Need a car for freeway driving (79 mph, 100 mi/day)

[dullard]

I'd figure out how many hours / wk you work then add in drive time and figure out your $ / hr. Then you can see what you could accept closer if you have to take a paycut.

I'd be taking a $/hour paycut and loss of benefits to work closer to home. I only accepted the job for a great position and much higher pay.

 

[dullard]

Focus
Cruze

Thanks, I'll look into them.

 

[LTC8K6]

The Passat TDI has a larger fuel tank than the Jetta TDI, giving a longer time between fill ups. 795 miles per tank versus 609 for the Jetta.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

With that much seat time on the freeway I'd be looking for a bigger car than a civic or prius. I have a Honda fit and it works great for what I need but it is buzzy at 80 and prone to being thrown around by wind at high speeds like other small cars. Maybe an accord or fusion?

 

[LTC8K6]

I would be looking at vehicles with a long range per tank. The Passat TDI and the Nissan Altima, for example. Both have large fuel tanks and good highway mileage and can go a long way between fill ups.

The Altima 2.5 is rated 38 highway and has an 18 gallon tank.

The Passat TDI manual is 43 highway with an 18.5 gallon tank. The auto is 40 highway.

 

[jaedaliu]

With that much seat time on the freeway I'd be looking for a bigger car than a civic or prius. I have a Honda fit and it works great for what I need but it is buzzy at 80 and prone to being thrown around by wind at high speeds like other small cars. Maybe an accord or fusion?

I have to agree. A heavier car is much easier to drive on the highway.

However, heavier cars have worse fuel economy. I don't remember how fast I drove in the prius that I rented, but it didn't have any of the shaking or sideways-drifting that I've experienced with smaller rentals.

Diesel engines have extremely good fuel economy on the highway. If you're always at highway speed, take a second look at them. Also, if you're always at highway speeds, I don't think comfort is that big of a deal. A 40 minute commute each way doesn't seem bad at all to me.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Weight isn't as much a factor once you get to freeway speeds. Aerodynamics are key. I haven't looked but I'd guess at 80 you wouldn't lose much mpg in a well designed big car vs a small car that is in the upper rpm range of their small engine while the big car is just easing along at 80.

 

[rancherlee]

Hybrid would be almost useless and not cost effective in this situation. My second gen (2010) fusion with the 2.5L N/A gives me 33-37mpg with the cruise set @ 80, hell I just returned from the Black Hills with the family and my total trip average was 34.8mpg with lots of 75-80mph interstate cruising and few days of playing in the Hills. The new Fusion should do even better with the areo improvements. My sister and her families Corolla manual tranny finished the trip with a 34.6 mpg average, the mileage tanked in the Hills but exceeded my Fusion by 1-2mpg on the interstate

 

[kitatech]

The Civic needs repairs (nothing major, but probably needs $1500 into it to make it great again). But then, I've had it for 12 years and it is time to move on. What recently used cars that meet my criteria are $15,000 less than new right now? The little that I've seen is about $3000 less for a 3 year old car. I'll take the warranty, newer features, knowledge that no one else drove over grandma with the car, lack of someone else's stench, etc. for $3k.

The fuel economy isn't about the money. It is about my willingness to go somewhere. I'm hardwired with every trip I take to first calculate how much gas it will be and is it worth going. That quirk of my personality leaves me home more often than I probably should be. A better fuel efficiency would lead to a better quality of life. Even if I end up paying more upfront than I ever make back. I'm ok with large purchases every 12 years or so. It is the nickel and diming every day that really bothers me.

I can and do understand EVERYthing you've talked about...I'm with you all the way...really.

It is no real deal getting a 3 year old car any more...they're almost as much as new, considering 0% new car loan rates...

...but the $25k cars that have been mentioned on this page can be found for $10-15k, under 50k miles, and only 5 years old...that's what I used to do...until I got a 2005/7 yr old Camry with 100k miles for $7k OTD that is tighter, showroom tight in fact, than any 50k mile-3 years newer car than I've typically bought...and since I run them to their end I've saved a lot...
It gets 34-35mpg @ 70-75mph....

 

[iamwiz82]

Hybrid would be almost useless and not cost effective in this situation. My second gen (2010) fusion with the 2.5L N/A gives me 33-37mpg with the cruise set @ 80, hell I just returned from the Black Hills with the family and my total trip average was 34.8mpg with lots of 75-80mph interstate cruising and few days of playing in the Hills. The new Fusion should do even better with the areo improvements. My sister and her families Corolla manual tranny finished the trip with a 34.6 mpg average, the mileage tanked in the Hills but exceeded my Fusion by 1-2mpg on the interstate

I just did a 900 mile trip in a Fusion w/ 2.0 ecoboost and averaged 31.5MPG. I was a bit surprised it was so low. Ok car for the freeway though.

 

[EagleKeeper]

for me, comfort wins the day. I would sit in the ones you have listed, plus the camry hybrid. One of them is going to stand out for your particular body.
After you kick the worst off the list, go back and sit in the remaining cars a half hour. After all, you plan on sitting there for 3800 hours or so.

Take this one step further.

Rent each of the second set each for a week and test. The extra $300-$400 that you will spend wil lbe a worthwhile investment in your comfort.

 

[Anubis]

this thread interest me as ill soon be in the market for a similar vehical. I deive ~100 miles a day at ~75

Currently drive a Saab 9-2x that is about to hit 150k

 

[Anubis]

But, my suggestion of moving closer to where you work still stands. EDIT: Get new jobs. Seriously. Ridiculous. I never live further than biking distance from a job (That way if my car explodes, I can still bike there in 30 minutes to an hour at the most).

i want to address this, i have a good paying job and live 53 miles from it.

its cheaper to buy a new car and have a car payment then it is to move closer. in many parts of this country what you want is impossiable.

yes i could buy a house within 5 miles from where i work but it would cost north of 300k and flat out isnt worth it considering i currently dont have a house/rent payment

 

[nerp]

Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 with 8/speed transmission. 33-34 mpg easily. Look at the RPMs and speed.

 

[nerp]

Oh, 87 octane gas, I might add. Gotta love the 3.6 Pentastar.

 

[KentState]

Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 with 8/speed transmission. 33-34 mpg easily. Look at the RPMs and speed.

Not bad, especially if you have dubs and fake air vents on the side 😛

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Not bad, especially if you have dubs and fake air vents on the side 😛

They give a free fur pimp coat when you buy one.
Just kidding. They are nice cars ruined by the crowd that pimps these cars. Just like the 64 impala has been ruined.

 

[Zor Prime]

Get a Civic Hybrid or save some pennies and get a Civic HF if you don't want to deal with electric bits. The 2013's are supposed to be very nice ...

 

[suse920]

I have a very similar commute and drive a 2013 Passat TDI.
75 mile commute, mostly at 75-80mph.
I average around 42mpg.

I test drove all the competitors. I've never owned a diesel car before, but instantly loved the engine. I came from driving a 5.4 V8 F150, and it's really nice to be able to cruise at 75 mph at 2k rpms.

Seats have been fine. The leatherette is actually a really nice material. They are perforated and I've never had any "sticking" issues even on the hottest days.

I bought the car for my commute, and it does that job wonderfully. I don't think owning a diesel is for everyone, but I happen to live in an area where it is readily available and the pricing is competitive. The stereo is fantastic, it came with all the features I wanted (besides backup sensors and HIDs), it has enough power to make things interesting, and it's fuel economy at high speeds is fantastic. I can drive this car hard and it still spits out great mpgs.

I've also driven a family member's Prius fairly extensively, but could never own one. It is just too boring to drive. Accelerating is painful, you press the go pedal and get a whirring sound with nothing behind it.

The honda accord and ford fusion were my second and third choices while shopping.
I'm planning on moving a bit closer to work, so I might be going back to an SUV for my next car.
Planning on keeping the Passat to 50k miles.

 

[LTC8K6]

Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 with 8/speed transmission. 33-34 mpg easily. Look at the RPMs and speed.

Many modern cars are in that range at that speed. I believe my 2008 GC with Hemi and 5 speed is close to that. A little higher because it's a brick. :biggrin:

Your top gear is still .67 I believe, which I believe is the same as the top gear was with the earlier 5 speed, and the same as my GC 5 speed.

The newer Chrysler 5, 6, and 8 speeds for RWD are all .67:1 in top gear as far as I know. I think the only exception is in the heavy duty trucks.

The highway mileage in real world testing should be nearly the same with the 5 speed 3.6L V6 Charger and the 8 Speed 3.6L V6 charger.

The only difference would be the rear end gearing, which I don't know. The 8 speed may allow a more economical rear end gear.

EDIT: The cheaper Charger version today must still have the W5A580, which was .83:1 in 5th. Which would explain the highway economy difference.

 

[chucky2]

I'm a Ford guy, but, the nicest riding best real world dollars per mile (which is the metric that means the most) will in all likelihood by the Passat TDI. There is only one problem...

...and that is, if you are keeping the car out of warranty, VW has a problem with the High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) nuking, and causing $5000-$8000 in fuel system repairs - each time it may happen. Right now most (all?) folks that have had it happen are in warranty, but, once they're out...WTF do you do with a higher mileage/older car that is now junked?

As of yet, VW has not acknowledged they have a problem and will come out with a real fix, they've only agreed to fix the in warranty vehicles.

It was thought the Passat TDI would maybe be spared this malady because it uses Urea and was coming out after the Jetta TDI and Golf TDI...but alas, I believe there has been at least one reported case of the HPFP issue on a Passat TDI. Head on over to www.tdiclub.com to verfiy if you'd like.

Sort of a gamble really. Nicer car, nicer ride, best $/mi, but this huge hanging over your head Risk that the car might junk itself. It could junk itself multiple times even.

Chuck

 

[Topweasel]

I just did a 900 mile trip in a Fusion w/ 2.0 ecoboost and averaged 31.5MPG. I was a bit surprised it was so low. Ok car for the freeway though.

The 2.0 is a much different beast then the 2.5. At 80 MPH, you are roughly at ~3k, that's 1k into the turbo range, I would be surprised if a person got more then 27 MPG. Which is not bad. You are going to be hard pressed to find to many 240 HP cars that get much better and the ones that do have a super high ratio final drive. The 6th in the Fusion still keeps the car in usable range for decent acceleration without dropping you down in 5th.

The 1.6 is more comparable to the 2.5. But while being more efficient in the sub 70 hwy EPA test. It will be probably get low 30's at 80 for the same reason, so far into the Turbo range.

 

[Topweasel]

I'll throw one out from left field, but you can get them packed with luxury and I hear they are a blast to drive.

Dodge Dart GT.

Fantastic fuel economy, pretty cheap, and they are loading up the interiors compared to other cars of it class. Pretty basic design mechanically so it should be easy to maintain.

23k will all the bells and whistles including heated steering wheel.

 

[_Rick_]

Merc CLA starts at $30k
Great Cd at least on that car, and a 200 HP turbo I4 with 7 spd twin clutch box.
Base model doesn't look too depressing.

 

[MixMasterTang]

i want to address this, i have a good paying job and live 53 miles from it.

its cheaper to buy a new car and have a car payment then it is to move closer. in many parts of this country what you want is impossiable.

yes i could buy a house within 5 miles from where i work but it would cost north of 300k and flat out isnt worth it considering i currently dont have a house/rent payment

I'm on the flip side of you, I live in the more expensive part of the city, but it is where the best schools are (but I do only drive 27 miles each way). But seeing as how Trident is still in his teens he has no idea about real careers/home ownership/kids/relationships/etc.