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Best milage car

The vehicle I have owned in the past 10 yrs that had the most expensive parts was all GM.

Fuel pump (whole sending unit) Pontiac Montanna- $$800
Fuel pump (whole sending unit) Chrysler Town and COuntry- $211

basicaly the same part....and that is just an example.
My buddy pays almost $300/ rotor for his little hotrod's brakes on a Cobalt SS......while my other buddy with a similar car but from Dodge ( SRT4 Neon) pays $55/ rotor.

My VW was never expensive for me to maintain.. I used more expensive oil, but that was the only thing that was pricey. Brakes were cheap, even from Brembo. Timig belt was $40 and $200 labour...once every 100,000 kms or so. After I replaced a wheelbearing from VW ($200), I found out that competition spec Dodge Neon ACR bearings fit and were much better quality ($65), I changed to those.
Now when my injector pump on the VW did fail, it was a $2700 part from VW. So I found one at a wreckers, had it refurbed, installed and timed. Total cost was only $550.
 
It's not sexy or exotic, but I've been really impressed with my fiancee's '02 Corolla for fuel mileage.

It's a 5-speed model, and it gets a solid 7L / 100 km in mostly highway miles. I can't imagine it getting worse than 10L / 100 km ever. It's noticeably better than my 5-speed '01 Accord, which gets about 10L / 100 km in town (a little worse in the cold, or for short trips only) and about 8L / 100km highway.

I have owned a '93 VW Jetta (unfortunately the A3, crossflow, automatic model) and really enjoyed driving it - it felt really nice, and had lots of character. I preferred it at the time to my parents' 2000 Corolla, it felt so much nicer. There were quirks too, although I had it late in its' life. (The trans shifted really roughly, and turning on the AC in the city caused the low oil pressure light to go on.)

Unless you do a lot of driving or tackle maintenance yourself, I don't think the fuel savings really offsets the maintenance and initial purchase price cost of a TDI. (I put on very little mileage, about 10-15,000 kms/yr.)
 
I would keep in mind the distance you have to drive in comparison to the cost of insurance as well.

Insurance for small vehicles can be much more than insurance for larger vehicles. If you don't drive that many km a year, then it might actually be cheaper to drive a larger vehicle.

Case in point: I drive a Toyota Echo that uses ~7l/100k (automatic, and I don't drive it nicely). My insurance is $1750 a year for basic coverage. If I drove a small truck, I would use more fuel but my insurance would drop to around $1050 a year. For me, $700 can buy a lot of gas as I only drive about 400km a month.

If I consider a Ford Ranger, for example, which is supposed to use around 10l/100k -- then I would only be buying an extra 3l for every 100k (3 * 1.3 = $3.9 more every 100k) or for me roughly $20 more a month, but my insurance would be $60 less per month, so I would actually save about $40 a month and I would have a much more useful vehicle.
 
omnivore said:
The vehicle I have owned in the past 10 yrs that had the most expensive parts was all GM.

Fuel pump (whole sending unit) Pontiac Montanna- $$800
Fuel pump (whole sending unit) Chrysler Town and COuntry- $211

basicaly the same part....and that is just an example.
My buddy pays almost $300/ rotor for his little hotrod's brakes on a Cobalt SS......while my other buddy with a similar car but from Dodge ( SRT4 Neon) pays $55/ rotor.

My VW was never expensive for me to maintain.. I used more expensive oil, but that was the only thing that was pricey. Brakes were cheap, even from Brembo. Timig belt was $40 and $200 labour...once every 100,000 kms or so. After I replaced a wheelbearing from VW ($200), I found out that competition spec Dodge Neon ACR bearings fit and were much better quality ($65), I changed to those.
Now when my injector pump on the VW did fail, it was a $2700 part from VW. So I found one at a wreckers, had it refurbed, installed and timed. Total cost was only $550.
Click to expand...

I've been in aftermarket parts for 16 years, your pricing is way out.
full retail on 03 Montana fuel pump - 494.90 (112" wb) 430.94 (120"wb)
fuel pump assy 03 town & country $395.74
Rotors on 2009 Cobalt SS $118.44 each.

I find parts for VW reasonable price wise, but engine stuff relating to the diesel is big dollars.
 
^^ Agreed. When i was purchasing this car every car consideration was also ran though an insurance quote to see what the ins would be. Some were surprisingly high and some were low. I pay $25 a month more for the Civic vs the Maxima, but i get 6.5L/100km vs 9l/100km (which is still pretty good for a large sized V6). that 2.5L/100km = 60L a month less gas usage = $77 in gas savings, increased cost of ins = net saving of $50. That stuff adds up. Not to mention that the Civic is a hatchback and can carry larger bulkier items with ease. last week i fit a 36"x80" steel reinforced door...lol
 
Mekirker said:
I've been in aftermarket parts for 16 years, your pricing is way out.
full retail on 03 Montana fuel pump - 494.90 (112" wb) 430.94 (120"wb)
fuel pump assy 03 town & country $395.74
Rotors on 2009 Cobalt SS $118.44 each.

I find parts for VW reasonable price wise, but engine stuff relating to the diesel is big dollars.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I can't contribute to the discussion on how much parts for a Honda cost.

In the past 22 years of owning them, haven't needed to buy any! :D
 
Diesel said:
Insurance for small vehicles can be much more than insurance for larger vehicles. If you don't drive that many km a year, then it might actually be cheaper to drive a larger vehicle.
Click to expand...
Why is that? Generally less safe because of the whole less mass thing?

2000 civic SI costs me about $51 to fill up. 1L gets me about 12kms (450-500kms on a full tank.
 
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knowledge said:
Why is that? Generally less safe because of the whole less mass thing?
Click to expand...

There are all kinds of stats that go into the rates. How much does it cost to fix, how many accidents do they have, what's the typical injury cost..that kind of thing. If you have a model that rarely has an accident (safer drivers typically..better vehicle..whatever) you'll get lower rates. If you get the car that all the jack-***** drive, your rates will be higher because they have more accidents. Even from one year to the next, on the same model of vehicle, the rates can vary wildly. It's an interesting handicapping system the insurance biz has going.. :)
 
knowledge said:
Why is that? Generally less safe because of the whole less mass thing?

2000 civic SI costs me about $51 to fill up. 1L gets me about 12kms (450-500kms on a full tank.
Click to expand...

I am paying just about the lowest I can find for my 2004 echo. I have been licensed 20 years and have a spotless record, however my wife is probably the weak link... only licensed 4 years.

Accident Benefits: $897
Bodily Injury: $537
Direct compensation: $268

I also have comp., that is a mere $36 a year.

So by far the majority of the cost is for injury... I'm guessing because the car is so small that if I get in a crash I am likely to be f%*cked.

Oh, and for mileage with a 2004 echo:screen4.jpg ... my usage is mixed, 50/50 highway/city, and I don't try to hypermile at all... I ride this little car fairly hard some days.

http://i.imgur.com/3UGjw.png
 
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Mekirker said:
I've been in aftermarket parts for 16 years, your pricing is way out.
full retail on 03 Montana fuel pump - 494.90 (112" wb) 430.94 (120"wb)
fuel pump assy 03 town & country $395.74
Rotors on 2009 Cobalt SS $118.44 each.

I find parts for VW reasonable price wise, but engine stuff relating to the diesel is big dollars.
Click to expand...


If this is true, I have been getting a steal on Dodge parts, and have been ripped off by Napa and Partsource on GM parts all day long.
I am sure my buddy would love your contact on Cobalt SS rotors. He seems to be doing brakes often, and tells me the rotors are huge coin. He is on this site: forexman is his handle.
 
omnivore said:
I am sure my buddy would love your contact on Cobalt SS rotors..
Click to expand...

Not the SS model (does it matter?), but they don't seem too expensive for the run of the mill cobalt:

http://parts.autopartsonlinecanada....CV&model=COBA--002&category=N&part=Brake+Disc

Not sure what this has to do with "best gas mileage", but w/e.

I've owned close to 100 cars, several Japanese gas misers, but nothing comes close to the Yaris my daughter owns.
Buddy and I rented a Yaris. It used a about 4L of gas. My F-150 would have used 65L for the same amt of driving.
 
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SunnY S said:
The french really should stick to wine.
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You've got some funny replies in this thread. Remind me not to consult with you what car to buy next ... LOL

When in France, drive one of their cars and then complain. Seriously.
 
Gary said:
Buddy and I rented a Yaris. It used a about 4L of gas.
Click to expand...

They are good at consuming little, but you have to send a notice out to everyone when making a pass on hwy. Nothing comes free, it's all about balance.

Back to your F-150, my friend bought the Harley Davidson souped up version .... the tank was bottomless (it took 10 mins to fill up at a slow pump) and didn't last much. what a waste of money, but he liked the power ... always made laugh.
 
Diesel said:
I would keep in mind the distance you have to drive in comparison to the cost of insurance as well.

Insurance for small vehicles can be much more than insurance for larger vehicles. If you don't drive that many km a year, then it might actually be cheaper to drive a larger vehicle.

Case in point: I drive a Toyota Echo that uses ~7l/100k (automatic, and I don't drive it nicely). My insurance is $1750 a year for basic coverage. If I drove a small truck, I would use more fuel but my insurance would drop to around $1050 a year. For me, $700 can buy a lot of gas as I only drive about 400km a month.

If I consider a Ford Ranger, for example, which is supposed to use around 10l/100k -- then I would only be buying an extra 3l for every 100k (3 * 1.3 = $3.9 more every 100k) or for me roughly $20 more a month, but my insurance would be $60 less per month, so I would actually save about $40 a month and I would have a much more useful vehicle.
Click to expand...

We only get away with this logic here because, thankfully, our fuel is inexpensive and unfortunately insurance is too expensive. Anywhere else this fails. You buy a truck only when you really need it .... I guess that is the reason why Ford sells so many F-150s, not because everyone in Ontario is carpenter ... LOL
 
Well the US 5 cycle test is closer to "real world" but still not perfect, but like you said, you can't define real world, because your driving cycle and style are diff then mine but by using those numbers are good to compare one to the other, and you can get close to those numbers if you drive in a conservative way.
 
I drive 50k a year, fuel is a major influence on what i will drive. But so is drive ability. I could drive a Yaris or an GM Aveo for a weeklong rental but it would be hard everyday. I'm not a commuter, I drive to visit customers.
Econo boxes get really tiring pretty fast. And i've tried a lot of cars.
 
Gary said:
Not the SS model (does it matter?), but they don't seem too expensive for the run of the mill cobalt:

http://parts.autopartsonlinecanada....CV&model=COBA--002&category=N&part=Brake+Disc

Not sure what this has to do with "best gas mileage", but w/e.

I've owned close to 100 cars, several Japanese gas misers, but nothing comes close to the Yaris my daughter owns.
Buddy and I rented a Yaris. It used a about 4L of gas. My F-150 would have used 65L for the same amt of driving.
Click to expand...

The SS modeal apprently has 12" Brembo cross drilled rotors....it's a 260+hp car with a bunch of upgrades from the base model.
 
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