[gurucat]

I've a gasoline car running since 1994 and today (2008) is still alive.

Which car do you recommend me to buy? I already have a bike but want a car as well, and I will use it for as long as possible.

Should I buy an hybrid car able to use ethanol or just a simple low consumption gasoline car?

thx survivors!

[cipi604]

Do you have LPG in Spain? If yes , buy a gasoline car and pay for the LPG instalation. You'll go much cheaper this way.

[gurucat]

I never heard it. I just seen bio-diesel and bio-ethanol in the oil stations.

[Starvid]

15 years? Don't get a new one until the current is 20 years old and has gone 30,000 km.

In 5 years there will be plug-in hybrids on the market, some of them might even be 2-3 years old and you can get them used. Cars lose value extremely fast in the first few years.

If you want to change cars now, get a low consumption diesel. The best (VW Lupo) only uses 0.3 litre per km (78 mpg US). VW Polo Bluemotion uses a bit more fuel at 0.39 l. per km (60 mpg US), but is much bigger, stronger and comfortable. It emits less CO2 than the Toyota Prius, and I bet it's much cheaper.

Peugeot/Citroen have many excellent small diesels too.

[pasttense]

I don't think now is a good time to invest in a new car. Wait until
the auto companies come out with more efficient models in a
couple years.

For now either keep your present car running or buy another
used car.

[mobil1]

I had a 1994 Jap sports-car and replaced it with a 2008 Prius one month ago. I'm quite happy with it. At current fuel prices I'll pay about I'll pay about $1200 per year in fuel for 12,000 miles or so.

I might save $600 per year in fuel versus a Honda Civic or Corolla or similar. Canadian rebates of $4k helped make my decision though.

Prius can be converted into a plug-in electric also. I will make this upgrade if and when it makes financial sense. Currently, electricity is cheaper than gas, but regular battery replacements every 2-5 years cost too much with current battery tech.


At 15 years old, things will break. If you can fix it yourself, might be worth it to keep driving the old car. My life is too busy for that with job and kids/wife/house etc.

[Mesuge]

Given the ridiculous prices for Prius in N.A. (almost 2x less than in EU) it's a no-brainer. Plugin kits are already available, mate it with a PV system and you are golden..

[Hagakure_Leofman]

It's the electric model! Doesn't have the same leg room and the gas version, but isn't that the direction we're headed?

[TreeFarmer]

I would not buy a current hybrid. These are the first generation hybrids so you know they will get much better in the future. If I HAD to have a newer car I'd just look for a model that gets good mileage that I can get for a decent price.

TF

[Revi]

We're getting one of these:

www.sunnev.com

It will be perfect for getting around town, and occasionally up to the woodlot.

We figure it will cost around a penny a mile to operate.

We're just building it now.

Check out the youtube movie.

The best thing about it is that it's really fun.

[kublikhan]

I would not buy a current hybrid. These are the first generation hybrids so you know they will get much better in the future. If I HAD to have a newer car I'd just look for a model that gets good mileage that I can get for a decent price.TF

Actually, Toyota currently has it's 2nd generation hybrid out. The 3rd generation is coming out in the next year or 2.

[skeptik]

I've a gasoline car running since 1994 and today (2008) is still alive.

Which car do you recommend me to buy? I already have a bike but want a car as well, and I will use it for as long as possible.

Should I buy an hybrid car able to use ethanol or just a simple low consumption gasoline car?

thx survivors!

Very difficult to give advice without knowing what your transportation requirements are.

Here's the current list of most economical vehicles available in Europe.
http://www.fuel-economy.co.uk/stats.shtml
Scroll down below the fold for a table of stats.

Unfortunately the very wonderful little VW Lupo, designed as a hyper-economical town car, same niche as the Smart, was discontinued in 2005, so doesnt appear in the above list.

WHen I moved to Spain I looked at the Citroen C range. C1 and C2 were discounted as not having enough luggage space for my needs. I purchased the C3 1.4 HDi (manual gear change, low sulphur diesel) in feb 2007. It's averaging almost exactly 50 miles per American gallon, driver only, no load, urban/suburban driving. I use this for about a quarter of my road trips. Very easy to drive as it has plenty of low end torque, compared to a similarly sized petrol engine. Another consideration that pushed me towards Citroen is that it's the top selling marque in Spain and has the largest dealership network. Service/repair/spares not a problem, compared with some of the smaller marques, where you might have quite a drive to the closest garage.

for 3/4 of my trips I use a Honda SH125i motor scooter (4 stroke continuously variable auto gearing, 95 octane petrol) - perfect for the Spanish climate. This can carry me plus 4 Mercadonna supermarket bags - 2 in the topbox and 2 on the shelf between my feet. approx 125mpg dropping to 100mpg if driven agressively.

Honda quality or Chinese low price? The choice is yours - I know which I'd always choose when my life depends on the kit between my legs!

In answer to a post above, LPG is not widely available in Spain - at least not where I live! If you wanted to go alternative, you'd be better off adapting your car to run on Butane - bottles of which ARE available at nearly every petrol station.