Cool Gauge might help me "Save money" while Driving

Ok, I admit to being a bit of a geek at heart....and I'm not sure what the ROI would be on one of these things given that it costs $169.00 (free shipping though :-) {Hmmm: Also looks like it might be had for about $147 on EBay!)

But I like the idea of watching my fuel mileage....and all the other "cool things" you can do with it.

I already have an OBD-II scan code reader I bought on EBay for about $29.00....but if I didn't the ScanGauge II will do duty in that regard as well!

It plugs right into your OBD-II connector which should be within 1 meter of your steering column (generally under the dash) After that, if you want it in the car all the time, I guess you need to find a place to mount it. (double sticky tape maybe)

Here are some of the things it will read:

The ScanGaugeII allows you to troubleshoot your own car, read error codes, and the conditions present when the error occurred. You can also turn off the “Check Engine” light and avoid those costly trips to the mechanic. Reads Trouble Codes Reads conditions that set the Trouble Code Clears Trouble Codes Turns off the "Check Engine" light Tells you when vehicle is "Ready" to pass OBDII testing Make and store up to 10 rewritable special codes to send to the vehicle computer

Display 4 gauges at a time from the 12 built-in digital gauges. the information is presented in Real-time! Fuel Economy Fuel Rate Battery Voltage Coolant Temperature Intake Air Temperature Engine Speed (RPM) Vehicle speed (MPH) Manifold Pressure (not available on some vehicles) Engine Load Throttle Position Ignition Timing Open/Closed Loop

Automatically tracks four sets of trip data - Each with 11 individually stored parameters. Maximum Speed Average Speed Maximum Coolant Temperature Maximum RPM Driving Time Driving Distance Fuel Used Trip Fuel Economy Distance to Empty Time to Empty Fuel to Empty

This is NOT an ad for this device.....and I have not tried it to report on it myself....but I am thinking of buying one....but what would the ROI (return on investment be) you ask.....back of the envelope says:

Driving 32,000 miles / year and getting about 33MPG means I burn about 970 gallons of fuel. If I increase that fuel mileage by 10% because of my better driving (a SWAG at best), I would then burn 882 gallons of fuel, or a savings of 88 gallons.

At $2.09 per gallon, my savings would be $184 per year! (wow) That means my ROI would be about 11 months! (but wait...the gauge actually saves me NOTHING, it only gives me visual feedback about my driving....it is the improvements in driving that saves money...and I can do that without a gauge!)

But the gauge is so cool! (oh well....I'll let my mind wrestle with that on the way home. :-)