have you guys felt this way?
 

I know this isnt quite the right forum, but its been on my head...

i'm turning 23 in less than a month, for some reason when I was in high school I would love a 1000 dollar civic or whatever small car that saves gas, and I will be ok with it. dinged up or not. My point of view is that all cars decrease in value, and why do you need a suv when your only driving by yourself? anything thats bigger than a 4 cylinder is pointless, we have 4banger SUV's, pickups, vans, cars, crossovers, etc.

now as i get a bit older i feel like I want at least something thats midsize, more powerful. and at least comfortable/quiet on the highway, and at least 7000 bucks or over. But i know the moment I do that I will get bad gas mileage even with a 4 cylinder accord or camry, higher insurance, etc that will screw me over in the long run since economy isnt doing too well, gas prices are uncertain.

i dont know, maybe when im a little older i have to drive 50k cars:(

have any of you guys felt this way? its like the minimum requirements has went up? I know this leads to the debt ridden society that we have now, where people spend more than they earn, or use a car to show off their status or "up" their status.

lol yea.. maybe im a little spoiled drivng my gf's 03 accord v6, 240 hp at the crank, which gets 23 mpg. somehow i liked the room, leather seats, and quiter ride.

even tho my 92 B16 civic hatch that i had when I was 17 would of had the same acceleration and over 30 mpg, somehow i loved the luxury of a midsize car.


also im the kind of guy just like you, theclencler, that fixes everything, and owned about 10 cars from age 16 till now, all under 2,000 bucks and all paid off. I never had a car payment in my life :)

First car was a 95 Chevy Cavalier 4 door....Parents bought it for me for $400, the first week of owning it the oil sending unit cracked and leaked the oil out of the block. I had it towed and repaired at a local shop (I was 16 so I didn't know better) paid $100 to have it fixed (including the tow). Then I picked up a Haynes manual and did all my own repairs and maintenance from then on.

Second car was a 95 LeBaron, replaced the head gasket myself on the 2.5L (twice in one year) Car was a piece-o-dookie. Trans went out, $1000 to fix an $800 car, it made me mad. 10 months after owning it, I got into a head on collision, took care of that pesky problem of hating that car.

Bought a '72 Galaxie 500 for $400. Spent next to nothing for maintenance aside from a master cylinder replacement (done by myself) and a $400 trans rebuild (done by a shop since I won't mess with an auto trans). Great car, reliable as ever after the trans rebuild, but got about 9-12mpg with the way I drove it (I was 17-18). Got airborne going 80MPH about 6ft. in the air, came down hard and the trailing arm tore off a chunk of the rear frame the next day. sold the car to a local junkyard for scrap. (drove it there too)

Also bought an 86 Integra while owning the Galaxie....fell in love with small nimble and fuel efficient Hondas! Bought the car for $1200, did some body work myself and then sold the car off after a year or two for $1800. Only other money to ever go into that car was for oil, oil filters, spark plugs and wires (along with cap and rotor) and one igniter (common for those to go out if they were the original ones).

Bought an 88 Integra after selling the 86 and scrapping the Galaxie. Just drove it and maintained it...42mpg before I even knew what hypermiling was.

Also bought a 90 turbo Grand Prix....omg....I called the the A-hole car because I drove like an A-hole in it since I made it ridiculously fast. Many speeding tickets.

So I sold off the 88 Integra and the TGP and bought a nearly new 98 Acura Integra GSR. It became the new A-hole car, but I could squeeze 40mpg out of it when driving right. Got Paranoid about theft of said vehicle and traded for a 91 CRX. the GSR got stolen three months later from the new owner.

Souped up the CRX and loved it. I also got 40mpg from it as well. Then I got paranoid about it getting stolen and sold it and got my VX that I currently own.


I do miss the creature comforts of the GSR and the TGP, but practicality is my main driving force when it comes to car ownership. I try to find the luxury in knowing that more money stays in my wallet when it comes to maintenance and mileage, not to mention insurance.

Everyone is different when it comes to cars though...some like the flash and the attention they get in their SUV, meh, I say to them. Some people are shallow and are incapable of thinking outside their own box.

This forum has a huge number (if not all) of members that think outside the box and look beyond their hood ornament to see the light of practicality and ingenuity.

So, yes, I've been there with the bigger more luxury/powerful crowd....it was nice, but got old real fast and expensive. I like cars that I can work on and are cheap to maintain.

ok, I'm stopping now, it feels like I'm rambling on and have givving my entire driving history.

There is nothing wrong with your tastes changing over time. They are subject to many influences. Here's a few I can think of: experiences, needs, changes in your body, changes in your schedule, financial changes, lifestyle changes. There's loads more, but those are the ones I thought of. You drove your gf's 03 accord v6 and you were impressed by the real differences that a larger car offers. No big deal, enjoy some variety.

Note written after I finished typing up the whole post: Holy crap. That's a novel from me, and a novel from Tom. Sorry...I bet you didn't expect that much reading material.

Sure, some (most?) people want a bigger vehicle because of the image, they think it makes them look cool, but it doesn't change the fact that the vehicle delivers something real too. There's people who drive lifted Jeep Wranglers that never see a speck of dirt, but those vehicles still CAN do the dirty work. Just as it's shallow to drive an unnecessarily extreme vehicle solely for its image, it's shallow to avoid a vehicle solely because of its image. Well, that is unless we're talking about an image that would have practical effects on your life, like driving an old beater when you're in a professional career and need a clean, normal image.

Before I could drive my dad got a crazy deal on a Cadillac at an estate sale. I had always thought Cadillacs were just about having a snooty "Look at me, I'm rich" image, but then I rode in it, and it really did deliver something worthwhile. More recently, maybe 3 or 4 years ago, my mom was shopping for cars and wanted an entry-level luxury car. I went with her to test-drive a brand new BMW 3 series. I started with the same "status symbol" attitude I had about Cadillacs so many years before, but after I drove it my mind was totally changed.

When I was in high school, I wanted nothing that was less than 4000 pounds and had less than a V8. I grew up in a family that valued big classic American vehicles with torquey V8s. I sure was happy when my dad gave me the Caddy, which was beaten up pretty badly by that point.

Next I got a '97 Pontiac Grand Am V6, a compact car under 3000 pounds, which was a radical departure from anything I wanted. I hated it. Years later I realized that it wouldn't have been so bad if it was more comfortable, rode smoother, and didn't have controls made by Fisher Price for a Baby's First Car toy.

After ~5 years of that, I got the GMC that I have now. I loved it and still do. It's an extended cab full size V8 pickup. There's room for my elbows and knees, there's room for all my stuff inside and out, and there's the power to do whatever I want with it (and I do do all kinds of stuff with it).

However, after 6 years of that, I had a new long commutue and a bad financial situation. I grudgingly decided I'd have to settle for a little car. I went shopping and sat in a Ford Focus which reminded me of the Grand Am, my elbows and knees pressing against hard surfaces which were way too close. I test drove a Jeep Patriot (which, economically speaking, I should have gotten) and figured I could probably get used to it and I'd probably just have to settle for something like that. So, imagine my surprise when I sat in the VW and it felt perfect immediately!

That was a revelation for me. There I was, in love with a car that was everything I've ever hated -- very small, hatchback, small engine (by my standards, 2.5L I5 is miniscule). I still think it's ugly and I'm embarassed to show up in it, but I don't care because I enjoy driving it and I enjoy the tiny fuel budget. I guess it also helps that it weighs a hefty 3000 pounds, a little more than the Grand Am weighed and with a lot better suspension technology to give me a decent ride and decent handling.

Now, a year later, having put 18,000 miles on the VW, I still love it. In fact, the ride and handling have grown on me even more. I've come to realize that I could possibly fit in other small cars and it's even possible that I could enjoy driving a smaller, lighter car than the VW if it fits me right.

I'm 39, and the only reason I'm slightly tempted to get rid of my '94 saturn is because (like it or not) it does not do good for my image at work. I feel like I'm going to push for a promotion in the near future, and for someone at my education and career level I think the Saturn might be hindering me.

But it's a bit of a shame since the saturn is (relatively) a fuel sipper, and is so each & cheap to maintain for the 25k miles I drive it every year.

-BC

I can understand how you feel. I didn't grow up in much of a V8 family. My mom owned a Tercel 2D and a Neon and my dad owned a Prizm and a couple 4 banger Accords.

With all those cars being the ones I rode around in I felt my Cressida was an awesome ride. And it was! It had all the amenities that you could ever want, rode smooth, and had plenty of get up and go. I was 16 when I got that car.

The next car was what, at the time, I considered a step up, the Tracker. It was an SUV which made living over 6 hours from home easier when i needed to buy/move larger things, it was a 4 cylinder so I was expecting better mileage (that I didn't get), it was newer (99 @ ~65k vs 88 @ ~195k), and it was RWD. I hated that car. Hated it with such a raw passion that at the scene of the accident I totaled it at I was actually happy that she turned out in front of me. The 250 mile drive from here to El Paso was murder because by the time I got there I ached all over. It was uncomfortable and I was embarrassed to be driving in it.

When I went looking for a new vehicle I started thinking about where I am in my life, what I like to do (sports and such), and where I want things in my life to be going. The Durango fills all of it. I like off-road trail riding on my bike and the 4x4 will get me to even the worst of trail-heads. I wanted an SUV with actual utility(go figure) and the 5600+ towing capacity and 1700+ pound payload capacity takes care of that, not to mention the fact that the rear cargo area has hooks for tie down straps. Took it on a trip to El Paso to visit my sister and when I got there I couldn't believe how good I felt, something about 5000 pounds of vehicle absorbing small bumps makes for a nice drive. And last but not least, a family will fit in it, and while I didn't think (or even care) about that when I was even 20 when I got the Tracker, I do now at 23.

It's only a few years but things can change quite a bit.

i'm feeling ya. i miss my olds 88(nicest car i've ever had).

i say get your dream car when it's time. continue to drive basic fuel sipping transport, live frugally, and save your $$$.

years from now, when you've paid your dues, buy that beautiful car that you've earned! but, use it sparingly, keeping your econo box as a daily driver. :thumbup:

hell first job i get and few paychecks im gonna find me something with some V8 muscle, nova, elcamino, find an old caprice like we used to have (loved that car, had some balls to it) heck anything where i can stomp the gas and actually go somewhere.

Or id like a jeep wrangler as thier not fast but fun as hell. or even a slightly lifted 4X4 for fun.

sure any of em will get maybe 12mpg but if u just take it out on special events or find one old enough you can classify it as antique and buy cheap plates and find cheap insurance it wont be that noticeable.

4 cyl are fine for commuting and long trips but when i wanna just cruise around and have a car that doesnt sound like 4 angry gerbils in a coffee can id like a V8 or something.

Best of both worlds isn't impossible.

I have a '96 Saturn that I daily and baby, a '94 Z28 that I race in SCCA, and just got my turbo '96 Miata running. Between all 3 cars purchase prices total $3,700, mods/upgrades/maintenance and purchase price totals $6,300 for all 3.

But... if I had money, I'd buy a new Mercedes C350 Sport in a heartbeat. OMG, sat in a few at the Cincinnati Auto Expo 2 weeks ago, and just sat in another at the Cleveland Auto Show over this weekend. I'm in love. Base price is like $37,000 US

One of the great things about GasSavers.org as opposed to other gas saving forums is that we're open minded, not limited to tiny subcompacts and Hondas. We have lots of fans of classic American V8s in big cars and we talk about saving gas in everything. I don't think you'll find quite as much variety and open-mindedness elsewhere, but maybe that's a false impression.

A presumably single person on a "gas saving" site advocates driving around in a 13 mpg Durango?

Another wants a V8 hog to "stomp on it"?

Me thinks these comments wouldn't be here if gas was $4...

My 98 SLK 230 roadster was $6800 with 89 k miles. Averges about 27 MPG. I have owned close to 200 cars over the last 43 years, and that Benz is about as nice as anything I have ever owned. Retractable hardtop, but not much for luggage space, unless you keep the top up.

I would consider two major points (if I read your post correctly). You have a good mechanical ability. You don't like the idea of debt and buying depreciation.

I would focus on 8 to 10 year old cars that have suffered the worst in depreciation. My SLk was 42 grand new. I have spent practically nothing on it to get it in shape, just a few hundred dollars, with most of it being $300 to my friend for some cosmetic body work.

A Honda Accord is not a bad choice, but I can't see a 240 HP V6 that gets worse mileage than my 96 Supercharged Riviera's 28 highway. I averaged 23 in town. Fantastic car, but it just put me to sleep driving it, ride and handling were just too soft for me.

Another important point to consider is there will be some dramatically different cars coming out in the next two years. It might be good to keep the old one running for that time and save the cash.

When I was 23 I bought a 1959 Corvette with a 71 Z28 engine and transmission for $2000. It got 22 MPG if driven conservatively.

The mileage you are getting is not that great. i would think it could be much better, so that may be the way you drive.

I did own a 383 Formula S 1967 Barracuda that got 10 MPG no matter how you drove it.

If I was you I would definitely look at a late nineties to early 2000s Civic HX with a Manual transmission. The fuel you would save would probably pay for the difference in price fairly quickly.

regards
gary

lol i can save the planet on weekdays, weekends welllll :P

i dont mind new high powered cars but whats the point if u cant hear the roar of the engine or the smell of exhaust seeping in from who knows where. or just knowing the car has enough torque at the drop of a foot to twist the frame enough to crack the windshield :D and do i dare say it *GASP* a bench seat in a car!!!!! :D

haha a funny picture of a mercedes towing a boat popped into my head

thanks guys, I think i'm going to either get a 03+ accord or 02+ camry with power windows, when it gets UNDER 4,000 bucks, 4,500 is the max. its kinda of close to that right now.

I will probably get liability on it (as i always do) and No Payments at all.

most of your stories seem pretty good for me to understand,the only people who can teach me life expeeriences is the people who are older and been thru it, so thanks Gassavers!

anyways my gf's car was bought for 26k new, can be sold now for 7k after bargining. she just finished her 7 year payment (since its 03, its 09 now) she was paying 300 a month with insurance of 200 a month, so 500 a month total.

i'll much rather pay off a car and enjoy 50 bucks insurance and no payments :) 10% seems better

I like speed too. I figure, why drag 3,000 extra pounds of crap along for the ride? VMax: faster than you should ever go outside of a racetrack, and 35 mpg to boot.

At least their boxes are getting bigger... look at the Hummers and Escalades! :D


I'm about to get a new gassaver... I'm trading some computer parts and service for a 87 Mazda 323 hatch w/ 5sp 1.6L 4 banger... Gotta replace the head gasket and do some brake work, but other than that it seems alright... If not, I'm sure I'll get my time's worth in scrap out of it...


I started out only liking big V-8 American steel... then gas started rising well above the 75 cents/gallon I started out paying. :) 12mpg wasn't acceptable, and when the engine finally died my parents got me a 99 Ford Taurus with V6... got a better 20mpg, but I didn't REALLY get it till I wrecked that (hated it too, was happy) and bought a 90 Accord that was much easier to repair (and needs less repairs thus far) and gets me 30mpg in town now... I hope this Mazda gets me over 40 though :D

And after I sell the Accord and my 300zx (after I replace it's headgasket too >.<) I'ma get a CRX and either a D15Z1 or D15b (3 stage Vtec of course!) and go for as high efficiency as I can eek out of the sucker... I don't need a 4 door, or a particularly nice ride (maybe I'll put in a cushy seat :P), just a passenger seat for my gal, and minimal cargo space for groceries and such. And ultimately, a light pressure turbo... smidge more economy, and with that 3 stage Vtec should get pretty good performance as well. It'll be nice to skunk a big overweight V-8 on occasion :D

I'm 25 btw. :)

:eek: Where do you live that gas was 75 cents per gallon in 1999-2000?

:thumbup: There's not a lot of bench seat fans around...and torque FTW!

https://smiliesftw.com/x/big_banana_Dance.gif

oh dear god so many bannanas! :D

yea the bench seat in a car is amazing...

I got a Dodge 2.2L Charger in 1983. I drove a LOT. I always felt beat up at the end of the trips. I bought a nice 2wd '86 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup. At the end of the first 4 hour trip I felt like I could go another 4 hours without stopping! The noise and vibration of the small car was beating me to death. The next truck was a 4wd, as was the next, and the next. Big and smooth is good.

I have an '89 CRX now, too, but I don't take long trips in it. I could, but I don't.

As we get older we want, and can afford, comfort and power. Why not? I don't buy into AGW, nor Peak Oil, nor foaming-at-the-mouth green-ness. Frugality is its own reward, but if I can afford it and want it...stand aside.

FWIW, as a big fan of the smooth, soft, comfortable ride found in big heavy vehicles, I am quite impressed by my little VW's ride. I can't honestly say that it's mushy or soft, but it never bothers me like the ride in most small cars does. I never go over a bumpy stretch and feel rattled, I never go over a bad pothole and feel jarred. I remember in my Grand Am, bad potholes felt like the end of the world...anybody in the car would go "Ooomph!"

I don't know how long that ride will last, though. At 18,000 miles it shows no sign of going away.

THe Chevy 1/2 tons always seem to ride nice. My first truck was a 74 C10. Very ugly, but rode and drove like a Cadillac. I've taken Rusty (my 86 C-10) on many road trips over the years, and it rode very well. The best of all of them is The Beast (98 K1500). I am amazed that a full size 4wd truck can ride that smoothly and quietly, and it will out handle my Buick. (and the A body Regals is what evolved into the Grand National...) With the speed sensitive power steering you can easily take that truck to 100 MPH and not notice it if you aren't paying attention.

-Jay

I love bench seats! Big, squishy, over padded velor bench seats with a flip down arm rest in the center!

50mpg Cadillac
 

I just turned 45 and Im about to buy my 50th car. Don't feel bad, the last 2 years driving a stick in D.C. traffic has my ankles and tendons killing me now, driving with factory racing suspension has beaten my back too. Im looking for a squishy, fully loaded, couch, that gets great mpg. Me too, I have had 4 beatles and a host of other economy cars and loved them all, there is a certan beating that you get tired of taking. I have been looking for a Cavalier or Grand Am, the Toyota Camry, all with automatic and the 4 cylinder. I may have a line on a Ford Focus, automatic, crusie control, power windows, and air conditioning.

Let me stress to you the importance of air conditioning. When I lived in Florida and here in Baltimore, the cars I was driving at the time before the Solstic did not have air and I got heat stroke twice. After 2 bouts with almost passing out at the wheel, I keep the air on in summer.

Im not going to buy an SUV, there are plenty of cushy cars out there that are great for comfort and economy, Im glad you brought the subject up. I still plan to HHO the car, HAI, LLR, under body panels, pulse and glide, the works to extract the maximum fuel economy out of a vehicle, but I am going to do it in comfort.

I think you need to look more at Camry-sized cars and less at Grand Am/Focus-sized cars for a squishy, fully loaded couch with soft suspension. For GM cars, look at models the next size up with the 3800 engine, like the Grand Prix.

Also, I don't know if Saturn made any larger cars, but some older Saturn automatic transmissions were EOC-compatible.

The 1997 Grand Am that I had years ago was not as harsh as other small cars, but it was not at all something I'd consider for relief after a Solstice-inspired aching back. It was probably very efficient for a V6 automatic car but I didn't care at the time.

Of course there's Honda Accords and Toyora Camries. As mentioned in another thread, the VW Passat TDI is quite efficient, and I'd guess that it could be pretty comfortable. Of course, then you're dealing with an aging VW... :(

For extreme comfort, you could get an old lightweight boat like my 1980 Lesabre and put a modern powertrain in it, if you're up to that kind of experiment. The bench seat (with fold-down armrest) is quite literally a squishy couch (see Jay's description above). For being so huge, the car weighs a relatively svelte 3500 pounds.

The Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis does well -- Jay reported 30mpg as a guest driver of a Grand Marquis with no hypermiling effort/modifications at all.

Those are what I can think of at the moment.

umm dare i say it: ANY BUICK CAR: lesabre, century, somehtign else i belive.

my friends rides nice, seats have an extra layer of pure squishiness and it is like sitting on a couch.

you can find the later 90's buicks for cheap.

Yes, I highly recommend getting any Grand Marquis, Crown Victoria, or Towne Car that has fuel injection. The family has had several of them... Grandpa had Grand Marquis of the following vintages: 89, 92, 02, and 05. My great aunt had an 88 Towne Car. I've driven all of these cars and I can report that every last one of them will do between 25 and 30 on the highway with hardly any effort as long as you keep it down to a reasonable speed. They also rode extremely well, and the 92's on up had extremely good handling, despite their large size. They also came with incredibly powerful air conditioning systems. If you wanted to you could easily make it 40F inside the car on a 100F+ day. I am a GM man at heart, but I have to say that the Ford full size cars are top notch. I just wish that GM still made full size cars.

-Jay

LOL, I ofter describe the feeling I get driving my Regal as "Driving an overstuffed couch"

On further consideration, some of these large (rather than medium) cars might not work out so well for the stated purpose -- driving "in D.C. traffic". For that, the car will need to be somewhat lighter than a Grand Marquis. For highway driving it's not so important.

Since no one else has said it yet, I will. Bench seats also add a fun factor to road trips with your significant other...

lol

Hehe.

For that matter, a Buick Park Avenue or LeSabre made within the last 10 years will give the comfort desired with decent fuel economy. Oh, and there was that song about 10 years ago by the band CAKE, that talked about sliding his honey close to him in his Malibu...

lol my friend refers to his as a living room on wheels:D

nothing beats his 1975 mavericks seats tho...almost too squishy i might say (imagine the ride of a car with no shocks) you just keep bouncing on the seat, car will stop bouncing in normal time tho:D

Probably one of those innerspring vinyl seats? Those are kinda soft, but mainly they're just bouncy.

Yeah, there's a difference between squishy soft seats, and bouncy ones. When you sit in my Buick, you sink down about 4 - 6 inches, but you do not bounce.

yo civic94. I know exactly what you are saying. I have had 2 civics(93 and 94), a metro(89), and a pulsar(83). Presently I am almost 30, have 2 kids and have moved up to an odyssey(01) and i've been driving a Canyon(05) as my daily driver. I am about to sell my civic. I find myself drawn to the larger vehicles now.

I still try to hypermile in both my big cars, but the days of 50mpg+ are gone until the kids are on their own.