Recreating the Smokey and the Bandit Run: How Much Would it Cost You in Gas Today?

Is the caper still worth it at today’s gas prices? We compare a Trans Am with a modern car. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Delivered dailyKiplinger TodayProfit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. 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Burt Reynolds played a legendary truck driver who goes by the handle Bandit and is challenged to a feat no one has accomplished before: Drive from Atlanta to Texarkana and back in 28 hours. The kicker…he had to bring 400 cases of bootlegged Coors with him.Bandit, who was never one to turn down a challenge, enlisted the help of his friend and fellow truck driver Cledus, played by Jerry Reid. Along their run, they encounter hijinks, a fleeing bride, Carrie, played by Sally Field, an undaunted Texas sheriff named Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), and his son Junior (Mike Henry), who, surprisingly, held up well chasing Bandit, even if their car didn't.The movie personified American culture. It tickled our thrill of rebellion against authority, our love of adventure and our thirst for fun. But today, almost five decades later, the question isn't whether you could make the run; it's how much it would cost to recreate that epic journey — strap in as we calculate the fuel prices for the ultimate caper.Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special IssuesProfit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Let's start with the journey. The route from Atlanta to Texarkana is approximately 657-660 miles. The first part of their run ran pretty smoothly, outside of a run-in with a small town cop that Bandit evaded rather easily.On the way back, it's a different story. Whether it was literally burning rubber to pick up an escaping bride, taking back roads or football fields to evade cops or jumping off a bridge, it was not a straight shot on I-20 singing The Carpenters.So, for the sake of argument, let's add another 30 miles on the return leg. This brings the total mileage to around 1,350. Now let's look at what it will cost you. Bandit and Cledus had $80,000 (over $400,000 today, adjusted for inflation) awaiting them for making the run. Even with fuel costs soaring in recent weeks, they would still have come out ahead.Now, if you want a little taste of adventure and the glory of achieving a long run, it's going to cost you. How much? Well, it depends on what you drive:Vehicle typeAverage mpg provided by US Department of EnergyTotal costs with average fuel of $4.16 per AAACar24.40 mpg$230.16Light truck/van17.80 mpg$315.51Delivery truck6.80 mpg$825.881977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Special Edition (Y82 code) - Bandit's car10-14 mpg, but considering he drove at high speeds all the time, we'll go with 10 mpg$561.60Now, let's put the modern costs into perspective using Jerry Reed's 1974 Kenworth W900A. It used diesel, which in 1977 was around 36 cents per gallon.With fuel economy around 4.5 because he was hauling fast, the costs for his run would have been around $108 in 1977. Today, the current cost of diesel is $5.33, bringing Jerry's trip to $1,599, a difference of almost $1,500.And one more comparison: If you made this run in a car in February of this year, the average cost of gas was $2.91 per gallon. Compared to the current trip cost of $230.16, running this a few months ago would have saved you almost $70, illustrating how quickly fuel costs rose. There are other factors to keep in mind, too. If you plan to recreate the run, chances are you won't have state troopers on your bumper for most of the way back (let's hope not anyway), so you'll maintain steadier speeds. This results in better fuel economy. That means your real-world cost could come in lower than these estimates.Therefore, even with rising gas prices, recreating this run isn't super expensive. Depending on your vehicle, you can enjoy Bandit's run at your leisure for a few hundred dollars.And if you want to save even more, the best cash back credit cards can help you save at the pump by as much as 5%.With rising fuel costs, one of the best ways to save at the pump is with a cash back credit. Earn up to 5% cash back with our top picks, powered by Bankrate. Advertising disclosure.View OffersProfit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.Sean is a veteran personal finance writer, with over 10 years of experience. He's written finance guides on insurance, savings, travel and more for CNET, Bankrate and GOBankingRates.