How many MPG does your car get?

[Delarage]

I have a 1998 Ford Taurus (3.0 L V6) that gets approximately 23 MPG. It's been an utter piece of crap and I want to get a Toyota Corolla--the new ones supposedly get close to 40 MPG. I don't think I can afford a Prius (although I'd like one). But then I heard about the Yaris (39 MPG?) and wondered how it could get less than a larger Corolla.

So I was wondering if anyone else checks their actual MPGs.

[LeftyMom]

1. I get about 30 hwy but low to mid 20s in town.

I have a Saturn SW1.

[villager]

2. about 30 mpg on my ten year old Escort...

Wouldn't mind the move to a Corolla, either, if I'm stuck with a gas engine for awhile...

[catmother]

3. i have a mazda miata. i get 25-26. my 1997 toyotta corolla

got 28. corolla is a great car. i think it's always been toyota's biggest seller. i've owned 2 of them.

on edit: my 87 corolla got 34 mpg.

[Delarage]

5. Corollas have really become more efficient apparently

I really want to find a used one, but the newer ones have much higher MPGs (supposedly). I know there's some question about the real-world figures compared to those listed.

[catmother]

6. i know what you mean. i like to buy my cars a year or two old.

with low mileage. i guess there's no way to know for sure if they get higher mileage. do you drive a lot of miles -- would it make that much difference?

[Delarage]

12. about 11,000 miles per year

I walk to work, but I take my dogs to state parks all the time. Then there's the beach in Southern Del. in the summer.

If I worked in a State Park and lived near it, I'd be in Heaven.

[catmother]

16. i don't know what to tell you. you've gotta figure out the price of

gas and the mileage and decide whether to buy new or used. i would definitely recommend the corolla in any case. they are great cars with great resale. i got my little 2005 miata last year. i always wanted one -- so i figured before i get to old let me have my little sports car. i really love it. i'm on the slim side, but my husband who is 6ft and on the heavy side says he "feels like a sausage in it". lol. he also worries because it's so small. he drives a big toyota tundra. the mileage is not good, but he really likes it.

[Warpy]

4. My ancient Ranger got 28 on the Interstates

when I drove from NM to Florida and back 2 1/2 years ago.

I was astonished.

[politicat]

7. Oh, yeah, I check. We get about 42 mpg, though we've gotten 50.

we have a 2001 Hyundai Accent, no AC, stick shift, 5 speed, 4 cylinder engine.

Our all-time low was 37 MPG, and that was a week when I had to drive about 45 miles in slushy spring snow at about 20 mph.

The all-time high was coming down from Breckinridge the back way through Rocky Mountain National Forest - all downhill, nothing over 50. (Beautiful trip, though.)

I think the reason the Yaris gets a lower mileage than the Corolla is the higher profile of the Yaris - people who have test driven it say it's like driving a Jeep Cherokee. It's also 4WD.

[Delarage]

Wow!

I've thought about Hyundai's, too, because of their warranty (100,000 miles). My Ford has stung me one too many times.

[politicat]

13. The warranty is really good.

The bugabear in the works is they are picky on maintenance. They do indeed need to have the $300 scheduled maintenance at 20K and the $400 at about 35K.

But... we have 88K on it, and everything's running fine. All I need to do is change the radiator fluid right now.

It's a great little car for two people who occasionally haul some stuff. The hatchback is huge if the backseat is folded down. I've had dishwashers, treadmills and 10'x7' rolled carpets in it.

If I had the 4 door model, it would be easier to take people places with us, but then again, if I had the four door model, I might have to take people places with me.

[NickB79]

21. I enthusiastically agree that hatchbacks are awesome

I was just discussing this with a friend last night, she used to drive a Civic hatchback and now drives a sedan, and really misses being able to fit so much stuff into it.

I drive a Scion xA, which I really enjoy. It could use a little more horsepower at times, but overall I'm very happy with it. I get 33-34 mpg combined city/highway, and 38-42 mpg just highway when I use cruise control set to 60 mph and no AC on long trips.

I just sat in a Yaris last week at the MN Autoshow, and it was nice, but I don't like the body style. Also, the hatchback is a 3-door, so passengers would have a harder time getting in and out.

The Honda Fit was really nice inside as well, and is supposed to do well on gas mileage as well. It has numerous folding options for the seats to optimize using the vehicle to transport things.

The Nissan Versa was my favorite, a 5-door rated at 38 mpg combined city/highway. If I didn't have the Scion, I would buy this car.

The Accent and Rio models were there, and they were advertized as getting 35 mpg highway, which seemed lower than I expected.

[politicat]

30. The EPA ratings on Hyundais are low.

Mine's rated for 35/38. Everyone I know who has one rated in the 35/38 range gets at least 5 over that.

I don't know if it was intentional or if the EPA just got a lemon, but that's what we're seeing (and several of my friends and coworkers have Accents or Elantras, so we compare notes.)

[yourout]

8. My 2006 Jetta TDI gets around 44 mpg on the highway.

2005's with a manual transmission can get 50.

[Dr.Phool]

9. Chevy S-10 gets about 27. Corolla gets over 30.

Harley gets 50.

[Extend a Hand]

10. 30 hwy/23 city for 04 Nissan Altima

This is a pretty cool site for comparing cars:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/19792.shtml

I don't drive much (>18,000 miles in 26months) so I have never figured out what I actually get.

2004 Nissan Altima

Find a Car

2004 Nissan Altima

Fuel Economy

Fuel Type
Regular

MPG (city)
23

MPG (highway)
30

MPG (combined)
25

Fuel Economics

Cost to Drive 25 Miles
$2.37

Fuel to Drive 25 Miles
1.00 gal

Annual Fuel Cost
$1422

* Based on 15000 annual miles and a fuel price of 2.37 per gallon.
Fill-up cost and the distance you can travel on a tank are calculated based on the combined MPG and the assumption that you will re-fuel when your tank is 10% full.
Climate ChangeGreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from your car may contribute to climate change. Cars with better gas mileage emit less greenhouse gases. Click for more info.

[medeak]

11. 28 mpg Lexus n/t

[Jaydog]

14. 2005 Prius

We get about 44 MPG in the Winter. It's better in warmer months...46-47 MPG.

[NMDemDist2]

15. My business demands an SUV/Van type vehicle as I need to haul

pull a trailer on occasion and have climate controlled cargo space. that being said, My SUV gets 22 MPG Hwy in the winter and 19 in the summer.

It's also the only car we own. We sold our 2nd car after much soul searching and gnashing of teeth, but we are glad we did so and it hasn't been a hardship not to have another car to feed and oil.

Should we need another we will buy a very small car or perhaps an electric scooter (Which I am leaning towards) once we get out of the big city and get to our small town.

[catmother]

17. so you're moving to new mexico. what part? i love phoenix,

but it's gotten so crowded and i'm all the way up north of carefree hwy.

[NMDemDist2]

18. south east NM, Pecos River Valley

we think....

It's drawing us strongly though. We have a long road trip planned in April to scope out our options

edit to add, when we moved here we were "way up north" too LOL

we live at I-17 and the 101 (which wasn't even built back then)

[IDemo]

19. 15-16 mpg. Totally irrelevant

I've got a total of 38k miles on a '93 vehicle. Miles/gallon means little when compared against actual vehicle usage.

[dcfirefighter]

20. Very Good Point.

People rally against V8 cars, etc. but fail to recognize it's not the MPG necessarily, but rather the total fuel (carbon?) use.

I notice it often:

Drive's a Prius.
Drives it 20,000 miles a year, commuting from their 3500 s.f. exurban home to their job in the city.
Complains about the guy driving the SUV who drives 5,000 miles a year.

As far as I'm concerned, the ONLY way to reduce GHG's is to tax them, more heavily every year.
The ONLY way to make this absolutely fair across incomes & wealth brackets is to return that tax revenue, in equal amounts, to each and every person in this country. (Even more fair: enact it worldwide. How much GHG does a peasant farmer emit, and how much would his share of the revenue improve his living conditions?)

It would take a Carbon tax roughly equivalent to $1/gallon of gas to return $1 a day to every person on earth. There are more than a Billion people who live on less than $1/day.

Unfortunately, if we gave these people $1/day, the people who 'own' the resources - land and water most likely - would just charge more for them.

[Dead_Parrot]

22. I hope you're not saying I can't scream at SUV owners anymore...

But then, how many BMW X5 owners stick to 5K a year? :shrug:

[dcfirefighter]

24. Of course not. I scream at everybody. Esp. on the beltway.

Whatever trip they're taking can't POSSIBLY be as important as the one I'm taking. Even if I'm only going to get beer.

(I really do scream at people, but rarely in my own care. When responding in a fire truck, I scream at everybody who makes a bone-head move that causes me to waste kinetic energy by braking - a precious commodity in a 30T vehicle)

Plus I thought y'all rode sheep in NZ? :evilgrin:

[Dead_Parrot]

25. Different sort of "ride". Say no more....

As to your work problem, have you considered a new paintjob?

[dcfirefighter]

26. nice, i wonder how long that would last. nt

[Dead_Parrot]

29. I'd give it 5 minutes. nt

[JohnWxy]

23. Consumer Reports magazine, latest issue, has a report on the

actual cost of hybrids and mileage for hybrid vs gasoline version. Bottom line is you'll have to pay to help the environment.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/high-cost-of-hybrid-vehicles-406/hybrids-vs-all-gas.htm

Consumer Reports lately corrected some of it's numbers on costs for the hybrids. The changed numbers didn't alter the final conclusion that you really won't be saving any money by buying a hybrid. (keep in mind the cost of the batteries in hybrids is significant (couple thousand dollars, I would say) and they have an expected life of about 6 to 8 yrs with normal use). This is going to significantly impact the resale or trade-in value of the hybrid you buy.

The one question I have is how did they estimate the depreciation on these hybrids some of which are brand new cars? I think it's kinda of a shot in the dark as to the depreciation on the new hybrids and depreciation of the car is a BIG part of the cost calculation.

[bananas]

33. Nope - Prius, Civic hybrid owners save money, Consumer Reports now says

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x45916

[Delarage]

27. I disagree.

Because I'm a purist. Even if I only drove the car 1000 miles per year, I'd still want to do it as efficiently as possible. But I am glad that you don't drive your fire-breather too much!

[IDemo]

28. It's a 6-cylinder Toyota pickup

Not much of a fire-breather! ;-)

[kineneb]

31. 2000 Hyundai wagon- 30-34 mpg

and amazingly, it holds as much as an SUV on the inside.

[bemildred]

32. Ford Ranger 4-liter, 21 MPG when I'm lucky.

But I don't drive much.

[htuttle]

34. 105 MPG

But it 's not a car, it's a 150cc scooter. I rode it to work this morning in 36F weather (as I always do), so I figure it's worth mentioning anyway.

[GumboYaYa]

35. About 80 mpg for me,

on my scooter. I ride year-round as well. It makes you really appreciate Spring.

[htuttle]

36. Indian engineering in da haus, ya!

"Seats two, carries a nation"


:hi:

[rustydad]

40. Bike

My 25cc powered mountain bike gets over 250 mpg and I can lift it ove a fence or into the back of a staton wagon or truck. Weighs 35 pounds. Have 10,000 miles on it in two years. It is not for wet weather though. Bob

[happyslug]

37. I once had 25mpg in a 3/4 ton Chevy Pickup.

I was between jobs and taking my time while moving. It was late at night so i decided how many miles per gallon could I get from my 350cc V-8 CHevy 3/4 tone truck (It was loaded with household goods, through no real heavy items like washers, dryers, stoves or Refrigerators). I was going from Dallas to Barton Rouge and keep the truck at about 25 mph (It was standard transmission so I kept it in the highest gear possible which in that truck was third).

Anyway I did 25mpg, in a Truck the EPA said did 10mpg. Why? Slow speeds and maximum efficiency at speed. Most people do not like this idea but most can increase their fuel economy by just slowing down. The next best thing is to buy a Vehicle that is a lot slower than what you are using now. Either way you will save a lot a fuel by accepting the idea that 55 is a very good maximum speed limit.

[bemildred]

38. That is very true.

But you can get killed in an accident that way in some parts too, not to mention the bulletholes in your vehicle.

On the other hand, driving can almost be enjoyable again if you slow down. You have time to look around, you can relax a bit, instead of maintaining a constant state of paranoid rage.

It was better when the government did it's job and regulated such things. A lower speed limit is a great source of revenue for local governments, too.

[happyslug]

42. That was 20 years ago, have not done it since.

It was at late at night (Midnight to 4 AM) with almost no traffic so no problems, but I have not had the opportunity to do it again, to much traffic, hills or not enough time.

[megatherium]

39. My 1997 Mazda Protege gets 28 in town, 33 on open road.

Automatic transmission, 80,000 miles.

If I needed to buy a car today, I would lean towards Corolla. Relatively high mileage, excellent reliability, drives well, relatively inexpensive. I would look at the new subcompacts Toyota and Honda are introducing. The Prius is a cool car but currently is barely worth the price premium. I will hold out for a plug-in hybrid.

[Javaman]

41. not enough 20 city 23 highway...I'm holding out for the Honda Fit...

it comes out in the spring. and a hybrid next year. I'm waiting on the hybrid. That is if I can hold out that long.

[midnight armadillo]

43. 2001 Saab 9-5 wagon

~20 city, ~32 highway. Safest car on the road though, and I need the space for the family. Mileage isn't everything...