Last edited 14/01/2018 - 21:41 by 2 other users

Just got back from my first car trip, Melbourne to Sydney and thought I'd share some cost saving lessons.

  1. Pack light. You pay for every extra kilo in the car, and it really does add up over such a huge distance.
  2. Drive slow. 5km less than the posted limit (no less, its illegal). This will reduce your drag - and the side effect is that you'll enjoy the drive more, just remember to stay in the left lane (excepting see 4)
  3. Purchase fuel in town not on the highway. Usually about 4-6c cheaper in towns rather than the freeway. Goulburn was 15c cheaper in town.
  4. Take your corners. Like you are a race car, switch lanes to take the best line through each corner you reasonably can. It might not sound like much, but over such a long distance, it can really add up and shave of the kms
  5. Don't use cruise control. A well trained human will always beat cruise control for fuel efficiency. You can see a hill crest coming and back off ready to coast down etc
  6. Easy on the A/C. I'd say never use it, but sometimes the temperature can get to a snoozy high, the A/C will keep you fresh and alert, just remember to turn it off when you are not at the sleepy temp.

Anyone more experienced know some other good tips for saving on the trip?

Travel

closed Comments

  • SPCTRE on 14/01/2018 - 20:33
    +43
    • Pump up tyres
    • Bring Coles fuel voucher because since there a few Coles servo.
    • JimB on 15/01/2018 - 11:43
      +33

      I think I was in Goulburn.

      Coles servo was 15 cents more than the other servo accross the road 30m away. The Coles servo had a long queue to fill up, the cheaper servo was empty.

      15 cents less 4 cents fuel discount is still 11 cents more. Fools have been brainwashed to assume that the 4 cent discount is the be all and end all of cheap fuel.

      • SPCTRE on 15/01/2018 - 13:40
        +2

        Agree fill up where petrol is cheap. When I went to sdyney there was no price different between servo's.
        I dont ever fill up at Coles because they are always more expensive even with the discount. Independent, BP and united are my choices.
        Never carried the vouchers and didn't do so this time either but still filled up at Coles because of convince.
        Should of rephrase my post to:
        - Fill up at cheap servo but carry Coles voucher just in case price end up cheaper then independent.

      • johnny1983 on 15/01/2018 - 14:03

        Over this weekend, 7/11 in town was 25 cents cheaper!

        • gmail92 on 15/01/2018 - 14:18
          +11

          7-Eleven GPS spoofing for permanently cheapest fuel !

        • ozzpete on 15/01/2018 - 22:30

          @gmail92:
          I thought their app stops you using gps spoofing ?
          How do I spoof GPS without them blocking my app and without them knowing ?
          Also, how do you know which area or which servo to spoof your location as ?
          Cheers

        • gmail92 on 16/01/2018 - 09:35
          +14

          @ozzpete:

          Script written by another ozbargainer to scrape the cheapest 7/11 prices.

          https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSbNtm1HmTFG…

          https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.incorporat…

          Make sure 7-eleven is set as your spoofing app.

          You need to enable the location spoof, then disable the spoof, and then close the spoofing app.
          Open the 7-eleven app, wait 5-10 seconds, and then click find the fuel.

          Works most of the time for me (S7). If it doesn't, try again.

        • elgrande on 16/01/2018 - 11:56

          The market was cycling ..

        • borgsta on 16/01/2018 - 17:23

          @gmail92:
          That worked well, cheers

        • Drifta on 16/01/2018 - 22:01

          @gmail92: Anyway to get the details of the ozbargainer who wrote this? I am looking to access the raw file to edit it to search particular state only to make it less suss

        • plasmapuff on 17/01/2018 - 02:26

          @gmail92:
          Wow nice thanks!
          What happens to the unused money that you allocate for a particular fill up?

          Eg you estimate you need 50L and prepay that amount but only need 45L. Do you get charged for the 50L you prepaid or 45L at the locked in rate with the rest left over in your online balance?

        • gmail92 on 17/01/2018 - 08:36
          +1

          @plasmapuff:

          You only pay for what you use.

        • tik tok on 17/01/2018 - 10:26

          @gmail92: So all of this just to know which 7-11 has the cheapest fuel ? I am just curious.Wouldn't their website (or any other fuel aggregating website) have these details ? We have no 7-11s in Darwin :(

        • ily on 17/01/2018 - 12:39

          @gmail92:

          OMG YES

        • Costco97 on 17/01/2018 - 14:00
          +1

          @AussieB: App from 7-11 lets you lock in those prices. You may have locked up prices of one servo and then go to another 7-11 to fill up and use the barcode from app. I have saved quite a bit in those days when all of sudden fuel prices jump 15 to 20 cents overnight. Locked prices are there for 1 week

        • tik tok on 17/01/2018 - 14:37

          @http404: Ahh. I see now. Cheers mate.

        • decio60 on 17/01/2018 - 17:30

          @gmail92: what version 7eleven app are you using mine keeps saying mock location error (it appears your device has mock locations enabled. please disable mock locations to proceed}

          any help much appreciated mate

        • ATangk on 18/01/2018 - 20:38

          @gmail92:
          Is it worth buying an android phone just for this?

      • mrtin on 27/01/2018 - 07:17

        Noticed Coles is the biggest rip off in country towns. 10s of cents more than others (sometimes next door). Not sure why people still fill up there when there is a cheaper place next door

    • Kangal on 15/01/2018 - 11:49
      +51

      Also bring lots of cheap roadies/snacks, a bottle to pee in, and a funnel for the ladies.
      Can't stop for breaks, as that means having to use brakes and re-accelarate to highway speeds from zero.
      Especially when your pickings of large trucks to hypermile 15 metres behind are slim, lol.

      • Trustee on 15/01/2018 - 14:50
        +3

        Please elaborate on "a funnel for the ladies'. Does this involve drilling a hole through the floor of the vehicle.

        • Oneguyinmelb on 15/01/2018 - 20:01
          +6

          I think he's referring to the 'She-wee'*

          http://shewee.com.au/

          *I am not affiliated with this product.

        • ozzpete on 15/01/2018 - 22:34
          +5

          Definitely need a "funnel for the ladies" plus a lady in my passenger seat to hold my pee bottle so as i can continue driving :) .
          Im hoping its not being suggested that the driver pees in a bottle while continuing to drive, without someone else holding that bottle. Either very talented or very dangerous/stupid driver :/ .
          Certainly for passengers it sounds like a good idea (provided they can aim)

        • hibijibis on 15/01/2018 - 23:58

          @ozzpete: what about number 2's?

        • resisting the urge on 16/01/2018 - 00:42
          +2

          @hibijibis: Indeed! Esp. when winding down the window creates extra drag!

          Stopping uses so much extra fuel, so a quick lift, grab and throw (plus 6 seconds of drag) is still the preferable stategy.

          But nothing beats taking re-sealable containers (Systema can be relied on better than takeaway containers) and using cruise for a while on a straight stretch…

        • ozzpete on 16/01/2018 - 04:44

          @hibijibis:
          idk. Snacks ? Its a shitty feed, but at least its a cost saving

        • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2018 - 17:40
          +1

          @hibijibis:

          Plastic bag from Woolies usually does the job. Sometimes I have to double bag

        • neikel on 18/01/2018 - 09:22

          easy on your jokes there before the PC police opens a new thread for special commenting guidelines to respect vagina owners (females and non-binaries included)

        • buthidae on 28/02/2018 - 22:58

          @Oneguyinmelb: A true OzBargainer would have found a link with a referral code

      • cannedhams on 16/01/2018 - 21:16
        +5

        True hypermilers know how to make a catheter out of an old goon bag and a drinking straw from maccas. Pee bottles are only for normies.

    • andymatter on 15/01/2018 - 22:11
      +19

      Why do dozens of people keep replying to these stupid trolling topics???

      • resisting the urge on 16/01/2018 - 00:48
        +4

        .. or all the thousands of $1.00 deals for useless junk that on limited offer

      • LordSydney on 16/01/2018 - 23:18
        +6

        Because it’s amusing? Here, have yourself a sizeable serving of humour.

    • resisting the urge on 16/01/2018 - 00:55
      +1

      Be sure to reduce oil level in the engine to all that is required, so minimum level (assuming your oil pump is in good shape)

      Reducing splash helps moving parts to work unimpeded, reducing consumption

      • RedHab on 16/01/2018 - 20:37
        +1

        Plus it saves weight!

    • sweetnipples on 16/01/2018 - 08:08

      I pumped my tires up once, chewed the centres out, wasn't really a saving

      • IamEzza on 16/01/2018 - 15:12
        +3

        That is not normal, unless very overinflated.

    • Cyphar on 16/01/2018 - 20:03

      Bring Coles fuel voucher because since there a few Coles servo.

      Wish it was the same with Adelaide. Nothing until Murray Bridge except overpriced BP's

  • djkelly69 on 14/01/2018 - 20:44
    +97

    How many cents do you calculate these tips saved you (ignoring 'buy cheap petrol')?

    • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2018 - 16:45
      +60

      Hallelujah.
      I think OP just was thinking of a few cents on fuel rather than the purpose of the trip and enjoying life!

      Take your corners!

      Imagine cutting off another vehicle and your life for 2 cents there.

      Drive slow

      They lost all of 20 cents they saved by 100 folds here but this was the best point to drive safely.

      Don't use cruise control/AC/Pack light

      Don't know what to say here but definitely wouldn't wanna be in OP's car back to Melbourne.

      Purchase fuel in town.

      Good point, but I'd fill anytime I need, only cause I don't wanna be caught in the middle of nowhere without fuel to save few cents.
      The main lesson here is to catch a train/plane even bus.
      I like your confidence for posting this OP, what is your main account by the way?

  • SnoozeAndLose on 14/01/2018 - 20:49
    +3

    Carry 3 jerry can, fill up in the town and not in region. Or lock in price with fake gps location to get the best price.

    Dont stop for break,stop start consume lots of petorl.

    Just turn on the fans nor A/C.

    • plmko on 14/01/2018 - 21:20
      +3

      What I like to do is make sure the car is next to empty before starting the trip, fill up at 7-11 and then immediately lock in again. Then plan your trip around 7-11 locations and fill up with the lock in.

      The savings made outweigh all driving techniques IMO, plus 7-11 is a great pit-stop because you get free coffee with the app that keeps on regenerating with every fill-up.

    • Presence on 14/01/2018 - 22:02
      +6

      Surely the extra weight of the Jerry cans outweighs any fuel savings? Not to mention most cars only need to fill up once on the way.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 15/01/2018 - 06:15
        +7

        Been to multiple trips
        Carins to Sydney
        Sydney -> SA -> MEL -> Syd
        Syd -> Bne -> Syd

        Jerry Can Saving is out weighted the weight of the cans.

        Example 125 cents in the Gold Coast CBD , by reaching outskirt Port Macquarie it is 145 and the camper van is out of fuel, 60 liters of fuel saved $12, which able to drive back to Sydney and I keep the fill can when I reach home.

        It only work if your destination is your home and you are keeping the can.

        • desmondnnk on 15/01/2018 - 15:18
          +3

          this guy got experience…

        • wordplay on 16/01/2018 - 20:29

          yeah, but plastic 25L jerry around $20 and metal ones more like $50, and gonna need 3 to get a full tank. will need a few trips to pay off the cans.

        • SnoozeAndLose on 16/01/2018 - 20:56

          @wordplay:

          I keep using the fuel tanks for every petrol cycle for few years.

          It earn more then the cost of it for long time and keep saving

      • R4 on 15/01/2018 - 15:51
        +2

        Good point - burning fuel to carry fuel

        This is what makes a lot of ultra-long range air routes uneconomical

    • manager of democracy on 14/01/2018 - 23:51
      +8

      The best part is 'don't stop for break'

    • MathNerd on 15/01/2018 - 14:14

      petorl petrol.

    • jason andrade on 15/01/2018 - 16:04
      +5

      This is a very popular myth that may only be true for really old vehicles.

      With any car <15 years old it's likely to have fuel injection and turning your car on and off uses less petrol than idling it for 10 seconds.

      You'll waste more petrol by not maintaining your car (e.g. oil changes) than you would turning the engine off and on. And much more if you were speeding..

      • inherentchoice on 15/01/2018 - 17:52
        +2

        turning your car on and off uses less petrol than idling it for 10 seconds.

        Yes but it reduces the life of the starter motor and battery.

        • cameldownunder on 15/01/2018 - 18:33
          +8

          Not this discussion again !!

    • virhlpool on 16/01/2018 - 00:31
      +2

      GPS spoofing doesn't work these days, so I have read at many places.

      • lgacb08 on 16/01/2018 - 08:43

        Yes, go see the 7-Eleven fuel topic for more info

    • sweetnipples on 16/01/2018 - 08:14
      +1

      Everyone knows that carrying bulk fuel doesn't work
      Just ask any 4WD with long range tanks (160L - 300L), then carrying 2 Jerrys
      It is a false economy to carry cheap fuel over long distance

    • georgev on 17/01/2018 - 17:27

      Can you share the link how to use fake gps in iphone please?

    • horsome on 18/01/2018 - 08:02

      Is there a safety issue in carrying full jerry cans in your car? Like driving around in a Molotov cocktail.

  • Donaldhump on 14/01/2018 - 20:56
    +155

    All that effort of not using cruise control and discomfort of not using air con, to save what 50 bucks at most, if that.

    Must have been a fun trip

    I’m a tight ass but your level is over the top

    • FutureTech on 14/01/2018 - 21:21
      +63

      Yeah cruise control is definitely worth more than the savings

      • Donaldhump on 14/01/2018 - 21:52
        +11

        I can’t live without it. I fractured my right ankle three times, and it’s pure bliss have cc now.

      • airzone on 15/01/2018 - 11:53
        +16

        Especially in speeding tickets…

        • Shwayne on 16/01/2018 - 15:45
          -5

          If you're getting speeding tickets on long trips you're doing something incredibly wrong.

        • Cyphar on 16/01/2018 - 20:05
          +16

          @Shwayne:

          If you're getting speeding tickets on long trips you're doing something incredibly wrong.

          Yeah. Speeding

      • Windows98 on 16/01/2018 - 18:10
        +4

        He's either got his eyes on the Speedo constantly, increasing the risk of an accident. Or going over every now and then, inxradign the chance of a ticket.

        Not a frugal choice imo

        • wordplay on 16/01/2018 - 20:31
          -4

          Nah, have the speed alert set to 4km below the speed limit, so i will know if i am getting near the fuel wasting speeds. if i speed I lose all potential fuel economy savings and risk a fine (hardly a frugal way to travel)

    • [Deactivated] on 14/01/2018 - 21:22
      +14

      Second this ;) Just completed a Christmas holiday trip crossing the Nullarbor twice as the only driver.. if I didn't use cruise-control (& air-con) the entire trip the extra driving load would have driven me insane - and off the Bight ;)

      Kept locked at 110kph, making only one fuel stop in the desert (Perth>Coolgardie>Roadhouse>Ceduna) will get you across in any fuel efficient car… diesel Mondeo averaged 5.8L per 100km's. Was much cheaper than flying for a family of 4 paying Christmas airfares (& then renting a car at destination) and plenty of sightseeing to do too.

      • cameldownunder on 15/01/2018 - 18:35
        +2

        Was much cheaper than flying for a family of 4 paying Christmas airfares
        And the car was amortized, and the tires and service are for free.

        • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2018 - 19:11
          +17

          Adding 10,000kms to a car with 120,000km on the clock that we will keep as a secondary car until it is over 200,000 has negligible effect on depreciation. Saving calc shown below:

          Cost Perth>Melb return via car (8,000kms)

          Servicing (8000/15000x$500) = $267
          Tyres (150x4x8000/60000) = $80
          Fuel (8000/100x5.8x$1.4) = $650
          Depreciation (selling price on 200,000 vs 210,000km vehicle) = $100

          Total cost: $1097

          Cost Perth>Melb return via Air

          Tickets (4x650) = $2600
          Car rental 3 weeks = $1050
          Fuel = (1000/100x7x1.3) = $91

          Total Cost: $3741

          Total saving: $2644

          Airfares were best available when I checked, admit you could go for half-price with more opportune booking window/different time of year. Driving added a week to the holiday but since it provided its own entertainment and site-seeing accommodation/food expenses not added (since we camped most days these extra costs add less than $500 anyway).

          My rule of thumb… public transport options usually offer a saving when comparing single traveller costs, parity is achieved with 2~3 travellers but with 4 travellers going private will usually win (e.g. drive and park in the city usually cheaper for a family than 4x public transport fares excluding those who drive exalted brands where the extra kms will seriously alter depreciation).

          Added bonus not having to deal with airline staff, visiting friends en-route that would have involved a second airfare, not having to transport & re-install car seats in a rental ;).

        • cameldownunder on 16/01/2018 - 10:07
          +2

          @lghulm: That is a very detailed an honest calculation. Yes, it is cheaper to drive. Cudos.

        • Donaldhump on 16/01/2018 - 13:01
          +2

          @lghulm: take me next time, I want to do the nullabour

        • DeadlySaber on 17/01/2018 - 10:10

          @lghulm: How did you cope with setting up tent and packing it up everyday? Did you have to book campsites in advance?

          I've just done a 12 days road trip from Sydney to Adelaide along Great Ocean Road route but I booked Airbnb/Hotels all the way. I find that it saves me a lot of time and hassle of setting up and packing away everyday even it's more expensive.

        • [Deactivated] on 17/01/2018 - 14:34
          +1

          @lang_tu_syd: For our campsites we used a mix of Caravan Parks $25~$35 per night, Roadside rest areas $Free, & Roadhouse Camp spot $10~$20. Didn't book for any of them as we didn't have a set plan of where we would be each day ~ didn't have any problems with availability. When I was younger we would just pitch at the roadhouses for free.

          For camping we have a Heimplanet Inflatable Cave tent: https://www.heimplanet.com/us-shop/The-Cave_1 …set up and take down in less than 2 minutes without any hassle as no poles to assemble.. just lay it on the ground, attach pump to the tent's ports and inflate with air. To be honest I wouldn't camp without it, cost ~$800 but since we now camp 50~75% of the time when we would have booked hotels in the past we save overall ;)

        • megadeth on 18/01/2018 - 22:06

          @lghulm:
          If only my wife could learn to enjoy non aircon outback… On our Darwin to Brisbane trip a couple of weeks ago had to pay a fortune for accommodation on the way… Stupid question but are there any air conditioned camps/tents available?

        • [Deactivated] on 21/01/2018 - 01:21
          +1

          @quasims: Reckon you are looking at a caravan ;)

    • aoeueoa on 14/01/2018 - 23:36
      +25

      Cruise control, especially distance-keeping cruise control, reduces fatigue significantly and I really doubt a human can beat it for efficiency. I don't see how backing off over a hill is better than cruise control braking the car.

      As for packing light - I can't see what an extra 10kg is going to do when the car is already 1500kg.

      • ATangk on 15/01/2018 - 18:24
        +12

        Or. You can just disable cruise control during downhill bit for coasting, and reactivate it later. I Am fairly confident that cruise control would win against a human for efficiency.

      • Lukeae93 on 16/01/2018 - 11:05
        +5

        I think where cruise control would reduce economy is when going up hill it will accelerate hard to maintain the desired speed up hill. If you were driving yourself, you probably wouldn’t press the pedal as hard going up a hill, but would lose some speed too.

        • Jackson on 17/01/2018 - 17:03

          This times 10. Some cruise controls suck, in that they are so hell bent on keeping the speed that they are always over accelerating up hill and then causing you to brake down the other side if the hill, but it depends on the car. My commo was awful at this but the similar vintage Camry was a lot better, it wouldn't thrash the car or change down unless you had lost a significant amount of speed

    • chrisoz on 15/01/2018 - 16:51
      +11

      $50? That's being fairly generous for savings…

      • outlander on 15/01/2018 - 17:33
        +10

        Yeah. For most people its more like $10 I would imagine

        • djkelly69 on 15/01/2018 - 18:46
          +10

          I was thinking $5 at best

    • soyea on 15/01/2018 - 23:51
      +1

      Ha Ha!

    • Viper8 on 16/01/2018 - 12:35
      +2

      More like $5.

  • teacherer on 14/01/2018 - 21:02
    +39

    Take your corners. Like you are a race car, switch lanes to take the best line through each corner you reasonably can.

    Well that seems unsafe

      • Donaldhump on 14/01/2018 - 21:53
        +8

        It’s the Australian way

      • djkelly69 on 14/01/2018 - 23:17
        +8

        The failing to keep left/failure to indicate/driving on wrong side of road/etc fines are going to outweigh your fuel savings real quick.

        • Donaldhump on 14/01/2018 - 23:41
          +1

          Don’t do it to save fuel, do it cause I’m lazy

      • martin_henry on 16/01/2018 - 09:50
        +8

        I occasionally drive into the opposite lane at corners
        - Mao Lin

        Username checks out…

      • ThadtheChad on 16/01/2018 - 14:01
        +4

        That is a truly appalling thing to do. Stop being lazy while driving or take the damn train or bus.

      • bobbified on 17/01/2018 - 23:45
        +1

        that's how motorcyclists get killed!

      • jacross on 18/01/2018 - 10:50

        You underestimate your own ability to see hazards.

      • Levathian on 18/01/2018 - 15:30

        That sounds safe.

    • megadeth on 18/01/2018 - 22:08

      And you pay for new tyres sooner

  • Yttrium on 14/01/2018 - 21:19
    +4

    Look up "hypermiling".

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