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With the price of fuel getting as high as it is (diesle) I am thinking about getting a car for the daily driver. I see about 14 aprox. miles per gallon out of my F-350. I get 30-32 miles per gallon from my wifes Saab and the fuel is about 50 cents a gallon less. I figure I can get into a car and the fuel savings alone will pay for the car and insurance. I am thinking a wagon so that if I need to get a smaller plasma or something in there I can. 4 wheel drive would be nice but not required since most 4 wheel drives will loose in milage. What cars are out there that get killer gas milage? Some of the cars that interest me are the Camry, older VW TDI's (hard to find them that are in Mass). I would love the new VW deisel but they are not going to be in the states any time soon from what I understand.

sounds like your looking for a Subaru Forrester, or a Ford Escape Hybrid

thats why im building a pulling truck like this.....bulletproof driveline.....3/4 ton 4x4.......everything for the truck is dirt cheap......headlight $8.00......fuel pump $35.00(try that with a diesel).......fuel tank $75........insurance dirt cheap......easy to work on yourself.......I got mine off ebay for 3gs out of Indiana......air blows ice cold......2gs body and paint will be perfect another 3gs for a 406 inch smallb with over 400ft/lbs......if I dont use it for a month who cares......for 10g investment it will be mint and I'll be done with buying trucks.......then buy yourslf something newer with good milage for your daily driving

I suppose you're probably looking for something new, but. . .

My wife is still driving our '98 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 4-dr with the old trusty 3800 V-6. It just turned 180k miles and still gets mid 20's mpg city driving (even with her lead foot :D). We make a few trips back to Minnesota with it each year and it will still get 29-30 mpg on the freeway. Pretty damn good I think, for something with that many miles on it.

The trunk is good sized and I think the back seats flip down, so I bet you could get those flat screens in there without too much trouble. It's the same engine and body style up to 2003, so a guy could get a low mileage one that's 5 years old and drive it for forever. Good solid cars. :cool-smiley-011:

cant go wrong with a vw jetta tdi. 46mpg.

I agree. Only problem is that they were not allowed to sell them in Mass. so they are VERY hard to find. You used to be able to buy them out of state and register them out of state and then bring them in. They cut off that quickly so the only things you can find for TDI's are the few that came in that time frame. I could register it in Maine but then I may have an issue with tax evasion that I am not willing to risk. Anyone know what the real world gas milage is on the Camry's is?

Jon

Just don't get distracted and make a left turn in front of my oncoming Excursion.

i get 18 mpg out of a 21 year old bronco and got plenty of room. just move the little cars out of the way

EPIC!!!!!!

Never did think that ex's were all that large :Whatever::D:evilb:

There are some Hybrid vehicles coming from GM in the 2009 model year. You may want to research them.

If anyone else want to take pull's approach and have a cheap "tow-duty" truck check out mine in the classifieds - diesel dually. I bought it strictly for tow duty but now I'm leaning towards a diesel excursion for daily and tow duties.

http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.c...o20919-en.html

I just don't get it. So called green states don't want VW Tdi's on the road that get 45+ mpg all day long. I have a Passat TDi that gets 44 mpg with my foot in it.
It has a 18.5 gallon tank.,I can drive from central Jersey to Montreal and back and still have several gallons left. I don't like working on it but it is cheap to run. Doug

Doug the new TDI's are claiming mid 50 mpg average!!!!

I have been thinking about this too.

The way I see it I could buy a late 90's civic with 100k on it for 3.5-4k, most likely have a completely trouble/maintenance free car, and recoup the money in under 3 years - even taking into account the Property Taxes, and slight insurance increase. We used to have one and I am kicking myself for selling it. Mid 30's for mileage and never a lick of trouble.

I had heard Honda was going to sell a diesel in the states, in Europe it seems like 95% of the cars are diesel. I was told that the newer VW TDi's don't have timing belts or glow plugs. My truck is a gas pig but I don't drive it that much. John, I think mine would do better if I slowed down a bit. Doug

Jon, look at a Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe. Both available in 4wd, huge amount of cargo room, purely Toyota corolla drivetrain so thats good. 35 to 40mpg with the standard 1.8 vvti and about 30 in the 1.8 HO with 4wd. I have a dozen or so customers driving them and they are real good little but not to little cars. I like em so much I bought my wife a vibe, 65000 miles now and so far, sched maint and one front brake job. Thats it, thats all.

If you drive a Pete 379, they're tiny. I could put a VW in the cargo area.

im in total agreement with the VW TDI's, 42 - 46 mph.... makes saving the planet almost second nature to me now. makes up for All the fuel I burn up during the summer in my boat....

Whats the budget for this? Please and thank You. :)

If wagon I'd go:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=391

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dd...er_id=57371549

Budget depends on the milage of the car. Probably in the 25K range. Spend to much and you wind up not getting a "free" car. Also the larger more expensive cars are going to typically cost more to run and use more fuel....

Those cars would certainly fit the bill.

For transportation I like a few year old; BMW, Mercedes, even a Porsche 944(s, and turbo). They all hold their resale at a certain point. Most have a cult following and a few are decently maintained. Drive them for a few months and then sell them. Seldom lose money on them this way. Some are also cheap enough that I don't worry about driving them in salt less then stellar road conditions.

These are good as well:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/merce...em320222122150

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GREAT...em190201456205

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983-...em200203460265

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Prist...em250218545701

Nice thing is a lot of the cult following types take care of them.

If was myself and since single don't need that much room. Like these, best heaters in a car. Heat almost instant even in Toronto middle of winter.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983-...em320222255012

I had a 2002 VW Jetta TDI wagon and it was awesome. I drove it hard and still averaged about 40mpg. The only problem was it's a personal car, and not great with the car seats for the kids in the back.
I sadly parted with it and bought a Honda Odyssey- it has been absolutely awesome so far. Other than the Sienna, the competition doesn't come close (and the seats in the Toyota are no where near as comfortable). The Odyssey is heavy and safe feeling and full of airbags all the way to the back. We've had over 70 inches of snow so far this winter and it has not had a problem with it. It will also hold 4x8 sheets of plywood and swallow everything we used to put in the Suburban for our trips up to the property in Canada. Not one single visit for warranty work, just oil changes and no scheduled tune-up for 100K miles. We've been getting about 20 mpg in town and 26-27 on the highway. I even pull my fishing boat around with it no problem.
I know their is a negative view from many towards a mini-van, but for us, it was a no-brainer with the need to haul a lot of stuff but still get good mpg.

That boxy Toyota Scion gets about 37 mpg and has all kinds of room for about $18,000.00 new. My son bought one for the same reason you describe, and I was amazed with it.

so whats the scoop on the mini coopers ??

Personaly i think they look cool in an ugly way

are they good on fuel ?? are they expensive to buy ??? what is maintainance like on em ??

Camry hybrid gets about40, depending on how you drive. It was one one only three cars to get 5 stars in every crash category by NHTSA

I haven't seen any Smart cars on the road except in Montreal. From what I read the mileage isn't that great. I would imagine a 11:00-20 truck tire looks pretty big from inside one. Doug

I have a nostalgia love for the mini, was excited and happy to see the new ones come out. When I was 14 my older driving age Brother's friend had the original. Had pin ball machines at my house, played all the time and was good. Used that skill to bet Mark for Me taking his mini out vs my cash if I lost. I won a lot and drove around in that mini enough, its almost my first car! Forget name of company. Currently my Brother belongs to some time share deal that gives access to a wide range of fleet vehicles. The new mini is one of those vehicles. So gave them a go. He still lives in Vancouver. Rains a lot and these cars are not good in bad weather. Great summer toy! Not a good commuter if you live in places that have less then stellar all year weather. Overall great vehicle, made me feel 14 again winning Marks Cooper S for the day!

My key reason besides like almost driving my cars for free. Sold my 928S4 and 500sl yesterday. Both bought them at around $10K each. Drove them for almost 2 years, had fun, spent a few bucks on service item on the 928 and only changed radiator and oil on the SL. Sold them both for $15,500. Add in repairs can safely say, I broke even and having decent looking Porsche and Mercedes cost me nothing to own. Why buy new and lose money (depreciation) plus only have one car versus 5 or 6 to play with. $25K budget can buy some really cool transportation, even buy 3 or 4 really interesting fun toys that can free when you sell them! My $20K for 2 decent cars has turned into $31K so both in the end cost me nothing................

These became free: :cool-smiley-027:

Older Mercedes Turbo Diesel is the way to go. 2.5 gets 38 + mpg on the road,a little less around town. They hold there value if you keep them nice.

Agree. If my wants and needs had to be more practical that is what I'd get. The nice thing they have a following. Have had people with brand new SL's, etcetera. Buy these for a second car and mainly winter use; because they don't want to expose their main car to snow and salted/sanded roads.

The main problem I've had with both BMW's and Porsche's. Breaking down on road trips and trying to find an independent or even dealer service. Mercedes roadside assistance is like having a friend in the know when your in the middle of nowhere. If I ever have known kids or wife, etcetera if they like it or not they'll be driving a Mercedes something!