Fuel efficient commuters?

[mangyhyena]

When we make the move to a homestead, I expect to do a fair amount of driving to get back and forth to work, between 60 and 120 miles round trip. (I'm willing to drive an hour to work and an hour back in order to live at a homestead that is paid off with no mortgage. The home will be off-grid, BTW.) Like many of you I believe gas prices will skyrocket within 10 years and I'd rather not be knocked down by that.

So, I need to plan for a way to keep my fuel costs down now so I'm ready when we actually move.

One thought I had was a Toyota MR2, older model. They get around 30 MPG and they are under $2,000. And it's the car I like most, aesthetics-wise.

Another thought is to convert that same car to electric if my round trip commute turns out to be within an electric car's range. Or, I'd be willing to replace the gas engine with a small diesel for use with bio-diesel, if that's even possible. If there is a diesel engine that could be put in an MR2 and you know about it please post what you know.

Yet another thought is to get a used diesel Jetta and produce bio-diesel to help supplement my fuel cost.

I had considered an old Geo Metro, but I'm not sure about the cost involved with keeping it on the road. I'm willing to replace the engine and transmission on any used vehicle I buy, but I'm not sure a Metro is worth refurbishing. Maybe I'm wrong, you tell me.


Any thoughts on this or other suggestions? My main concern is keeping the gas cost down, down to zero would be best. lol.

[Tightwad]

My advice is to buy any Toyota or Honda that you
like & can get cheap and keep it for the time being.

Why keep it?

With the changing technology that will happen fast
when oil gets real expensive you want a car you can
dump with no intervening cars in the middle to cost
more money.

This is the plan I'm following with my Chevy's. While
they are not that cheap on gas they get driven so
little now I can afford to wait out the next jump
in car fuels technology. Why buy over & over & over
when one car kept & driven as little as possible is
cheaper than any other plan.

Others will chime in with more info on the cheapest
cars out there just buy with an eye towards keeping
the one you do buy to make that jump later.

[nightshift]

Mangyhyena,

My wife drives an 01 Toyota Corolla with a 5-speed. She is kind of a lead foot and gets 32 mpg around town. I've been driving it lately and get about 34-35. On the highway, I average between 41 and 47 but in the low 40's generally. I don't believe any of the new hybrids can do that not counting the high costs.

A 4 banger/5-speed Corolla or civic are your best bet. Some of the other small cars could serve but don't hold up as well or get quite the mpg. Nothing wrong with the VW's either especially if you want diesel. MR2's are sweet but with a little sedan, 5 people can go if needed....Don't know your needs. Heck a 4 banger, 5-speed Ranger will get close to 30 mpg on the highway if you need a truck.

You may also consider a motorcycle depending on your weather. I'm not talking some Harley or something. Heck a corolla gets better mpg, but a 250cc to 500 cc would get from 70 to 100 mpg maybe. YOu will want enough room to at least have a small BOB of stuff to hike home with if things go south. Heck, thats why you are moving into the boonies anyway... ;).

[jlmissouri]

In my opinion a VW Rabbit can't be beat as the ultimate economy vehicle. The prices on these cars have started to sky rocket because of that. Diesel is the only option to achieve ultimate economy in these vehicles. Jetta's have the same engine, but get poorer mpg because of the added weight, but they would be my second pick. I bought an old Rabbit pickup a year ago, I drive 60 miles round trip to work. It hasn't given me any problems, and gets around 50 mpg, no joke. I got 42 mpg this week, and that was loaded half the time, moving my girlfriend. Diesel engines don't eat up as much money with maintenance, and last longer than there gas counterparts. I have another Diesel Rabbit with almost 300,000 miles, and it still runs good.

[kawalekm]

I'm very opinionated on this subject. My top choices must include just three words; small, stick, and diesel. I think the diesel VW is your very best choice, especially if you get a 5 speed. Remember, the more the car weighs, the lower the milage will be. The MR2 is a nice car, but it is designed more for sportyness then economy and has a correspondingly bigger engine. The Corolla however is designed more for economy and would fit your requirements better. Don't think 30mpg of some kind of wonderful milestone to meet. I have a 4 cyl. Saturn with a 5 speed and get 35-37mpg for daily commuting, and 40's on highway trips. If mileage ever drop to 30 I'd be furious! As for the Ford Ranger, I used to have a 4X4 will the 3.0liter engine and 5speed. It never in its lifetime got better than 24mpg! The biggest single savings you can get for your transportation though is performing your own maintainence. You can change your own oil, do tuneups, change brakes, and replace components like alternators and pumps, for far less money than taking it to the shop.

[Steve90]

I like VW diesels as well, but I'm curious as to why Ford or GM cant help out. GM(Vauxhall over here) and Ford both sell smaller cars that are diesel powered. I think they sell largely the same cars there, - escort or focus for example, and they sell lots of diesel cars here. Is this because they think you wont buy them, or is there some other reason? Certainly diesel engines have come on a lot. I've driven new diesels where you almost have to look under the bonnet to see what it is. The noise and vibration you used to get, and I still do with the landrover, are a thing of the past.

[Tightwad]

One of the really bad points about diesels is that they
can be a huge pain in the butt in colder climates.
Everything from fuel gelling to getting (and keeping)
the diesel engine running.

As far as an internal combustion engine goes diesel is
better all'round compared to gasoline. If we could just
make them more cold friendly.............Darn!!!!!!!

[GREEN_ALIEN]

One of the really bad points about diesels is that they
can be a huge pain in the butt in colder climates.
Everything from fuel gelling to getting (and keeping)
the diesel engine running.

It is true that older Diesel engines were a pain in the cold it just no longer really applies. My Powerstroke fires up on the first cycle of the glow plugs all winter long and it is commonly below zero, sometimes substantially below.

A little bottle of anti gel in the farm tank and it never gels up.

Ted
Crabapple Ranch

[JAK]

A 60 mile commute is a challenge because you probably want to do it at a good speed. A 30 mile commute is something that is getting within the range of an alternative vehicle, even an electric bicycle, for at least half the year anyways. 120 miles a day you would be doing very well I think to keep your costs down below $20 per day as prices go up, which over 250 working days a year is $5000, in after tax dollars assuming you can't deduct the expense. 60 miles a day you would knock that down to $2500 per year right off the bat, and safe most of the $10 a day every day you take your electric bike. 30-40 miles a day is more within the range of an electric bike however, which can be put together yourself and avoid insurance. 60 miles a day and I think you are into the range of an electric car, which is easy enough in theory, but a little more tricky to actually get registered and insured. The other option is to live on the other side of a lake or river and commute by water, and least when it is either solid or liquid and not something in between.

Anyhow, hope you get settled. The $5000/year is not as bad as it sounds, as long as you can earn enough and save enough to make it up. The farther from the madding crowd the better. Thinking down the road to if prices go really high then you might be able to produce your own fuel cheaper, and the government might be forced to allow people to purchase lighter vehicles. If not there is always the motorcycle and sidecar option.

[Tuckahoe]

My last(crummy) job was as a car salesman for a Honda dealership. I got to drive anything and everything. All things considered I would take a Honda Civic over anything in the Honda line. While they are not a $2,000.00 beater they do hold value and and keep going and going.

[skinnymc]

We are now living on your homestead in Hohenwald, TN. We did not make much money on the sale of our last house, so I needed to find work quickly. It took about 3 months but I have a job that is 90 miles away (180 miles round trip, every day). I have a '92 Honda Accord that is getting about 30 mpg and that is booking it everyday. The car has 234,000 miles on it but runs great and uses no oil.

[Westcliffe01]

Mangyhyena: *There is only 1 answer for your situation: Honda Insight = 60mpg

Here is a listing by Mother earth on economy vehicles:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/gallery.aspx?id=114282

Failing that, get a Prius and fit a plug in kit. *The ROI grows dramatically when you have a long way to go.

An even better solution is to find something you can do at home / online. *What line of work are you in ?

Just remember, 2 hours of lost time every day is a lot. That cost has to be added to actual purchase / maintainance / fuel costs of running the vehicle.

[Rancher]

What Ted said is true. I have used diesel in my trucks and tractors for many years. Here in Colorado we get cold temperatures in our mountains and even plains areas. Modern Diesel engines have no trouble starting in cold weather. About 20 to 25 years ago the Environmentalists pressured the government to pass regulations prohibiting refineries from adding anti-gel material to diesel fuel. So, since then we all add our own anti-gel material in the winter. I personally use Power Service or Howes anti-gel concentrate to our bulk tank on the ranch and about 3 ounces to each 30 gallons of fuel in our light truck tanks. Untreated Number 2 Diesel tends to gel at about 20 to 30 degrees below zero. Take care of this and you should have no trouble with diesel fuel.