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Does anyone know of a good fuel-efficient car. I need a fuel efficient vehicle for weekends because I drive more miles on weekends than I do during the week. On average, I drive about 300 miles every weekend due to going to run errands, shopping, and so on. I have a 2008 Nissan Armada LE, which is good for me during the work week because of carpooling and so on, but not good for the weekends because it is such a gas guzzler. I would have a lot of trouble financially putting fuel in my Armada every weekend to just burn it all out all in one day. I have thought about a Toyota Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid. Anyone out there drive a hybrid or have any suggestions to an ultra feul efficient car? I need suggestions!
Well, I realize you're probably looking for something newer ... but I drive a '96 Suzuki Esteem. 40mpg highway. Can pass most anything on the road. Comfortable for a few hundred miles - more so than comparable Subarus I have driven. Folks are making a big deal out of tiny things that get 40 mpg - but mine has been doing it for over 10 years! I'd bet the newer models (they don't make "Esteems" anymore) are just as good.
Buy American! After fuel prices go back down. 'Til then, I'm in with Suzuki.
Have you actually figured out the difference in costs? If you can't afford to fill your gas tank for your weekend driving, how can you afford the additional car payment, licensing and insurance costs of an additional vehicle? It doesn't make any sense.
EPA mileage estimates for the Armada are 12 in the city and 17 on the highway. Assuming that you're only getting 12 mpg, you'll be buying 25 gallons of gas for your weekend driving. If you get a car that gets 40 mpg, then you'll buy 7.5 gallons of gas for the same 300 miles. At $3.00 a gallon, you'll be putting $75 in the tank for the Armada and $22.50 in the tank for the efficient car. That's a difference of $52.50.
That's a difference of about $227.50 a month - which is probably less than you'd be paying for a car payment for the new, more efficient car. Add insurance and licensing on to that. At best, you'd break even by buying a new car. At worst, you'll wind up spending even more money by having the second car than you would just buying gas in your Armada.
Now, if you aren't worried about making a statement about how successful you are, then you could pick up a ten-year-old economy car for a $2000 - $3000 cash and carry only liability coverage. It will pay for itself in a year in fuel savings. But, considering your other car you might not like this idea very much.
Find yourself a cheap, old 90's Civic hatchback (minus the Si model--theyre not as good on gas as the DX or EX models). They run forever, get good gas mileage and are fun to drive (with a manual trans). Im just wondering where you drive 300 miles on weekends! YOUCH!!!!
sean's pretty much got the economics of this situation figured out.
the older small cars with high fuel economy are now of an age and mileage where the maintenance costs will defeat your fuel savings, unless you're willing to settle for a lot less car/convenience and do a lot of the maintenance work yourself.
You should also be thinking about why you are driving 300 miles on weekends. If you live far from work, you need to look at the economics of living far from work vs. paying for your house and your vehicles. It may be something as simple as cutting back on your shopping and buying stuff more locally or ordering off the internet to save gas.
Rather than buying a second vehicle I would suggest buying a fuel-efficient car and selling the Armada. The Armada is going to continue to be a gas hog and you'll have to pay insurance on two vehicles.
Another option... If your friends are carpooling with you, you need to have them pay for the increase in price of gas, plus the cost to you of holding onto the Armada just to have the extra leg room for them. Any other person would have dumped the SUV at this point, but you seem attached to it because of carpooling.
There is a solution here, I'm sure you'll work something out.
You should also be thinking about why you are driving 300 miles on weekends. If you live far from work, you need to look at the economics of living far from work vs. paying for your house and your vehicles. It may be something as simple as cutting back on your shopping and buying stuff more locally or ordering off the internet to save gas.
Rather than buying a second vehicle I would suggest buying a fuel-efficient car and selling the Armada. The Armada is going to continue to be a gas hog and you'll have to pay insurance on two vehicles.
Another option... If your friends are carpooling with you, you need to have them pay for the increase in price of gas, plus the cost to you of holding onto the Armada just to have the extra leg room for them. Any other person would have dumped the SUV at this point, but you seem attached to it because of carpooling.
There is a solution here, I'm sure you'll work something out.
Here's the thing though. My Armada is on a two year lease, which means if I try to return it by breaking the lease, it would cost me some big cash to do so. I prefer to lease my vehicles instead of buying. I had a 2005 Altima 3.5 SE as well, but the lease ended on that earlier this month, the Altima was my weekend car. I am looking to replace it now and was hoping to get a car that was fuel-efficient for weekends because I do so much going here and going there. During the week, I just go to work and that is about it and I don't travel that far going to work, so a full tank will usually get me through a whole week. I think that by leasing another vehicle that burns less gas I might be able to save money rather than putting 2-3 full tanks into my Armada every week.
Find yourself a cheap, old 90's Civic hatchback (minus the Si model--theyre not as good on gas as the DX or EX models). They run forever, get good gas mileage and are fun to drive (with a manual trans). Im just wondering where you drive 300 miles on weekends! YOUCH!!!!
I drive nearly 300 miles a weekend due to shopping, paying bills, going to visit people, and much more. I am a person that likes to stay on the go when I have time off and I can not stand just sitting at home all day when I don't have to go to work. LOL.
Here's the thing though. My Armada is on a two year lease, which means if I try to return it by breaking the lease, it would cost me some big cash to do so. I prefer to lease my vehicles instead of buying. I had a 2005 Altima 3.5 SE as well, but the lease ended on that earlier this month, the Altima was my weekend car. I am looking to replace it now and was hoping to get a car that was fuel-efficient for weekends because I do so much going here and going there. During the week, I just go to work and that is about it and I don't travel that far going to work, so a full tank will usually get me through a whole week. I think that by leasing another vehicle that burns less gas I might be able to save money rather than putting 2-3 full tanks into my Armada every week.
if you are leasing another car, it is extremely unlikely that any fuel economy gain is going to offset the additional costs of operating the second car, especially since whatever savings you would see will be swallowed up by the security deposit on your lease.
Your best bet is to just keep the Armada for now and to make a more rational choice in two years for your next car.
Does your leased Armada have a mileage cap on the agreement? If you are doing 300 miles on the weekends, I could see you reaching that cap prematurely and suffering a large penalty when you turn it in.
I was going to suggest a 92-95 Civic DX or VX hatchback for your weekend travels.
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I have thought about a Toyota Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid. Anyone out there drive a hybrid or have any suggestions to an ultra feul efficient car? I need suggestions!
