efficient road trip car

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by RoadTripRob

I hate that people judge others on what car they drive, if i could i would ride my bicycle locally and a honda grom long distance. Even though i dont like it it is still a factor. If you have a nice tasteful car you get a lot of benefits, a few include: higher perception of you by your boss= more likely to get a promotion, higher perception of you by women= choice from more and better looking women(im 24 ) = better genetic children. Some people with no taste get huge lifted trucks and gold wrapped lambos that look vulgar and give a negative view of the driver. I think i have a good taste in cars so i would avoid this problem. If i saw the woman below looking at me i 110% care what she thinks of me. I think spending some alone time with her is worth a few less mpg and higher running costs?

Fun story: I used to have a Viper (bought it when I was 27). It never got me a promotion and never got me laid because only in adolescent fantasies do bosses and women "think better of you" because you drive a 15-year-old sports car. If the woman you posted thought better of me because of what car I drive, I would take that as a sign she's not worth my time.

I dispute your statement that hybrids are "bad for road trips." Hybrid versions of conventional models are almost always more aerodynamically efficient and get better highway mpg than their non-hybrid counterparts; nickel-metal hydride batteries have also proven over the last two decades to be extremely reliable. Buy the right hybrid and you can even:



5000 mile road trip, no hotels, 57mpg. Let's see a Corvette do that.

That said, if you want the Corvette, get the Corvette. Just know that, beyond the higher initial cost, you aren't going to get 38mpg out of it, there are no snow tires and a handful of not-great-in-snow all-seasons available that fit, and people will be more likely to drive by and laugh at your Vette stuck in a ditch in the snow because of schadenfreude than stop to help.

[redpoint5]

When my Subaru was rear-ended, I spent months thinking about what I would replace it with (and then a year to find the exact car).

My priorities were reliability, efficiency, total cost of ownership, utility, comfort, features, handling, speed, and lastly, looks.

The used cars I considered for various reasons:

Delorean
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Prius
Hyundai Elantra
Lexus IS250 (quickly dismissed)
Subaru Outback
VW Jetta TDI

I ended up buying an Acura TSX. Although it was among the most expensive vehicles I was considering, it met most of my criteria for what I was looking for. What really sold me was taking a test drive one day, and grinning as I rowed through the silky manual gearbox. I had never shifted such a buttery smooth transmission before, and I was sure to get much better than EPA fuel economy from the 4-cylinder engine.

Create a spreadsheet
What I suggest you do whenever confronted with a dilemma is to create a spreadsheet. Along the top row, list the options you are considering. On the left column, list the aspects you desire of whatever you are considering.

Create a value range for each aspect in proportion to how much you value it. For example, you might really value appearance. Give that a value range of 0-30. Maybe you don't care much about interior volume, so you might give that a range of 0-10.

Then, for each car, assign a value within the assigned range for how well it accomplishes that goal. Perhaps you find the Corvette is a 26 out of 30 for appearance, but a 3 out of 10 for interior volume.

At the end, you simply add up the column values for each vehicle, and the totals inform your decision. Rather than second guessing your options endlessly, you can find some confidence that you applied a rational method to your decision.

I did this when deciding whether to keep my current job with a substantial pay raise, or to accept another job that paid less, but had other desirable aspects. It could even work when deciding between who to date, or even if you should date someone.

[Hersbird]

Your crazy if you think a 16 year old Vette would be a mediocre Canadian winter road car let alone a good one. I'd shop around a little more. Something like a 2007 Camry 2.4 manual. Me I'll give a few MPG for the kind of chicks a minivan attracts.

[Saskwatchian]

Dude, you live in Kamloops. I'm sure you could ride that CBR for 9 months of the year if you stay local. When is the last time you drove 200km in -40?

As a winter car the Vette would be fun if you like hanging the back end out on corners and the ability to do a 180 on a residential street. If you are looking for a practical car that will help keep you out of the ditch it's not it.

I've always thought that a nice station wagon would be the ultimate road-trip vehicle. Something like this: 2005 Volkswagen Passat Limited Wagon | used cars & trucks | Kamloops | Kijiji

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Create a spreadsheet
What I suggest you do whenever confronted with a dilemma is to create a spreadsheet. Along the top row, list the options you are considering. On the left column, list the aspects you desire of whatever you are considering.

I made a big score sheet like that when I was deciding on what car I wanted before I sold my 4 cylinder accord! If I remember correctly, I had like 26 different cars (including refresh generations) to choose from, including the TSX. TSX made it pretty far, as did the 1st gen insight after I significantly bumped up the worth of gas mileage. My 6-6 accord got major sleeper points, along with a bunch of other stuff that made it squeak to the top. Strangely, my score sheet brought the toyota celica GT-S close to the top too, despite me not liking it as much. TSX didn't win out because it required premium and wasn't rated all that much higher than the accord v6. One better city, one better highway...

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

TSX didn't win out because it required premium and wasn't rated all that much higher than the accord v6. One better city, one better highway...

I agree that the TSX isn't worth the extra expense over the Accord. In fact, the TSX is called the Euro Accord abroad. You're getting better fuel economy on regular, and have better power and torque. Your 0-60 time is about 1 second faster too, if 6 seconds is really how quick the car can go.

The TSX is a phenomenal car though. My only complaints:

1. Turning radius of a bus
2. Needs more sound deadening
3. 6th gear is pointless for both racing and fuel economy (needs to be taller).

I'm running it with regular fuel since the manual states it's ok, and I don't run it hard. I can tell the very subtle difference between the fuel grades though, and I notice the timing is retarded a bit on lower octane fuels.

I choose the car before I learned the power of the spreadsheet.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by Saskwatchian

As a winter car the Vette would be fun if you like hanging the back end out on corners and the ability to do a 180 on a residential street.

Little FWD manuals add to winter fun with E brake turns and my Fit can turn with the best of them. That said, I want to see what he can do with the Vette. Not as much as he wants to drive it, but I do really want to see it: not many sports cars last on here.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I agree that the TSX isn't worth the extra expense over the Accord. In fact, the TSX is called the Euro Accord abroad. You're getting better fuel economy on regular, and have better power and torque. Your 0-60 time is about 1 second faster too, if 6 seconds is really how quick the car can go.

I have seen times from 5.7-5.9 seconds quoted. With the right tires I believe it. My LRR tires at 50 PSI? Nope. Way too much wheelspin.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

1. Turning radius of a bus

I promise mine is worse.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

2. Needs more sound deadening

Road noise doesn't bother me much, but I don't think my accord needs more sound deadening, except maybe in the wheel wells. I may actually end up putting some insulation in there.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

3. 6th gear is pointless for both racing and fuel economy (needs to be taller).

You have something like a 4.7 final drive, my 4 cylinder accord had a 4.3 something. I believe the final drives are interchangeable, that would be worth looking into. Top gear ratios are the same between both transmissions.

The TSX is still on my short-list, if I end up having enough money/garage space to actually collect a bunch of cars, I will get one.

[slowmover]

I've never been a fan of small cars. Traditionally they were the worst built. From the 1960s forward it always made more sense to buy what was known as a "fleet car", that vehicle bought in the tens of thousands by police, taxi, governmental and corporations. Simple, reliable. A variety of powertrain choices. The important point is that it can be fixed anywhere by anyone. Plenty of new and used parts.

There is a correlation between size and safety. The curve flattens out at 4000-lbs. Same for stability via wheelbase length. 120". Four wheel disc brakes with fully independent suspension round it off.

Unlike cars of yesteryear, FE is appreciably good.

Were I in the shoes of the OP I'd be looking for a V6 Dodge Charger. Four doors and a good sized trunk. Can tow a fairly large travel trailer, not just an open utility trailer (wind load considerations). Big enough to nap in. Based on a Mercedes design.

I rented an '05 that returned 27-mpg while on a trip of a couple thousand miles. Not trying for economy, this was a business trip. I was impressed. Seats were good and rear view mirrors just big enough.

I'm sure the later models are more efficient. 30-mpg in a full size car is pretty much heaven. A case of being able to have it all.

Let's return to mass. Size matters in any wreck. Airbags only activate once. From then on it's stability and being able to absorb blows. FE is secondary.

WB and weight also make for a better ride. Important on a long day on the road.

I'm just past 27,000-miles this calendar year. Ride, noise and vibration attenuation genuinely matter. Fine motor skills deteriorate as the day goes on, and best FE will also deteriorate as a result.

Good luck with what you purchase.

[California98Civic]

2012 Chevy Sonic with the 6-speed manual. Quiet inside! Quiet!! And with the Civic VX level tall gearing you'll get insane FE on the freeways anytime you choose, wickedly superior FE without trying much at all, and excellent FE while deploying your radar detector.