Help me choose a gas saver please

The body is BEAT. I'll have to post some pics of her.
Big deal. What's it look underneath? that's where the beauty lies. Also, if you were to replace it... what would it cost to replace? I see you mention that it's worth $2k after spending more than that on repairs--can you really replace this truck for $2k? if not, then it has higher value to you than it does anyone else, post-repairs.

I get your point, now is a good time to ditch it. I just don't see how you could replace it. Then again, if you have a good working 2500, maybe you have zero need for it, and, once gone, you're done. If that's the case, then I'll agree with you, time to bury it.

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Let's see, I'm estimating around 40k/year in miles? At $3.30/gallon (I think that's what it's going for right now)
  • 15mpg->$8,800/yr in gas
  • 18mpg->$7,333
  • 20mpg->$6,600
  • 25mpg->$5,280
  • 30mpg->$4,400
  • 35mpg->$3,770
  • 40mpg->$3,300
Multiply by 4 for total cost in gas (4 year degree? 2?). That plus purchase&repairs is total cost. There might be a sweet spot around 30mpg, some econobox on the cheap.

Of course, it wouldn't be BITOG if... a beat Crown Vic at 20-22mpg that you found for $2-3k. Then you'd have a car that'd last you a lifetime. :cool:
 
Any car in that price range in excellent mechanical condition is not for sale - because the owner knows that the vehicle is worth more than what the market will bear.

So, anything you buy in that price range will probably have some amount of deferred maintenance.
 
Prius. A buddy has a similar commute and it was killing him with his 2012 Silverado V8. He bought a used Prius and loves the thing. Otherwise I'd say the best Civic or Corolla you can afford.
 
Obviously a 4 cylinder manual car would net you some of the best mileage an auto is going to be much easier to find these days. Don't discount any of the Saturn 4 door cars. I had an 02' L200 w/2.2L GM & it was returning an Average of 30 MPG. While the Honda & Toyota are excellent cars there is nothing wrong with saving some money to buy somewhat less appealing auto's. Stick to 4 cylinder auto's imo. Wide offering & great MPG.
 
$8k could get a decent Prius? You will have to do your homework on them for sure, as $8k will also get you one with a problem or 2. I think all the recent ones are hatches too which is handy.
My current choice for semi good mileage manual wagon is the last couple years of the Elantra Touring. Probably low 30's mpg and is a nice solid simple small car. Has a timing belt though.
If it works in your circumstances, I would also price out the cost of moving to somewhere where you need to drive much less, less time in a car and more with the family is nice too.
 
Ok I know you want gas mileage but
 
I think the 07-10 Focus is really a great economy car. Has the Duratec 2.0 but not the dreadful Powershift transmission. Will be quite a bit cheaper than the equivalent Toyota or Civic. Some family resemblance to the Mazda 3 but I'm not sure the Mazda is better.
 
Stick shift civic. Or accord. Early 2000s accord with a stick and 4 cylinder can eat up some miles. id rather eat the miles in an accord than a civic.

love the vw tdi recommendation, if you can (a) find one and (b) learn to fidget with their quirks. Nicer interior than a honda.

gen 1 s60 Volvos can eat up miles too. You can find them in that price range with some miles left, but they will have started suffering by then as well. Timing belt, pcv box, and potentially an abs module by that time. But I’ve seen them leak-free, dry as a bone, with over 250k on them, even with a turbo, still getting mid-upper 20s in mpg. Suggest a 2005-2009. Like the VW, however, you’ll learn to speak Volvo quirks too. I quite enjoyed mine, they are unique cars.

?
 
Stick shift civic. Or accord. Early 2000s accord with a stick and 4 cylinder can eat up some miles. id rather eat the miles in an accord than a civic.

love the vw tdi recommendation, if you can (a) find one and (b) learn to fidget with their quirks. Nicer interior than a honda.

gen 1 s60 Volvos can eat up miles too. You can find them in that price range with some miles left, but they will have started suffering by then as well. Timing belt, pcv box, and potentially an abs module by that time. But I’ve seen them leak-free, dry as a bone, with over 250k on them, even with a turbo, still getting mid-upper 20s in mpg. Suggest a 2005-2009. Like the VW, however, you’ll learn to speak Volvo quirks too. I quite enjoyed mine, they are unique cars.

?
I have opinions on these:

1. I had a 98 Accord with the 4-cylinder and the manual. It usually got around 28 mpg in my mixed driving and ran pretty good until I got rid of it at 295k miles. A good balance of comfort and economy and I actually found it pretty fun to drive.

2. I'm seeing TDIs fairly reasonably priced, since diesel is so high I guess. I owned an old VW diesel, but not a TDI.

3. My six-speed s40 T5 from this era gets mid-to-upper 20s mpg in my mixed driving. I wouldn't expect an auto s60 to do as well, but maybe...? I am actually thinking of picking up a s60 since they look like good values -- quality construction without a lot of big issues, a real comfortable ride and usually real cheap. My s40 is getting close to 250k and still runs great.
 
Big deal. What's it look underneath? that's where the beauty lies. Also, if you were to replace it... what would it cost to replace? I see you mention that it's worth $2k after spending more than that on repairs--can you really replace this truck for $2k? if not, then it has higher value to you than it does anyone else, post-repairs.

I get your point, now is a good time to ditch it. I just don't see how you could replace it. Then again, if you have a good working 2500, maybe you have zero need for it, and, once gone, you're done. If that's the case, then I'll agree with you, time to bury it.

*

Let's see, I'm estimating around 40k/year in miles? At $3.30/gallon (I think that's what it's going for right now)
  • 15mpg->$8,800/yr in gas
  • 18mpg->$7,333
  • 20mpg->$6,600
  • 25mpg->$5,280
  • 30mpg->$4,400
  • 35mpg->$3,770
  • 40mpg->$3,300
Multiply by 4 for total cost in gas (4 year degree? 2?). That plus purchase&repairs is total cost. There might be a sweet spot around 30mpg, some econobox on the cheap.

Of course, it wouldn't be BITOG if... a beat Crown Vic at 20-22mpg that you found for $2-3k. Then you'd have a car that'd last you a lifetime. :cool:
Who the **** is miling their cars out at 40,000 miles a year!?
I'd take the business end of a pistol before dealing with that...
 
Who the **** is miling their cars out at 40,000 miles a year!?
I'd take the business end of a pistol before dealing with that...
You should read the OP. I took a guess at 40k/yr, but they did say 160-170 miles per day.

For years I was doing 32k or so per year. You get used to it.
 
Hyundai Accent hatchbacks with the manual trans depreciate like a rock around here. Perhaps you could find a good deal on one. They’re reliable and the hatch is handy for cargo loading.
 
Any 5-spd stick shift focus would work. The different focus generations use a lot of the same parts and they're pretty simple, durable, and don't have any real issues (except maybe replacing the $40 PCV valve every 100k).
 
Pickings are slim... I agree with 5 speed focus but they are rare...
In the price range you are better off with a good “undesirable “ stick shift base cobalt than a clapped out version of any of the other vehicles listed here

As for Honda Insights (still has the original battery, but disconnected)

446B774D-D74B-41FC-A49E-CB273D224814.jpeg
 
I have opinions on these:

1. I had a 98 Accord with the 4-cylinder and the manual. It usually got around 28 mpg in my mixed driving and ran pretty good until I got rid of it at 295k miles. A good balance of comfort and economy and I actually found it pretty fun to drive.

2. I'm seeing TDIs fairly reasonably priced, since diesel is so high I guess. I owned an old VW diesel, but not a TDI.

3. My six-speed s40 T5 from this era gets mid-to-upper 20s mpg in my mixed driving. I wouldn't expect an auto s60 to do as well, but maybe...? I am actually thinking of picking up a s60 since they look like good values -- quality construction without a lot of big issues, a real comfortable ride and usually real cheap. My s40 is getting close to 250k and still runs great.
I loved my s60s. The NA versions approached 30 on the highway. 0.29 drag coefficient on these. They are *solid* chassis, with seats that may show leather wear but simply don’t age. I always felt like Volvo cared whenever I sat down and closed the door. Best thought-out hvac programming of any vehicle I’ve owned. The thing would even go to recirc if you ran the washer fluid. Afterblow would dry the cabin when parked during the summer, and the trunk mounted batteries lasted forever. So many details I appreciate about them.
 
I do a 75-mile r/t every day in a well-worn 2009 Pontiac G5. It is surprisingly comfortable and quiet on the highway; and gets a solid 32-34mpg in that driving.
That’s just my experience; if I had to choose another car like it for this driving it would be a 4-cylinder Camry or Accord. They eat up the miles well.
 
vw tdi will get you 40+mpg and go forever with proper maintenance. my dad has a 2002 Jetta TDI. its had suspension, wheel bearings, cams, lifters, injection pump, (They tend to leak as these cars age) injector nozzles x2, timing belt x3, brakes x2, clutch because the throw out bearing died. it has 375,000 miles. cam and lifters were done because one of the lifters collapsed and he decided to do the cam while he was in there. he ran it with the lifter tick for over 20,000 miles with no problem other than a slight loss of power. fabric is starting to come off of the passenger door card and the headliner is starting to sag in the back corners. one of the dash vents finally broke a few months ago. a very solid car with a very expensive repair bill unless you DIY everything. also watch your egts, these Jettas can easily get to 1800 degrees and that will shorten the life of the turbo by alot. and delete the egr or clean out the intake manifold every once in a while, it can plug the intake with soot from the egr. you have to take the intake off to do a proper cleaning job. the valves surprisingly don't get many deposits, just the runners.
 
A 2010-11 Focus. Try and get a higher trim. They’re cheaper than Corolla/Civics - are very reliable, fuel efficient, parts are cheap and easy to maintain. That’d be my pick - it’s also fairly new vehicle to make it safer in side impacts.
 
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