Fuel efficient car

I love my Fleetwood and it's great driving to work down the highway to West Palm Beach. But, I'm realizing the gas is ridiculous with my 600+ miles a week.

I would like to buy a very small car, with a very small engine. I'm even thinking out opening up a little to other manufacturers. I've owned like 20 cars and only 2 were not GM.

Found a '95 Geo Metro 2 door hatch on craigslist. $500, 3 cylinder 5 speed. Currently sitting in some guys yard but rust is not an issue down here.

Anybody know anything about these cars? Any other suggestions for a small fuel efficient car?

I'll plastidip it and tint the windows blacker than night.

http://lakeland.craigslist.org/cto/3907636718.html

Metro could be a decent car. But change the timing belt before driving too far unless the guy has receipt for it being done recently. I was going to by one for a daily myself at one point. I think they get 42-45 mpg.

It's a non interference motor. But I would make it reliable before driving it to work every day. If it breaks at work I'll have one of my ASE certified technicians fix it lol.

I could probably swap the all aluminum 3 cylinder with my hands on the side of the road lol.

GasTT wrote:

It's a non interference motor.

My bad, I read somewhere that it was.

C5 Vette.

Bus pass

GasTT wrote:

I could probably swap the all aluminum 3 cylinder with my hands on the side of the road lol.

My friend did the head gasket on his lunch break once. Swap it out with a Briggs tractor engine for more power  

Do you really want to drive 600 miles a week in a Metro?

Some things are worth paying for.... Comfort being one of them and safety the other IMO.

Good luck if you blow a tire at 70MPH on the interstate in that thing.

How about a Cavalier? Brother in law of mine had one as DD forever and never had any issues. Traded it for a Ford Freestyle and I still think that was the worst decision he has ever made.

Funny you mention the Geo Metro.

There is a small airplane community up here in NH where several of the homebuilders are using metro engines. I have been sent on missions to check out cars in this area just for the drivetrain. Yes they make a decent ultralight airplane motor. Small, compact, easy to fix and most importantly cheap.

I have drove one a couple of times in college. Not a bad little commuter car but you have to drive super defensively as they have zero acceleration.

Also if the AC works it becomes a debate between having AC and holding the speed limit. The car would actually slow down when you turned on the AC. I remember having to turn it off for hills and downshifting all the time. You can have one or the other not both.

Fishah wrote:

Do you really want to drive 600 miles a week in a Metro?

Some things are worth paying for.... Comfort being one of them and safety the other IMO.

Good luck if you blow a tire at 70MPH on the interstate in that thing.

I feel the same which is why ive given it almost a month with the caddy. $400+ on gas a month isnt fun. Im tire conscious, doubt id "blow" a tire unless I hit something large in the road.

AC is not an option. It has to work. There are no hills in Florida.

There can be a happy medium between $400 a month and a midget suicide gokart.

A tire blowout was just an example. A semi could cut you off, you could get rear ended by a lady in a suburban, etc.

Personally I wouldn't commute 600 miles a week in that thing even if I could operate it for free.

Stuntin costs money. If that doesnt work, maybe its time to sell a few of the cara and buy a Camry or something. I bet you could even find a way to get a 2013 Volt and still save money.

Heh...

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/save-gas-or-die-trying

I'll weigh in a bit here....

There has to be a better route than the Geo... Several cars will be more comfortable to sit in for hours a day while still getting good mileage.

-92-96 Camry
-Any Carolla
-92-95 Civic (I have owned a few of these and they were fun to drive also)
-91-94 Nissan Maxima (Owned a couple of these too, not quite 30 mpg, but a fun car to drive daily)
-93-02 Accord

Most of these will get over 30 MPG, be a hell of a lot safer to drive, actually be able to put something besides 2 people in, and will get out of their own way. I am sure you can grab one of those for $1000 down there in decent shape.

They are all CHEAP to maintain and will not TOTALLY kill your manhood to drive.

Hondas are out. People down here want crazy money for any Honda, and most of them are clapped out.

Fisha, I actually was considering a late model car, a really cheap one and making payments. I won't save money up front, but in the end, I'll have a newer car and eventually start saving more than I am now.. But, my credit is terrible..

Looking at a few Saturns on CL right now.

Be careful with saturns. Transmission transmission transmission.

I know your good with a wrench and they are cheapo cars, but its common. Just as common as all the fuel and ignition problems these things have.

I'm looking specifically for a manual transmission to try and avoid transmission failures and to at least make the slow boring car a little interesting to drive.

GasTT wrote:

I'm looking specifically for a manual transmission to try and avoid transmission failures and to at least make the slow boring car a little interesting to drive.

Maxima, not my first choice in a car but for that criteria I'd get one.

Or get a mercury cougar and spray bomb it...

...na, that's been done already

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Or get a mercury cougar and spray bomb it...

...na, that's been done already

LOL Only over the rust/bondo/old lady scratches combo.

GasTT wrote:

I'm looking specifically for a manual transmission to try and avoid transmission failures and to at least make the slow boring car a little interesting to drive.

.... 2.2 liter 2005 -2007 Cobalt....... I bought one new in 2005 and loved it. The car had balls and got 30 mpg plus, the car has 163k miles and no major service to date. Ive done wear and tear parts but no timing chain, shocks, struts, or gaskets. Not to mention I managed to fit two complete front seats from an 87' FWB, both rear seat sections, four door panels, four door glasses with regulators all inside the car, and still fit me and my 250 lbs passenger inside.

Just throwing that out there.......

Ditto
My new Daily 2006 Cobalt LT 70.000 miles everthing works ice cold ac cd cruise 30 plus to the gallon Needs minor cosmetics.
Paid cash $3000.Cut my gas costs in half !!!

Holy shit, your still around? I tried to call you a month ago. Figured you had moved to florida or somethng.

Any fwd GM sedan with the 3800 in it will get you what you're looking for. And cheap. Might even find a good one with bonnie seats in it already...

No Moa wrote:

Holy shit, your still around? I tried to call you a month ago. Figured you had moved to florida or somethng.

I shut off my cell phone. I DID move to Florida lol.

Cobalts are decent cars. That's a good deal Mark. For now, I'm gonna stick with the Fleetwood until I have more dough saved up to get something decent and not a $500 POS. I can pull over 400 miles a tank (20+ mpg) driving @70 on the hwy and not driving like an asshole around town. (It's so hard , I love the go pedal.)

I meant Mark, not you Tim. Lol.

GasTT wrote:

...

I can pull over 400 miles a tank (20+ mpg) driving @70 on the hwy and not driving like an asshole around town. (It's so hard , I love the go pedal.)

Bill's old Caddy: "it averages 20 miles to the gallon, which means over 300 miles per tank and will still have amazing power." You're gettin' 100 more miles/per tank. Not too shabby.

bowtiepimp wrote:

GasTT wrote:

I'm looking specifically for a manual transmission to try and avoid transmission failures and to at least make the slow boring car a little interesting to drive.

.... 2.2 liter  2005 -2007 Cobalt....... I bought one new in 2005 and loved it. The car had balls and got 30 mpg plus, the car has 163k miles and no major service to date. Ive done wear and tear parts but no timing chain, shocks, struts, or gaskets. Not to mention I managed to fit two complete front seats from an 87' FWB,  both rear seat sections, four door panels, four door glasses with regulators all inside the car, and still fit me and my 250 lbs passenger inside.

Just throwing that out there.......

That's more stuff than I can get in the cougar. And I have really stuffed that pig! Cobalts are sweet, IMO for a "little" car. I'd also feel safer in one than a Geo.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Any fwd GM sedan with the 3800 in it will get you what you're looking for. And cheap. Might even find a good one with bonnie seats in it already...

OMFG yes, why didn't anyone else suggest that. No doominas/luminacarlos though. Sorry Crovo! My personal preference is the 199x-2003? Grand Prix. The one you can use a cinder block as a jack stand for  

Too bad you don't still have that Olds 88.

Idk. We've got a Cobalt at work and its so small and so shitty. I take my car instead. F that trash. No thanks.

It has electrical problems, sometimes the shifter won't shift out of park, sometimes the key wont turn in the ignition or come out for that matter.

I forget what year. 06 or 07 perhaps. Low miles too. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO thanks!!!

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Idk. We've got a Cobalt at work and its so small and so shitty. I take my car instead. F that trash. No thanks.

It has electrical problems, sometimes the shifter won't shift out of park, sometimes the key wont turn in the ignition or come out for that matter.

I forget what year. 06 or 07 perhaps. Low miles too. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO thanks!!!

I have a feeling that whole thinking of what day of the week the car was built really matters as to how people like it. I know folks have their own opinions but I've seen and heard of so many cars that people LOVE and anyone who drives them wants to take it home etc. Then others cannot stand them, have nothing but issues with them, and constantly repair them.

Sort of like the 02(?)-08 Chevy Kodiaks/GMC topkicks



IMO one of the best medium duty trucks. Rides better and tows better than anything else I've driven, even trucks with higher spring ratings. Yet some dudes have tranny and engine troubles that make them hate the trucks!

This is probably a thread jack but I think it's a good point to bring up. It's all about the quality of the build that separates cars from each other even if they're the same model and year! So keep it in mind when looking I guess.


/thread jack

Sorry Tim.

Also, to continue the thread jack...

It's knowledgeable people who tend to have problems with cars. Necuase they are alert and realize when something is wrong. It's dumb idiot people who are oblivious that tend to not have trouble of any kind.

Case in point: what I said about the Cobalt at work vs my idiot, not mechanically inclined boss thinking its a great car. All he thinks about is gas mileage. The real shocker is its not very good on gas at all. For the price of the car over its existence, I'd rather keep/drive a 5.7 Caprice any day. Same thing with the Ford. It's ALWAYS BREAKING. But no one else notices the skips and misses while they're driving or that the gage cluster/chime fuse blows all the time. I mean how the F@$K do you not realize that 1) the gas gage hasn't moved 2) the friggin speedo doesn't work... IDIOTS!!!!!!

/rant

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Also, to continue the thread jack...

It's knowledgeable people who tend to have problems with cars. Necuase they are alert and realize when something is wrong. It's dumb idiot people who are oblivious that tend to not have trouble of any kind.

Case in point: what I said about the Cobalt at work vs my idiot, not mechanically inclined boss thinking its a great car. All he thinks about is gas mileage. The real shocker is its not very good on gas at all. For the price of the car over its existence, I'd rather keep/drive a 5.7 Caprice any day. Same thing with the Ford. It's ALWAYS BREAKING. But no one else notices the skips and misses while they're driving or that the gage cluster/chime fuse blows all the time. I mean how the F@$K do you not realize that 1) the gas gage hasn't moved 2) the friggin speedo doesn't work... IDIOTS!!!!!!

/rant

Still want that CV LX Sport?  

boojum wrote:

GasTT wrote:

...

I can pull over 400 miles a tank (20+ mpg) driving @70 on the hwy and not driving like an asshole around town. (It's so hard , I love the go pedal.)

Bill's old Caddy: "it averages 20 miles to the gallon, which means over 300 miles per tank and will still have amazing power." You're gettin' 100 more miles/per tank. Not too shabby.

That's because I don't take advantage of the amazing power. When I do I get less than 20. I literally drive like grandpa.



This was one full tank of gas. 70mph on the hwy, driving like grandpa. Well over 300 miles on that tank.

1984twodoor wrote:

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Also, to continue the thread jack...

It's knowledgeable people who tend to have problems with cars. Necuase they are alert and realize when something is wrong. It's dumb idiot people who are oblivious that tend to not have trouble of any kind.

Case in point: what I said about the Cobalt at work vs my idiot, not mechanically inclined boss thinking its a great car. All he thinks about is gas mileage. The real shocker is its not very good on gas at all. For the price of the car over its existence, I'd rather keep/drive a 5.7 Caprice any day. Same thing with the Ford. It's ALWAYS BREAKING. But no one else notices the skips and misses while they're driving or that the gage cluster/chime fuse blows all the time. I mean how the F@$K do you not realize that 1) the gas gage hasn't moved 2) the friggin speedo doesn't work... IDIOTS!!!!!!

/rant

Still want that CV LX Sport?  

Yes. Because it would be MY car with MY budget.

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Also, to continue the thread jack...

It's knowledgeable people who tend to have problems with cars. Necuase they are alert and realize when something is wrong. It's dumb idiot people who are oblivious that tend to not have trouble of any kind.



/rant

So because I own a cobalt with no problems I'm an idiot?  

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Also, to continue the thread jack...

It's knowledgeable people who tend to have problems with cars.
Because they are alert and realize when something is wrong.
It's dumb idiot people who are oblivious that tend to not have trouble of any kind.

/rant

So a couple of knowledgeable people decided to experiment with a frog.

They put it on a table....slammed thier hands behind it....it jumped.

They cut off 1 of its hind legs....slammed thier hands behind it again....it jumped

They cut off its other hind leg....slammed thier hands behind it....it DIDNT jump

Their conclusion....frogs with no legs are deaf.. 

bowtiepimp wrote:

So because I own a cobalt with no problems I'm an idiot?  

Sorry....wrong conclusion...  

M.ROSS wrote:

Ditto
My new Daily 2006 Cobalt LT 70.000 miles everthing works ice cold ac cd cruise 30 plus to the gallon Needs minor cosmetics.
Paid cash $3000.Cut my gas costs in half !!!

Dibs on all the glass if you part it out.

bowtiepimp wrote:

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Also, to continue the thread jack...

It's knowledgeable people who tend to have problems with cars. Necuase they are alert and realize when something is wrong. It's dumb idiot people who are oblivious that tend to not have trouble of any kind.



/rant

So because I own a cobalt with no problems I'm an idiot?   

DITTO  
Never thought i'd be seen driving anything with a spoiler.
But car runs and drives Perfect .
Planning on returning caprice to money pit/toy status.

 

boojum wrote:

M.ROSS wrote:

Ditto
My new Daily 2006 Cobalt LT 70.000 miles everthing works ice cold ac cd cruise 30 plus to the gallon Needs minor cosmetics.
Paid cash $3000.Cut my gas costs in half !!!

Dibs on all the glass if you part it out.

HUH

You can argue this shit all day, like em, hate em, they are a car. Every car out there is a great car or a pile of shit. I personally really want to drive one of those new Cheby Cruze diesels. I drove a regular one when i was in Chicago, got 36 mpg over the coarse of the week running around. The diesel will burn tires to! lol

I heard you  
just have no idea why the hell you'd want the glass.

He ran out of blue tape?

If I chop the roof I'll need new side glass. If you see a scary looking guy with a tape measure near your car please don't shoot me.

boojum wrote:

IfWHEN I chop the roof I'll need new side glass.

fixt

Tim....I drove a Prius the other day....please dont buy one....still trying to regain my manhood

You had me until........

sdstick wrote:

I drove a Prius the other day.