Looking for a used high MPG vehicle

[TallBill]

Sick of getting like 16-20 mpg in my 2001 Crown Victoria. I love the car, but can't stand buying gas anymore. I'm looking for something used in the 10k-15k range that gets 45+ mpg. My choice are probably very limited. I'd probably be paying the same for a car payment + gas then I am right now just for gas.

 

[TallBill]

Found some '05 Toyota Prius at right around $15k, my car is only worth like $2k anymore

 

[natto fire]

It really sucks that ricers have put the Honda CRX on such a pedestal, as that would fit the bill. At your price range you could find one, but it would be a monstrous ripoff. It might still be worth a look considering your area. The CRX HF will easily get your target MPG, but be prepared to give up a lot of comforts you might have gotten used to in the Crown Vic', especially ride quality.

Another route, which may or may not be suitable, is to get a motorcycle. If you found the right one you could double your MPG target. Again, it would be a huge jump from the Crown Vic' and you would not be ale to drive it for almost half the year. Good luck whatever you decide.

BTW, I guess my '92 Jeep needs a tune-up because it is only getting about 18-24 mpg and even though they weigh about the same, my straight six should be doing better than that, I think.

 

[MovingTarget]

I'm in the same boat with my 87 Caprice. I can't afford a new vehicle, but gas is killing me. I take it you do more city driving? If you were more of a highway driver, you'd get closer to 25mpg, or above 20 at least. There are plenty of options out there as far as high mpg cars go as people here will tell you. All I will say is that you won't come close to the ride quality and comfort of the Crown Vic in a smaller car, especially on the freeway. Do some good test driving to make sure you are willing to give that up before you buy. Good luck

 

[Uhtrinity]

You can search the Fueleconomy.gov site for the best mpg cars by year and by size class.

For recent years you are probably only going to find Priuses, Civic Hybrids, Volkswagon TDI, and maybe a few rare Insights. In older years you will also see the Hondas already mentioned, and the Metros (they make my Insight look big). IMHO no other hybrid fits the high mpg bill.

Paying $15k for a used Prius is a hard call as most I have found have high mileage. It is one of the few situations where a new vehicle might be a better choice. My parents bought a new Prius about 2 weeks ago and paid just under $22k. The other option is to wait a year as a lot of high mpg hybrids are supposed to hit the market, including a plugin Prius with Lion batteries 2X the current capacity. This might bring down used Prius prices.

 

[TallBill]

I just can't justify $20k on a car.

 

[nwfsnake]

As another Tall Bill (6'4"), I suggest a '96 or '97 Accord 4cyl 5spd. You will get 30 mpg around town, more on the hiway, and it has enough room for us big guys.

 

[SuperjetMatt]

In 03 I picked up a 94 Geo Metro that had been totaled by Insurance, for 300 bucks. I fixed it for 200.
(2 weeks later some jerk ran into me, totaled it again. Got 1100 from insurance and got the car back from them, fixed it for 300)
I drove it for 20k-30k miles and got 40-45mpg the whole time.
At 190k miles it was done though.
That was an awesomely cheap commuter.

 

[Uhtrinity]

It is really sad that the automakers (mostly the US) aren't putting out more high mpg cars. Having owned one for the last year people are amazed at the mileage and ask me where they can get one. They always guess that I get 40 and are amazed (and doubt) that during the winter my mileage 'sucked' at 45 mpg per tank (for 2 tanks). Since the weather started warming I am back into the 70's already and might get a few 80mpg tanks this summer.

I blame a lot of this on marketing. We have a society that is conditioned to believe that 35 mpg is great, just look at last years Malibu ads. The current trend is now on range per tank of gas since gas prices are going up. It doesn't matter that you are filling a 20+ gallon tank.

In all it is sad at how few your choices are, I wish you good luck in finding something. High mpg cars are in demand and are fetching top dollar atm.

 

[kalrith]

What about a new car for less than $15k? Here's a list of cars starting at less than $15k and their respective prices and mpg:

• 
  city/hwy
  33/41 Smart fortwo 11590
  28/37 Toyota Corolla 14405
  29/36 Toyota Yaris 11350
  24/35 Ford Focus 14300
  24/34 Chevrolet Aveo 12170
  24/34 Chevrolet Aveo5 10235
  26/34 Honda Civic 14810
  28/34 Honda Fit 13950
  24/33 Chevrolet Cobalt 13925
  24/33 Hyundai Elantra 13625
  27/33 Scion xD 14550
  27/32 Hyundai Accent 10775
  27/32 Kia Rio 10890
  24/32 Mazda Mazda3 13895
  26/31 Nissan Versa 12710
  23/30 Kia Spectra 12895
  24/29 Dodge Caliber 14000
  21/29 Mitsubishi Lancer 13990
  20/28 Suzuki Forenza 14249
  20/28 Suzuki Reno 13599

I sorted by hwy mpg. I only listed the mpg of the stock car of each, which would be manual transmission and the smallest engine.

 

[Arkaign]

The mileage bug bit me as well, and I chose a Focus S 5spd, it's one of the only small cars that easily fits my 6'4" large frame. Unfortunately, getting a vehicle with ~35mpg means it's not going to be a screamer. My Focus is an econobox, but it fits the bill for me right now.

 

[dud]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Sick of getting like 16-20 mpg in my 2001 Crown Victoria. I love the car, but can't stand buying gas anymore. I'm looking for something used in the 10k-15k range that gets 45+ mpg. My choice are probably very limited. I'd probably be paying the same for a car payment + gas then I am right now just for gas.

You have very limitied options with a requirement for 45+ MPG. Yes, a hybrid will work but there are few good ones available at your pricepoint and with low miles. Very few new hybrids will get 45+ MPG. Another option is a motorcycle ...

I bought a 2007 Civic LX (non-hybrid) for my wife last year and she gets 35 MPG every day, city driving. She would prob get more like 40+ on the highway. The car was only about $17K OTD.


Good luck ...

 

[funboy6942]

Mid 80's chevy or ford will get you 16/30~

My 88 Firebird had a 305 and got 16/30, and when I drove it right got 35mpg hwy. Do check, a lot of the mid 80's american cars got that high. The had massive amounts of torque, but were high geared with 4 speed automatic lockdown converters that caused them to get such high mpg.

This was you can take your down payment on a 15-20k car and pay for it out right. And the beautiful thing of a old american car is they are super easy to work on and parts for them are dirt cheap.

You never think this but my 88 Astro, though has a 92 350 v8, the motor has 180K on it, and it runs like a wet dream.

great cars the mid 80's early 90's produced as long as you stay within a 4.3 v6, or 305 or 350 v8. or a ford with a AOD tranny and a 302 v8. Last forever.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Just quick numbers, and I assume your current car is paid off

If you average 1000 miles a month now at 18mpg that's 55 gallons a month. 55*3=165

If you buy a new car that is 10k@6% you're payment will be say around $225 over 4 years. 45mpg would be 22 gallons a month. 22*3=66. 66+225=$291

$291>$165

So if you were saving $100 on fuel costs a month (55-22=33*3) you'd have to have it over 8 years to break even in fuel savings.

Then again I could be off on my math, I'm kinda busy.

 

[Chunkee]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
Just quick numbers, and I assume your current car is paid off

If you average 1000 miles a month now at 18mpg that's 55 gallons a month. 55*3=165

If you buy a new car that is 10k@6% you're payment will be say around $225 over 4 years. 45mpg would be 22 gallons a month. 22*3=66. 66+225=$291

$291>$165

So if you were saving $100 on fuel costs a month (55-22=33*3) you'd have to have it over 8 years to break even in fuel savings.

Then again I could be off on my math, I'm kinda busy.

This man is a TCO God!!! Always figure TCO when attempting to be PRUDENT about cashola. Now, driving can be FUN also... you can get a new car with good gas mileage and fun.

 

[ViviTheMage]

where can I pick up a smart car.....id get one for my gf!

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Chunkee

This man is a TCO God!!! Always figure TCO when attempting to be PRUDENT about cashola. Now, driving can be FUN also... you can get a new car with good gas mileage and fun.

I don't give a crap how fun a car is. I have it for transportation only. At this time I don't plan on buying anything new because my car is paid off and theres nothing close to 10k. Honestly, I think paying more is silly. The Toyota yaris did catch my eye. Maybe in 2-3 years when you get can get a used one cheap.

 

[mozirry]

I took my mom's beat up 97 saturn SL2 for $1.00 + title fees, emissions test, etc.

it is really scary to drive but it passed inspections and I get really good MPG with the 4cyl engine
---

EDIT

Forgot to say that my first vehicle was a 2002 silverado 5.3 v8 that gets 13-19 city/hwy

Paying insurance on that truck + Insurance for my saturn both, I am still saving thousands of $ each year on gas. Take away my truck completely then I save another thousand.

It's paid off so I don't want to sell it =(

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: Chunkee

This man is a TCO God!!! Always figure TCO when attempting to be PRUDENT about cashola. Now, driving can be FUN also... you can get a new car with good gas mileage and fun.

I don't give a crap how fun a car is. I have it for transportation only. At this time I don't plan on buying anything new because my car is paid off and theres nothing close to 10k. Honestly, I think paying more is silly. The Toyota yaris did catch my eye. Maybe in 2-3 years when you get can get a used one cheap.

I was in a similar position. Had a 97 Explorer that sucked on mileage. No one would want to buy it.

As fate would have it, some old woman ran a stop sign and totaled it. Was able to buy a little Hyundai Elantra as a beater and get 30 MPG

 

[Uhtrinity]

Had my first 100 mpg trip, which was 70 miles. Makes 35 mpg look very paltry.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Look at a 2002-2004 VW Jetta....

If you want even more MPG, get the Jetta TDI...it runs on Diesel, which is more $$$, but you'll have the advantage if you convert it to BioDiesel.

The newere Jettas also get decent milage, but they changed the engine and the new design weighs more.

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
Look at a 2002-2004 VW Jetta....

If you want even more MPG, get the Jetta TDI...it runs on Diesel, which is more $$$, but you'll have the advantage if you convert it to BioDiesel.

The newere Jettas also get decent milage, but they changed the engine and the new design weighs more.

I've read that maintenance on the Volkswagen TDI's can be hell. The epa mpg numbers look good, that is if you can keep them running.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
Look at a 2002-2004 VW Jetta....

If you want even more MPG, get the Jetta TDI...it runs on Diesel, which is more $$$, but you'll have the advantage if you convert it to BioDiesel.

The newere Jettas also get decent milage, but they changed the engine and the new design weighs more.

I've read that maintenance on the Volkswagen TDI's can be hell. The epa mpg numbers look good, that is if you can keep them running.

While you're calculating the cost to own a TDI, include $4/gallon diesel & $70 oil changes, sort of screws up the whole econony argument for TDI's. My local oil change places refuse to change the oil on TDI's.

Plus the horrible reputation of VW's for the last 20 years MAF sensor failures are common and the fact that VW treats the TDI's like cars they don't like to support in the US.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
where can I pick up a smart car.....id get one for my gf!

"Smart Cars" are actually dumb buys. They don't get amazing gas mileage and they're overpriced. You'd be better off in a larger Toyota Yaris or Chevy Cobalt.

 

[GCS]

I am kinda in the same boat. Currently in a 2000 Ford Windstar with 130K miles. The van is great, in good shape, drives well and I like it just fine. The $90 fill ups 2-3 times a month SUCK!! I also no longer need the room (kids are older and we don't need all the strollers, etc etc in the car) so I would love to move back to a sedan with great MPG. I don't 40+, hell I would be thrilled with 30s.

My problem is 2 fold -- money (just cannot stomach a big a$$ car payment right now) and I am not sure I can live with driving something small (aka prius, civic, sentra etc).

I would love something with the size and features of an Altima, Camry, Malibu but the $$$ just aren't there.

A client of mine has a very nice (no frills) 2007 Sentra with 20K on it. It's really nice shape, still under warranty and he is asking about 10K for it. I think I have some room to negotiate as he is closing up the business so who knows.

How small are sentras (it's been a while since I have been in one). Can I comfortable take the wife and 2 kids out in it and not feel hemmed into a small cardboard box??

Greg