anyone dump their suv for an econo box?

rosconey · Apr 15, 2006

just bought a 06 toyota corolla- im over 6 ft 200lbs and its plenty big for me-
just lost its virginity(first oil change)-2300 miles-last tank was about 37.5 mpg

70%hwy-30%city

car has a bit of power for a 1.8-feel very safe pulling into traffic its so zippy
rides like a much bigger car-

beefangusbeef · Apr 15, 2006

BTW Full time FWD is the bomb

Serious? Not for off-roading but for economical gas mileage I agree with you. The only FWD offroading I've ever done was in a 91 tempo. The tempo lost it's bumper and one headlight but was going strong. Wouldn't want to try it again though.

xtalman · Apr 16, 2006

Bob W said:
Have you considered a motorcycle? My Volusia gets 35-45mpg even running hard, and Wife's Vulcan 500 gets around 50mpg. Many other cruisers do better than the Volusia (most cruisers are in the 30-50mpg range), sportbikes and touring bikes do better than that, and there are scooters on the market that get nearly 100mpg.

I agree, motorcycles can get great fuel economy. I get 50mpg+ on my Suzuki GS500 commuter bike. But I don't think it will save me much money overall because of the cost of tires. They usually cost more than car tires and don't last as long. It does save me time (access to HOV lanes) and money elsewhere (thrifty on gas, free parking, cheap insurance, cheap maintenance). And it's a lot quicker and agile than most cars.

There are scooters out there that are surprisingly fast, with good underseat storage. I saw one that was a convertible(!), had a CD/MP3 player and GPS, anti-lock brakes, even a rear-facing video camera. I think it even had cupholders

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xtalman · Apr 16, 2006

Backwoods_VT said:
I have 2 suvs and both get around 13 mpg city. with gas prices creeping back up im thinking about geting an econo box. While a little 4 cyl 4 door car is soooo not me, its pretty cool being able to get 30 mpg highway. Has anyone done this, and if so are you sorry you did. p.s does the whole 100 hp thing get old after a while?

I'd say it depends on the type of driving you do most often. A Honda Civic gets like 30mpg in the city, 40mpg on the highway. 100 hp doesn't seem like a lot, but if the car only weighs 2700 lbs and doesn't need to tow anything it's plenty. A VW diesel should fare pretty well too.

Horned Toad · Apr 16, 2006

beefangusbeef said:
Serious? Not for off-roading but for economical gas mileage I agree with you. The only FWD offroading I've ever done was in a 91 tempo. The tempo lost it's bumper and one headlight but was going strong. Wouldn't want to try it again though.

guess I should have said all wheel drive or full time four wheel drive

I have taken a few front wheel drive cars off road, they did surprising well in sand but not so good in mud

beefangusbeef · Apr 16, 2006

Oh ok. Eh AWD you mean. It is ok in the light stuff you're not rock crawling or muddin in any AWD though. Good on wet roads though. That is where the main advantage lies on the road. I've taken a few off-road and experimented some with my jeeps AWD setting.

Jeff Clark · Apr 16, 2006

Bob W. I have never talked to a more loyal bunch of owners than Subaru drivers. If you don't need a truck, but you need to drive a lot of miles in bad weather it's hard to beat a Subaru. You can spend more money and get a car with more power, but at the cost of lower gas mileage. I just don't need more power, so why pay the penalty. The Subaru that I drive lets me merge onto I-25 at 75 mph with ease and that's all I need. This is not the turbo model. I regularly tool up icy grades weaving around front and rear wheel drive sporty cars that are slowly sliding backwards down the hill. My friends don't take their Miatas out in 12 inch snow.

My wife has been a field manager covering the Rocky mountain region for years. When you make the loop from Colorado Springs, to Grand Junction, to Farmington, to Albuquerque, to Santa Fe, to Taos, then back to the Springs in snowy weather you count on a car that gets the job done. Her Forester just takes care of business. When we want to wander down Shelf Road from Cripple Creek or take a shortcut out of South Park the Forester gets us there. It isn't going to haul anything of any consequence, but it is a great all season commuter or business transport. I'm perfectly happy taking it along on a hunting trip if I don't plan on using it to haul out an elk carcass. There are small trailers for that purpose.

Consumer Reports has some pretty positive things to say about the Forester. Among other things it is a really safe vehicle. http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/ConsumerReportsSnapshot.aspx?year=2006&make=Subaru&model=Forester

Note the high rating that actual owners give the Forester.

jackknife · Apr 16, 2006

xtalman said:
I agree, motorcycles can get great fuel economy. I get 50mpg+ on my Suzuki GS500 commuter bike. But I don't think it will save me much money overall because of the cost of tires. They usually cost more than car tires and don't last as long. It does save me time (access to HOV lanes) and money elsewhere (thrifty on gas, free parking, cheap insurance, cheap maintenance). And it's a lot quicker and agile than most cars.

There are scooters out there that are surprisingly fast, with good underseat storage. I saw one that was a convertible(!), had a CD/MP3 player and GPS, anti-lock brakes, even a rear-facing video camera. I think it even had cupholders .

That was my experiance with the full size motorcycles. My H-D sportster was more expencive to operate on a per anum than my Toyota pickup. In 2001, the last time I put tires on it before I sold it, the prices were mid 500.00 dollar range, to 600 something at the dealer. The same year I put four new Dunlop tires on my Toyota for 205.00. Just three months ago we put four new Bridgestone Duellers on Karens Honda Element for 500.00$. The expencive tires for motorcycles offsets the fuel milage, and you'll only get about 12-14000 miles on a set of motorcycle tires.

Not to mention that a motorcycle needs more serviceing, can't carry much of anything, and can be less than comfy in bad weather. As I got older, I lost my love of them. The other half also sold her superglide when I sold my bike. Over the course of 5 years we had less than very reliable service from the Harley's compared to the Japanese and German bikes I have owned. Honda and BMW in particular. (Very reliable.)

Now we are having a ball with Vespa motorscooters. 2800 to 5000 thousand dollars depending on size, 75-80mg, 50mph cruising speed for our 150cc size, underseat storage, 120 dollars a year insurance, and tires are 39.95, and the wheel comes apart so you can do it on your kitchen table. No oil change (two stroke motor) change the tranny oil every 4000miles, and that takes about 15 minutes. In our autum years we've fallen in love with motorscooters. We find ourselves buzzing down the road with silly grins on our faces, and enjoying a 100 mile day trip on country roads for 3.50 dollars worth of gas.