Economy Car Recommendations

[rocker59]

Not many of the cars mentioned in this thread are going to get a young man much action.

It was noted that he had a girlfriend and needed to haul her and her kid sometimes.

I'd tell her to use her car and I'd get the Miata.  But that's just me, and I swore off girlfriends with young kids years ago.

 

[rocker59]

Whew!   Good thing there's no women that ever look over WG posts!   (I SAID, IT'S A GOOD THING THERE'S NO WOMEN READING THIS!)       

Lannis

I think our current ratio of members, men to women, is 35:1.

Man-Town, for sure...

[threebrits]

Since the "economics" have changed from saving money to - I need a car to put miles on, haul girlfriend and son occasionally, and if she doesn't work out still get laid.

He should steer clear of VW and Volvo as those are generally chick cars.  As in driven by.  (except the TDI)

I'm going to step out on a limp here and say a Jeep Wrangler or a convertible. 

[Kev m]

Since the "economics" have changed from saving money to - I need a car to put miles on, haul girlfriend and son occasionally, and if she doesn't work out still get laid.

He should steer clear of VW and Volvo as those are generally chick cars.  As in driven by.  (except the TDI)

I'm going to step out on a limp here and say a Jeep Wrangler or a convertible.

I don't think he doesn't ALSO want to save on gas. I mean, if you throw out the economics of efficiency the $9k gets even worse.

I'm planning on buying Wrangler, but it's not a lot better than a Raptor on fuel consumption. That's a non-starter.

[threebrits]

I don't think he doesn't ALSO want to save on gas. I mean, if you throw out the economics of efficiency the $9k gets even worse.

I'm planning on buying Wrangler, but it's not a lot better than a Raptor on fuel consumption. That's a non-starter.

Don't take me so seriously.   The whole thing is absurd.  It's just going to cost him a piss load of money to appear to "save" some depreciation on his truck and "save" money on gas.  Vehicles are depreciating assets.  He ought to just drive his truck.  After the commute period, his priorities will likely be changed anyways.  His truck may not fit his needs anymore.

Drive the truck, save the money.  And if everything is all the same in the end - he can always buy a NEW truck and will still have cash in the bank.

[rboe]

Miatas are a great value, but he needs something with a back seat, as sometimes, he needs to take his girlfriend, and her son along.
Rick.

In light of this I think a bigger car will do better. I had a 2007 Ford Edge 2WD, best damn car I've ever owned. 26-27mpg on the road, 22-23 commuting in town. Does not like hills or stop and go traffic; that will eat the mileage down now (oddly enough, in the mountains of Colorado going from Denver to Telluride I got close to 30 - all those down hills I guess). It will reward a light foot and punish a heavy foot. Rides very well, Very roomy rear seat and a decent storage area in the back.

The 500 or Taurus or what ever their standard sedan is called today is also nice. Roomy, handles nice and if you get the SHO, a wolf in sheep clothing. The Flex rides VERY nice but suffers a bit in the mileage department.

For long commutes and a three person car (with junk) I'd spoil myself with a big bigger car. The Subaru Outback or Forester would be the smallest in my book, to consider. But I'm a tall long legged sort that squeezes into Fiesta's for rentals just fine, but for longer term ownership prefers bigger cars. :)

Bigger cars will also be easier to take on some weekends if you really want to keep the miles off of the Raptor.

[NCAmother]

                                                                           It's ABSURD I tell ya , ABSURD


  Dusty

yep.
I'm going out of the box, how about a w/t tacoma with camper shell late 2000's.  Decent mileage with the  4 cyl and 5 speed, plus you could haul a bike or take a long road trip and crash out back.  If you can shift good, you can pass cars on the freeway 

[rocker59]

Don't take me so seriously.   The whole thing is absurd.  It's just going to cost him a piss load of money to appear to "save" some depreciation on his truck and "save" money on gas.  Vehicles are depreciating assets.  He ought to just drive his truck.  After the commute period, his priorities will likely be changed anyways.  His truck may not fit his needs anymore.

Drive the truck, save the money.  And if everything is all the same in the end - he can always buy a NEW truck and will still have cash in the bank.

Yeah.  The mentioned 250-300 mile round trip that has to be made 3 or 4 times per month is only 1,000 miles per month.  The three year period mentioned means the commute to his hospital job will only add 36,000 miles to the odometer on his truck over whatever recreational miles he puts on it during that time.

[Kev m]

Don't take me so seriously.   The whole thing is absurd.  It's just going to cost him a piss load of money to appear to "save" some depreciation on his truck and "save" money on gas.  Vehicles are depreciating assets.  He ought to just drive his truck.  After the commute period, his priorities will likely be changed anyways.  His truck may not fit his needs anymore.

Drive the truck, save the money.  And if everything is all the same in the end - he can always buy a NEW truck and will still have cash in the bank.

It's absurd for me to have 3 motorcycles, a small turbo AWD SUV, and a mid-size luxury SUV... but I LIKE IT.

I don't see him wanting a beater in addition to his muscle truck as an issue.

[threebrits]

Uh , what was the original question ?

  Dusty

Being that is a Guzzi forum, the original question, inferred that a young man wanted buy a economical car to commute with in order to save money on gas.  However, being the master cheep asses that we are, we saw right through this charade of fiscal responsibility.  There are only two economic decisions in life: sex and money.  We know the real economy he is after and have now resorted to answering the underlying question.  (Which is the question we all wanted to answer in the first place).   What car should I buy that can I still get laid in, that could be "justified" as a "need."  I'm voting for a Honda S2000 - you can only save up money for old age.

Kevm - Don't take me seriously!

[oldbike54]

Being that is a Guzzi forum, the original question, inferred that a young man wanted buy a economical car to commute with in order to save money on gas.  However, being the master cheep asses that we are, we saw right through this charade of fiscal responsibility.  There are only two economic decisions in life: sex and money.  We know the real economy he is after and have now resorted to answering the underlying question.  (Which is the question we all wanted to answer in the first place).   What car should I buy that can I still get laid in, that could be "justified" as a "need."  I'm voting for a Honda S2000 - you can only save up money for old age.

Kevm - Don't take me seriously!

 Uh , back in the day all I needed was a bicycle to accomplish that feat  Besides , would take a contortionist to , well , you know, in an S2000 


 To paraphrase Freud , sometimes a question is just a question .


  Dusty

[threebrits]

Uh , back in the day all I needed was a bicycle to accomplish that feat  Besides , would take a contortionist to , well , you know, in an S2000 


 To paraphrase Freud , sometimes a question is just a question .


  Dusty

An S2000, or a Miata for matter, is just foreplay.  Bring a blanket.

[bigbikerrick]

That ain't gonna get him laid... unless maybe he's into guys... 

HHaHa, Thats funny! You guys are a hoot!  My Son is 31 years old, as far as getting "laid" he already has the perfect vehicle to attract the babes. He has a  Silver 2007  Z 06 Corvette. This vette is the "garage Queen" but he will be driving that, until he finds a commuter. He hates racking up the miles in the vette, though.

[bigbikerrick]

So Far the cars that he favors are the scion TC, and a Mazda Three, 4 door hatchback , but those are hard to find at a decent price and low miles.It seems CL in Arizona is full of salvage title cars!
Rick.

[Kev m]

Wait a Vette and a Raptor? He's not gonna be happy slumming it in a $9k anything.

[John Ulrich]

He has a  Silver 2007  Z 06 Corvette. This vette is the "garage Queen". He hates racking up the miles in the vette, though.

He'll get over that in time.  I had that problem with one. The other.... 12,000 miles in 7 months on the road.    

[MGPilot]

My wife just rolled over 13k miles on her 2015 Ford C-Max. Computer says 43mpg total fuel mpg. Nice car. As with any new design, the first couple years had pretty low Consumer Reports ratings.  I think by 2015, they're pretty good. Lots of room. Surprising acceleration. Seems good.  (She traded in her '98 Avalon w/223k miles, one owner.)

[BRIO]

My vote is for driving the Vette. It's not like its some appreciating asset like a Delahaye or 250 California. It can take it, and will return decent mileage too!

[rocker59]

I think our OP has been playing us a little bit.

What the kid is really looking for is a fuel efficient family car.

I'm changing my vote to Prius. It should haul the girlfriend and kid, and commute very efficiently.

[kidsmoke]

So Far the cars that he favors are the scion TC, and a Mazda Three, 4 door hatchback , but those are hard to find at a decent price and low miles.It seems CL in Arizona is full of salvage title cars!
Rick.

My 2012 Mazda3 is worth about $9k.  I've got 88k on it have replace the plugs, tires and filters above regular oil changes.  The computer says I get 35mph with a 42mph average speed using 87 octane ($1.64/gal here). 

Not bad...

Mazda 3 Hatchback is a fantastic option. Room in the back, amazing sport handling and ride. I bought one Yesterday, in fact. 30k on the ODO. same color as my guzzi and it will be trailered by it. I owned a TC and loved it as well. I enjoy a small car that rides like it's on rails. You don't need a couple hundred horsepower to go plenty fast and get in plenty of trouble.