Buying a dependable car with GREAT MPG

[Scarlett]

Dh drives 100 miles a day minimum. We need a new vehicle for him. If you have a good MPG car tell me what it is and how good it gets.

 

I'm thinking a Honda Civic standard. I had one for 11 years and it got 35 MPG or better.

[BrookValley.]

Diesel V-dub all the way. I have a lovely VW that gets 40+ MPG and that thing is a real workhorse. You can't kill a diesel engine; you can only break them in better. Mine has about 150k miles on it and that's nothing. Nice looking car, too, though it is a slightly sportier GLI model with a TDI swap underneath (the GLI was never made as a diesel; mine's a rebuild).

 

We also just bought a Mazda CX-5, which is a small SUV/crossover. It gets ~30 MPG, which is ok, but the only reason I bought it was because I could not fit two carseats (one rear-facing; two forward facing would be fine) in my Jetta and we didn't think it would work in a Jetta wagen (another option we were considering, also as a diesel) either. Otherwise I would have bought another VW, no contest.

 

If you don't want to go the diesel route than yeah, I don't think you could go wrong with another Honda Civic.

[dm379]

I have a 2007 Toyota Prius. I get roughly 49 mpg. Right now I have 109,000 miles on it and zero problems. I love it. They have the new Prius C cars out now where you'll get better mpg and they're cheaper than my bigger one. I thought about getting me one a few months ago since I drive 150 or more miles 5x/week but decided to kill the one I have before I bought something new. They looked really nice and it was very tempting.

[xixstar]

I had a Chevy Cavalier that got 35mpg. DH is now driving a Saturn, basic compact 4-door model, that gets 32-36 mpg.

Both manual transmission cars. Both crossed 200K miles and the Saturn is still going too.

Neither were purchased new - the Saturn we've had a year or more now, purchased with over 100K on it already but it was the right price too and we've been quite happy. If we'd got a Civic in the same condition, that would have almost doubled the price -- not saying they aren't great cars but for commuting purposes, this was the right thing for us.

 

It makes for a good commuting car.

[Shawna in Texas]

Ford Focus. It gets about 40mpg.

[redsquirrel]

Everyone I know who racks up that much mileage a week has a Prius or the Honda Prius knock off. They love them.

[Scarlett]

Diesel V-dub all the way. I have a lovely VW that gets 40+ MPG and that thing is a real workhorse. You can't kill a diesel engine; you can only break them in better. Mine has about 150k miles on it and that's nothing. Nice looking car, too, though it is a slightly sportier GLI model with a TDI swap underneath (the GLI was never made as a diesel; mine's a rebuild).

 

We also just bought a Mazda CX-5, which is a small SUV/crossover. It gets ~30 MPG, which is ok, but the only reason I bought it was because I could not fit two carseats (one rear-facing; two forward facing would be fine) in my Jetta and we didn't think it would work in a Jetta wagen (another option we were considering, also as a diesel) either. Otherwise I would have bought another VW, no contest.

 

If you don't want to go the diesel route than yeah, I don't think you could go wrong with another Honda Civic.

 

I don't understand what the above in red is? Is that a VW? What kind? How old? 40 plus would be a dream. Dh gets about 17 now in his truck which is paid for but has 315K miles on it.

[Scarlett]

Ford Focus. It gets about 40mpg.

 

These are fairly affordable aren't they?

[Scarlett]

Ok, next question....of the people you know who drive these good MPG cars....are they big people or little people? My dh is 6'3" and about 225 pounds....with 2 bad knees and a bad back. He thinks he can do a small car for commuting only...but that is an hour of driving each way.

[Scarlett]

Everyone I know who racks up that much mileage a week has a Prius or the Honda Prius knock off. They love them.

 

What are the knock offs?

[BrookValley.]

 

 

I don't understand what the above in red is? Is that a VW? What kind? How old? 40 plus would be a dream. Dh gets about 17 now in his truck which is paid for but has 315K miles on it.

 

Sorry, VW slang. I was typing phonetically. Yes, I just meant VW. :) We have a 2005 Jetta.

 

We are not exceptionally tall people, so I don't know how your husband would feel in a Jetta or similar. But I don't think it would be any less comfortable than a Civic or other small car. I think it's pretty comfy to drive, better than the Ford Escort I drove for awhile. We rented a Ford Focus for vacation last year and I thought that was a decent car, too. I like driving my VW better, though. And we did not get 40 MPG in it...might previous posters be talking about the hybrid version?

 

ETA: if you're looking to research diesel VWs, it's the TDI models you're after. Those are the diesels. They make the TDI in several models. A Jetta TDI is probably one of the most affordable VW diesel models (diesel vehicles will cost more than their gas counterparts). They also make the Golf and Rabbit as a TDI, which *may* cost less, but those are smaller cars.

[Joker]

Dh has a long commute and has put over 150K miles on his Toyota Corolla. We've had zero problems with it as well. He is 6 feet and it was the only good mpg car that was comfortable for him - at least at the time we purchased which was in 2005. We plan on him getting a new car next year and he wants to check out the Prius.

[dbmamaz]

wow, the mazda mx5 gets better mileage than the mazda5 . . i'm surprised. it looks so much bigger! but i guess it doesnt have the third row.

 

it shows the mazda3 4 door as the best mileage - better than the 2, which baffles me.

[Scarlett]

Sorry, VW slang. I was typing phonetically. Yes, I just meant VW. :) We have a 2005 Jetta.

 

We are not exceptionally tall people, so I don't know how your husband would feel in a Jetta or similar. But I don't think it would be any less comfortable than a Civic or other small car. I think it's pretty comfy to drive, better than the Ford Escort I drove for awhile. We rented a Ford Focus for vacation last year and I thought that was a decent car, too. I like driving my VW better, though. And we did not get 40 MPG in it...might previous posters be talking about the hybrid version?

 

ETA: if you're looking to research diesel VWs, it's the TDI models you're after. Those are the diesels. They make the TDI in several models. A Jetta TDI is probably one of the most affordable VW diesel models (diesel vehicles will cost more than their gas counterparts). They also make the Golf and Rabbit as a TDI, which *may* cost less, but those are smaller cars.

 

Sorry to be so blonde. :)

 

We saw a 2001 Jetta the other day that looked pretty clean for $4000. Dh thought it would get about 32. 40 would be awesome! Is that because yours is a diesel?

[Cinder]

My ds is about 6'2" and fits fine in our Corolla. He also fit fine in the Civic we had. He drove a Ford Focus once and he said his head was touching the top. Both the Corolla and the Civic got about 34 mpg, but this is mostly city driving.

[Shawna in Texas]

It was about 21K, I think, with warranty and extras. I just texted him about MPG. It was 41MPG when we lived in Houston and he had a long commute (hour each way, mostly highway). It is 36MPG now that his commute is only about 15 minutes (some being downtown). Yesterday it moved to 38MPG because we drove out of town. But we did some traveling the previous two days, too.

 

ETA It's not the hybrid

ETA again. DH texted again. He's not sure if 36MPG was the bottom out number. He says when he was driving to Galveston everyday, but nothing else, it would creep further up, then a trip to the grocery store would bring it back down. He says it's our trips out of town that keep it at 36MPG. He's not sure how low it would go if he only used it for work.

[JumpyTheFrog]

VW TDIs (diesel cars) get mid 40s or better. We had one for a few years. We'd get another except that near us, nearly all the ones on Craigslist are either $5000 for a car with 200,000+ miles on it, or very new and $20,000 or more. Also, I want an automatic one, and most are manual.

 

We had a 1996 Passat. It had plenty of power - you could take off in second gear and it wouldn't stall out. In comparison, I never got the hang of driving a manual gas car. We drove it for about two years, until it needed repairs that weren't worth the money. Then we sold it for $1300 to someone who wanted the engine. He called and said he wanted it less than twenty minutes after DH listed it on Craigslist.

 

TDIs have a cult following. Apple has nothing on them! People buy them and don't want to give them up because the mileage is so great and the engines last so long. (Most of these same people would never buy a gas VW. Their reliability ratings are poor.)

[JumpyTheFrog]

We test drove a used 2006 Honda Civic hybrid a few weeks ago. It was...lacking in the power department. The Chevy Cruze I'm renting right now (until we get another car) is like a race car in comparison. (And I think the Cruze is slow to accelerate.)

 

Gas Corollas and Civics get good mileage and they are easier to find than a TDI. Many people want to avoid used hybrids because the batteries are so expensive to replace.

[RoughCollie]

Best Cars for Tall People: http://www.thetallstreetjournal.com/group/cars

 

Best Cars for Tall or Short Drivers: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/02/best-cars-for-tall-or-short-drivers/index.htm

 

Cars for the Big and Tall: http://editorial.autos.msn.com/cars-for-the-big-andamp-tall-1

 

Best Cars for Tall Drivers: http://www.automotive.com/best-cars/best-cars-tall-drivers/ford-flex.html

[JumpyTheFrog]

Are you looking to buy a new or used car? A diesel Mazda6 is supposed to be out in the fall.

[BrookValley.]

 

 

Sorry to be so blonde. :)

 

We saw a 2001 Jetta the other day that looked pretty clean for $4000. Dh thought it would get about 32. 40 would be awesome! Is that because yours is a diesel?

 

Yes, the difference is the diesel. I'm not sure what a 2001 gas engine would get, but I'm guessing it would have to be really well-maintained to still be getting 32 MPGs.

 

And yes, TDIs have quite a cult following. Guilty as charged here. :)

[happypamama]

Ok, next question....of the people you know who drive these good MPG cars....are they big people or little people? My dh is 6'3" and about 225 pounds....with 2 bad knees and a bad back. He thinks he can do a small car for commuting only...but that is an hour of driving each way.

 

My DH is almost that size and drives 45 miles each way every day. He drives a 2004 Ford Focus, manual, and finds it to be pretty comfortable. When we first got it, it got around 30 mpg on the highway; now that it has 187,000 miles on it, the mileage dropped a bit, but we just replaced the engine, and he says the mileage has gone back up. A newer one probably has even better gas mileage. It's been a very good car, very comfortable and pleasant to drive. (He had a Honda Civic for a while and liked it too.)

 

(A hybrid would be even better, but the gas mileage is still not quite good enough to offset the cost of a car payment.)

[Truscifi]

Dh is 6'2". He drove a Focus for a while (until he wrecked it) and was okay with it, though he would have preferred a little more head room. He has a Civic now and had plenty of room. The seat is adjustable in more ways than the Focus, which helps a lot.

[Scarlett]

Thanks all! So helpful.