Our Recent Car Buying Experience (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Definitely test-drive a Prius before buying. They have poor rear visibility (IMO).

 

[Aaron Silverman]

My Escape has huge blind spots, but the rear-view mirrors have built-in blind spot mirrors.

How you drive has a lot to do with mileage. I've gotten an extra 2 mpg or so just by modifying my habits a little. (And I could probably improve even more if I weren't chronically late!

The other day I saw an old rerun of Top Gear from around 5 years ago where they put a Prius and an M3 (450hp V8) on the track. They had the Prius drive as fast as possible, and simply followed it in the Beemer. They claimed that the BMW actually got better mileage! Not sure if I believe it, but it's not impossible.

 

[DaveF]

My BIL tracks his new Prius' mileage and gets about 50 mpg with mixed driving.http://www.fuelly.com/driver/ballstatedad/prius

 

[schan1269]

My Escape has huge blind spots, but the rear-view mirrors have built-in blind spot mirrors.

How you drive has a lot to do with mileage. I've gotten an extra 2 mpg or so just by modifying my habits a little. (And I could probably improve even more if I weren't chronically late!

The other day I saw an old rerun of Top Gear from around 5 years ago where they put a Prius and an M3 (450hp V8) on the track. They had the Prius drive as fast as possible, and simply followed it in the Beemer. They claimed that the BMW actually got better mileage! Not sure if I believe it, but it's not impossible.

I can believe that. Friend of mine went from a 2005-ish Honda Accord V6 to a BMW 528(might have been a 535).

He gets better MPG from the BMW...cause he doesn't have to drive it as hard as he had to drive the Accord. Like me...he has a lead foot.

I have a 2010 Subaru Forester and a 89 Taurus SHO. The SHO gets better, for me, MPG...and it isn't supposed to.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I had a 1959 AH Sprite with upgraded 1275cc motor and 3.9 diff. My longest trip was to Mt. Hood OR and back from San Jose, and I logged 46 mpg on that trip. But the car only weighed around 1400 lbs. There's no way to get such lightweight cars with today's crashworthiness and emissions standards. The current Prius weighs 2900 lbs.

The Forester, like my Suzuki SX4, will have a mileage penalty due to the AWD. My SX4 generally averages no higher than the high 20s, although I once got 34 mpg on a long slow trip over the mountains here on a gravel road.

The hybrid beats the gas car in urban driving due to the regenerative braking. If you are driving mostly long trips the advantage will go down, since the gas engine will be fully warmed up and in its most efficient state.

 

[David Norman]

A Prius is a compact car, is it not? I like a bigger car with some room in it. My wife has a compact and I hate driving it. I'm leaning heavily towards the Fusion (mid size). 47mpg estimated but I realize that's in the best of conditions/driving style. I'm currently getting about 23mpg in this slightly warmer weather. 18 during the deep freeze. I'd be driving a mixture. I work from home two days a week. I'm currently using a little over 3/4 a tank between commuting three days and local driving. More color options would be nice, I agree.

I love the Fusion I bought (non Hybrid 4 cyl) and few years ago -- I think it averages a bit more than 30mpg mixed. The Hybrid obviously is going to get a bit more, but if it's mostly real highway driving (not stop and go LA type freeway) then you aren't likely to see 40+.If you like that size car I might suggest something like the Passat TDI which will easily get you in the 40+ highway and may even push 50 under perfect conditions and driving, nice size car, excellent driver, with a pretty good reputation.If you'd rather go a bit greener but a bit smaller, I might look into a Volt most particularly if your job parking would have a charging station -- 30-50 miles on electric depending on where you live, but I still think the best deals on the Volt. Their deal is much better with the Fed Tax break and if you live in California and a couple other states it comes with a nice local tax break and California Freeway perks.

 

[schan1269]

On the small end...Friend of mine picked up one of the 1.0 EB Fiesta. She already has 1200 miles on it, one tank returned 50. The rest have all been higher than the 45 on the sticker. However, she lives in an area of 50mph limits...with a bit under 20 mile commute. I trust her math as well, professor at DePauw.Speaking of Sprite, my 69 never gets better than 28. But mine has a slightly hot tune, header...straight pipe and a blown out glass pack(been pulled over for excessive noise...but never get a ticket as I say..."at least everybody can hear me").

 

[Scott Merryfield]

A word of caution on the new Ford Fusions (2013 and 2014) if you live in the snow belt. The traction control does not work. A co-worker has one, and he has to shut the traction control off whenever there is snow on the road, as the car just shuts down the drive train to a crawl and he cannot get through the snow. An Internet search revealed lots of other people having the same issue. The dealer says there is nothing wrong. The worst part... there is no button on the console to shut off the traction control, as there is with every other vehicle I've seen with the feature. Instead, the shutoff is buried several layers deep in the console's menu system, and must be shut off every time the car is started. What a horrible design!

 

[schan1269]

A word of caution on the new Ford Fusions (2013 and 2014) if you live in the snow belt. The traction control does not work. A co-worker has one, and he has to shut the traction control off whenever there is snow on the road, as the car just shuts down the drive train to a crawl and he cannot get through the snow. An Internet search revealed lots of other people having the same issue. The dealer says there is nothing wrong. The worst part... there is no button on the console to shut off the traction control, as there is with every other vehicle I've seen with the feature. Instead, the shutoff is buried several layers deep in the console's menu system, and must be shut off every time the car is started. What a horrible design!

Traction control, on every car that has it, has to be turned off everytime the car/truck is started.

Thank the Gov. Nanny.

And if you think the Fusion/Taurus TC is a problem...

Buy a Toyota Sequoia/Sienna and drive it when it snows.

I turn off the TC in the 2010 Forester all the time. Unless it is 6" deep...and currently snowing...I don't need it. My winter tires for it are X-Ice. I need to know when those are loosing traction(their grip is greater than allowed by the TC).

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Traction control, on every car that has it, has to be turned off everytime the car/truck is started.

Thank the Gov. Nanny.

And if you think the Fusion/Taurus TC is a problem...

Buy a Toyota Sequoia/Sienna and drive it when it snows.

I turn off the TC in the 2010 Forester all the time. Unless it is 6" deep...and currently snowing...I don't need it. My winter tires for it are X-Ice. I need to know when those are loosing traction(their grip is greater than allowed by the TC).

In other vehicles, though, the mechanism for turning it off isn't buried deep in a menu system. On my 2011 GMC Terrian and wife's 2009 Saturn Vue, it's simply an on/off switch next to the gear shift. And you really shouldn't need to turn it off in the snow -- it's supposed to be designed to assist in those conditions, not get your vehicle stuck in the snow.

TC works great on our two GMC vehicles. I was able to drive through everything this ugly winter threw at us, and I do not have AWD on either vehicle.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

It wouldn't be a Ford if it didn't bury something simple in an unintuitive menu!