2000 Hyundai Accent vs 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage (which should I get?)

[beatermpg]

Hi.

These 2 cars are 2 relatively hard vehicles to find in my area. I am close to closing the deal on a 1.5 liter base model accent. I then noticed that the Mirage of the same year gets better highway gas mileage.

Finding data like coefficient of drag, etc. is hard to find and so are gear ratios.

Anyone have an idea why the Mirage is cited as having better fuel economy than the Accent? There is no info regarding Mirages of these years in the garage which makes things tough. However it does show that people seem to be regularly exceeding these numbers in the Accent.

This is a comparison between 5 speed manuals.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[MetroMPG]

Hatchback or sedan for the Accent?

Also, which engine in the Mirage -- apparently came with a 1.5 or 1.8 in 2000.

The Mitsu seems rated better all around than the Accent.



https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find...15695&id=15697

Also, note that it's not unusual for manual cars to beat the (modern) EPA ratings by a fairly wide margin, when driven conservatively (simply by always upshifting as early as practical).

See: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ing-27416.html

It'd be pretty safe to expect the Mirage to beat its rating as well.

PS: welcome to the forum!

[beatermpg]

Thanks for the response.

This is the hatchback 1.8. I can't find a 5 speed Mirage anywhere near close by nor can I find any of the other comparable vehicles in my area unfortunately.

Was close to pulling the trigger on the Accent and not sure what made me compare the 2 of these. Probably my ownership and experience with numerous Mitsubishi vehicles like DSM(s) etc.

[MetroMPG]

We tend to stick with what we know!

Have you seen this thread? It's LONG, but if you skim through, it may give you some more ideas.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...mpg-30489.html

[MetroMPG]

Another thought: Hyundai/Kia has made great strides in the past decade on all fronts, but I'm not sure I'd be confident about diving into one as old as a 2000.

[beatermpg]

It's been a while, but I have not read it recently. I'll go back through it again. I was in the 35 MPG range with my Escort GT 5 spd at 67 mph and around 37 MPG with my ZX3 at 65mph. Both were 100% highway numbers. Those bored me. The ZX3 really bored upset me with it's .36cd and not being as zippy as the Escort GT.

Want a FWD Turbo DSM but far too rare....so might as well keep it simple with something that I won't throw away.

You are right, we do stick with what we are familiar. We have to know ourselves for better or worse. I don't want to get bored this time.

Thanks.

[MetroMPG]

I don't want to get bored this time.

OK, I'm assuming what you mean by that, and based on that I'm going to say: don't get a 2000 Hyundai.

You can fix poor cD to some extent... without making the car look unusual (if that's a concern).

Of course, the lower the starting point, the better, if you have a choice.

[beatermpg]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

OK, I'm assuming what you mean by that, and based on that I'm going to say: don't get a 2000 Hyundai.

You can fix poor cD to some extent... without making the car look unusual (if that's a concern).

Of course, the lower the starting point, the better, if you have a choice.

Lol! Well put. I have lurked as a quest for the longest and remember the guy with the ZX-3 who went very radical with it and was only able to get about 44.x mpg for his effort. Nothing against him, I just use that data to my benefit.

The 4 door is a better starting point from a drag perspective. I really love the ZTEC engine's reliability but I don't like the fact that you can't swap out 5th gear with a taller one.

The ZX2 is a better bet, but they are VERY rare around here too. The thing I like about the ZX2 is the ability to swap out the 5th gear cheaply.

I am in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area and have been ripped off a few times on Craigslist already....seems that the ripoff rate is a bit higher around here. Makes it even tougher lol.

[MetroMPG]

What are you driving now?

The worst is being under the gun to get something on short notice.

The best is when you're lucky enough to have a stable where you can keep a little fleet of good MPG beaters on standby.

[beatermpg]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

What are you driving now?

The worst is being under the gun to get something on short notice.

The best is when you're lucky enough to have a stable where you can keep a little fleet of MPG beaters on standby.

I know what mean. My stable consists of AWD Turbo Subies, Mitsus, and an AWD miminvan of course lol. I got burnt on a FWD DSM and want to build it up for FE but want something economical to roll in while I do so and then hand it over to the wife when I am done while teaching her to drive stick.