The way Ive always seen it is, I can either drive something Im comfortable in, does what I need it to do, and I like that gets shitty mileage.. OR I can drive something Im unsatisfied with just to save $300 or so dollars a year.
Why are people concerned with mileage?
Quite simple really, it adds up.
Not considering other costs if you are only saving $300 a year by having better mileage than you really are not driving all that much.
My commuter car sees 26,000 miles a year minimum, typically it sees about 36,000 miles a year.
36,000 miles / 15 mpg = 2400 gallons of fuel. @ $4/gallon = $9600
36,000 miles / 28 mpg (my cars average) 1285 @ $4/gallon = $5,142.86
36,000 miles / 27 mpg = $5333.
So on my commuter just 1 mpg is $200 for the year.
My truck in 1 year of ownership has seen 14,000 miles. Before the one year mark is up I already have 2 trips planned that will total another 1500-2000 miles.
15,000 miles @ 17 mpg (about my real world average over ownership thus far) 882 gallons of fuel. Diesel has been $4 the entire time I have owned this truck. $3528 in fuel.
15,000 miles @ 10-12 mpg (my brothers real world honest average in his 6.0 chevy) = 1500 gallons of gasoline @ say 3.69 $5535 in fuel.
I get 10-13 towing. He gets 8-10mpg.
That's $2,000 not 200.
15,000 miles = $300 in oil changes and filters in my diesel.
15,000 miles = $150 in oil changes in a gas truck.
That is why mileage matters.