mod the accord or dump it?
 

alright here is my conundrum (it just a fun word to say). I will be starting a new job next week and i will be going from a 6 mile drive to a 43 mile drive (42.2 miles of it is highway) one way.

so the question is do I
a) keep my 98 accord EX 4 cyl, auto with 153,000 and mod the crap out of it or
b) buy a dirt cheap beater, mod the crap out if it also and unload the accord for what i can get for it.

I would appreciate any of you yoda-type modders inputs.

the obvious pros for option A are
1.paid off
2.hondas are in general very reliable
3.A/C works great
cons are
1.automatic trans (looked into a manual conversion, about 700$ :()
2.heavy (approx 3500 lbs with me in it)
3.not an ecomodding issue, but this car really sucks in the snow

option B pros
1.can buy a car that is a huge step in the right direction for base mileage and for ecomodding
cons
1.i have to buy something else
2. cheap will probably mean a rotted out bucket (Ohio cars are in notoriously bad condition)

the accord gets about 27mpg average (based on a previous jobs drive of 23 miles one way)

the end goal here is to end up with much better mileage in the most budget friendly way possible (come to think of it I guess that's why were all here :rolleyes:)

last little sidenote; the accord is in severe need of an alignment and front tires, but this will be happening this weekend regardless so i'm not even including this cost in any budgeting.

Thanks for any useful stuff

Keep your Accord and drive it 5 mph below the PSL. Your new, longer commute will allow you to get better fuel economy than you've ever gotten before, because your engine will fully warm up, and you'll be in torque converter lockup the whole time. You should be able to average 35-36 mpg (135% of your 27 mpg EPA highway estimate) by keeping your speeds down.

You're talking about putting 22,360 miles a year of wear and tear on a beater. Do you really want that as your only car if it breaks down 40 miles from home? If you found a $1000 beater that gets 40 mpg, your Accord would cost you only $200/year more in fuel costs. It would take you 5 years to pay off the cost of the beater in fuel costs, if it was still running without major repairs 115,000 miles later. Even if the beater got 45 mpg, it would take you 2-1/2 years to pay off its extra cost (assuming $3/gal gas).

I'd watch craigslist and be patient for a deal. You can do a lot better than the accord can give you, but waiting for the right car will require time. You can come out ahead on the car and save gas money if you get the right car.

I doubled my mileage overnight by dumping my 25-30mpg beater.

Looking at the numbers, your Accord will drink about $60/wk in fuel. If you replace it with a Prius, you might be looking at $30/wk savings. Replacing it with a 40mpg Civic hatch with a stick might save you... what, $15/wk in fuel? These numbers suggest you do can take the time to do your research, select a moddable car, and get a good price on both your Accord and its replacement.

Sentra's advice will undoubtedly save fuel and can be implemented immediately, but I think there are faster ways to get to work at 40mpg. Good luck!

Why would anyone want to hurry to work ;)?

Drive the Accord into the ground while you look for a replacement. Consider the total cost of the replacement and be patient. Look outside your rust prone area for the replacement. I flew from Newport News Va to Florida to pick up a car for Pop. It took 24 hours total to fly there and drive back, 800 miles.

2001 Eldorado with 60k miles for $6K. It got close to 28 MPG on the drive home. My 83 year old mother and I were competing for the best mileage and it was very close, since we were both doing the speed limit until 2 AM. 5 hours sleep and we finished the trip within 5 minutes of when we left the ground on the plane 24 hours earlier.

He loves the car.

regards
Mech

thanks for the replies so far.

i should also note that the previous jobs 23.5 mile one way drive was 22.8 miles highway. this job will also be a 2nd shift job so average speeds to work are 70 to 75 and that's just to keep from being ran over (sometimes literally) by Semi trucks, the ride home i can go way slower at 55 to 60 mph.

old mechanic, you are totally correct about going outside the rust belt for a vehicle.

I was assuming to sell the accord after getting a replacement and making sure it's reliable. once cleaned up the accord should get 1500$ (2000$ if i'm real patient). I don't mind something that needs some work (I'm a diesel mechanic)

I was thinking about doing a boattail to the accord if it gets kept, but it's not really easy to do this on a sedan.

And has anyone tried p&g or neutral coasting on an auto car?

That changes things a bit look for any VW TDI in good shape from 96 on.

henticules -

Ditto on keeping the Accord since it's a bird-in-the-hand. Most of the driving skills+mods you acquire can be applied to your next (compact?) car.

Also, your 42 mile trip is more comfy in the Accord. A beater can get great MPG while beating you up in the process, especially if the roads are bad.

CarloSW2

Get a TDI
 

2nd on the VW TDI!! I recently got 58mpg on my 01 Beetle TDI 5spd but understand that the Golf & Jetta can get even better! I just picked up a 1997 Passat TDI 5spd for $1200 and got 45mpg not even trying and it's bigger than your Accord AND the range per tank is 800+ miles! I'm not knocking the Honda's I've had 10 of them and loved every one! But when my 95 Toyota Avalon with a 3.0L v6 got better mpg than my 1993 Accord EX 4cyl, I was shocked and opened my mind to a whole new concept. Now Ecomodder has my mind racing!! I WANT 50mpg+ and won't stop till I get it consistantly!! :thumbup: Good luck with your hunt!!

p.s. My 01 Beetle will be for sale $5000 if you're interested :)