Click and Clack: You can take frugality too far

Dear Tom and Ray:

My husband insists that taking the center seats out of our Toyota Sienna will increase our gas mileage and save us a lot of money over time. I don’t mind them being out sometimes, but he doesn’t want to put the seats in for friends, who then have to ride in the third seat, which is uncomfortable and hard for older adults to get into. He will not put the seats in when our grandchildren visit, so that when we all go somewhere, someone has to take an extra car. I say, Why have a passenger van if you are not going to use the seats? I can see not having the seats if we go on a long trip and it is just the two of us riding. Does it really save that much gas mileage to remove the center seats of the Sienna? Please, help our marriage! Thank you. — Naomi (more…)