Time to upgrade car... Which way to go?

[nimblemotors]

Sounds like a Prius is a good choice with all those stoplights.
Or if you want something cool, the MGeo will be for sale..

Originally Posted by Slasher

I am (hopefully) about to be in a position to get out of my old 99vw (transmission woes) and am trying to decide what to get for a ecomodder daily transportation device... and my 102 mile round trip commute says I should really go for it !!! 2 lanes 28 stop lights about 50% in city/50% 2 lane highway....

Lotsa good choices... maybe-

a stick shift yaris...
a used prius...
stick shift TDI...
Stick shift Civic


I don't really know much except I need to start looking.... I am not sure how many trips she's still got in her... But she gets 30+ mpg, but not wanting to throw any more$$$ at her and there's the tranny, tires, no a/c, and the fact the speedo/tach 50ks only 30% of the time....

[Flakbadger]

Our circumstances are probably very different, but I bought my Yaris sedan because it's cheap, has four doors, and gets 2.5 times the MPG of my old vehicle (2003 Ford Ranger w/ 4 liter V6) The biggest selling point was the price tag, as, being a broke-ass college student, I can't finance much more than a Yaris.

I don't have the time/money/shop to repair a car so I needed something newer, and I wanted to be able to get 35+ MPG. The Yaris has done that, and once I got used to its idiosyncratic clutch I'm doing alright. I'm 5' 7" and have plenty of room in the front seat. I find the driving position actually quite comfortable, but taller drivers seem to hate it. The interior is cheap plastic, so don't expect anything beautiful... The gauge cluster is in the middle of the dash which is super annoying, and the sound dampening is pretty much non-existent... But it's a great econobox and I've got nothing but good things to say about it so far. If you get the good stereo like I have you can even plug your MP3 player into it.

If you're looking for something cheap I'd highly recommend it, it beat the Fit hands-down in affordability and compares well with MPGs. Good enough for me.
Good luck

[Slasher]

Thanks Eco modders...

I thought very hard about another TDI... It was difficult as some cars pulled emotionally, some practically.. But after a lot of test driving... I pulled the trigger on a 3 door YARIS M/T.... After driving, Prius C, Hondas, KIA, Hyundai's and a TDI Jetta; The lil Yaris just felt like it was the car that best suited my needs and desires on a cost per mile basis...

But then Lil Japanese made Toyota's have usually been a very safe bet!!!

I hope I am right!!!

[LeanBurn]

I think you made a wise choice...good for you.

..and enjoy your commute and just like you I will continue to enjoy our rat-race free lifestyle

[Flakbadger]

So far I've been thrilled with my Yaris, hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine. And yes, it is supposed to make that horrible noise in reverse. Oh and it will shudder in reverse too if you don't give it enough gas. I swear, there's Manual trans, Auto trans, and Yaris trans. The first 2 weeks was just spent learning its idiosyncratic clutch.
:P

[brucepick]

The Yaris looks like a good choice.

FWIW, I also have a long commute - about 55 miles each way, so 110 mi/day, 5 days /week. I too have my reasons for "signing up" for that ride. Thankfully it's a pretty easy drive with usually very light traffic, so it's quite doable.