Buying a Fuel-efficient Car
Whether you buy a new or used vehicle, fuel efficiency--good gas mileage--is high on the list of most buyers' concerns. The difference between choosing a fuel-efficient car or one that guzzles gas, will either save or cost you money over the life of the vehicle, which could be substantial. Fuel efficiency varies widely from one car to the next. Obviously you can check the EPA rating for city/highway MPG on the window sticker, although most of us know the average car never reaches those numbers.
You can also check consumer guides, car magazines and Web sites, Web site forums or ask friends, relatives and co-workers which vehicles they recommend as fuel-efficient cars. Don't buy more car than you need, as larger vehicles generally have bigger engines that are less fuel-efficient. Find the most fuel-efficient car in the size group you're interested in, whether a two-seater, compact, mid-sized, SUV or pickup truck. There are several online sites where you can compare fuel consumption ratings of any car.
Your choice of transmission can also affect the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Generally, a car with manual transmission is a more fuel-efficient car than one with automatic-assuming you shift properly. And a manual with overdrive, tachometer or shift indicator is the biggest fuel saver, saving up to 10% on fuel costs. If you do buy an automatic, which makes more sense for larger cars, the more gears the better.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Affordable used fuel efficient cars?
I drive a truck that gets about 17mpg, I owe around 4500$ on it, its trade in value is around 8000$. I would like to find a more fuel efficient car that I could trade in my truck for without increasing my payments. All suggestions are appreciated.-
ANSWER:
any small car with 4 cylinders will be fuel efficiant and they are cheap. go for toyota or honda, cause they are also very reliable.
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QUESTION:
What is a good, FUEL EFFICIENT, affordable used car?
I'm looking for a very fuel efficient used car in the ball park of ,000 - 12,000. Any suggestions? If so please supply the make/model as well as the year. Thanks!!!-
ANSWER:
2003 - 2005 Honda Civic
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QUESTION:
What's the most fuel efficient used car I can get for 00?
I'd like something with 4 doors and automatic transmission, and newer is better, but not more than 00. What used car, meeting those criteria, would give me the best fuel efficiency?-
ANSWER:
I think the winner may be the Chevrolet Sprint. You didn't specify cars that aren't a piece of crap.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=1772
I found it using this search tool:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/advancedSearch.htm
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QUESTION:
What are some of the most fuel efficient used/not new cars-
ANSWER:
Toyota, Prius, if you can find a good used one. Tons of them are on the road where I live, so people are catching on. Hondas in general are good. We have an old Civic that gets excellent gas mileage, we never have to worry about it. It gets triple the gas mileage of our newer Jeep, and requires much less maintenance.Try vehix.com to compare for yourself (you can do side-by-side comparisons), and find used cars in your area.
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QUESTION:
Carbon Cycle With Fuel Efficient Cars?
How Would The Carbon Cycle Be Effected If We Used Fuel Efficient Cars?-
ANSWER:
Generally the more efficient the car, the less carbon it releases, and the less impact it has on the carbon cycle.
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