fuel efficient car for high highway mileage.

McLoki

I turned in my 2 week notice at my empoyer yesterday and starting April 2nd will be working at a new job about 50min (90% expressway) from my house. I will be putting about 500-800 miles per week on my car. As much as I love my charger - it is just not an ideal car for that kind of mileage.

What cars out there get really good highway mileage. I expect to be putting about 30,000 miles per year so reliability is definately a requirement. I am not sure about a hybrid since they mostly seem tuned for city mileage and I am not sure how long the batteries are supposed to last with illinois winters and mostly highway driving. (the batteries on most of these charge with the brakes I think)

Just wondering what you all recommend or is it just worth it to keep the charger I have and drive it till it dies. (I get about 18mpg city and 23mpg highway right now with the charger) If it matters, my average highway speed is about 72mph with the cruise on.

Thanks,

Michael

jdhdiggs

What's your price range and other requirements (4 door, full size trunk, hatchback ok, etc...)?

MSALLA

Keep the Charger. 23 on the highway is not all that bad. But,a 50min drive in a car you don't really like and has bad pickup is not a fun trip.

sda2mike

blv it or not.....i got 31 mpg with my 98 z28! after doing some mods, tourque converter, switching from 2.73 to 3.73 gears, some exhaust work and tuning, it was still good for 28mpg. HIGHWAY BTW!!!:p it was a good car for hwy cruising. my 96 civic still get 35 mpg. the z28 i sold 4yrs ago. the honda is not quitiing yet after 157k!

TN_Polk_Lover

I've had nothing but Honda / Acura cars for the last 6 years or so between my wife, my daughter, and me. You can't beat them for dependability and all around good gas mileage. Toyota / Lexus are also extremely reliable. Toyota/Lexus tend to be a little quieter, little less road noise, but tend to ride and handle "softer" -- less sporty feel. Honda/Acura are quiet except have more road noise. But their handling / steering / road feel can't be beat for the price. Of course, my opinion, YMMV. . .

madmax

November of this year I got the Scion xB. It appears to be one of those reliable type cars. So far the mileage has averaged 32mpg city over the past 7 fillups. (worst case was 29 and best was 35). Plenty-O-room too, if you don't mind a toaster looking thing. So far I've actually enjoyed driving it more than anything else I've owned. I've been a Chevy guy most of my life with Blazers, pickups, a Monte-Carlo SS and a few Camaros. With insurance, gas, maint etc I've figured 23 cents a mile if I put 13K a year on it until 200K... Less time/more mileage would be more savings.
madmax

shack

Given your driving will be mainly highway I WOULD NOT get a hybrid. The savings comes from the electic motor running during idling or stop and go traffic. They actually do not do as well as some on the highway. Here is Edumund's most economical list. It's hard to go wrong with a Honda. The Mini Cooper is fun to drive (if you can fit in it).

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/119083/article.html

As far as driving the Charger...it is really a math problem. First figure out how much you will have to spend for the new car of your choice after trading in the Charger. Second figure out fuel used and then calculate the $ savings per month times the useful life of the Charger and see which one is less. If you are going to spend $20,000 over the next 3 or 4 years to save $10,000 in fuel costs...you may want to just keep the Charger. Of course there are variable such as gas price increases and actual avaliability that are unknown. Then there is always the "NEW CAR" euphoria....but that doesn't last long when you are shelling out each month for payments.

strider

MSALLA wrote:

Keep the Charger. 23 on the highway is not all that bad. But,a 50min drive in a car you don't really like and has bad pickup is not a fun trip.

Very good points. My concern would be maintenance costs, though. Highway miles are much easier on a car vs city driving, but the mileage would be piling on. This would also affect resale, but if you're driving it 'til it dies that shouldn't be a concern. I'm partial to Toyotas, all the Scions get decent mpg, as does the Yaris. If i had to get a commuting car right now, I'd probably get a Scion TC with the manual transmission.

MSALLA

strider wrote:

Very good points. My concern would be maintenance costs, though. Highway miles are much easier on a car vs city driving, but the mileage would be piling on. This would also affect resale, but if you're driving it 'til it dies that shouldn't be a concern. I'm partial to Toyotas, all the Scions get decent mpg, as does the Yaris. If i had to get a commuting car right now, I'd probably get a Scion TC with the manual transmission.

Toyotas make a great car. But, maintenance costs on foreign cars higher then domestic cars. Either way, 30,000 miles a year on any new car is something they should handel with no serious problems. Todays cars are built pretty well.

nadams

If you keep driving the charger, you're going to destroy your resale value, even if it's in perfect shape. With a Honda or Toyota, people know that they're good for 300k+ miles. The blue book on my car when I bought it was 11k with 99k miles on it! That's for an '01 accord....

exalted512

scion xB is supposed to be one of the cheapest all around cars now. I'd never own one b/c I think they look like a brick on wheels, but to each his own.

How about a nice harley?:D
-Cody

ben62670

First choice Toy by a long shot
Second Honda
Seeing thats most highway driving get the stick.
Parts for toys and Honda's are cheaper, and more available than a lot of other import cars.

McLoki

Ok, additional info:
Need 4 doors. (hatchback ok)
It will be a work car with a ton of miles so I would rather purchase something for under 23or so max. (preferably under 20) - Just no matter what I spend, my resale will suck due to miles. I would prefer to spend less if possible. Used is fine, but most foriegn used cars (at dealers anyway) they seem to want very close to the sticker of a new car. It just doesn't seem worth going used for small foreign cars right now.

I was really thinking of trying a scion Xb. The price is certanly right and it seems pretty roomy (like a small minivan) but damn do they look ugly. (just my opinion of course)

Then again - for a work car, how good does it have to look? Local dealer has some Xa and XC's in stock, but no Xb's. I assume based on that, you get to pay close to sticker for them. (then again, sticker is about 15k so its not that bad)

Michael

shawn474

I was in the same situation a few years ago. I had an SUV and needed something more practical for an hour and 10 minute commute each way. I got a Toyota Camry and haven't looked back since. I get right around 30 mpg (a little more or less depending on traffic and it is a manual transmission). I got it brand new in Aug. 2005 and have just flipped 70,000 miles on it. The only thing I have done is oil changes tire rotations and new tires just recently. Runs like the day I bought it.

Shawn

mldennison

i do about the same amount of driving (mostly highway) as you will be and my '01 accord gets about 30mpg. mine is a 4cyl and it has plenty of power for me, but then again i am not really a car guy...

SDA SRS 1.2

mldennison wrote:

i do about the same amount of driving (mostly highway) as you will be and my '01 accord gets about 30mpg. mine is a 4cyl and it has plenty of power for me, but then again i am not really a car guy...

Another vote for the Accord. My Dad's '06 has the 3.0 V6 (244 HP) and consistently gets 30-32 on the highway and has excellent passing power.

strider

MSALLA wrote:

Toyotas make a great car. But, maintenance costs on foreign cars higher then domestic cars. Either way, 30,000 miles a year on any new car is something they should handel with no serious problems. Todays cars are built pretty well.

I guess I really am concerned with reliability issues rather then maintenance costs, whic is obviously different then what I posted. Having no first hand experience with today's domestic cars, I defer to you regarding their reliability. My opinion's really just based on experience with older (late 80's/early 90's) domestics. That being said, the only non-maintenance item I've had to address on my Tacoma has been starter contacts in the 70k miles I've owned it. I do the maintenance myself, which of course makes it cheap; so far it's been pretty easy, too.

Mcloki- The Xb grew on me after sitting inside it for a bit. It's really functional, you can do a lot with them. When you're sitting inside you also can't see the outside as well. Regarding paying the sticker price, I don't think there's a lot of haggle room with them price-wise. If you get down to buying one, I may be able to run the numbers by a couple of friends and see how good the price is they're offering.

tommyboy

McLoki wrote:

It will be a work car with a ton of miles so I would rather purchase something for under 23or so max. (preferably under 20) -

Mike, If you want to use this car just for going to work and back, Are you sure you even want to spend 23 grand on a car? There are plenty of new cars well under that which have great MPG.

You have your charger to show off;) , why spend 23000 on a car thats just going to get beat up(just my opinion:) )?

madmax

ben62670 wrote:

Seeing thats most highway driving get the stick.

Yea, get the stick. I had never had one until now and can't believe I've always bought automatics. Never again!
madmax

Edit: On the xB price no one would budge a penny for me. However, when it came time to pay there were no additional unknown charges either. They even filled up the tank before I left. All standard operating procedure on the Scions. I've heard of some who would haggle but they are not supposed to.

MattN03

TN_Polk_Lover wrote:

I've had nothing but Honda / Acura cars for the last 6 years or so between my wife, my daughter, and me. You can't beat them for dependability and all around good gas mileage. Toyota / Lexus are also extremely reliable. Toyota/Lexus tend to be a little quieter, little less road noise, but tend to ride and handle "softer" -- less sporty feel. Honda/Acura are quiet except have more road noise. But their handling / steering / road feel can't be beat for the price. Of course, my opinion, YMMV. . .

I would agree with this completely. My wife has made me a believer in Honda cars as she bought a 02 Accord coupe before we got married. It's been very reliable (except for some brake problems that are likely due to driving conditions/driving style), gets reasonable MPG at around 29-30 on the interstate with the 4 cylinder/auto. Her parents have a newer model Camry that has been reliable, but rides softer-much like my parents Crown Vic. I prefer the Honda driving feel anyday.

I have a 97 Ranger that gets 27-28 MPG interstate with the 4 cylinder/5 speed. My modified 03 Mach 1 Mustang has gotten 29 MPG a couple times, so even more powerful cars can get respectable MPG.

SLOCOOKN

Congrats on the new job!,....

97 Honda Accord 116,**** last fill up 32.657 mpg. no problems..

Buy a used car. You are going to destroy the value too much with all the miles.

ledhed

My mom has not worked less than 30 minutes away from home in over 10 years. Her last two cars have been GM (Oldsmobile and a Buick) with the 3.8L V6. THe Oldsmobile was in use until 220,000 miles when we sold it (only problem at the time was a slight transmission glitch) and she now has a LeSabre.

I know neither of these cars are the type you are looking for but, the 3800 platform is solid and the engine was even voted one of the best engines of the 20th century by Wards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward%27s_10_Best_Engines#20th_Century). GM is still using this platform though I'm not sure on which cars. I know my mom averages high 20s and low 30s constantly.

Of course, Corvettes can also get MPG in the high 20s. Just food for thought

MSALLA

Mcloki, are you going to keep the charger also or trading that in?

McLoki

MSALLA wrote:

Mcloki, are you going to keep the charger also or trading that in?

I am quite sad to say that if a new car comes in - the charger will be traded in on it. I am looking for a lower payment and better mileage. If the mileage is within 8mpg or so of my charger I would not consider it worth getting rid of. I really do love the charger - just not practical for my current (future) needs.

Hey - its only a car, if my situation changes I can always get another one.

Michael

MrNightly

Go test drive a VW Jetta TDI. That thing still have a bunch of spunk, will get you over 45mph on the Highway, and is extremely comfy. They can be had for just around 20K new, and the new models are super dependable.

Give it a whirl, see if it tickles your fancy. The money you save on gas, will more than pay for itself in the long run!

madmax

Just do all the math first. I figured out that you would be spending $3884/yr feeding the charger (@20mpg) and if you got a 32 mpg car you would be feeding it $2354/yr. So, if you bought an xB it would take you 10 years to actually pay for it with the gas savings alone. It would have 312,000 miles on it by that time. Every scenario would be a little different so calculate them all before you make a decision. Remember to subtract the loss from when you sell the charger. It could be that the loss will be the deciding factor. After all, you don't want to drive something else if you are still loosing money in the end.
madmax

tommyboy

MrNightly wrote:

Go test drive a VW Jetta TDI. That thing still have a bunch of spunk, will get you over 45mph on the Highway, and is extremely comfy.

Wow, you got yourself a fast car there;)

Sami

MrNightly wrote:

Give it a whirl, see if it tickles your fancy. The money you save on gas, will more than pay for itself in the long run!

Yes, don't want to spend money on gas? Get a diesel...

shack

madmax wrote:

Just do all the math first. I figured out that you would be spending $3884/yr feeding the charger (@20mpg) and if you got a 32 mpg car you would be feeding it $2354/yr. So, if you bought an xB it would take you 10 years to actually pay for it with the gas savings alone. It would have 312,000 miles on it by that time. Every scenario would be a little different so calculate them all before you make a decision. Remember to subtract the loss from when you sell the charger. It could be that the loss will be the deciding factor. After all, you don't want to drive something else if you are still loosing money in the end.
madmax

This is what I was trying to get at in an earlier post. Chances are you are not going to keep the new car 10 years so you would need to spead the savings over the life of the new vehicle and the NET cost difference.

Based on Madmax's figures a 32 mpg car would save you $1,500 a year in gas. If you could trade the Charger in for a vehicle for net $9,000 more and drive it for 6 years it would be a wash. If it cost net $6,000 more you would recover your cost in 4 years. If gas prices increase the time to recover the net cost would be less.

dane_peterson

My top two suggestions for you:
'06 VW Jetta TDI (46MPG hwy)
'06 Toyota Corolla CE/S/LE (40MPG hwy)

The VW would probably run you about $20k, and the Corolla around $16k. I personally prefer the Jetta, but that's cuz I drive one currently.

MSALLA

What about buying a used econo box for cash just to get back and forth to work. Then you could keep the charger an not put the miles on something where you will lose alot of money. No matter how the car holds up, the value on anything you put that kind of milage on in that amount of time is going to loose value fast. If you spent like $9000 on a used car ( like a nissan sentra or something) you could have the best of both worlds.