Why do people lie about mpgs?

[jediknight36]

Originally Posted by wahi

jedi, she'd probably meant 35 MONTHS per gallon..

Yea, maybe!

[blackbeagle]

Everyone has to justify their purchase. So if you buy a small car like a Civic, Tercell, Yaris, Fit, you are doing it primarily to get good gas mileage.

Now that gas prices are high, you have to justify it somehow to others that you got it because it gets "45mpg" even if it doesn't.

Just like the SUV owners want to justifty their purchase by glorifying their weekend adventures, even though they never left the pavement.

No matter what is said at the end of the day, the Smart is a funner car to drive, it's a head-turner, and it's the highest MPG rated non-hybrid sold in America.

[Dave Van]

the Smart is the highest MPG rated non-hybrid sold in America.

It also beats some of the Hybrids too!!! Hybrids on the interstate at 70+mph are not that great in the mpg dept!

[Kermit]

When someone mentions how great their mileage is I mention, "I figured you for the type to carry a calculator, you calculate your mile right at the pump, right? Not at home later on." About that time they normally are stumbling over their words and I find out they never even have calculated their mileage and it is what they "think" they are getting.

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by whalepirot

Why do people lie about mpgs?

Why do people talk about the huge sums they win from gambling?

I will be happy to break 30 mpg on ANY tank in the city Smart driving. My buddy said he never broke 30 in his turbo-Mini.

I managed it only once: from Memphis to Louisville, light traffic and probably only because I did it non-stop!

[Cliff@YourLEDShop]

theyre prob trying to lie to themselves wishing they bought a smart!

[texaspierz]

We are currently getting 31 mpg here in Plano, Texas, just running errands around town. It is also 107 degrees in the shade, and my husband likes the interior of the car COLD! I know that is the reason our mileage is lower. My neighbor drives a Lincoln Continental that he swears gives him 29 mpg on highway driving! So, many times, I've been tempted to tell him to let Ford know because he has a miracle car. He would never give up his comfort for good mileage. Of course, he would have a tight squeeze getting into the smart! Sometimes being a good neighbor means just smiling back!

[KittyCanuck]

Originally Posted by Bum-bling-B

I find out they never even have calculated their mileage and it is what they "think" they are getting.

I think this is it, right here.
Most people aren't lying on purpose (though some are, I'm sure, once you tell them your Smart mileage, they have to feel "better" than you so they exaggerate their mpg); I'm sure they're just reporting what they "think" they are getting, even if they've never done the calculation once in their life! Average Joe SixPack doesn't tend to know his mpg, he just knows the numbers that are reported in the news, and figures he must be "somewhere around those numbers" because he doesn't know what most real-world mpgs are really like.

[bones]

I've had my car since the end of June... I seem to only manage 32mpg.
I am in Phoenix....HOT and the A/C is always on, 100% city driving.

[jefferios]

Yea I have a friend that is cool all around until we talk about cars. His modified Civic gets up to 50 mpg. 40 City. He has a v6 modded engine that has tons of power. Now, I'm not saying the mods he did were a bad idea, he wanted performance.

How could anyone get 40+mpg and squeal out of parking lots/stop lights?