Bang Shift Approved Economy Car?

[Beagle]

2.9 is not all that big, they've put 3.0 liter 4's in boats for a bazillion years. The 3.7 Mercruiser was kinda big for a modern 4. I thought about a 3.0 for a Mustang or Pinto to see how it would do, but I'm still stuck on the Yanmar / Fiat thing at the moment.

[1988montecarloss 2]

my dad just bought a 2011 gmc canyon extended cab 2wd with the 2.9 4cyl. (ya, i was surprised how big it was too) and a 5spd. to replace his dying 84 oldsmobile cutlass(3.8/th200/2.29 rear gear that got 28-29mpg up until recently). the canyon gets about 27-28mpg highway and 21-22mpg city, and although its no power house, with the 185hp and 190 lb ft it actually moves pretty good. it seems to be built pretty good and all the local parts stores run them and most of them have 200k-250k miles on them w/o having to replace anything except maintenance parts. it even has manual windows too

[Barry Donovan]

My daily driver is an 2002 F-350 dually. 7.3 powerstroke with 22.5" Alcoa's.....gets terrible milage and my commute is roughly 75-85 miles per day. Diesel has been over $4 for a couple months now taking my monthly fuel costs over $550. Insane. I have a couple toys sitting around but nothing close enough to stock to retain "good" mileage. Picked up a 2011 Ford Fiesta a few months back.....no joke. There was a time in my life where you could not have caught me dead driving such a car. In my younger years I found my identity in what I drove. In my more mature (and business minded) ways I found the incentives, pricing, warranty, and mileage too be to good not to jump on. My payment, insurance, AND monthly fuel are barely over half of what I was spending on just diesel before. Have about 2,000 miles on the car now and get pretty consistent 39mpg mix between highway and around town. I half hate to admit it (being a snarling V8 hot rodder at heart) but I don't at all mind driving the car. It's solid, quiet, and has just enough power to be tolerable. I also have to say that all the talk of Fords higher quality is legit. This is their gas getter econo box and the quality is way higher in ever department then my loaded, Lariat 2002 truck.

Quality is only legit in locations that like it.. meaning locale, more than people.

I summed it all up with j-tin. the gas sippers into outrageous cheap risking lives.. doesn't matter if its got an american stamp. the fake weight of leverage and tin cans and result of homos that became engineers...I mean sapiens .. yeah. homosapiens.

right outside, the 24 year old buggy made a root of a wheel arch disappear after welding.. the neighbors 2000 something fiesta has the same injury.
I stopped complaining a long time ago, it is called submission.

It truly sucks.. the whole scene just truly sucks.

there is gas savers that are safe and heavy.. we don't get them. the cost to build, and knowing they last long times does not do the fat f**** building them any good does it.

oh, I quoted you, as I am the same. the only small car I have ever had is the older boxer for modern day.
younger in the 80s/90s I went through the little carsvery fast and vowed never to have one again.. from chevette design to ford escort.

all v8 and today missing more than barbaric noises, they were much safer on my bones.

[NITMARE]

My daily driver is an 2002 F-350 dually. 7.3 powerstroke with 22.5" Alcoa's.....gets terrible milage and my commute is roughly 75-85 miles per day. Diesel has been over $4 for a couple months now taking my monthly fuel costs over $550. Insane. I have a couple toys sitting around but nothing close enough to stock to retain "good" mileage. Picked up a 2011 Ford Fiesta a few months back.....no joke. There was a time in my life where you could not have caught me dead driving such a car. In my younger years I found my identity in what I drove. In my more mature (and business minded) ways I found the incentives, pricing, warranty, and mileage too be to good not to jump on. My payment, insurance, AND monthly fuel are barely over half of what I was spending on just diesel before. Have about 2,000 miles on the car now and get pretty consistent 39mpg mix between highway and around town. I half hate to admit it (being a snarling V8 hot rodder at heart) but I don't at all mind driving the car. It's solid, quiet, and has just enough power to be tolerable. I also have to say that all the talk of Fords higher quality is legit. This is their gas getter econo box and the quality is way higher in ever department then my loaded, Lariat 2002 truck.

[Russell]

Yes its a 5 speed, Its the only thing I would NOT compromise on. I Know it does not have any torque but seems like it could use another gear or 3 buzzes well over 3k rpms on the highway.

[milner351]

First Tank 32.9 mph...

Nice work - is that a 5 speed?

[Beagle]

Already got my best beat - 32.8 in a 5 speed Escape.

I want to see a yanmar in a fiat 850 spider. :P

[Russell]

First Tank 32.9 mph...

[mike343sharpstick]

Scott (DG) brought up the Jetta a while back. I went to the VW dealer the other day to look at diesel golfs for the hell of it. They want a 2500.00 "market demand" BONUS on them? I sure won't be buying a new one.

When I bought my SRT4 dealers were doing that "market demand" crap. I found a dealer that didn't.

My wife and I have been enjoying the used 6-speed AUDI A4 Quatro (I think it's the same platform as the Jetta??), if that car was a TDI it would be a real winner with a killer combo of "fun to drive", low fuel consumption, and a very nice car.
Out of curiosity I went on the Audi site to see what I could buy with the TDI. I was dissapointed to find that they only put it in the A3, and It's only available with FWD, not Quatro? Strange.

[JRoberts]

Scott (DG) brought up the Jetta a while back. I went to the VW dealer the other day to look at diesel golfs for the hell of it. They want a 2500.00 "market demand" BONUS on them? I sure won't be buying a new one.

I'm not sure I'd say I have a phobia against FWD, I just don't care for the feel of the one I have. It's unnerving to have the front right unload in a turn and have the whole thing nose over. I blame the traction control more than the FWD. Lifting abruptly in a corner is a great way to see what was behind you in a rwd car so it's very uncomfortable for me when the computer pulls timing abruptly when the mom buggy starts to spin a tire.

We were seriously interested in a TDI Jetta when my wife bought the Subaru. The same dealer that has serviced the Jetta since we bought it in 2001. They wouldn't budge on the price. I told them that we had been loyal to the dealership for all these years and expected some consideration for this. Still wouldn't budge (until it was too late and my wife had already found and liked the Subaru). They would deal on the gasoline version, but that is not what we looking for at that time. 10 miles per gallon or less just doesn't overcome the price difference. If I really wanted a new VW I would not consider the TDI, but would consider the gas version.
As far as fwd handling goes it has come a long way. I used to rally Saabs in the early '70's and even as underpowered as they were you had to drive them differently when powering through a corner. The VW handles much differently than that. We have a few really twisty roads where we live and I love putting the our Jetta through its paces out here in the country.

[Beagle]

Scott (DG) brought up the Jetta a while back. I went to the VW dealer the other day to look at diesel golfs for the hell of it. They want a 2500.00 "market demand" BONUS on them? I sure won't be buying a new one.

I'm not sure I'd say I have a phobia against FWD, I just don't care for the feel of the one I have. It's unnerving to have the front right unload in a turn and have the whole thing nose over. I blame the traction control more than the FWD. Lifting abruptly in a corner is a great way to see what was behind you in a rwd car so it's very uncomfortable for me when the computer pulls timing abruptly when the mom buggy starts to spin a tire.

[JRoberts]

I have inherited my wife's 2001 Jetta. It has the 1.8 Turbo. (She bought a new Subaru and I was able to convince her not to trade in the VW) The Jetta gets 30mpg regularly city and/or highway. It is quick and handles great. I have a 4x4 F150 and my old Studebaker pickup neither of which make great commuter vehicles. The '65 Studebaker is now undergoing a rebuild and might not be too bad, but we'll have to wait and see about that. Back to the Jetta -- it is a fun vehicle w/gas mileage that is more than just acceptable. I don't have the fwd phobia that some have. The handling on this thing is really great and I come from a back ground of some sports cars that were meant to, and did, handle the back twisty turny roads with style. The Jetta is equal to most of those older sports cars I have owned. If I were looking to buy a car that had improved mileage and were on a budget, I wold look at a 2001ish VW. Jetta or Golf would make no difference. By now the price of these is down to being quite affordable. I don't how the automatics fair. Ours is a 5 speed and does quite well. I do not see why the Jetta/Golf of this era wouldn't be BangShift approved.

[Grumpy]

I don't know if it's bangshift approved or not but for my daily driver & tow car I have a 2002 Tracker SUV with a 2.5 V6 with 153,000 miles and it gets 20 mpg around town anyway you want to drive it and 29 mpg on the Highway at 70 mph.

[Northeast Rod Run]

I haven't read every page in this thread, but the ones I did look at, I didn't see anyone mention an HHR Panel?

They definitely have potential for lots of mods and they don't have the minivan "too many windows" look to them. You can also buy the SS version and with factory upgrades, you can get 300HP out of it and still knock down 30+ MPG

[JOES66FURY]

Economy is relative. My Ram gets 9 and the old Plymouth is somewhere in the 10 to 12 mpg...I would love to have my 06 Grand Marquis back...at 65-70mph it got 29.8mpg and I averaged 19 around town...