Are you sure your girlfriend got a 2013?
Are you sure your girlfriend got a 2013?
slowride wrote: Are you sure your girlfriend got a 2013?
hmm, might be a 2012 now that I think about it.
In reply to slowride:
Coldsnap's GF got a 3I. The previous-gen 3S was the non-SkyActiv 2.5 with surprisingly poor gas mileage. I like the new ones for a number of reasons, primarily the drop-dead gorgeous interior, but the fact that the big engine finally gets real gas mileage is also a huuuuuge perk.
What kind of commute are you talking?
Will an increase of 30 to 40 mpg (ave) really make a difference? A 35 mile commute each way will use 2.32 or 1.75 gal a day. At $4 a gallon (which is really high now), that's as low as $7 a day or as high as $9.50. 5 days a week, the delta adds up to a savings of $12.50 a week on the high end with expensive gas.
In other words, since you are trying to save some actual money for a new car, do the math. You may come out ahead with a $500 25mpg car vs. a $2000 40mpg car. Assuming they are worthless in the end.
Oh, and you need to factor in insurance, too.
And the cost of the spring package you want.
Or just take the $1000 that Mazda is offering right now for the new 3.
Cobalt XFE, don't those get stupid good MPG?
Also, they look pretty darn different if you ask me:
This is cute http://columbia.craigslist.org/cto/5189483483.html
haha, that stupid 2012 grin.
Do like everyone else and bury yourself in dept for the car you want 
I think most cars in this segment are going to be geared short. The Celica GTs did about 72mph @ 3000rpm in 5th gear. Whichever Neon got the longer final drive might be slightly better, but not much. Almost every Mazda product will be worse. Hondas will be worse unless you do some weird mix/match stuff that will end up with a vehicle that would struggle to do a 20 second quarter mile. 
In reply to alfadriver:
Right now I drive a BMW E39 that gets about 19MPG combined on premium. Anything that gets 30MPG+ on regular is going to be a pretty big savings on my 45 mile daily commute. Anything that's not a Honda will save me money on insurance relative to the BMW, not to mention the way BMWs eat expensive parts at high mileage like mine does. If I can sell the E39 for $4500, get into something else for $2k and throw $1k of fun at it, I'm still $1500 ahead and then my monthly gas/insurance/maintenance costs will be waaaaaaay down. (I used the $4/gal gas because this current low pricing ain't gonna last forever, and I hate the short-sighted "GAS IS CHEAP RIGHT NOW WHO CARES" discussion this inevitably will devolve into)
I would love to go sign the dotted line for a new 3 but $1000 bonus cash is a drop in the bucket on a $23k car subsequently marked up $2k over MSRP. I have some very legitimate reasons to wait, primarily waiting for the manual 3S (available for the first time this year) to become more common, not to mention increasing my down payment to lower the loan term and monthly cost.
Go to www.fueleconomy.gov and use the Power Search function.
You can set age and mpg ranges to maybe find something you have not thought of.
I like the Probe idea because these car are greatly unappreciated while still delivering the functionality of a hatch.
'02-'03 Protege5.
Fun out of the box, gets the mileage you're looking for or close to it and despite all the Mazda rust talk, I've seen plenty in eastern MA that were solid.
In reply to SlickDizzy:
I'm not trying to do the cheap gas who cares thing- I'm just making sure you do the math. If it's about money, all aspects of ownership matters. Buy and sell cost, fuel, insurance, and whatever mods you want to make.
In reply to alfadriver:
Yeah, I get where you're coming from, no worries. Really what it comes down to is this: as much as I love this BMW, it's putting me further and further underwater. I'm not quite prepared to go after the new car I lust after, but things should work out in my favor if I can swap down to something that's easier on consumables, insurance, and maintenance.
Plus, fitting in my garage would be nice
What you need to find is one of those sleeper mod cars- like the Nissan Sentra SE-R. Or Escort ZX2 with the stuff in the trunk.
Saturn? Saturn DOHC will also get a good bump in MPG if you feel like spending $50 and swapping the 5th gear set.
+1 to the Neon in original post. Definitely the best speed to MPG factor mentioned in this thread.
FWIW, MPG numbers quoted in original post are pre-2007 test methods and are not directly comparable to today's numbers.
In reply to ProDarwin:
I might have to look into the Saturn. I used the pre-2007 numbers because the revisions use a retroactively-applied mathematical assumption based on a few things (AC cranked to max, harder driving) as opposed to real world testing and aren't really accurate from my experience. If anything, they mean a post-2007 car should get STELLAR mileage with my driving!
My DOHC stickshift 2000 S-series sedan would easily get north of 35mpg blasting down the highway at 75 mph, and they're plentiful and cheap. Not loads of power, but the stick made it a lot more bearable.
MKIV TDI Golf
We had a Neon R/T that was a lot of fun to drive, and my wife could coax 35 MPG in the city out of that thing.
I could not.
Trick is finding a half-decent one anymore. They've all kinda self-destructed, as far as I can tell.
A toyota 1ZZ burns so much oil though...
This is coming from someone who likes S-Series Saturns too.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the early Focus; quick google search shows 28 city, 36 hwy, pretty sure my boy's car does that. Quick craigslist search shows them $2K all day long (probably get a really clean one for not too much more).
Fun cars, his has been reliable (it needed a fuel pump a while back), but every other repair he's done has been due to playing "curb hockey" a couple times.
He's got some lowering springs on KYB OEM replacement struts and Eibach sways, and the car is a hoot to drive.
Saturn wise, I had a 97 single cam - pretty pedestrian in about every way, but I routinely got 32 or better around town, and 38-40 on the highway. Twin cam car would be more peppy, not sure gas mileage though.
In reply to OldGray320i:
I actually just had a Focus ZX3 with the 2.3 Duratec earlier this year. I was really, really disappointed in the mileage (23-25MPG on a daily 150 mile all-highway commute). I gave it to SWMBO, she likes it but it still doesn't crack 30MPG. Do I have to sign up for the 1.9 to get decent numbers?
redhookfern wrote: What about the Acura RSX? Those hit the newer, fun, and decent gas mileage buttons. Looks like they average around 28. I wanted one so bad back in college, but ended up with a 4 door 2002 civic instead (not as fun)
This.
Also, Neon's and Fosucs are horrid cars. They are everything people dislike about the 90's domestics. Sure, they are cheap, SURE, they have decent power/weight ratios, but overall they are not "good" cars, they are "ok" cars that can be driven continuously with little maintenance and will not leave you stranded.
A Nissan Sentra SER Spec V would definitely be in the running IMO (and because of the motor issues, are so cheap, even with replaced motors).
Curious as to why you are so hung up on 30mpg? Its $450 difference with 25k miles per year of driving between that and a 25mpg car. The only car that will really meet your MPG requirements and presumably be fun to drive while not killing you are hondas/acuras. Most other cars are boring or crap quality from that era.
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