What car to buy for a long commute

RonL · Jul 14, 2005

Charles

I'm biased, after having two VW lemons in a row, including a TDI diesel. I wouldn't touch a VW with a ten foot pole. And there are countless others on the web that feel the same way I do. VW's may be fine if you happen to get one with no problems. If not, don't count on VW to stand behind their product.

You may want to take a look at http://www.vwsucks.com

RonL

fishman · Jul 14, 2005

4,200 gallons? Maybe if what you would have been driving only got 11 miles to the gallon. If you were driving a car that got 25 mpg, then your actual savings would be just over 1,000 gallons. Still not too shabby and hey, if your significant other can't add too good I'll back you on the 4,200 gallons of gas saved.

Unfortunately, my wife can use a calculator. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I'll throw in another pitch for the GM lineup of full-size cars. Our Impala is very comfortable, and regularly gets 26 - 27 mpg all around and 29 on long trips. I have a lead foot too.

gsxr1100 · Jul 14, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't put much importance on those J.D.Power ratings. Problems per 100 vehicles doesn't mean much. Which would you rather have - vehicle A with a shorted dome light, a loose radio knob, and squeaky back seat, or vehicle B with only ONE problem - a bad transmission. )</font>

That is "your deal" but you many not think problems out of 100 is a problem; unless, you are ONE of the people WITH the problem.

Also if they have problems (big or small) they are still problems in the end. In my eyes, in your example, if vehicle A has little problems then chances are they will have major ones down the road. If they can’t get simple things designed correctly………

Then again I owned Fords for years and then stepped-up to a Lexus. Not the best auto in the world but for the VDS of almost 40% less (between Ford & Lexus), you can see the feel and see the delta. Nevermind the #1 for 11-years! Now I know why people love these cars. Nothing goes wrong and they keep going. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

gsxr1100 · Jul 14, 2005

I have a few co-workers that have them and lets say they pay the dealers lease every few months!

OkeeDon · Jul 14, 2005

My wife gets 31-32 mpg on her 2000 Ford Focus. It's a ZX3 hatchback with 5 speed and A/C, although she rarely uses the A/C. It has over 100,000 miles on it with no major repairs. She's currently driving about 150 miles per day, stop and start, combination of rural highway and small city, no interstate. She's a home health physical therapist seeing patients in rural Okeechobee County, and traveling back and forth to Port St. Lucie. There have been no major repairs to the car. The engine is a 130 HP Zetec with plenty of pep. The ZX3 cost us ~$12K brand new.

We thought about the VW diesel at the time we bought the Focus, but couldn't justify the extra cost with the fuel savings. Even at the more expensive cost of fuel today, we couldn't justify it.

Here's the math:
$12K Focus, 100,000 miles at 30 mpg = 3333 gallons
$18K VW, 100,000 miles at 40 mpg = 2500 gallons
Savings = 833 gallons @ $2.50/gal = $2082
Extra cost = $6,000
Loss = almost $4,000 is 100K miles

Even figuring that the VW might have a $2,000 higher resale after 100K miles, we'd still have been shoirt $2,000 of making it work. Considering the great reputation established by the Focus, and the problems that have been reported with the VW, I think we made the right choice.

I think you can still buy a ZX3 5 speed in that price range; a 4-door Focus is more.

Bird · Jul 14, 2005

I'm with you, Don. I think just for an all round inexpensive, yet comfortable, car, the Focus would be hard to beat. Our '93 Escort had a 5-speed manual transmission (bought to tow behind the motorhome), while the '99 Escort was an automatic, but since it was a 4-speed overdrive automatic, it got almost identical gas mileage to the '93.

SPIKER · Jul 14, 2005

i have an old excort EXP that git 32~44 mpg depending on the foot height from the floor! it is a 87 and in need of a clutch after 130K I bought it used with 70K and 750 bucks. I had to replace the starter at 110 K but that was it... I'm going to have to replace the clutch and get it back on the road for the cost savings as I bought newier cars which are bigger v8's and or sixes and they are only 20 something MPG but ride nicer. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

it is a give & take I also drove a 2001 focus 4 dr which had some problems and was traded in after 20K new for a dodge intrepid. the dodge is nice but they don't have a great reputation for parts lasting...

as for the GTI only ones I saw were having some breakage issues with expensive parts to fix them., broken timing belt was 2500 after the engine and sheared drive axel when the belt let go at something like 70 mph locking up bending every valve and knocking holes into the pistons. a week later I broke the belt on the honda civic and simply replaced it after coasting to a stop & needing a tow home, no damamge what so ever.

one thing to look out for. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

MarkaM

EddieWalker · Jul 14, 2005

Toyota nd Honda are gonna be the ones to beat. They build the best cars and have the highest resale value.

For just as good in quality, but for less money, I like the Mitsubishi. Never heard of anybody complaining about them, they always get good reviews, and they are priced very well.

I know a few people who have bought VW's and regretted it. I don't know of a single person with one that would reckomend it. It's never the same issue, but something different.

The biggest mistake people make when buying a car is to fall in love with the first one they test drive. Have a list of different dealers you want to see, and stick with it. The sales people will still be there a week or month from now. Usually they will call you with a better offer after you walk away anyway!!!!

Eddie

Bluecheck546 · Jul 14, 2005

I own VW Jetta TDI, avg on the hwy 51.5 mpg , auto tranny, avg 80-85mph /w air on! It gets better mileage than my Y2K FLHTCUI(harley bagger) it's only avg 38-39 mpg on premium gas!

As the new saying goes: Fuhrfrompumpen /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Pilot · Jul 14, 2005

You might want to consider some other factors:

Dealer network: I drove a VW from near Portland, OR to Illinois in '85 and the only dealers between Portland and Illinois were in Boise and Salt Lake. Discovered a leaky radiator east of Boise. Didn't want to turn back, picked up a radiator in SLC & put it in in a motel parking lot in Wyoming.

Safety: Large cars are safer, small cars are more econmical. EXCEPT: My Saab 9-5 weighs 3,500 lbs & gets 30 on the highway, 24.5 locally. Data shows it is one of the safest cars in the world. There is a small Volvo, the S-40 that should be pretty safe for a small car and still be economical. If safety is a concern, get a car with not only front, but also side air bags. About 35% of all fatalities occur in side impact collisions (someone runs a light or stop sign & there's rarely a way to avoid them).

Reliability: Mentioned by others, and they are right, you just can't beat Honda & Toyota. But some others are close & if you have their dealers close, they may be a good bet.

Parts cost: Import cars have more expensive parts. And even for a Honda or Toyota, some things like brakes just wear out.

Comfort: You'll spend a lot of time in the car racking up that kind of mileage. Take it for as long a test drive as they will allow and then continue to sit in it while you and your spouse discuss it.