[matthewc]

Hi everyone,

I've been doing a lot of reading on this site and am truly grateful for this forum. I've already added almost 20 MPG to my average and I haven't even got a scan gauge yet.

In 2005 I did a lot of research and found the manual Toyota Echo seemed to be as close to hybrid without actually being one. I was thrilled when I found a used one with 75k miles on it for $5000 out the door. Within the first month I got a 48 MPG tank and I wasn't even trying.

Since then, I've slowly seen lower and lower numbers. Part of it is the age of the car but as I've taken really good care of it and now started to hypermile I realize that I may have also gotten a heavier foot over the past few years. Average traffic speeds in my area have also increased as well.

Ecomodders to the rescue! Just got a 59.44 MPG tank, whoohoo!

But as a newbie, having done more reading I realize that I went a little extreme off the bat and pissed off a lot of drivers. A 7 hour highway trip at 45 MPG with hazards the whole way may not have been the wisest initiation. The stress of watching the rear view mirror more than the road in front goes against the laid back stress free picture you've painted for me here at ecomodders.

So I'm looking forward to seeing my hypermiling skills mature based on the wonderful resource of seasoned hypermilers here.

Thanks,
Matthew