Making an Informed Decision Using the Quantitative Reasoning Process Step 1: Understand the Problem Keep the Old Car or Buy a Used Car Manny is an online student who currently owns an older car that is fully paid for. He drives, on average, 110 miles per week to commute to work. With gas prices currently at $2.86 per gallon, he is considering buying a used, fuel-efficient car, and wants to know if it would be a good financial decision. The old car Manny owns currently gets 16 miles per gallon for average fuel efficiency. It has been a great vehicle, but with its age, it needs repairs and maintenance that average $900 per year (as long as nothing serious goes wrong). He is considering buying a newer used car that will cost a total of $8,000 over a three-year loan process. The used car gets 29 miles per gallon and would only require an average of $10 per month for general maintenance. To help make a decision Manny wants to calculate the total costs for each scenario over three years. He decides to use the Quantitative Reasoning Process to do this. Step 2: Identify variables and assumptions Manny has identified some key variables for his situation. Select the two variables that should be removed from his list because they do not apply to the current situation. The cost of gas. The loan cost of the used car. Manny's graduation date from elementary school. Manny's wages. The number of miles Manny drives each week. The cost of the used car. The cost