gas saver car.....opinions

[lenny]

check out the specs on this 2012 VW Touareg, don't look at the price though. Can tow 7500 lbs with trailer brake. 406 lbs of torque

http://www.vw.com/en/models/touareg...=1.html#/tab=80fe1649cfb1045a64b63d0728509412

 

[indy_500]

jetta tdi, but that's because I am addicted to torque, Jetta is a heavy car for it's size and very well built, just my .02

x2 but... do you own a truck?

Your going to fork out at least 10 grand for a car, plus maintenance for that car, to save what, a grand maybe per year in gas? Then in winter, you have to drive a dinky car that does terrible in snow. Plus, since you have a car that gets good gas mileage, it makes you think "oh I can drive more now since I get good mileage". IMO buying another car to save money on gas is the dumbest thing on earth. Just my .02 I don't see how you're "saving"

 

[lenny]

well, that's asuming you know his financies, and that he isnt replacing another car. Also, keep in mind that running up miles is the worst element of a cars value. You can have a nice 2007 car with 200k and it's about done money wise. If he keep miles off one car, can afford another, or is replacing an older one, it may be worth it.

 

[Team Elkhorn]

x2 but... do you own a truck?

Your going to fork out at least 10 grand for a car, plus maintenance for that car, to save what, a grand maybe per year in gas? Then in winter, you have to drive a dinky car that does terrible in snow. Plus, since you have a car that gets good gas mileage, it makes you think "oh I can drive more now since I get good mileage". IMO buying another car to save money on gas is the dumbest thing on earth. Just my .02 I don't see how you're "saving"

Our $16,000, 38 mpg small car saves us 25 gallons of gas a week over our 18 mpg vehicle . Times that by an average of $3.50 a gallon you get $87.50 per week. Times 4, you get $350.00 per month, times 12 you get $4200.00 a year. Over 5 years you get $21,000 dollars, the car more than pays for itself. We save our $45,000 dollar vehicle and the environment.

 

[Hoosier]

x2 but... do you own a truck?

Your going to fork out at least 10 grand for a car, plus maintenance for that car, to save what, a grand maybe per year in gas? Then in winter, you have to drive a dinky car that does terrible in snow. Plus, since you have a car that gets good gas mileage, it makes you think "oh I can drive more now since I get good mileage". IMO buying another car to save money on gas is the dumbest thing on earth. Just my .02 I don't see how you're "saving"

That may be true in many circumstances purely on the gas costs alone, but if you factor in depreciation and the ability to keep your guzzler longer, you can come out way ahead. Dinky FWD cars aren't necessarily bad in the snow either. I'm always shocked when I'm filling up my sled in the UP at how many little cars pull up to the pump - old cavaliers, etc.

 

[fusion]

So it DOES exist, and you just don't want to be seen driving one?

Yes - but.....it's a geeky car, and I need at least a modicum of style/class. Plus, I have no idea how Subaru's perform long term, in the quality category.
I'm an Acura guy, so it will take quite a bit to get me to try something different. This is my 1st market test in 15 years, and I'm not all that impressed with what I see.
And I agree with those that say buying a new car strictly for gas mileage doesn't make alot of sense. There isn't a huge difference in savings between 23 MPG and 35 unless you drive 25 thou a yr.
There is no car, non-hybrid that will get over 35 MPG, AWD or 4-wheel with sufficient power to tow at a price under $35K. The premium you pay for the hybrids isn't worth it for the additional MPG.
But again, I'm only keeping a car 4 yrs., MAX.

 

[blutooth]

Unless you plan on driving off trail, lol a FWD small car will handle just as well if not better in the winter than a pickup - then add in the traction control that is standard on most of these small cars you are talking about and hands down in most average road conditions the little car will beat out the truck in winter (only caveat is drift busting - that usually takes to the belly pan)

Lenny is right if you dig, you should have no problem finding a Jetta TDI with around 100k for $10-12,000.

As a Touareg owner I can attest to the great towing capacity, but that vehicle with breakdowns and issues has been by far the most expensive vehicle I have owned (108,000 mi on a 2006 V6 which averages 15 mpg) the V10 TDI is the same except for the engine...

 

[fusion]

,000.

As a Touareg owner I can attest to the great towing capacity, but that vehicle with breakdowns and issues has been by far the most expensive vehicle I have owned (108,000 mi on a 2006 V6 which averages 15 mpg) the V10 TDI is the same except for the engine...

And that is exactly why I was quite a bit leery about buying a VW - I had one in the late eighties and the reliability, long term, scare me a bit. 2012 Passat TDI, diesel, car of the year though - maybe VW has made strides? My guess is, we won't know for sure for a few years.

 

[blizzardmk]

Yes - but.....it's a geeky car,

...some might say hippy or tree hugger as well. I assumed that's what you were getting at earlier, as we are on a mostly snowmobiler site

And I agree with those that say buying a new car strictly for gas mileage doesn't make alot of sense. There isn't a huge difference in savings between 23 MPG and 35 unless you drive 25 thou a yr.
There is no car, non-hybrid that will get over 35 MPG, AWD or 4-wheel with sufficient power to tow at a price under $35K. The premium you pay for the hybrids isn't worth it for the additional MPG.
But again, I'm only keeping a car 4 yrs., MAX.

I agree about gas mileage. It's tough to justify a new vehicle purchase on gas mileage alone, and so far the gas mileage gains that the manufacturers are making with new cars seem pretty insignificant.

 

[fusionfool]

Vw eos

We have the VW EOS hard top convertible twin turbo 4 cyl. We get 33 MPG on the average, with occasional up to 38. We live in the bluffs so lots of hills. When on flat land we can get up to 40 mpg. Sporty little car that is lots of fun.
My next vehicle for towing will be the Ford F150 6 with ECO Boost.

 

[indy_500]

well, that's asuming you know his financies, and that he isnt replacing another car.

I may have sounded a little antagonizing, just putting in my .02

 

[indy_500]

Our $16,000, 38 mpg small car saves us 25 gallons of gas a week over our 18 mpg vehicle . Times that by an average of $3.50 a gallon you get $87.50 per week. Times 4, you get $350.00 per month, times 12 you get $4200.00 a year. Over 5 years you get $21,000 dollars, the car more than pays for itself. We save our $45,000 dollar vehicle and the environment.

add in the cost of car washes, tires, oil changes, brakes, and any other maintenance required along with INSURANCE, and having to have garage space if you're picky about a car sitting inside. It would cost $20k to add another stall onto our existing garage. And, not to mention the fun factor, how much fun is it to drive around in that 38 mpg car? how safe is it in the snow? how safe is it in an accident? Again, sorry if I sound like I'm arguing my point too strongly, don't know any other way to express it. We bought my sister a so called "good gas-mileage" car, well we've spent over $4000 in one year for repairs. That isn't so "money-saving" now is it? It also isn't the best for vehicles to sit for an extended period of time. My sisters car sits sometimes 2 weeks between coming home from college, and it sure does start awfully hard.

 

[Team Elkhorn]

....


All I'm going to add is this, lets all hope gas prices don't go back up to 5 dollars a gallon again, or anytime soon. I don't think our economy fully recovered from the last time it happened.

 

[tealracing16]

add in the cost of car washes, tires, oil changes, brakes, and any other maintenance required along with INSURANCE, and having to have garage space if you're picky about a car sitting inside. It would cost $20k to add another stall onto our existing garage. And, not to mention the fun factor, how much fun is it to drive around in that 38 mpg car? how safe is it in the snow? how safe is it in an accident? Again, sorry if I sound like I'm arguing my point too strongly, don't know any other way to express it. We bought my sister a so called "good gas-mileage" car, well we've spent over $4000 in one year for repairs. That isn't so "money-saving" now is it? It also isn't the best for vehicles to sit for an extended period of time. My sisters car sits sometimes 2 weeks between coming home from college, and it sure does start awfully hard.

I can see your point Indy, but when I was 16 I couldn't care less about gas prices. Now I drive 20K just for work, just me. My wife drives a suburban around town getting 8 MPG. We could get her a better mileage car but that is what she wants so oh well. If I drove a truck I would also have an older beater, like a cavelier or something to pund the miles on. My Fusion is an 07 with almost 100K on it, its not worth the payment at this point. If you have a beater you probably aren't washing it, buying super cheap tires and only minimal maintenance.

If I was buying a car right now I probably would buy a Prius as a 1st car, but as a second any of the above mentioned cars are really good.

 

[mjkaliszak]

I just bought my Mom's 1994 toyota corolla. It 17 yrs old & had 59k on it. I LOVE it, it gets about 40 mpg , don't know for sure, since I'm figuring the milage for the first time. But it only costs $30 to fill the tank.... I spend all my time driving around with this thing. I haven't filled my truck up for weeks, in fact I just let it sit there and drive the economizer.... With the " colonel " driving a sub , and me driving my F150, then the kids driving their cars.... we were getting eaten alive with fuel costs.

1 drawback, you have to get used to the semi truck tires ( while driving on the highway ) being as high as your shoulder. And I thought about increasing my life insurance policy, just incase I get ran over.....

 

[xcr440]

add in the cost of car washes, tires, oil changes, brakes, and any other maintenance required along with INSURANCE, and having to have garage space if you're picky about a car sitting inside. It would cost $20k to add another stall onto our existing garage. And, not to mention the fun factor, how much fun is it to drive around in that 38 mpg car? how safe is it in the snow? how safe is it in an accident? Again, sorry if I sound like I'm arguing my point too strongly, don't know any other way to express it. We bought my sister a so called "good gas-mileage" car, well we've spent over $4000 in one year for repairs. That isn't so "money-saving" now is it? It also isn't the best for vehicles to sit for an extended period of time. My sisters car sits sometimes 2 weeks between coming home from college, and it sure does start awfully hard.

If you've spent $4k on repairs for a car, you bought the wrong car.

Front wheel drive cars are GREAT in the snow, you should try it. I think you'd find them to be a whole lot more fun than you think.

I've got both ends of the spectrum, a 1995 Suburban with 175k and a 1995 Accord with 245k. Hands down the Accord is much cheaper to drive, much cheaper to repair and maintain, and much more fun to drive than that Suburban.

About the only thing the Accord lacks on the Suburban is weight, so if your top concern is that, go for it. Heck, I've even added a hitch on my Accord, so I can tow the sleds around, which it does just fine getting 24mpg.

 

[Hoosier]

If you've spent $4k on repairs for a car, you bought the wrong car.

Front wheel drive cars are GREAT in the snow, you should try it. I think you'd find them to be a whole lot more fun than you think.

I've got both ends of the spectrum, a 1995 Suburban with 175k and a 1995 Accord with 245k. Hands down the Accord is much cheaper to drive, much cheaper to repair and maintain, and much more fun to drive than that Suburban.

About the only thing the Accord lacks on the Suburban is weight, so if your top concern is that, go for it. Heck, I've even added a hitch on my Accord, so I can tow the sleds around, which it does just fine getting 24mpg.

What kind of trailer do you pull behind your Accord? One or two sleds? I have a 4 banger Altima and I have been thinking about putting a hitch on it. My family has a one place aluminum jet ski trailer we don't use anymore that doesn't weigh anything, and I was thinking about converting it into a lightweight one place trailer to pull behind the car. I no longer have a SUV but I still have a need to move my sled around once in a while.

 

[xcr440]

What kind of trailer do you pull behind your Accord? One or two sleds? I have a 4 banger Altima and I have been thinking about putting a hitch on it. My family has a one place aluminum jet ski trailer we don't use anymore that doesn't weigh anything, and I was thinking about converting it into a lightweight one place trailer to pull behind the car. I no longer have a SUV but I still have a need to move my sled around once in a while.

I have a home made steel one place 4'x8' with a fold down rear tail gate with surge brakes. The trailer scales out at 750 pounds, about the same as my two place. The trailer is only 6" off ground (Nice and low), with 18" sides, so a sled fits perfectly with the tailgate down. I have moved both sleds with the snowmobile trailer, but I normally don't have to move two together.

My experience is the weight is not the biggest factor for MPG, wind resistance is. I've been hauling about 1200 pounds of oak boards 240 miles each week, and it has plenty of power to run 70-75mph on the highway with no issues, and get about 25-26mpg in the summer, 23-24 mpg now in the winter. When I moved a sled last August, I got 24mpg, and that's a 550 pound sled. I got 23 mpg pulling the second sled in early November. That's running 70-75 on the highway. I'm sure I'd get better if I ran a little slower.

 

[indy_500]

If you've spent $4k on repairs for a car, you bought the wrong car.
.

An 03 Taurus with 90,000 miles driven by an old lady should not have the tranny and water pump go out in the same month. There's no such thing as the "perfect car" things go wrong, the more cars you own, the more there is to go wrong. Same things with sleds, they're all the same thing, huge piles of maintenance. You can never win with any vehicle, everything on them is a "wear item". Either you spend lots of money on preventative maintenance, or wait for things to go wrong and spends lots of money to fix them.

 

[indy_500]

and much more fun to drive than that Suburban.

also your suburban has a non vortec 350, much slower and much worse gas mileage than a vortec 350. I drive my sisters taurus all the time. It's so slow, I find myself getting it up to 3500-4000 rpms constantly.