Gas mileage is at the top of the concerns list these days. Here's a recent letter that asked a question I've hear a lot.

Hi there, I need to know how I can improve fuel economy on a 1997 Chevrolet Astro van AWD. I already have an K&N filter, but it doesn't help much. Is there any chip that can do magic? What could I do?
Thank you, Sabin Mihu

Sabin, there are scores of gadgets out there that claim to improve your gas mileage, some of them by huge amounts. For the most part they're all junk and a waste of money. There are some things that help in small ways. I like the K&N filter system, it flows very freely and since it's reusable allows you to keep a super clean filter for less cash. It's not going to give you any significant gains in mileage over any other clean filter. Computer chips are another biggie. Since most people see their car's computers as somewhere between voodoo and sanskrit in terms of their understanding it's easy to imagine that reprogramming the computer can get you more miles on a tank of gas. They almost never work. You car was programmed to operate efficiently from the factory. Install the chip wrong and you might fry your computer -- expensive. To get the best mileage, keep up with your maintenance, be sure your tires are properly inflated and slow down!

With money getting tighter and tighter, many of us are skipping the new car lot and looking into buying a previously owned, previously depreciated, car or truck. This is a great idea in a questionable economy. You may not get the satisfaction of breathing in that new car smell for the next couple of months, but you'll save money (and probably some brain cells) if you make a wise decision on a used car. Since it's not new, there are some things to keep an eye out for when you go used. Our used car guru Keith Griffin has put together one of the best Top 10 Questions To Ask a Used Car Dealer I've seen. It's more than a good idea to check it out before you buy your next used car or truck, it's essential. A wise used car decision will mean fewer expensive car repairs down the road. That's worth 5 minutes of your time.

Two years for a car repair? These days everybody wants to save a little money. For that matter I've always wanted to save money -- these days, those days, way back in the day -- I like saving a buck. In our quest for the ultimate value, some of us have stumbled into the realm of cheapness. This is a bad place to be, once you've crossed the line things start to go downhill. A good value means you get good work or a good product at the best price possible. Once you move to cheap you've tossed value out the window and quality goes with it. One lady in Memphis, Tennessee crossed the line, even if she did it unwittingly. She found a high school auto shop class that would give her free labor if she bought the parts. Great deal, right? Two years later her car is sitting in their garage collecting dust. In two years the students that first wrenched on it aren't even around anymore! We should all learn from this car owner's mistake. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

_{Read more about this issue at Memphis Eyewitness News.}

You would be hard pressed to find somebody to argue that gas mileage isn't important to most people these days. Even as gas prices float downward, we're still paying lots more than we have in recent years, so the impact on our annual household budgets is still pretty severe. That's why people are doing everything they can to save money on gas.
Like I said, there's nothing bad about improving your car or truck's fuel economy. But it seems that some people are really reaching in their attempts to figure out new ways to save. I read an article recently that featured a list of ways to improve your overall fuel economy. There were some decent tips included, but check out these two gems:

1. Washing and waxing your car not only makes the vehicle look better; it also improves aerodynamics, which in turn benefits your fuel economy. Gas stations that also have a car wash will sometimes offer coupons good towards money-off at the car wash. This is done as an incentive to get you to refuel at their station. Little do they know that in doing so they are saving you money at the pump. Keep your eyes open for bargains such as these and you can easily reduce the drag on your vehicle and increase your fuel efficiency.

2. When parking your car try to position it so that you can pull out of the space in forward gear rather than reverse. As incredible as it may seem going in reverse actually uses more gas than going forward.

If you think about it, I guess these could save you some percentage of a cent at the pump. Little pieces of dirt could increase your car's drag. And reverse is geared so high you might run at a slightly higher RPM in reverse. But seriously, are we so focused that we will jump through hoops like this to save a Hay Penny a week? If you want to save money on gas, try some tried and true mileage boosters. A clogged air filter can cause your engine to burn lots more gas. You should replace your air filter regularly. You can also save lots of money on gas if you keep your tires propery inflated. We could also all lock ourselves in the bathroom with a burlap sack over our heads. That won't use any gas at all.