Any reason NOT to get an XFI?

[ErrForce]

It's a little... Appalachian-y.

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I'd say drive one yourself and THEN come to YOUR OWN conclusion. How windey/mountainous is your commute anyway?

No, everyone should just do what I say. Then I'd be that much happier! Me me me!

That looks like a really fun commute.

[War_Wagon]

Cripes is that a map or a seismograph?? Boring climb, boring climb, holy crap hard astern!! lol. What's the elevation difference?

[ErrForce]

Well, round trip the elevation difference is 0.

Every mountain I go up, I also come down... I know Lewistown is ~340ft above sea level. I imagine Carlisle is close to the same (my handy-dandy GPS est kaputt). Though, going over Tuscarora Mountain it gets just upward of 2,000 ft.

[mwebb]

a later Geo Metro with the rear sway bar
and
15" wheels from a honda or what ever else has 4 x 114.3 pattern
and the list is very long

handles very well at speed / such as it is ,
but
with the stock 13" 155/80/13 wheel tire combination they are a handful at speed


4x114.3 15" wheels are available cheaply on craigslist for those with a little patients




15" Acura legend wheels in the rear 185 65 15 snow tires and 14" Honda Accord in the front with 185 60 14 snow tires

and the larger OD tires reduce engine speed at cruise which
improves FE

[Sean.Heihn]

Just to toss another option in the mix, a Corolla would be in your budget. Wouldn't get quite the numbers of a Metro, but they are nice little cars. Loved my 02 and the only reason I moved to the 11 Yaris is my Corolla was totaled in an accident sadly, with only 160k miles and no rust, could have gone for twice that mileage. As the guy from Wisconsin said, the only Metros you see around here are almost falling apart from the rust. They seem to be up there with older VWs as the least rust resistant cars, but than again if your car makes it 10 years here without major rust problems you're doing pretty good.

God, I just remembered that part from Fargo, "Well, the tech coat, ya." But in MN some cars do need a dealership undercoat, the guy at the dealership I purchased my Yaris from told me not to waste money on it, because Toyota undercoats their cars from the factory, but KIA doesn't. It's also why the Saturn S series were so popular here, they didn't rust.

[War_Wagon]

Originally Posted by ErrForce

Well, round trip the elevation difference is 0.

Yes, but gravity is a lot less picky about dragging you down hill than lean burn / 5th gear ratio is about getting you up hill. If you have a lot of steep climbs that will keep you out of 5th or lean burn (in a VX etc), then you might as well save the money and buy a CX or some other non lean burn car rather than a VX/Insight.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Rusty94cx

The hx has more creature comforts like ac and power windows that's why mpg ratings are lower.

According to Wikipedia, the VX weighs 2,039 pounds and the HX 2,319, a 14% increase.

I wouldn't expect power windows to affect mileage unless you constantly used them as you drove!

Then again, if you have kids...

Originally Posted by mwebb

and the larger OD tires reduce engine speed at cruise which
improves FE

I would imagine the engine would need to work the slightest bit more to spin heavier wheels.

[War_Wagon]

Originally Posted by Xist

According to Wikipedia, the VX weighs 2,039 pounds and the HX 2,319, a 14% increase.

I wouldn't expect power windows to affect mileage unless you constantly used them as you drove!

Then again, if you have kids...



I would imagine the engine would need to work the slightest bit more to spin heavier wheels.

Mass matters most with a lot of start and stop driving. You need torque to get that static mass moving. In drag racing, 100 pounds in weight reduction is generally equal to 1/10th of a second of off your E.T. But once you get something rolling, no matter how fat it is, mass becomes less of a factor, and aero & rolling resistance have more of an effect. So for someone on the highway a lot, the difference between an HX and a VX will be minimal. But in the city, with a lot of stop and go traffic, the lighter the vehicle, the better. And as far as wheel size/weight goes, unsprung rotational weight (your wheels, tires, driveshafts etc) count for a lot more than your static weight (taking out the spare tire). So a lighter, skinnier tire and wheel combo will benefit you more in stop and go traffic than taking out the passenger and rear seat. But, if you are on the highway most of the time, then it won't make much of a difference.

[Frank Lee]

I've changed my mind. What you need is a Cessna.