Over priced for what you get with the size and gas mileage. Better off with a Focus or something else small and reliable.
Tom
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Over priced for what you get with the size and gas mileage. Better off with a Focus or something else small and reliable.
Tom
Caymen,
Ya, your probably right about the Smart car. Not much car there, but it does get 33/41 MPG. Cute but it's too small and the size is very impractical for most people, including me. For it's size, I would really expect it to get closer to 40/50 MPG.
The Ford Focus is OK, but at a starting price of $16,500 it's more expensive than I would want to pay. Mileage is good but not great at 28/38 MPG
If I bought anything tomorrow, it would probably be the new Hyundai Elantra. I like the sleeker smoother styling, plus it's cheaper, starting at $14,900 and it gets 29/40 MPG.
...Rich
Ya, your probably right about the Smart car. Not much car there, but it does get 33/41 MPG. Cute but it's too small and the size is very impractical for most people, including me. For it's size, I would really expect it to get closer to 40/50 MPG.
The Ford Focus is OK, but at a starting price of $16,500 it's more expensive than I would want to pay. Mileage is good but not great at 28/38 MPG
If I bought anything tomorrow, it would probably be the new Hyundai Elantra. I like the sleeker smoother styling, plus it's cheaper, starting at $14,900 and it gets 29/40 MPG.
...Rich
Kevin Lang
Well-Known Member
I agree, the Smart Car is an MPG disappointment, and MPG is the only boon it could offer, unless you want to look like a really dandy hipster. I'd rather have a Prius if I had to choose between the 2.
41 MPG isn't very impressive. I know that the 41 is only an MPG estimate, and that cars regularly surpass their EPA MPG estimates, but 41 is obtainable by an ancient Ford Escort if you're lucky, per the previous MPG thread.
I'm inclined to agree, for while the MPG is far greater than that of my trac, the high cost and huge decline in driving fun & versatility don't make it a wise buy for me. I could stand to have a better MPG commuter vehicle, and I'd try to stick with Ford, but it wouldn't be new. (Unless you count "new to me" :grin
I'd be more interested in their Genesis coupe personally, as it is one of the rare modern RWD cars out there today, and it seems more "fun" than the Charger/Mustang IMO. As a plus, according to what is shown in USA's Burn Notice(Which Hyundai now sponsors), the back seat of the coupe can hold a 6+ foot tall dude, same as the front seat, while at the same time the trunk can hold enough C4 to level a city block. Not to mention the bound & gagged villain, also around 6 foot, who was in the trunk at the same time. :banana:
Sigh, if I want a domestic, it looks like I'm going to be shackled to the used car market for the foreseeable future. :cry:
KL,
The Smart car:
So would I, but the starting price of the Prius is $10K more than the Smart car. That extra $10K can buy a lot of gas !
The Ford Focus:
I agree. Most high MPG vehicles are not much fun to drive.
I get my driving fun in my Mercedes Benz C300 Sport (also rear wheel drive)...and it does pretty good in MPG with 32 MPG on the highway. Which far exceeds the EPA hwy mileage estimate of 26 MPG.. It does require premium gas...however it will run on E85, I have just never tried it since there are very few gas stations around here that sell E85.
The Hyundai Elantra:
I like the looks of the Genesis Coupe, but again, starting prices is over $22K, about the same as the Prius, and it only gets 21/30 MPG. In my mind the Prius (51/48 MPG) would be a far better choice in that same price range.
The problem with going with a used car is that if they are good cars, and they get great mileage...people keep them. Yes, there are many reasons why people might sell/trade a good MPG car, but it always makes me wonder. I think you would be hard pressed to find a nice $12K-$15K Prius on any used car lot today..If you did, I would be very skeptical :grin:
...Rich
The Smart car:
So would I, but the starting price of the Prius is $10K more than the Smart car. That extra $10K can buy a lot of gas !
The Ford Focus:
I agree. Most high MPG vehicles are not much fun to drive.
I get my driving fun in my Mercedes Benz C300 Sport (also rear wheel drive)...and it does pretty good in MPG with 32 MPG on the highway. Which far exceeds the EPA hwy mileage estimate of 26 MPG.. It does require premium gas...however it will run on E85, I have just never tried it since there are very few gas stations around here that sell E85.
The Hyundai Elantra:
I like the looks of the Genesis Coupe, but again, starting prices is over $22K, about the same as the Prius, and it only gets 21/30 MPG. In my mind the Prius (51/48 MPG) would be a far better choice in that same price range.
The problem with going with a used car is that if they are good cars, and they get great mileage...people keep them. Yes, there are many reasons why people might sell/trade a good MPG car, but it always makes me wonder. I think you would be hard pressed to find a nice $12K-$15K Prius on any used car lot today..If you did, I would be very skeptical :grin:
...Rich
