Anyone here consider MPG a distant factor

[rjundi]

At least my MDX did achieve 23.3 MPG when my wife used it for her commute the last two days! Not terrible considering her commute speed is 80MPH coupled to easy acceleration which both our Subaru and MDX seem to do okay with MPG. We had a rented Cruze and that thing only got 28MPG in similar driving style. He previous manual 96 Civic only got 28MPG with similar driving style too.

When replacement time comes for her Subaru I am hoping there is something that achieves decent MPG with her driving style.

 

[IndyIan]

For my vehicle MPG is a big factor, I do 60 miles a day and $4-5/gallon gas is a reality here. Also I want something small and light for autocross so its easy to find cars that meet both criteria. I also don't like burning more money than I have to.

My wife does 30 miles a day so she drives the AWD family hauler "gas hog" of our fleet. Even for that duty though, I don't think we'll get anything less than a low 20's mpg SUV.
Something like the CX-5 makes alot of sense for us, but probably we'll get something used. $25-30k for a family beater car is $10-15k to much for me!

 

[mechtech2]

To all those who think getting cars with 50% or more better gas mileage would not help with prices:
Since people have not done so, we can't say it would not have a big effect for the better.
Common sense says that if we all got cars with 50% LESS MPG, costs would go up. How can we not see the opposite is true?

 

[hattaresguy]

On my work vehicle yes because it will see about 20k a year. On a toy or weekend car, nah its all about smiles per gallon!

 

[Spazdog]

I would love to have a Nissan Frontier/Suzuki Equator. But it's the fuel economy.

The 2.5 does 0-60.....ummm....best measured with a sundial. It's best freeway mileage is just about what my car gets in mixed freeway/city.

Then we have the 4.0. 0-60 happens, well...pretty darn quick. Fear no short entrance ramps. I'm sure it's not as quick as it feels, but "feels quick" is sometimes good enough.
It's best freeway mileage is what my other car gets in the city.

So, it's not a distant factor. It's not the first and foremost thing on my mind but it is part of the purchase equation.

 

[CBR.worm]

I drive 40K a year, split between my two infiniti's. Gas mileage is always on my mind, and both of them do pretty poorly, but there are few cars I would enjoy driving as much that get significantly better gas mileage in my price bracket. About 3-4 mpg in both cases, so it costs me less money to continue to drive the less efficient car than to get a newer one that gets slightly better gas mileage (but also has more power and more forward gears). Although I do the math quite frequently.

If things got tight, I would probably switch to a new '13 altima. It is the only car that appeals to me as being a good value and still fun to drive and comfortable. The new BMW's get great gas mileage if you drive them reasonably, but there again, the cost of acquisition negates the potential gas savings over my current cars.

My Wife's BMW gets excellent mileage. She averages 26.x overall and at 80mph on a trip we can average about 30. The irony is that she only drives about 10K a year, so our most fuel efficient vehicle gets only 20% of the annual miles.

So gas mileage is not a distant factor, but it is not as important to me as driving enjoyment, comfort, etc.

 

[rslifkin]

Honestly, even though I've put 18k miles (at an average of about 15 mpg) on the Jeep since October, mpg isn't my biggest priority. Having a car I enjoy and that does what I need it to matters more. If I can get decent mpg in there too, it's a nice bonus.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
To all those who think getting cars with 50% or more better gas mileage would not help with prices:
Since people have not done so, we can't say it would not have a big effect for the better.
Common sense says that if we all got cars with 50% LESS MPG, costs would go up. How can we not see the opposite is true?


I doubt most people don't see that, problem is getting people out of this mentality of thinking they must have a vehicle that's capable of hauling 8 people around while at the same time dragging a 5th around with them. Or, if they actually do have a need for such a vehicle, they could also buy something like a Prius, or some other fuel sipper they can drive anytime the big vehicle isn't needed. If people would do this instead of using the 6000 lb 10 MPG gas hog as their daily driver we as country could cut demand way back, therefore cutting prices down considerably....

 

[Lyman]

Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
To all those who think getting cars with 50% or more better gas mileage would not help with prices:
Since people have not done so, we can't say it would not have a big effect for the better.
Common sense says that if we all got cars with 50% LESS MPG, costs would go up. How can we not see the opposite is true?


I doubt most people don't see that, problem is getting people out of this mentality of thinking they must have a vehicle that's capable of hauling 8 people around while at the same time dragging a 5th around with them. Or, if they actually do have a need for such a vehicle, they could also buy something like a Prius, or some other fuel sipper they can drive anytime the big vehicle isn't needed. If people would do this instead of using the 6000 lb 10 MPG gas hog as their daily driver we as country could cut demand way back, therefore cutting prices down considerably....
Ha Ha Ha that's down right funny. You think cutting demand will cut prices? REALLY? What will cut prices is DEREGULATION. Open up drilling and watch the prices fall.

 

[d00df00d]

Again: if decreasing demand won't do it, why will increasing supply do it?

 

[SLCraig]

Unfortunately, it is my primary concern.
I drive 30-35K miles per year and I would go bankrupt filling a car that was terrible on fuel.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah

I should have said that MPG is VERY important to me but I will not go into more complicated power trains to achieve it (ie Hybrid (which would NOT get me more MPGs in my driving)

I don't believe that for one second, Bill. Try driving a 2000-2006 Insight 5-speed and then try telling me that you aren't getting more than the 43mpg you've said before that you get in your Corolla.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah

I should have said that MPG is VERY important to me but I will not go into more complicated power trains to achieve it (ie Hybrid (which would NOT get me more MPGs in my driving)

I don't believe that for one second, Bill. Try driving a 2000-2006 Insight 5-speed and then try telling me that you aren't getting more than the 43mpg you've said before that you get in your Corolla.


In Bill's terrain he will likely need a new hybrid battery well before 250k.

 

[Lyman]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Again: if decreasing demand won't do it, why will increasing supply do it?

Because we can greatly increase supply where decreasing demand is very slow and offset by other country's increase in usage.

 

[d00df00d]

Oh, so you're only looking at the short term.

What about the long term?

 

[artificialist]

Having fun in my car is more important to me than MPG. Also, my AWD system, paddle shift transmission, and sticky 18 inch tires mean high maintenance costs for me.

Also, I wasn't going to buy a Ford Mustang because so many people have them.