My wife and I went out looking at motorcycles today. Personally, I have set my sites high and expect to own a Ducati Hypermotard in the next couple of years. My wife has never ridden, though, so we decided to start small. Today we looked at a Suzuki GZ-250, which goes for about $3000-3500. The dealership has a June financing special that would allow payments of $39/month for the first two years. Now, obviously you would only take a deal like this if you planned on paying it off early, so there would be a self-imposed increase in payment each month. Here's the thing, though - It gets 70-80 mpg. right now, my wife drives the "good" car back and forth to work, while I drive the "old" car around with our own business. The old car needs new brakes, new shocks, new tires, etc. We just replaced the battery. I also spend about $45 per week in gas (average). That's $180/month plus repairs. By buying a brand new motorcycle and using it for the business as well as errands, I would be paying $40/month in gas (on the high side), $39/month in payments plus whatever additional on the principal. This frees up to $100/month.

I realize all this is hypothetical, and more thorough analysis is needed to make a sound decision, but it's something to think about if you are being crunched by gas prices.