Got married

Now have about 180 mile r/t commute each day in which part of it takes me right through Boston. I go from the Cape to the North Shore of Boston.

The Max mileage which is not bad...about 25-27 is too low for me...I'm gonna go broke.....

What is a good commuter replacement car? First thing that comes to mind is a Civic but It feels so tiny to me.....

How much of an improvemrnt could I expect for an Accord (4banger)?

Any suggestions for new wheels?

 

Something you might want to consider is how much you will lose trading or selling the Max as well as the immediate depreciation of whatever is purchased next...

for all that lost value, keeping the Max, having a comfy ride, etc. and just paying for the gas might be the best idea.

 

Have you considered a hybrid?

 

n/m

 

I second that one, they're rated at around 33 mpg city and 44 mpg highway....

 

How about a Honda Insight? Toyota Prius? Of course these cars can reach into the upper $20k range. I don't know if it'll justify the fuel savings you will save annually.

A Jetta or Golf TDI is also an excellent choice

 

There is no way that the total added cost of buying and owning another car would be justified by fuel savings. Think about it.

Figure like this:

approx 50000 miles per year commute

@ 27 mpg that's 1851.85 gallons of premium gas for the max

total cost @ $1.60 per gallon = $2961.6

@ 40 mpg that's 1250 gallons of regular gas in the tiny car

total cost @ $1.40 per gallon = $1750

You end up saving $1211 per year, that's $100 per month





If you can get another car and operate it for less than $100 per month,then go for it.

 

What will cost more? Gas or the lost money on the trade? Maybe your commuter car will get 35 MPG over your current 25. So that will save you approx. $3.67 a day in gas. (2.1 gallons of gas less x $1.75 a gallon) That's $917.50 a year. (250 work days in a year) You'll lose at least $3,000 on the trade, plus the amount you already paid on the car + sales tax, etc. It's possible that this will pay off in 4 or 5 years.

 

Ben

Similar thinking, but slightly different numbers. Maybe I was too liberal and thinking that it will pay off in 4-5 years though.

How do you like the Bridestone RE950's? I'm thinking of getting those next.

 

as far as a 4-banger Accord goes, you could get an LX or EX 5-spd with a 150HP VTEC engine and that will get you well over 30mpg (rated at 32 hwy) running on regular 87 octane fuel. It has decent performance as well, but definitely a step below the Maxima. An auto tranny will cost you 2 mpg.

A VW TDI is also an excellent choice, but this focuses more on economy and less on performance. It gets 49mpg hwy in the 5-spd model and like any diesel it has excellent low-end torque (155 lb-ft @ 1900rpm). But also like any diesel, top-end power is non-existant (90HP @ 3750rpm). So if you're just cruising on the highway or running around own it's fine, but step on it and you won't be going anywhere fast. But you simply can't beat the mileage. Europeans love these things with equivalent gas prices over there of well over $3/gal.

I wouldn't recommend a Honda Insight, or any other gas/electric hybrid. I don't think many people have been able to reach the mileage claims that manufacturers advertise. Probably because with only 73HP your right foot is constantly on the floor, in which case your mileage goes down the toilet.

As for your Maxima, there are several things you can do to tweak the mileage.

1) Raise tire pressure. You'll gain about 1mpg for every 2psi you boost up your tires. I don't know what the stock inflation is, but on Accord's it's 30psi. I raised mine up to 34psi since I do a lot of highway driving and raised my highway fuel economy (actually mixed driving with all of the traffic) from around 25mpg to 27mpg.

2) Low-end torque mods. If there are any mods that will raise your low end torque on the Maxima, these would help as well - but they cost you money. I put Denso Iridium plugs in my Accord V6 and saw about a 1mpg gain on the highway. The UDP kit for the Maxima would definitely help you.

3) There are probably things mentioned for maximizing economy in your Maxima manual as well, so you might check in there.

 

I cousin of mine dumped his old Accord and got a Prius. His mileage went from 25mpg to 50mpg. He does mostly freeway driving.

Back to the original poster, make sure you go through your numbers carefully as someone already suggested. Think about all you'll lose in the trade (tax paid, depreciation, etc.) You'll have to step down to a significantly less expensive car to realize any savings.

Just make sure you learn good fuel conserving driving habits.

Have you considered moving or getting another job? 180miles/day will wear you down very quickly and could put a strain on your marriage. I drive 90miles/day AFTER rush hour and I spend a total 85-95 minutes a day in my car, and I can't imagine myself doing twice that . More than the fuel economy, it is wearing down cars at the rate of 45,000-50,000 miles a year that is going to cost you a bundle! Think about it, you'll rack up 200K in just four years! In five years, you'll need a new car and your old one will be worth just a thousand bucks or less. Add maintenance to the picture, and it looks even worse.

Postpone the Civic/Sentra for your next car purchase, which will come up sooner than you think if you stick with this commute You should just think about a better solution that will make your life much easier.

 

FYI,
there are chips available for TDIs (for example from giacusa.com) that increase power and mileage (at the expense of emissions??).

 

Just get an almightly powerful Echo!!!