Any reason NOT to get an XFI?
 

So here's my situation:

I commute 130 miles round trip, 5 days a week. In my Outback, it costs me roughly $20/day. Given a budget of $3500, it makes the most sense to buy a much more efficient [dedicated] commuter than trying to ecomod an Outback.

Is there ANY REASON NOT TO buy a Metro XFI? Given my budget, of course. Otherwise I'd have a Karma or something.

The only better option I can imagine is a 1st-gen Insight but I think that's a little out of budget at the moment. With $3500, I can buy/repair/maintain/rejuvenate/ecomod an XFI, right? If I can get 50mpg, I'm saving roughly $12/day (~$3128/yr)

Because I will keep my Outback for trips to the store and shuffling kids around when necessary, I have no concerns about passenger comfort/capacity/safety/ill-begotten judgement, etc.

As long as you have some minor mechanical ability for smaller repairs, I don't see why not. It's if you have to take it to a mechanic every time there is an issue (say the wipers stop working), that the savings in fuel will get eaten up by other costs. These cars are 20 years old now, so things will randomly fail on them, just like any other 20 year old car. My only other concern would be rust, I don't know what the rust situation is like in your area, but structural/undercarriage rust would be a deal breaker for me. It's one of those things that can be fixed, but it's seldom worth it, and never cheap.

Rust/salt isn't terrible here. It's certainly not Georgia, but it's not Minnesota, either. I do have pretty good hands/tools/knowledge for repairs and I have a '72 MGB in the barn so I'm not at all a foreigner to random failures (or rust, for that matter...).

Assuming 250 workdays per year, I'm looking at ~32000 miles per year. I know that's tough on any car but for what I'm saving in fuel (money), I can likely acquire a back-up XFI engine and rebuilt it. Hell, after a year, I may be able to buy a whole back-up Metro.

My real question is are there any better US-spec options than an XFI? I've racked my brain, google, fueleconomy.gov, and a handful of forums and can't think of any. But, if there was, I figured you guys would know.

Mid 90, s chevy cavalier? But won't top 50 mpg without a lot of aero...

Well, exactly. A Cavalier would put me in a worse boat that a Metro LSi or a CRX HF. In terms of out-of-the-box MPGs, are there any better options than an XFI? I'm certainly open to a CRX HF or a Civic VX, but I'm looking for something to save me some dollars in the near-term without putting a lot of mods into it.

Besides, any money I spend on Aero-modding a Cavalier I could spend on aero-modding a Metro and still end up ahead.

In the long term I'd like to build a <1500lb VW Type 1 based fiberglass kit with a rearmount Renault K9K. But, that's just a dream and a few SolidWorks files right now. I can't keep driving my Outback while I build something like that or I'll never have the money to do so.

The Civic VX (lean burn) is a better highway cruiser than an XFi, if that's your typical usage. But the Metro XFi will beat it in sub/urban driving.

A Civic CX isn't much worse than a VX.

No reason not to get one if you can find a non-rusty one, and are prepared to do maintenance/repairs yourself!

No AC. :eek:

The 65 miles one-way is broken into 35 miles of hilly highway (55-65mph zones) and 30 miles of hilly country roads (30-45mph zones) including some mountain switchbacks. I encounter all of 2 stop-lights on the trip. One by the parking lot of my place of employment and one about 0.5 miles from the house where I cross over a major road. Other than that it's a scenic, mountainous, hour and fifteen minute commute over the river and through the woods.

Special thanks, though, your website [in no small way] influenced my desire to go with a Metro XFI.

You can also go with a regular Metro, and modify it to get close to XFi numbers (final drive gearing, camshaft, aerodynamics, weight reduction). And given that much of your route is high load on the climbs, a Civic VX (unmodified) may not be able to hold lean burn.

And if you run the numbers, you'll probably find there isn't a huge difference, dollar-wise, between a 45 mpg car and a 55 mpg one. That gives you a lot more options.

PS: glad you enjoyed the metrompg.com site!

I'll tell you this. If you are driving a Geo Metro on twisty mountain roads you're going to want to drive it off a cliff just so you don't have to live with its lifeless steering and complete lack of driving joy. Seriously, you'll wonder if the steering wheel is actually connected to the tie rods.

Do yourself a favor and buy a 1988-1995 Honda Civic/CRX. As long as it's not an Si you can put a few mods into it and get 40mpg highway easily (mine has an engine swap and I'm averaging 37mpg). My Civic is seriously the most fun to drive car I've ever owned (and possibly driven (No, that was a Miata)). It's like a big go-kart.

And the parts are CHEAP!

In order of decreasing fuel consumption: Si, DX, CX, VX, HF

If you're driving 130 miles a day, you may also consider renting a room nearby for a few hundred a month and walking or cycling to work. Unless, that is, you work for Fujiwara Tofu!