My Wife Want's a New affordable 40MPG Car

[Ladogaboy]

Odd as it might sound, I don't really consider Honda or Toyota to be the top Japanese car manufacturers anymore. I might, begrudgingly, have to say that Nissan is the best across their entire product line at this point.

[user removed]

I drive a 99 Maxima now. We bought it new, later sold it to our son in law, and now have it back with 140k miles. It will be 13 years old in February. I think it is one of the best cars ever made by any manufacturer, anywhere in the world, ever. Managed a 32.3 MPG tank but that was mostly a day trip to the mountains in western Va.

I don't think it has needed a light bulb in close to 13 years. It has had some parts replaced but they are common for the mileage. Original shocks still work fine, not quite what they were new but certainly no need to replace them.

The new Versa was something I was interested in but it did not get good reviews. I like that Hyundai-Kia have gone with direct injection on a lot of their models now while most of the others are not quite there yet.

regards
Mech

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

Then consider buying a new or used Aveo. It's made in Korea and costs less than the Japanese comparable models. The American designed interior is much more 'user friendly' than a Fit or a Yaris.

On the highway, our 2009 with A/T gets 37 MPG @ 65 MPH with the A/C on. Our Scan gauge confirms this. That's hard to beat for a really inexpensive car.

However, we bought it for my wife's daily local commute, and the best we can manage is 22 MPG at speeds below 45 MPH, which unfortunately is 99% of our all local usage. Highway MPG is great; city MPG really sucks.

But if you do mostly highway driving, it may be the best car for you, especially for the money.

I don't know about those cars. They should get close to 50 for the size it is. I do think they need to be tweeked a bit more! I've been asking people about them at fill up stations & they all tend to be disapointed in the mileage.

Thanks,
Dave

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Originally Posted by Ladogaboy

Odd as it might sound, I don't really consider Honda or Toyota to be the top Japanese car manufacturers anymore. I might, begrudgingly, have to say that Nissan is the best across their entire product line at this point.

Good to know!

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I drive a 99 Maxima now. We bought it new, later sold it to our son in law, and now have it back with 140k miles. It will be 13 years old in February. I think it is one of the best cars ever made by any manufacturer, anywhere in the world, ever. Managed a 32.3 MPG tank but that was mostly a day trip to the mountains in western Va.

I don't think it has needed a light bulb in close to 13 years. It has had some parts replaced but they are common for the mileage. Original shocks still work fine, not quite what they were new but certainly no need to replace them.

The new Versa was something I was interested in but it did not get good reviews. I like that Hyundai-Kia have gone with direct injection on a lot of their models now while most of the others are not quite there yet.

regards
Mech

I will have to check on the reviews, that car may be in the running.

I do like my 99 Corolla w 275K, but I don't think the new ones are built to last as well as the older ones.

Thanks guys for all your great info,
Dave

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Dave's Civic Duty

I don't know about those cars. They should get close to 50 for the size it is. I do think they need to be tweeked a bit more! I've been asking people about them at fill up stations & they all tend to be disapointed in the mileage.

Thanks,
Dave

No car that in that category gets anywhere "close to 50" MPG. The others of comparable size and shape are the Fit, the Rio, the Yaris.

The others get somewhat better fuel economy in city driving, because their A/T's are programmed differently. But the Chevy Aveo (made in Korea) can be bought for thousands less than the others. So if you want a car with a lower purchase price that gets great highway MPG (but lousy city MPG) it may be a good choice.

[user removed]

Dave, my apologies for implying that the Maxima I now drive would be the best choice. Biggest problem with that 4th gen Maxima now is they are all 13 years old, or within months of 13.

I thought you were looking at new cars, and the new Versa would be a good choice. The CVT versions do good in mileage in urban areas and Nissan warranties their CVTs for 120 k miles.

If I was looking for a used car, right now I would seriously consider a Toyota Echo, or the Tercel after 1996 when they went to the twin cam engines which are the same as the Echo. No timing belts to break and very low maintenance and very reliable.

The later Versas used would be another option, but I was focusing on new cars following the gist of your initial post. It may be a gamble on the Korean made cars, but my gut feeling is the Koreans are just about where Japan was about 30 years ago when they were totally dominating the car market and their (Japanese) quality was superb.

I think it is possible that the Kia and Hyundai offerings may be closing the quality gap right now. The Sorento my wife just bought has one of the best factory paint jobs I have ever seen, equal in final finish to anything on the market. At 32 MPG highway in a 3800 pound CUV with large frontal area it is at the top of the charts for highway mileage with few competitors. The direct injected 6 speed automated manual transmissions are leading edge technology, with a 100k warranty to back up their build quality, as well as a 5-60 roadside assistance that means my wife has assurance she will be OK on the road travelling alone, which to her is priceless.

The base models of the Korean cars are slightly more expensive that a stripped Versa and the difference in mileage is negligible. Either would be a good choice in my opinion.

regards
Mech

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

The Sorento my wife just bought has one of the best factory paint jobs I have ever seen, equal in final finish to anything on the market.
Mech

Same thing for the Aveo. The fit and finish was flawless, one of the best I've ever seen on any vehicle - and all the more impressive in that it is only a cheap econobox.

[Arragonis]

The new Chrysler / FIATs are reasonably OK - based on GM Platforms (Opel / Vauxhall) - and of course Italy could use all the money it can get

[TXwaterdog]

Originally Posted by Dave's Civic Duty

Lisa's commute is mostly hyway.

I have 2300 miles on my 2012 Focus and it's a mix. I get 38mpg all day long. If i'm crawling along in traffic I still get +34mpg. When I'm on a constant level highway I have seen as much as 52mpg but I haven't taken any trips yet. one's coming up for Thanksgiving...

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Kia, Proton and Hyundai are all worth a look - the quality is pretty good. Focus is also good.

How about a Fester (Fiesta) or a Yaris ?

Yaris was basically a joke to drive but it is much cheaper. The Fiesta is a contender and I'd compare it directly with a new Corolla. Although I'd suggest the completely new Fiesta over the 10 year old Corolla design. And that brings up something.. the Corolla should be rolling out a new design in the next few months it might be worth waiting for.

Kia and Hyundai can't compare with Ford, Honda, Toyota, GM and Nissan- there's just much better cars out there. Granted Hyundai now has a great build quality and a good warranty but I still wouldn't buy one.

If money isn't a big concern perhaps the new Fiat 500c is worth a look. She'd feel like a pampered rockstar in it while she saved gas... It's based on the Ford KA which is getting great reviews across the pond.

Again, I highly suggest driving the 2012 Focus.. It puts a smile on my face everyday. (When you test drive it be sure to turn OD off for autos when putting the petal to the metal that way you can feel all 160hp).