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Old 03-30-2012, 10:02 AM   #22 (permalink)
Ryland
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
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honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

Blue VX - '93 Honda Civic VX
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Avoiding hybrids is limiting your options and is doing so only because of fear of the battery needing to be replaced, yet you "need" an automatic transmission a part that depending on the car is also just as likely to need to be replaced as a hybrid battery pack, the hybrid battery pack however can be rebuilt at a pretty reasonable cost and even replaced with a brand new one and most likely still be in your budget after buying a hybrid that has a bad pack and at that point you have a car that should be good for another 200,000+ miles and if you are driving as many highway miles as you are then the hybrid battery pack isn't doing much work and you instead get to take advantage of a more efficient engine design.

Of course my personal choice, would be a first generation Honda Insight, you are not going to find another vehicle out there with an automatic transmission that beats it for mileage and is still in your price range.

Otherwise if you want something that has a 40mpg EPA rating with an automatic, there is nothing out there, unless you get something built in the last 4 years.
Fuel Economy is a link to the search for gasoline only automatics built between 1984 and 2013, you can sort by EPA mileage for city, mixed or highway.
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