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|A |6Special Feature |A ^1Wheel$ |Aͺ |6Special Feature |A
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^Cby 
^CRobert L. Joy

    ^1Wheel$^0 is an easy-to-use template for the popular Lotus 123(tm) spreadsheet 
 program.  With it, you will gain new insight into what it really costs to own 
 and operate your vehicle.  You will also be able to make accurate operating 
 cost comparisons among many vehicles. 

    Vehicle costs can be divided between two basic categories, operating cost 
 and ownership cost.  Operating costs cover items such as fuel, oil and 
 maintenance.  Simply put, an operating cost is money you spend to keep your 
 vehicle drivable and road-worthy.  Ownership costs covers other items--money 
 you would have to spend even if you chose not to drive your vehicle.  Monthly 
 bank payments, insurance fees and registration fees are examples of ownership 
 costs. 

    How do you know when your costs are out of line?  That will depend on what 
 you are driving.  One recognized authority tells us that the operating cost 
 for the "typical family car" ought to be in the $.05 to $.07/mile range.  If 
 your family's car is a Honda Civic, for example, you will probably find that 
 your operating costs are on the favorable end, or even under that range.  On 
 the other hand, if you drive a Chevy Suburban or a "Street Hemi" you should 
 expect your costs to surpass the $.07/mile figure.  Of course, the WAY you 
 drive will also impact the final result! 

    Ownership costs are usually fixed and beyond your control.  If you consider 
 both cost categories, operating and ownership, you can calculate the total 
 outlay per mile, a very revealing, if not discouraging, figure!  However, the 
 more you drive, the lower the average outlay will appear since the fixed costs 
 are spread over more miles. 
 
    Wheel$ will calculate your operating cost per mile, the cost of ownership 
 related to your vehicle and the total outlay per mile.  If you are concerned 
 about fuel mileage, enter the total gallons consumed each month, and Wheel$ 
 will keep a record of your MPG. 

    A few words about the features found in Wheel$.  Wheel$ employs macros.  
 Macros are little "programs" associated with certain keys.  In a macro, all of 
 the keystrokes needed to perform a given spreadsheet function are recorded.  
 You do not need to be a "123 jock" to take advantage of the power in 123.  
 Features such as report printing, graphics generation, title-locking and HELP 
 are all macro controlled. 

    The Wheel$ template has global protection enabled.  This will prevent you 
 from accidentally entering data where it should not be entered.  You will not 
 have to be concerned about destroying cell formulae with errant keystrokes.  
 If you are running a color system, you will notice that some cells contain 
 data or text displayed in green.  Green cells are unprotected and may be 
 changed.  All data entry cells are unprotected. 

    Wheel$ is self-documented.  The instructions needed to perform data entry 
 and to utilize the macros are contained within the template.  So let's give it 
 a try, ready?  1... 2... 3... GO! 

 DISK TEMPLATE FILES:
 ^FWHEEL$.WK1

