Doran Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Anymore, I'm really struggling with driving my Volkwagen Westfalia. For those who may not know, this car has a small engine and a big profile. Ours is 20 years old. I recently checked the gas mileage and was distressed to find that my in-town mileage (which is 99% of all the driving done in that car) was only 17 mpg! So, I have really been giving thought to parting company with this funky car (and I so love its funkiness!) in exchange for something more fuel efficient. The Westy is terrible on gas, but it's paid for. Neither dh nor I feels that now is a good time to take on a car payment. So, we probably won't be able to go for a particularly new used car. And, a hybrid is completely out of the question. What cars should I search for among lists of well cared for used cars that might up my fuel economy, not bust my very limited budget, and offer enough space that we won't have a horrid time transitioning from a roomy camper to something much smaller. FWIW, we figure our current car might go for something in the realm of $5-7,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 That's like trading in a family dog, for a cat, cuz their cheaper to feed! Ok, maybe you hit on my VW fondness or I don't like dogs...I let you guess which. I can understand someone wanting to go for the lower gas mileage. If you are a VW lover, I would look at an older Golf or Jetta that is diesel instead of gas. They typically have good insurance rates and are safe cars. My dh's 01 Golf gets about 42mph and my 13yo and 9yo fit in just fine. We even crunch in a car seat between them when needed. For traveling, we us a roof top carrier. The back of a Golf can haul an amazing amount of stuff. Since you have drivers coming up soon, you may want to keep the Westie (if you can afford it) and invest now in another car to drive in town. Once you have the convenience of a Camper Van it is hard to get over not having one any more. This way you can slowly pay off the new car in time for the kids to learn to drive it :auto: We would buy another in a heart beat, but alas it isn't good timing and we only have street parking for any additional parking. It is the one vehicle we miss owning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Subaru wagons get good gas mileage and are All Wheel Drive. Honda CRVs have good gas mileage and are 4 wheel drive, but I don't know if they would be big enough for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 well, almost anything short of a big SUV is going to get better gas mileage, so you have a lot to choose from (even my minivan gets 20 or 22). I second a Subaru wagon if you want the space (I think ours got around 26 mpg), and they're pretty affordable. My DH used to drive a civic hatchback and got amazing gas mileage (like 40 mpg sometimes). A hatchback wouldn't work for you, but I'd assume the 4 doors still get good mileage, and, again, they're affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Thanks to my addiction to Consumer Reports, here is a list of the most reliable used cars, $8K and under. I'm only listing larger cars/vans and not the "tuna cans". Some of these, I'm not sure what they are, so they're there, too: $4K - $6K Ford: '98 Crown Victoria, ' Honda: '97 Odyssey Isuzu: '97-98 Oasis Mercury: '98 Grand Marquis Mitsubishi: '00 Galant Nissan: ''97 Maxima, '97 Pathfinder, '97 & '99 Sentra Subaru:'97-98 Legacy Suzuki: '99 Grand Vitara Toyota: '97-98 RAV4, '98 Sienna, '97 Tacoma $6K - $8K Buick: '00 Regal Ford: '99-01 Crown Victoria Honda: '98 Odyssey Lincoln: '98, '00 Continental; '99 Town Car Mercury: '99-00 Grand Marquis Mitsubishi: '01 Galant Nissan: '98 Maxima, '98-99 Pathfinder, '00 Xterra Subaru: '99 Legacy Toyota: '97-99 4Runner, '98-99 Avalon, '98-99 Camry, '99 RAV4, '99-00 Sienna, '98 Tacoma Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I know what you mean. We have two "big" vans and one gets about 16mpg and the other "don't ask". So with our tax stimulous check we bought a Saturn ?, I am not for sure what the model is. We paid $1950 for it and it's supposed to get 30-40 mpg around town. We'll see about that; so far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamom3 Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I can not find it at the moment. But, it said something like..If you have a car that is paid for and the gas is around $3.75 your car will run you a little over $3k a year in gas. Now, if you trade in your car and have a car payment PLUS gas you will be spending $6 to $7k, due a car payment, higher insurance rates(since you have a payment), and gas. I have a SUV and it is paid for, I get around 18mpg in town. I try to run errands when I am out and about. I do not feel that trading the car...JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Check here first: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm I "only" get maybe 17 around town in my 2005 Odyssey - gas mileage isn't it's strong point at all. Right now, it's sitting at 11mpg per the computer. I left the gas station, came home, went to the library to pick up the kids and back home. The last tank never got over 18 - and that included TWO trips to Orlando using cruise control. SOOO, i'm not thinking that 17mpg around town is GREAT! LOL!!! My Chevy Sprint got 50mpg back in 85. Gee, i'd love to have that again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeydo Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I have an 02 explorer. It's great, but killing me in gas. So I bought a 4cyl Malibu. Did the math, took the paid off explorer down to liability only. When it is all said and done, my $158/mo. malibu payment + gas + insurance is LESS than my 02 explorer's fuel. I kept the ford b/c I need it in the winter as I live in the mountains, and heck, its paid for. And the malibu can't haul what I need it to when I need it. BUT, I am Saving a LOT of money by having the new car. And, it's a 07 with 27000 miles on it and in gREAT condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I can not find it at the moment. But, it said something like..If you have a car that is paid for and the gas is around $3.75 your car will run you a little over $3k a year in gas. Now, if you trade in your car and have a car payment PLUS gas you will be spending $6 to $7k, due a car payment, higher insurance rates(since you have a payment), and gas. I have a SUV and it is paid for, I get around 18mpg in town. I try to run errands when I am out and about. I do not feel that trading the car...JMO. But if her old car will bring 5-7000, she can sell it and pay cash for something with better mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Well your VW is always going to be worth that much. (We are VW lovers, too). Since, you drive in town so much is it possible to bike, walk or use the bus at this point? We bike or use a wagon with nice nobby tires whenever possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 I'm pleased to have these ideas, not to mention the Westy fan club ;). I have to admit that I'm pretty attached to this car, which is really saying something seeing as how it has no working a.c., is noisy as all get out, and only seats four. But, doggone, they're fun little slices of history in their own way. Having lived aboard a sailboat for several years, I've always said that driving the camper is like having a boat on land. I've always got my stuff with me -- plates, sheets and blankets, food stash -- you name it. If we have to part with it, it's not going to be easy. Thanks for your thoughts and info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Check here first: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm I "only" get maybe 17 around town in my 2005 Odyssey - gas mileage isn't it's strong point at all. Right now, it's sitting at 11mpg per the computer. I left the gas station, came home, went to the library to pick up the kids and back home. The last tank never got over 18 - and that included TWO trips to Orlando using cruise control. SOOO, i'm not thinking that 17mpg around town is GREAT! LOL!!! My Chevy Sprint got 50mpg back in 85. Gee, i'd love to have that again! Thanks for this, Tracey! Very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Well, we have an '86 synchro. My husband is a VW man all the way, so when we hit that 11 mpg in town and also needed a new engine, we did the craziest thing imaginable.... we replaced the van engine with a newer diesel jetta engine! It was more expensive than we thought, due to hubby's mistakes putting it in:glare:, but we now get a solid 30+ mpg (it's still breaking in), and we get to keep the van! Wheee!! We also run it on 99% biodiesel, so it is as green as it's gonna get. As much as I hated the fact that he is always out there tinkering with it, I am secretly glad we kept it... especially on beach days or camping trips..... or when we need to haul sheetrock in the rain.... or when we need to pick up just about anything.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancypants Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 We just did this with my husband's car. He was driving our old mini-van which got the same gas mileage yours is getting. We read a bunch of consumer reports and googled the gas mileage for various smaller cars. For us one driving force in our decision to do it was that we wanted to give the van, a family car, to a family who actually needed a family car. We don't need two family cars. We settled on a 2004 Chevy Aveo with 64,000 KM on it (I think it's about 59,000 miles or thereabouts). It, along with the Hyundai Accent got the best gas mileage (from my search) for the small lower priced cars. They both averaged about 28-30 mpg. They both also had very strong customer satisfaction, as did the Saturns, though their gas mileage wasn't quite as impressive. It was important to us to get a car that didn't have a super high odometer readout so it needed to be "newer" (either that or driven once a week by a Grandma!) :tongue_smilie: I found ours online in the local listings (similar to Craigslist). We paid in the neighborhood of $6,000 for it which is right around the avg. resale value that was listed (check out the Kelley blue book website when you are looking at particular models and years.) It had some extra features and a set of snow tires (with yearly snow tire change plan also) that bumped the price ever so slightly but that was quite worth the extra little bit as snow tires are a must here. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 We recently got a 97 (or 98?) Civic for dh to commute to work. The cost of gas for his F-150 was killer. But we decided to keep the truck for home improvement stuff (currently finishing out the basement) and going to the dump. The truck is 18 yo so the cost of keeping it ends up being about $20 a month. And it's easier to store the truck (driveway) than a trailer (behind the house--subdivision rules). Besides, a trailer would probably cost more than we could get for the truck! We have a Toyota Sienna as the family car but can fit the 5 of us with a carseat in the Civic in a pinch. If you can find a way to pick up a cheap car for running around and still keep the van for your adventures that would be awesome. I hope it all works out for you. Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Well, we have an '86 synchro. My husband is a VW man all the way, so when we hit that 11 mpg in town and also needed a new engine, we did the craziest thing imaginable.... we replaced the van engine with a newer diesel jetta engine! It was more expensive than we thought, due to hubby's mistakes putting it in:glare:, but we now get a solid 30+ mpg (it's still breaking in), and we get to keep the van! Wheee!! We also run it on 99% biodiesel, so it is as green as it's gonna get. As much as I hated the fact that he is always out there tinkering with it, I am secretly glad we kept it... especially on beach days or camping trips..... or when we need to haul sheetrock in the rain.... or when we need to pick up just about anything.... Mind letting me/us in on what the cost of that upgrade was? Dh is great at many things, but car mechancis ain't one of them ;). So, I doubt this idea would be pratical for us. It's funny you bring it up, though, because for years I've said I'd rather put whatever money we'd spend on a new car into an upgrade for this one. Sadly, we'd have to invest more than we could right now to bring this old girl up to speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 I know this is hard number to come up with, but there is also a lot of energy consumed in the manufacture of a new vehicle (even if it is used, it is being replaced somewhere down the line) and a lot of enviro concern about the "dumping" of an older vehicle. We were looking at this a few years ago, and at that time, it was really hard to make the case for replacement being an environmental benefit unless the car was getting under about 12 miles per gallon. It's just another piece of angst to add into the puzzle... We are aware that replacements are energy consumptive as well in their own way. And, we consider the fact that all the new Prius's on the road will soon have loads of batteries which have to be disposed, another environmental bugaboo. I appreciate your mention of this, and I acknowledge that there are never (seldom?) black and white answers. I didn't have the mpg figure that you've offered here, so thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I didn't read the other responses, but my (overpriced, LOL) .02 is to wait until you *can* afford a hybrid. By that time, it may be easier to get a plug in hybrid, which would really be worth it. Without a hybrid, looking for something used, what gas mileage can you really expect to get? 30? is that really better enough to justify the cost of the transaction? Save up your $ and hope to get a hybrid next year, or the next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Mind letting me/us in on what the cost of that upgrade was? Dh is great at many things, but car mechancis ain't one of them ;). So, I doubt this idea would be pratical for us. It's funny you bring it up, though, because for years I've said I'd rather put whatever money we'd spend on a new car into an upgrade for this one. Sadly, we'd have to invest more than we could right now to bring this old girl up to speed. I know what you mean... I joke that we have put $$ into the van and now we have.... an '86 van! My friend bought a newer mini-van and has power windows and all that for about the same $$ we spent on the upgrade. But she does not look as cool as we do!!:lol: My hubby is not a record-keeper *at all*. so it has been hard to determine the actual cost. He did most of the work himself, but that is both bad and good, as he did a lot of expensive experimenting. I think the way to go (for someone who does not enjoy car tinkering) would have been to have gone to a mechanic specializing in diesel conversion. The engines I believe are about twice that of a gasser, say 3500, because of the other things involved in the conversion. Can you tell I don't really know much about it! :). So, all in all, it is not a cheap option. we just chose to keep our vehicle for practical reasons (we live rurally so a four wheel drive van is so useful). We are pretty environmentally conscious as well, so we were willing to spend more upfront to have a vehicle that would run on alternative fuel, while getting great gpm, and also did not want another car payment (we also own a diesel Jetta) You can research more on the VW car forums... hubby uses a yahoo group called TDI-conversions, and also looks at Samba and TDI Club (you'll have to google to get the address, as I don't know them!). My husband just popped in to say definitely check out these forums... there is huge discussion on increasing gas mileage for westies (weight reduction techniques and so on.) Hope this helps! I am glad to talk about anything VW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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