best new car for money and mpg's

[duaneb9729]

can i buy the malibu?

personally i wouldnt spend the money on a new car in your situation, just do the normal maintenance and drive it till it has 200,000 miles on it.

your getting great fuel mileage, the ecotech engine is a good one, change the tranny fluid over to the new dextron V or another quality synthetic fluid.

i bought my work truck with 78,000 miles on it last year, on May 1st, put 20,000 miles on it and its not skipped a beat.

[cfg83]

duaneb9729 -

Originally Posted by duaneb9729

can i buy the malibu?

personally i wouldnt spend the money on a new car in your situation, just do the normal maintenance and drive it till it has 200,000 miles on it.

your getting great fuel mileage, the ecotech engine is a good one, change the tranny fluid over to the new dextron V or another quality synthetic fluid.

i bought my work truck with 78,000 miles on it last year, on May 1st, put 20,000 miles on it and its not skipped a beat.

Another argument in favor of keeping the Malibu is that those miles sound like "highway miles", which are easier on the drivetrain. Maybe joesgot4 needs to find a second forum devoted to his Chevy Malibu. That way, he could pre-empt known problems with his car.

CarloSW2

[joesgot4]

thanks for the suggestions! i mulling over my options with every post taken into account! thanks yall keep the suggestions comings

[theunchosen]

42 mpg is pretty good. Thats better than my city driving and equal to my highway non-surfing driving(although this may have changed saturday due to full ac delete)

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted by blueflame

What stuff goes wrong with VW?

I thought they were well engineered, solid and reliable German auto's.

You are joking right? I'm not going to bash them too much, they are nice cars, just no one I know has ever bought two in a row... Usually its some electrical issues that show up even after multiple trips to the dealer that scares them off. Maybe the new one are better but that remains to be seen.

On the original topic, I would stick with your Malibu, I was going to recommend a new Cobalt XFE as you might get one for $10k all in these days but if you keep on top of your maintenance the Malibu should last a long time with little chance of a surprise repair. Plus you can get parts anywhere you go and find a mechanic if needed.
VW TDI's are great near major cities but having a break down in almost anywhere in "small town' america might result in waiting for parts and having someone learn while working on your car.
Ian

[cfg83]

IndyIan -

Originally Posted by IndyIan

You are joking right? I'm not going to bash them too much, they are nice cars, just no one I know has ever bought two in a row... Usually its some electrical issues that show up even after multiple trips to the dealer that scares them off. Maybe the new one are better but that remains to be seen.

My theory is based on the stereotype/cliches that German engineering is very complicated and therefore needs more TLC. This is ok if you have cheap parts nearby. That means VWs are fine in Germany, i.e. close to home, but can be a pain in the butt here in the USA.

On the original topic, I would stick with your Malibu, I was going to recommend a new Cobalt XFE as you might get one for $10k all in these days but if you keep on top of your maintenance the Malibu should last a long time with little chance of a surprise repair. Plus you can get parts anywhere you go and find a mechanic if needed.
VW TDI's are great near major cities but having a break down in almost anywhere in "small town' america might result in waiting for parts and having someone learn while working on your car.
Ian

Ibid. For 4 kids, maybe the Pontiac Vibe would be a good choice. Under the skin it's still a Toyota Matrix aka Corolla, so repairs and maintenance should be affordable.

CarloSW2

[theunchosen]

Stick with the malibu.

You get pretty good gas mileage so changing vehicles won't get you phenomenally better mileage(unless you get a civic 2dr(it seats 4 just fine unless its more than an hour(I'm 5'8"))).

The cost of a new vehicle(even used) would unlikely be offset by even your high mileage. Unless your girl is showing signs of major repairs(that you can't prevent) I'd stick with it until it kicks the bucket.

Any opinion coming from me is going to be biased towards Honda so take that for what its worth. I'd get a civic 2dr manual in 08 09 if you HAVE to upgrade or a Honda Fit. Fit's going to give the passengers in the back more space at slightly lower rated FE. People here get your mpg in the Fit/Jazz/City

[joesgot4]

there is one thing i thought of that is going to make my decision for me! i have a almost 15 year old daughter who will get her drivers license in about 14 months! she is going to need a car at which time my car will have at least 80,000 miles! i can give her my car which is a good car so far and buy me a better more fuel efficient car! ALRIGHT WITH THAT SAID ! WHAT KIND OF CAR DO I NEED! i will appreciate any suggestions!
p.s. i got called into work a shift early and had to drive 75mph for 250 miles and got 37 mpgs on all interstate driving! see yall

[theunchosen]

Fit, 2 dr Civic whichever you prefer.

[Formula413]

How on earth are you getting these FE numbers out of a Malibu???