What to drive to save money

Time was when when spending an arm and a leg actually got you something. Sad to say those days are long gone and not likely to return. As I write this, today I spent $3.64 for gas; I’m sure as you read this it’s even higher.

2008 Toyota Yaris

So, what’s a person to do? We know we should all drive less—combine trips, carpool, (gasp) walk, use public transit, or ride a bike. But let’s face it, we’re all human beings and as such are slow to adapt.

In the meantime, if drive you must, here are my recommendations for which wheel you should be sitting behind:

Obviously, buy the smallest vehicle you can sensibly use. If you have a large family which can’t quite squeeze into a Toyota Yaris it doesn’t make sense to buy one. But, if you can, the Yaris is a very attractive buy. The liftback starts at a mere $11,350 and the sedan, which has more interior room, starts at $12,225. What? I’m not pushing you into a Prius Hybrid? Well, you have to do the math to see if it’s going to save you in the long run. The Prius is EPA rated at 48/45 miles per gallon city/highway while the Yaris is rated 29/35. But the Prius starts at $21,000. Let’s say you drive 15,000 miles per year. The Prius will cost you around $1,180 for a year’s worth of gas at $3.64/gallon. The Yaris will burn around $1,700 worth. So, factoring in their initial sticker prices, even though the Prius gets better gas mileage, the Yaris will actually save you money. Of course, if saving fossil fuel rather than money is your main goal, your choice is obvious.

2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid

Need a little more room? There are larger hybrids out there. Nissan’s new Altima Hybrid is a very attractive alternative if you need to carry five people in comfort and style. At a combined city/highway rating of 35 miles per gallon it’ll probably outdo whatever sedan you’re driving right now. With a starting price of $25,170 it won’t break the bank, either. Chevy’s newly designed Malibu sedan also offers a hybrid model which starts at $24,290 and is EPA rated at 24/32 city/highway, and it’s essentially the only American model hybrid sedan out there right now. I know, the Altima and the Toyota Camry hybrids are both also built in America, but, well you know what I mean…

Let’s say you’re looking to dump that overpriced SUV you bought a couple of years ago when manufacturers were offering terrific rebates and attractive interest rates to lure you in. And now you’re stuck with it pretty much because that same dealer is now offering you peanuts for it on a trade-in because, basically, he doesn’t really want it either. Upside down, they call it in the car business, when you owe more than your car is worth. So now there’s no way in hell you can afford a new car. Fear not, as there are some terrific used vehicles out there which should at least help bring your fuel bill down.

2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Small cars like the Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra all hold five people and get respectable gas mileage. The Focus also came in a station wagon model if you need a bit more room. You may even find that there’s still some new-car warranty left to give you some peace of mind. Want something a bit different? How about a Scion xB, the boxy little vehicle which is difficult to categorize. You can even get sporty with something like a Hyundai Tiburon or Mazda MX-5 and still get gas mileage in the 20s. They might not be as fast as that Corvette (16/26 miles per gallon—maybe with the wind behind it!) or the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (9/16) but they’re almost as much fun!

I guess that there will always be a need for large cars and/or SUVs to carry around large numbers of people. And these aren’t actually so bad when they’re carrying a full load of people—it’s a much better idea to have seven people in one Chevy Suburban getting 10 miles per gallon rather than one person in each of seven Chevy Cobalts getting 25 miles per gallon!

The gas problem will only be solved by the combination of people not being wasteful and manufacturers offering the buying public more fuel efficient vehicles in every size range.

I can dream, can’t I?

’Til next time…