I don't mean to be super critical of all this, & I am not a mechanic. When the car reaches it final gallon of gas, I just feel it's time to fill up. When that final bar disappears, you know it's that time. I sort of like that. I also like the flashing feature of the final segment and final bar flashing when the final segment disappears. For a simple little car, I really like the gas gauge on it. I've paid closer attention to this in recent weeks, and the 8 segments do really seem to represent one gallon each. I realize fancy features on some cars will give you exact mileage left, but I have a soft spot for our simple little Mirage!
It's easy to overanalyze things, and this forum is great for that! I use jumper cables all the time. I own to many things that have batteries. I witnessed a battery blowing up on my dad once when I was kid. I still have a vivid memory of that! Thankfully, he wasn't seriously hurt. It was on a tractor, not a car. I still cringe a little every time I use jumper cables because of that. It hasn't stopped me from using them, however. I've learned to love battery tenders in recent years, too. I hope to never stop learning!
I am originally from Northeast Wisconsin (45-50 miles north of Green Bay area). I moved to SW Wisconsin after college. I thought that I would be here for 2-3 years. That was 33 years ago! I live 35 miles from Baraboo. I go there all the time. Baraboo has Menards, Farm & Fleet, and Gander Outdoors. What else would a man need? Plus, Devil's Lake State Park is beautiful year round!