What car to look at when shopping?

TreeFarmer · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 301

Thanks to a poor driver the other day I'm in the market for a new vehicle. I've found that there are lots of models that get 22 to 24 mpg highway. Things like mini-vans, crossovers, etc. however, to get above 25 I'm having to look at what seems to be MUCH smaller vehicles.

Is there a vehicle out there that I am missing? Something that is decent size that gets 25+ on the highway?

Thanks for any help.

TF

P.S. I rented a http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=CX9 with which I fell in love after about 50 miles. IF there was a dealer in the small town I live in I would definitely consider this vehicle. 22 mpg at 85 on the interstate. I drove it 550 miles in one day. They were not BSing when they said ZOOM ZOOM.

dunewalker

Mesuge

There is no sense in "upgrading" from sub 25mpg to 25+ mpg cars..
Also the size/weight will be always the major factor for fuel economy. But by all means wait for the real deal!

-Loremo LS 120mpg,
-Loremo EV 250mpg,
-Aptera 300mpg
..
.
and many other options..

It's better to have some of the above uber efficient options to cover >80% of your driving needs and for those few days per year of hauling or whatever heavy duty task get some cheap SUV/pickup with low milage or new (they will be giving them out virtualy for free in few months)..
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DOOMerotron: at all-time high [8.1] out of 10..

Ayoob · Expert Joined: Jul 15, 2004 Posts: 1038

Precipice · Tar Sands Joined: Mar 04, 2008 Posts: 39

You could get 4 segways and put them together in some kind of improvised chassis......

TreeFarmer · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 301

mobil1

I bought a Toyota Prius recently and love it. It's surprisingly big inside for a 4 person family and I'm getting 60+ MPG in city/semi-rural commute.

See http://priuschat.com/forums/ for lots of info.

Other cars I considered for reliability and good value:
- 2009 Toyota Corolla. (Too new, some issues)
- 2008 Honda Fit. (Small for me.)
- 2008 Honda Civic. (My non-hybrid choice)
- 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. (Issues with CVT.)

kokoda · Heavy Crude Joined: Aug 24, 2006 Posts: 420

In a year or two not only will the price of fuel be astronomical but it will probably be rationed as well.

Go as small and fuel efficient as you can get.

taizee · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 22, 2008 Posts: 52

I use a bike around town with panniers for shopping (spend less). I am going to sell my Subaru Outback soonish. It's paid for and luckily it still has reasonable resale value. Next car... a basic small manual. And hire a car if I need it.
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formerly Taizy and Taizy8 - having problems with the cookies.

"wherever you go, there you are"

SILENTTODD

Before you buy you next car. Get your 1st, 2nd, or maybe 3rd bicycle (I have 4). Oh yes, get at least 3 sets of tires and tubes for each, they may become difficult to find in the near enough future.

Don't know anything about bicycles or which one to get? Read the posts on this link:

Bicycle Riders of the Future

Oh yes, most important for your bicycle in the future, WD40 IS NOT A LUBRICANT!! Look that up for yourself and learn!
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Skeptical scrutiny in both Science and Religion is the means by which deep thoughts are winnowed from deep nonsense-Carl Sagan

eastbay

Ayoob raises a valid point here. If you only drive a few hundred miles a year on four wheels, and you can pick up a fairly new low miles Ford Excursion or V-10 cargo van really cheap, it only seems logical to do so.

Here's a nice 2001 Excursion for $27.00. A bit more than it's worth, but if you want one really bad this could be yours.

Here's another nice expedition for $50 bucks. Definitely overpriced, but maybe you can talk him down to $5.00.
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Everything is Impermanent. Shakyamuni Buddha

BaBaBlackSheep · Coal Joined: May 27, 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Wisconsin

Hey...Our behemoth GMC Suburban gets 17 mpg on the highway if it is not pulling something. Pulling 25ft travel trailer it gets 12 highway. No, you can't have it for cheap. Very Happy

It and the trailer wait in the shed for extreme need. Ya never know...

I just picked up a 2001 Ford Focus which is supposed to get 35 with manual tranny. Unfortunately this one's an automatic but I certainly hope to get 30-32. We drive like little ol' Grandma and Grandpa (which we ARE!) I got this zippy white station wagon for $1800 because it needed a brake job.

I actually caught myself at a Toyota dealer wanting to see a Yaris hatchback and they "just didn't have one of those right now" and tried to get me interested in a Yaris sedan-17K- or a Scion hatchback for 15K. Finally I said to myself WHAT AM I THINKING!!?

The nest egg stays a nest egg. The Focus, the Sub and Gramps' motorcycle will do fine for now. Cripes, we have a 33 mpg manual S10 pickup, too.

Shock

What we save on fuel we spend on license and insurance! Crying or Very sad

(We live too far out in the boonies for pedal power.)

watermelonpunch

I would rather lose a finger than invest in a big vehicle nowadays.

I always wondered what happened to station wagons. Do they even still exist?
Surely a station wagon would be applicable enough for a shopping trip to Costco?

criticalmass

Unless you live in California and can really take advantage of some exciting new automotive opportunities, you can take things into your own hands and build an EV. I'm personally collecting things for an s10 conversion that should have a 70+ mile range. That would almost completely eliminate my direct dependence on oil with the exception of my motorcycle that gets 55 to 60 mpg.

What I'm getting at is you can have a fun and quiet vehicle to drive that doesn't use gas way BEFORE they are available to the public. Who knows? Maybe you'll have something even better than what is out there?

TreeFarmer · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 301

I checked the MPG on the Impala the other day using the built-in economy readout.

At:
55 mph 37 mpg
65 mph 32-33 mpg
75 mph 28 mpg
80 mph 26 mpg

Not bad at all for those speeds given the amount of room in the car IMHO. Of course a smaller car (really a more aerodynamic car) would do better.

TF