We’ve talked a bit about saving on gas before, but you can save even more by not buying gas at all. OK, first a mild disclaimer: this is not for everyone. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like changing oil or getting a bit dirty, you probably won’t want to do this. But, if you’re a little adventurous and like to tinker, this might just be for you.

I drive an old Mercedes diesel and it runs on USED waste vegetable oil (WVO). That’s right. I get free vegetable oil from a local Japanese restaurant, filter out the crud and run it in my car instead of diesel. You can get more information about using WVO here.

Now, I do start and stop my car on biodiesel or diesel, though it is quite possible to make your own biodiesel as well with used vegetable oil. Still, I only use about a gallon or so a month of biodiesel while the rest of time I cruise around on vegetable oil. Instead of thick plumes of black smoke billowing out of my car, I have exhaust that smells like Japanese food.

Any diesel vehicle can run on vegetable oil with some modification. Because vegetable oil is much thicker than diesel, it needs to be heated before it will work properly in your engine. There are a number of conversions that will do this for you, and the one you might need will depend on your vehicle and the climate where you live. Do a little research and you’ll see that this is a viable option and will save you a lot of money at the pump.

Popularity: 35% [?]