Folks generally make a mistake when the assumption is made that purchase/resale price and fuel mileage are the main considerations.
Edmunds.com has a very good little page (see Site Directory; click on: "True Cost to Own") with which it is easy to compare new and/or used cars to see the actual out-of-pocket and long-term costs of owning a particular car.
If one wants more detail, then financial advisor/columnist Scott Burns of the Dallas Morning News has in the past two years dealt with this in an excellent series (DMN.com). There are also fleet-oriented software programs, and a few freeware ones.
Gasoline tend to be not more than 6-8% of the cost of owning a vehicle for the average driver.
It would be greatly to ones' benefit to "run the numbers" as to what actual, long-term costs would be. Borrow or design a spreadsheet to calculate ALL COSTS specific to a given situation!
I, too, agree that I would not ever put a family member in a compact car. One's life changes too drastically with but one good wreck (and airbags don't change physical laws of big versus small).
In the same way with SUV's . . they are twice as likely to roll over as an ordinary car.
I'd look into a 2003 FORD Crown Victoria LX (Watts-link rear, rack & pinion steering) for long-term reliability and good highway mileage. (Again, run the number to see what the percentage increase in fuel consumption past X mpg.) There is a very good reason that fleets much prefer this car over it's FWD GM and Chrysler competition, and its' long-term maintenance cost. (www.crownvic.net)
Whatever else is done, search Tire Rack and other sites and dump whatever tires the car comes with and get [5] of the very best, highly-rated tires that'll fit the budget. Same with brakes and shocks on a vehicle with over 25k.
Be sure to have a separate bank account for the vehicle as to maintenance, "expected-dates-of-replacement" items (again, tires/brakes/shocks/starters/alternators, etc) and put aside a few bucks as often as possible until one reaches $600 or so.
Once one has narrowed down choices it is vital to KNOW the best service department/technicians in ones area. Pep Boys or Firestone or lesser independents ARE NOT wanted to be working on a car with high reliance norms. (And rebuilt parts only go on cars one is selling, not ones being kept.) A good relationship with the right people will allow keeping the vehicle a maximum amount of time and mileage with a minimum of headaches and downtime.
"Getting rid of it" because it is "having problems" is simply a way of saying, "I'd rather throw good money away". Why? Keep one car for the 12-15 year maximum -- avoiding a new one at the six/seven year mark -- and one has saved the money "wasted" that could have gone into an interest-bearing account or retirement fund.
Any other approach is cheating the future for the present.
(No matter what the specific situation is with that old minivan, please take these comments with a grain of salt; it is recognized that the decision to get rid of it -- for a clean start -- on a new situation is already made).
Cars are WAY too expensive (when all costs are factored) not to try to run ALL the numbers in ones favor.
It's not been easy to get my wife of five years to see the truth of this. Cars need maintenance, and attention. I spent three hours tonight (when it was cool) getting the underside clean on the JEEP after lubing front end, checking torque on a few fasteners, and generally -- with a good halogen light -- giving it a good eyeball as I like to do every six months. (As with the above -- and in posts elsewhere on BITOG -- I believe in getting my true cost of ownership down to cents-per-mile; doing what maintenance I can [especially the little stuff that techs don't want to]; keeping it extra-clean so that problems are visible and the tech, when I speak with him, knows to respect what I'm trying to do.
Does this vehicle have "high" gas mileage? No, but beating EPA ratings for mpg has been no more difficult than it has with any car I've driven the past thirty years. I trained myself, read a lot, and bought the service manuals without regard to whether I'd do the work myself. The payoff is over the long-haul.
And the Internet has been a great place to search out potential, long-term problems on specific makes and models.
Sorry to go on so long. But "small" and "high mpg" may NOT be exactly what you want as you research and contemplate this ongoing expense.
Liking, or not liking cars, has nothing to do with this topic. It has to do with family safety and long-term well-being in all ways.
Good luck.
[ July 24, 2004, 01:17 AM: Message edited by: TheTanSedan ]
) next to it and drove one of those as well. 