Most efficient car for 80 miles per day (price, prices, old)

[yellowsnow]

TDI Golf. 50mpg and it will last for at least 250K miles. 500K if you take good care of it.

[ccm123]

Look at a pre-owned lower mileage Prius.

[Submariner]

My Dw's Prius gen 3 has 150k on it, runs great and rarely dips below 55 mpg.

I do not know where the OP is located, we are in Maine. The Prius is exceptional on snow and crossing frozen rivers and lakes.

[darrell2525]

Originally Posted by Submariner

My Dw's Prius gen 3 has 150k on it, runs great and rarely dips below 55 mpg.

I do not know where the OP is located, we are in Maine. The Prius is exceptional on snow and crossing frozen rivers and lakes.

Thank you, I live in Houston Texas.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by darrell2525

Thank you, I live in Houston Texas.

Maybe it is not a hot weather car ?

[ccm123]

The main drawback of a Prius is the eventual cost of a battery replacement.

[MLSFan]

Originally Posted by ccm123

The main drawback of a Prius is the eventual cost of a battery replacement.

as opposed to an engine rebuild?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by ccm123

The main drawback of a Prius is the eventual cost of a battery replacement.

$3,000 every 10 years or 300k miles is a big expense.

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by darrell2525

Thank you, I live in Houston Texas.

Is your commute stop and go, or is it mostly a cruise in high gear?

If stop and go, probably some sort of hybrid, maybe a Prius, is going to give you best cost per mile.

If you are cruising, some sort of Diesel might be better.

Older VW Diesels had/have a belt-driven cam, change the belt on time and they run about forever. Fail to change it on time, and you will at the very least need a new head, and probably replacing the engine is a safer bet. I am not certain about later models.

Not everyone can do the old car scene, but I commute about 80 miles per day in my 82 Scirocco. I have reworked the car quite a bit over the years, it's not exactly the car it was when I bought it for $1000.

But with some sweat equity, and maybe another $1000 or less in parts, I have a 40 MPG car that is not boring to drive, and after over 200K miles put on by me, seems to be little the worse for wear.

[grouse789]

Toyota Yaris. I bought mine new in 2006, I still have it! 326,000 miles. I drive about 100 miles per day commute. I usually average about 38 miles per gallon. If you are looking for a commuter car this is it.
Just change the oil when it needs it.
Best $13,000 I ever spent.