In my situation which car would be best?

[Eco_Bob]

Greetings All!,

Hopefully I will get hired at the place I am interviewing at. The only downside is that it will be about a 55 mile commute each way (If everything looks good in a year or so, will try to move closer to the office ;-) ) Mpg/fuel cost is now a fairly large concern (that and time for commuting...)

From reading the forums - it seems the best way to get better MPG is with your foot. However in my situation my commute will be approx. 85-90% highway. Posted speed limit is 65-70, but seems everyone goes 80+ (unless there is some horrific accident, then its stop and go). Driving 55 or under I feel is asking for trouble, especially with the majority of drivers in South Florida.

Was curious if you could give me some recommendations on cars that would fit my needs? :-D

To simplify here are my parameters:
Location: South Florida
- 90s in the summer with high humidity - I am lucky to get 3 years out of my 12v car batteries - will this be a concern for batteries in hybrids? - most likely the car will not see a garage for shelter during the day
- Will most likely need to drive through somewhat flooded roads during the summer (6-10")

Driving: 85-90% Highway -- 65-80 mph | 10-15% city -- 35-45mph
Unleaded : $3.45/gal
Diesel: $3.95/gal
Passengers: Just me most likely - though having more space would be nice
Cost for car: Would like to keep it under 7K total (including repairs, mods, etc)
Maintenance: Less maintenance would be ideal. So would be the car's lifespan.
Estimate 25,000 miles a year

Cars that look like they might fit the bill?:

95-00' Geo/Chevy Metro (1.0ltr/manual)
01-03' Volkswagen Golf/Jetta TDI (1.9 turbo diesel/manual)
01-05' Honda Insight (1.0ltr/manual)

My analysis of the three cars so far (please comment if additional things to consider, or my statement is just plain wrong :-D)

Metro
Pros:
Cheapest of the three to purchase
Easiest to work on
Least complicated - so should last longer?
Takes cheaper unleaded fuel (vs diesel)

Concerns:
Not sure how it would fare driving it constantly 70-80mph
unsure what the fuel economy would be at those speeds


Golf/Jetta TDI (01-03):
Pros:
More solid feeling - 'driving pleasure'
Constant 70-80mph driving shouldn't be an issue
Mpg doesn't seem to be that much different from the Golf to the Jetta Wagon
(would be nice to be able to haul things around when need be)

Concerns:
Uses more expensive Diesel
Not sure if cost of diesel to miles driven is that much impressive over unleaded cars
Turbos need more maintenance? (as compared to natural aspiration engines)
Kinda hard to find 01-03 in good condition around me


Insight (1st gen)
Pros:
Rumored to get 55+mpg when cruising at 70-80mph?
Takes cheaper unleaded fuel
Battery maintenance/replacement seems easier/more affordable than other hybrids
Seems to operate mostly ok, with the battery system dead and still get ok mpg

Concerns:
Battery Maintenance/Replacement
South Florida heat will shorten the lifespan of the batteries
Going through flooded roads maybe more concern?
More complicated car - more potential/costly headaches?
Have yet to see one in decent condition with manual transmission and A/C on craigslist

Any other suggestions for cars or other things to consider would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!,

Bob

[SentraSE-R]

Whichever car you get, make 65 mph your top speed. It's easier on the car, your FE, and your nerves. Plus, it's hella safer in a crash. The most dangerous part of your drive is when you're in the high speed left lane

conga dancer line.

I'd get the TDI. The Insight & Metro are lightweight sardine tins.

[cbaber]

It would be better to first decide what type of mileage you want, and what price you are comfortable paying. You've listed three widely different cars that fit different functions.

For all out fuel economy the Insight wins. It's light, aerodynamic, and due to being a hybrid gets good FE in the city.

The TDI, as you said, is a more solid commuter. Probably more comfortable due to being heavier, way more room, but still gets good FE.

I would group the Metro with the 1990+ Japanese cars as well. Honda, toyota, etc. These cars are the cheapest at around $2500+ for a solid car, but if you are not mechanically inclined this might be more trouble than the initial price is worth. Are you willing to work on the car when stuff breaks? Maintenance is key with high mileage cars. They have good value though. Just look at the top 10 gas cars on this site for FE. Most are 1990's Honda's, there is a Metro, and a Toyota.

I love having an old car that gets good FE. Besides the low initial price, you pay very little for insurance. I pay $20/month on my Civic. Taxes are cheap. Junkyard used parts are cheap. And many of us love to work on cars anyway, so a chore such as replacing the clutch or fixing the overheating issue is just part of owning an older car.

[Gealii]

i'd personally go with a jetta/golf tdi, be warned finding a decent mk4 tdi with a manual for less then 8k you will be looking at the 170k+ mile range more than likely 200k. These TDIs are underrated more than likely 50-60mpg then with a little hypermiling . The first thing i would do on it would be replace the timing belt and water pump(factory pumps are plastic and are gone by the 170k mile range) if not already done. This is around $330 in parts.

The insight with a manual and a good battery pack would be rare or expensive
Then the metro probably the easiest to get but has no power.

[UltArc]

For your situation, the best would be the Insight. Even without the battery power, it's the best.

These are all going to be about the same repair wise, but there, I think the Metro is easiest to repair.

For comfort, I imagine the VW.

But that's just between the three, as mentioned above, a lot of great 1990s Toyota/Hondas, and there's also the Civic Hybrid in standard, too. Even for the highway use, I think standard drive should still be the number one priority- theres plenty of great cars out there.

[nemo]

Tri-Rail ?

[Ryland]

The TDI is going to have the highest upkeep cost according to consumer reports, the timing belts tend to break if not replaced every 70,000 miles and it's great if you can replace them your self but friends with TDI's and other VW's have them in for repairs more then anyone else I know.

As far as I know you are not going to find a Geo Metro with cruse control and the engine is fussy to add aftermarket cruse control onto and if I was driving that much I would want cruse control.

With a $7,000 budget, I'd opt for a Honda Insight, even if you had to travel a bit to get it.

Other option would be to find a first or 2nd gen Toyota Prius and learn how to rebuild the battery pack, a few people in our local EV club have done that a handful of times and say it's not a bad way to get a cheap car.

[Frank Lee]

Don't understand the cc/fussy Metro comment; the Metro I know has one and it works.

[doviatt]

I like all three choices. Pick the one you fancy most.
I had a situation about 4-5 years ago almost exactly like yours. They were building Rail near where I needed to go but it was years out from completion. I ended up with a Geo Metro and never looked back. I even found 2 people I worked with that I convinced to car pool with me every day. They paid for all of my gas for over 2 years. Even with a full weight load my Metro would beat their cars by a lot. I averaged nearly 60 MPG until I had to retire it (120 man miles per gallon with passengers). Back then I paid $450 for the car. It saved me nearly $2000 in gas over the years plus what I didn't have to pay with the car pool contributions.

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by Ryland

The TDI is going to have the highest upkeep cost according to consumer reports, the timing belts tend to break if not replaced every 70,000 miles and it's great if you can replace them your self but friends with TDI's and other VW's have them in for repairs more then anyone else I know.
.

Yes diesels will have a higher upkeep trade off on a naturally stronger motor. The factory belts last 70k miles while the new aftermarket 1s are good for 100k not alot of improvement over timing chains but it is cost effective and easy to do by watching videos.
Must be your friends issues around here dodges and non truck 4x4 chevys and auto fords post '99 tend to have issues even though i got lucky. Every vehicle brand has issues some more than others but ive never heard of issues with a MANUAL vw