Ok, what gas mileage does your car get?

[LynneSin]

Just curious to see if we practice what we preach.

I have a Toyota Corolla and I get about 27mpg. I do about 95% city driving. I would love to get a Prius, but when you have a 5 year old car with 45k miles and it's totally paid off, I can't justify getting a new car.

But since I only have to fill up my gas tank every other week (I live 2 miles from work), I'll stick with the Toyota!

[SHRED]

1. 1991 Integra

27-30 combined hwy/city mileage depending on how I drive and A/C usage.

[Worst Username Ever]

2. My Saturn gets 30-ish. I need a tank fill about once every two weeks...

because I live in the city and work relatively close. I could take the buss if I wanted to add an hour to my commute (LOTS of stops on the way to my work) but I am selfish so I just drive my crappy used (er, ah.. "recycled") car. Here's hoping Mpls adds a light rail track between Mpls and St. Paul soon, I would be all over that!

[mcscajun]

19. Another Saturn owner here...

...it's 10 years old, and still gets between 30-33 mpg depending on usage.

181,000 miles and counting...

:)

[Worst Username Ever]

23. Lol, mine's a '95, 130K miles. n/t

[mcscajun]

54. '95 SC1

A bit ragged around the edges, but still sound inside and out. :)

Ya' had to love 'em...the last of their kind. (Everything past '95 was just a plain GM bucket.)

[Ready4Change]

3. Currently, about 28mpg

But between 1990 and 2002 I drove a car that got about 40mpg, so I figure my lifetime milage is better than average.

I do, however, drive a LOT. 20,000 a year, easy.

[meegbear]

4. Chevy GEO Metro - 38 MPG baby!

[Drifter]

5. Honda Civic Hybrid 40 - 45 MPG

It doesn't matter where I drive.

Cheers
Drifter

[mark414]

6. depends on if i ate a good breakfast

one of my belts snapped on my car about 2 months ago, and i still haven't gotten around to fixing it because cars are such a hassle anyways...bike and bus, that's the way to do it

[flvegan]

7. My Mazda PR5 gets 27/34, which is surprising

Cuz I drive like my last name is Andretti...which it isn't.

[IrateCitizen]

8. OK -- you live 2 miles from work, and you DRIVE???

Seriously, Lynne, I really don't understand that. Unless you work nights or something, or the only way to get to and from your job is via 4-lane highway (i.e. New Jersey), I would say that there are much better ways to commute than driving.

Have you ever considered biking, or even walking, to and from work? Obviously it's difficult to do in bad weather, but it could make things so much better in good weather. Plus, it would mean that at the very minimum, you'd be getting in 4 miles of walking or biking a day as exercise!

A bike commute has always been my dream for work. I guess I'm not that bad now, since I walk and take the train and don't drive at all. But I still want to be able to ride my bike every day to and from work.

As for cars, mine is a 1996 Honda Civic with over 170k miles, and I can get as high as 37-38 mpg on the highway. Normal driving where I live ranges from 28-33 mpg. Wife has a 2001 VW Cabrio and gets a little less, around 28 mpg.

[Modem Butterfly]

30. If you have to wear a suit, biking is not an option

And depending on the climate where you live, walking may not be an option either. For instance, I live in Atlanta, where in the summer, morning temps are often in the mid-70's with 100% humidity. Arriving to work hot, sweaty, and stinky is not a good way to keep your job.

[IrateCitizen]

33. And driving for a lot of trips that could easily be walked...

... is no way to help stop global climate change or steward diminishing stores of oil.

I saw plenty of people in suits biking when I was in Europe, especially in Amsterdam. As for the "hot, stinky and sweaty" part, how do you think many people who work in NYC (like myself) arrive at work during the summer months? As of yet, I've never lost a job because I happened to sweat a bit during my brisk 15 min walk from the train station to my office. And there's always the option of keeping a few toiletries on hand in your office to counter that.

Sorry, but your excuse just doesn't cut it. And I'm well aware of Atlanta summers, as I have family down in that area and have been there during the summer.

[Modem Butterfly]

38. I've been to NYC in the summer...

Though it's hot, it's nothing like Atlanta in the summer. And if you have family in Atlanta, then you know that summer starts here in April and often lasts through October.

I've been to Europe plenty of times, and have only seen a handful of people biking while wearing suits, and that was only people wearing pantsuits in very flat places in the coolest months of the year. And none of them had much equipment to carry. For instance, this morning, I came to work with a laptop, purse, lunch, and two 100+ page copies of proposed changes to our employee handbook. That's alot to carry in a couple of saddlebags.

Sorry, but not everyone can live in the way that you think they should. Folks in other situations have to do what they can in other ways.

[LynneSin]

45. Modem, I think you have a valid point

I know I tend to sweat alot, so the last thing I would want to do is come into work all smelly and whatnot.

Fortunately, if I could bike/walk to work (depending on where I get my house which I'm trying to keep it near where I work), they do have a gym facility. I think the only way I could get away with walking/riding to work is getting to work early enough where I could shower & wash my hair before I start work.

It is a very tempting and healthy alternative once I move to a location that has a safer walk to get to where I work

[Modem Butterfly]

61. I think it could definitely work for some jobs, maybe many

But not all, not everyday. I know there are days when I could bike to work. Casual Fridays in the winter, perhaps. Any day I don't have to interface with employees much. Some people down here could really make a go of it, especially if they have work-out facilities at or near their office. But not everyone can do this, and those who can't shouldn't be treated as environmental criminals.

[IrateCitizen]

47. You've never seen Amsterdam in rush-hour then!

I've been to Europe plenty of times, and have only seen a handful of people biking while wearing suits, and that was only people wearing pantsuits in very flat places in the coolest months of the year. And none of them had much equipment to carry.

We saw packs of people go by on bicycles, many of them men in business suits, holding a briefcase, possibly with gear strapped to the rear rack of their bikes, talking on a cell phone. Actually, we found it quite funny, compared to what we were used to. But I will readily acknowledge that Amsterdam is quite cool compared to either NYC or Atlanta in the summer. Also, unlike here in the States, Europeans tend much more to leave their work at work and not take it home with them, so they don't have to lug so much stuff around.

Sorry, but not everyone can live in the way that you think they should. Folks in other situations have to do what they can in other ways.

I'm not trying to come off as sanctimonious, but I mean, what did we do BEFORE we had air-conditioning and 2 cars per household and all that? We've come to expect many of our luxuries and conveniences as necessities. And I will readily admit I'm guilty of it too. But sadly, there will come a time (most likely within the lifetime of most of us) when we will long for the days of having to choose between convenience and minor inconvenience, such as this. If you want to know what I'm talking about, I suggest you check out the UN's recent report on global sustainability. There's some pretty mean storm clouds a-brewin'.

[Modem Butterfly]

62. That's about the only place I've seen them

I'm not trying to come off as sanctimonious, but I mean, what did we do BEFORE we had air-conditioning and 2 cars per household and all that?

Before air conditioning, the south was not nearly as populated as other areas. In fact, air conditioning is often credited with the rise of the New South. Make of that what you will!

Prior to air conditioning and cars, people often walked to work, took whatever public transport was availble, or took a horse and buggy. Assuming, of course, they were fortunate enough to be able to work outside the home, which many of us weren't. Of course, the economy was much more agrarian then and cities weren't nearly so populated or spread out either. America was a different country then. It's denying reality to pretend that we can go back to living a 19th century lifestyle in a 21st century company. It's short-sighted too, because real changes that can be made now get ignored in the quest to return to some sort of pre-internal combustion ideal.

[IrateCitizen]

64. You're still missing my point

It's denying reality to pretend that we can go back to living a 19th century lifestyle in a 21st century company. It's short-sighted too, because real changes that can be made now get ignored in the quest to return to some sort of pre-internal combustion ideal.

How is what I am proposing some sort of return to the 19th century? Was air conditioning used en masse starting around 1900? I must have missed that in my class on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

My point is this -- with the overuse of our ecological systems due to the wanton wastefulness of energy-consuming devices like air conditioning and automobiles, rather than more sustainable solutions, we won't have a choice as to what we do in the not-too-distant future. Once again, I refer you to the recently-released report from the UN working group on the state of the world's ecological systems, a project that encompassed over 1300 leading scientists from 90 countries working over 4 years.

There are plenty of changes that can be made. First among them would be designing cities and communities with viable public transit and shorter commutes. Also instituting bike paths and walking paths. Finally, I hate to tell you, but the liberal use of AC in the South will have to go by the wayside as well. You'd better get used to it cooling you down 10-15 degrees from what it is outside, as opposed to keeping everything a comfortable 72 degrees in mid-July, because the latter is just simply unsustainable.

[Modem Butterfly]

65. Mmmmm....refrigerated air....

AC has been around a lot longer than you think. In fact, it's a 19th century invention and began commercial use in 1889.

I'm not sure why you're so stuck on AC and automobiles. Both systems have been and continue to be tweaked to run much more efficiently primarily because they hit consumers in the wallet. But what hasn't been addressed are areas like food production (particularly the ranching of cattle and the eating of meat) and trash generation and disposal here in the US. Our current recycling is just a drop in the bucket compared to that problem, which has only recently begun to even be addressed.

With resepct to fuel consumption, necessity is the mother of invention, and I suspect that when the consumer begins to demand it, we will find alternate fuel sources, perhaps fuel cells or hydrogen technology. I doubt I'll have to get used to living without AC in my lifetime, especially since the rate of global warming, to which current logging and ranching practices are a huge contributor, will really drive demand.

You'd better get used to it cooling you down 10-15 degrees from what it is outside, as opposed to keeping everything a comfortable 72 degrees in mid-July, because the latter is just simply unsustainable.

Well, you made a big presumption here. My partner and I live in a 110 year old house that doesn't have AC. So cooling down 10-15 degrees sounds just dandy to us!

[LynneSin]

34. Reason's I drive

I appreciate your concerns but it's a matter of safety as to why I drive. There are 2 ways I could walk/bike to work and both are about the same distance. The one takes me through a very desolate part of South Wilmington where the train tracks cut through. The second takes me through a notorious drug neighborhood. As much as I would love to cut back on my driving and find healthier ways to get to work, I think safety should always come first. It may sound like an excuse but I'm sure you wouldn't want your wife to walk through such conditions.

As for the Bus, I gave up when I realized I was taking close to an hour for what is a 10 minute trip to work. I have enough problems getting up in the mornings (I'm a notorious night owl), that when I'm finally ready to leave the door I can't have another hour walking to my closest bus stop, waiting for the bus and then walking to work. Hell, I have actually walked to work once and even that takes less time than the bus.

I am in the process of house hunting and hope to move someplace where I could feasibly start walking to work provided that they don't move our company to Newark DE (which probably will happen). Since our location is up in the air, I'm in a holding pattern until they decide (probably after Memorial Day)

[IrateCitizen]

35. I understand...

And no, I would never advocate for you to walk to and from work if it put your safety in jeopardy. And no, it doesn't sound like an excuse.

Have you considered carpooling with anyone you work with?

As an aside, I used to walk home from work when I was a valet at the Phila St. Regis (then the Ritz-Carlton) when I was in school. It would commonly be at 12 midnight or 1 AM, and I would be walking from center city back to Powelton Village (West Phila) with a wad of $70-100 in mostly singles in my pocket. I still don't know how I avoided getting mugged to this day.

Not saying I advocate doing the same as me, just sharing the story.

[LynneSin]

40. I've tried, but not too many folks live where I live

and the one person I found who did, we couldn't work out our schedules. I have no choice but to get in here at 7am because of the requirements of my job and the other person somehow wrangled a 9am start time and refuses to come in early.

[tavalon]

55. That's why my car doesn't get much use

I live two miles from my work and I live on the Burke-Gilman (which is a walk/Bike path) so I walk or ride my bike most nights. I din't do that so much during the worst of the winter (like we really have that in Seattle) but I'm back on the trail again. Good exercise and the gas mileage is great.

[Roland99]

9. Mazda 6i (5-speed)

about 24-25 normal driving (combined city/hwy)...up to 32mpg on hwy but could probably get more if I drove under 70mph.

[bearfan454]

10. 2000 F 150

18 mpg.

[bertha katzenengel]

48. Bearfan drives a Ford F 150?? Shock!

;) I pictured you in nothing else. :hi:

[AverageJoe]

11. My Toyota Echo

gets 41 mpg, baby!

[DelawareValleyDem]

12. Same car, similar mileage

I have a 1999 Corolla and get 30mpg in mostly city driving. Is yours stick or auto?

[LynneSin]

17. Auto, which gets less gass mileage

:cry:

But I do so much city driving that I don't want to be bothered with a stick

[Cuban_Liberal]

13. 26-32 m.p.g.

:)

[IrateCitizen]

14. A side note on getting a new car vs. keeping the one you have

If you trade in a pretty good car for a new one that gets great gas mileage, you're still contributing more to air pollution. There are more emissions produced in the MANUFACTURE of each car on the road, from start to finish, than it will use in its lifetime. So, if you're driving that Toyota or Honda that gets 28 mpg, you're helping out more by keeping it than by getting a new Prius that gets 50 mpg.

[LynneSin]

21. Works for me but I do make it a point to not buy new anymore

I like getting my cars 1-2 years old. I mean, why should I pay $4k-$6k extra just for the new car smell!

[IrateCitizen]

28. Oh, I'm with you on that, Lynne!

I've never bought a new car. If you can find a reliable used model (i.e. Honda, Toyota, VW, etc.) with less than 40k miles on it, chances are it will last you a real long time.

[TommyO]

32. Used cars are the way to go

I've gotten off of the new-car treadmill and have bought my first used car. I needed something larger than the 2001 VW Jetta TDI (47 mpg in my mostly highway driving), so I bought a used Pontiac Grand Prix (around 27mpg in the same type of driving).

It was nice having somebody else pay all of the depreciation on the car for me!

[tavalon]

56. You know what sucks about the Prius?

The 2004 is selling for about the same price as a new one. The 2003 was a different design and apparently not as good. The reason they are selling at the same price is demand. There is a huge demand for the Prius, and that is actually a good thing even while it sucks for those of us who prefer to buy used.

[Coyote_Bandit]

15. Great

since I've quit driving much. Put 5300 miles on the car last year. Hope to keep that to about 4000 this year. Of course, that will change if I happen to find a real job. There is not an effective public transportation system here. In the meantime I'm saving my pennies - and not supporting the local repuke economy in crazy red f*cking JOklahoma.

[MissMillie]

16. 98 Corolla

w/ 200k miles

still gets 34-36 mpg

[CornField]

18. Jeep Grand Cherokee -- 25 average (less in town, more on hwy)

[Squatch]

22. Do you have the six cyl?

[CornField]

36. Yes and it is plenty of power

We offroad quite a bit with it and have pulled lots of things (boats, campers, bikes, etc.)

[Squatch]

20. Grand Cherokee 4.7L HO 17 to 20 MPG

Honda Civic 1.6L ~35 MPG

[ewagner]

24. 1990 Mazda Protege'

27-31 City
38-42 Highway

78k mile on it...5 speed...I love that little car!

[Heidi]

25. No car.

I'm public transportation all the way and I like it like this.

[sinkingfeeling]

26. My 1999 manual Saturn gets close to 40mpg on highways and

around 34 in town. Gas is $2.28 here now and I still have $1.99 gas in the tank from 4 weeks ago. My 1991 manual Subaru gets around 36 mpg on the highway and about 30 in town....have 1/4 of a tankful of $1.83 gas still in it from late Jan.!

[quispquake]

27. 1991 Saab 900

Gets around 25-26 MPH...pretty sucky, but as you said, when you've got a car that's paid off, it's hard to replace it (but up here in Maine, nothing is too close, so if the prices keep rising, I may have to switch off).

I've always said, I don't mind high gas prices (as long as it's not going to corporate profit like nowadays). Europes been $4.00 a gallon for 10 years or more. I think the low prices for years is what allowed our gluttinous country to buy all these giant behemoths...which is NOT fair for the rest of the world...oh well, I guess the folks that bought them are getting theirs now...

If the extra money went to taxes that were working us towards energy independence, I would have no problem with the high prices...instead, all the oil companies profits DOUBLED in 2004, and will probably DOUBLE again this year...they should NOT be increasing their profits along with the prices as they've been doing...

My other issue with the prices is home heating oil which is also $2.25 a gallon (making me VERY happy I replaced my furnace last year...my little house only burned 60 gallons a month through the winter). Maine's a poor state, and it's killing us to have oil prices like this. There's gonna be a lot of people-si-cles next year if these don't go down...

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

29. I drive an 86 Honda Accord

and get about 23 or so. I mainly drive city too..............

[movie_girl99]

31. mine gets about 20-22

i have a VW Passat. I drive about 8-10 miles a day so I only fill up about every two weeks. I live 3 miles from work and my kids go to school 1 block from home. My husband drives a little Jeep Liberty and gets about the same mileage but drives 20 miles to work.

[livetohike]

37. 1990 Geo Prizm

36 mpg on the road and 32 in the city....

Only 193,000 miles on the same engine :-).

[Celeborn Skywalker]

39. 1996 Mazda small pickup

It gets about 20 mpg in town and 26 mpg on the highway. I'm hoping to trade it in later this year for something that gets much better mileage.

[Samurai_Writer]

41. My 97 VW Jetta gets 35mpg

I do almost all city driving. It has 110,000 miles on it and I'm hoping it will last beyond 200,000. After that, I will get a hybrid or possibly alternative energy automobile if they are available then.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. A Touch Under 30mpg, Combined

It's not a real tiny engine, but i drive fairly modestly. I never go over 60 and i try for most trips to set the cruise so it's at the peak of the power curve on the tach. On the highway, sustained driving, i can get about 33mpg.

The Professor

[DS1]

43. 28-35

[Richardo]

44. 93 Infiniti G20 with manual tranny - gets almost 30 mpg.

LOL: I originally had 30 mph. It feels that slow sometimes.

[bertha katzenengel]

46. 2005 Corolla, apx. 30. We love Earnestine.

We wanted a Prius too but couldn't afford it. Next car.

We drive 35 miles to work one way. Average travel time is between 1.5 - 2 hours. Can't wait to take her on a road trip to see how she does!

Oh -- and we fill up about every four-five days.

[NV Whino]

49. 2 vehicles

1998 Celica, 4 cylinder, 5 speed (that's the key) 30-35 mpg

2002 Ford Ranger, 4 cylinder, 5 speed (doens't hel this piece of shit because the body's too heavy for the engine--argh, but drive it only when I have to transport large stuff) 21-27mpg

[CO Liberal]

50. Chevy S10 and Plymouth Sundance - Both Around 25 MPG

I wish I could afford a Prius, because with driving nearly 100 miles a day on average, it's getting kinda expensive to commute using the S10.

[SmileyBoy]

51. My 2001 Mazda Protege gets 26 city, 30 highway.

[cmf]

52. We have two cars

Both Hondas. The '02 Accord gets around 28 or so, the '98 Civic gets 34 or so. We don't do much city driving. We both use vanpool/public transit to get to work, so we don't put many miles on the cars. There really isn't much need for us to have two cars now, but we own both of them outright, so the cost of having them is only insurance and routine maintenance. I'd rather keep both Hondas than have to buy another car if our situation changes.

[tavalon]

53. I get about 22 mpg in city

when I don't ride the bus or my bike. I usually don't have to fill my tank more often than once a month, though I just had the unpleasant experience of the last fill up costing over $40!

My boyfriend is getting a Prius. He's been on the list for about 2 months. The dealer said they expect his in next week.

My Nissan Maxima has 175,000 miles on it. When it ends its life, I'm going to get a Prius, unless I'm living with the boyfriend by then, in which case I probably won't get another car any time soon.

[Orsino]

57. 56 mpg

The new Prius' miles-per-gallonage is creeping up along with the odometer. I've learned to drive like a wuss, and am still playing games with the computer to push the fuel economy ever further.

Anything other geekly hobby, I'd say that "it keeps me off the streets," but that's the wrong expression, I guess. Let's say that it keeps me from flipping off SUV drivers.

My wife's hybrid Accord is getting 30 after only 1400 miles. I expect that figure to climb, as well, with the warming weather.

[rfkrfk]

58. Mustang GT, 20 - 22 MPG city

note, city, but not stop n go.

25+ highway

[Seabiscuit]

59. 2003 Corolla. 26-33 mpg

[progressoid]

60. Toyata Matrix 26 city / 34 highway

I really need more space but as gas prices keep going up, I can live with less room.

Beats the hell out of the 17/22 MPG I used to get with a van.

[Technowitch]

63. 2004 Toyota Prius -- between 40 and 55 MPG, depending

:D