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TCHB

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Honest question.... Why does anyone buy the toyota prius instead of the camary hybrid when the mpg is really close. Camary seems like such a nicer looking car without the stigma. Price is close enough?
Prius much smaller for parking. If you live in Hermosa Beach every inch makes a difference.
 

pronstar

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Went to a 2012 TDI, cut my fuel bill by about 30% from the Prius. They are DIRT cheap and have a great 6 speed manual trans. Fun to drive, not gay, and handle well. 10k oil change intervals.

I can get a hand calc 49.5mpg from it hwy at 75+.

Diesel costs more than regular unleaded.

You’d have to be getting 50% better mpg than a Prius if your “30% fuel savings over a Prius” is correct.

So if you got 50 mpg in your TDI, you were only getting 25 mpg in the Prius.

Is that what you’re saying?

We drove our 2010 Prius from Tucson to LA, cruise control set at 80 mph, zero traffic (it was at night) and averaged 79 mph over the entire trip. We got right at 49 mpg.


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Bowtiepower00

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Lots of choices in this category. Easy choice is a Civic or Mazda3. Yaris is a good choice too. When I read the part about a “grandson” driving it in a few years, changes things a bit. If he’s into cars as a kid, and he’s doing good in school/ behaves/ respectful, I’d get him involved in the choice. Civic Si? Non turbo subi or scion frx? 4 cal Stang/ Camaro? I’m sure insurance will be a bit more, but what a cool opportunity to keep a grandkid on the right track if they respect the process. Kind of planning the same with my son but with a Tacoma or wrangler.
 

RCDave

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Last few times I got diesel it was within a few cents of regular unleaded
 

RCDave

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Last tank with the sportwagen TDI

IMAG3263.jpg
 

81Sprint

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Hosted a Bachelor party for my buddy at McIntyre park couple months ago, one of our guys drives a Prius from LA. We all give him shit, Nice Tampon etc. He also has a Megacab Cummins, but says hey it cost me $7 to get here. Same friend stays with me at my home in Vegas for the wedding parks that dam thing in my driveway, i tell him hide it in the garage don't want the neighbors thinking i've turned into a peter puffer. Same thing cost me $10 to get here. Hard to argue that. I still will and drive my big diesel but secretly be envious of that gas mileage.:cool:
 

zhandfull

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Honda, Mazda, and Toyota all solid choices.
I like the Kia Soul too. Lot of head room decent storage. Good warranty and I actually like the way they look with factory aluminium wheels.

Wife had one for a few years.
 

boatpi

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My 2014 Prius plug-in just had 100,000 miles all I have done is replace tires and change the oil. Average fuel economy is 60 to 70 miles per gallon. These cars are on craigslist with over 250,000 miles on them they’re pretty much bulletproof. You can get a really clean used one for 14,000. If economy is your thing daily driving under 70 miles can produce as much is 90 miles per gallon.
 

2FORCEFULL

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first off I wanna say,... I would not walk, and I'd take any car with ac over a rzr in the desert heat,..the hey-lam factor goes away quick when my balls are sweating..that being said... who gives a fuc what brand??? they're all little shit boxes...
 

franky

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I'm driving a 2017 Nissan Altima SR for work. Whatta Shitbox. At 67k the interior is starting to make noise, Bluetooth and Keyless Entry act quirky, suspension is getting noisy, etc.

I think I'm going back to an Impala. Had a 2013. Probably my favorite car at this point. Can pick em up for $16-17k with less than 30k on the clock, they make 305hp, hard hitting 6 SPD, great stereo, A/C that will knock you in the back seat, all the Technology etc.
on my second Impala , 2010 now 2015. Nice sporty car with lots of room and features, reliable (except the warped rotor issue on the 2010) and still get 28ish mpg
 

rvrrun

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Ford stopped making the Focus in 2018. So, you did end up getting the ST? Nice! Was it the yellow one? How are you liking the ride quality & MPGs? I’ll be honest, I love how the ST looks but I’m not sold on daily driving a manual in commuter traffic. I’ve looked at the Focus RS & might buy one of those but I’m just not sure. I think it’s pretty cool that your wife drives the ST because it’s rare to see a woman driving an ST or RS. I need to go test drive both the ST & RS & see if either one of those cars would be a good fit for me. I currently have a Focus Titanium Hatch & it’s just very sluggish with the DCT transmission, but does have the optional 18” wheels so many think it’s an ST.



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My wife and I both love it for what it is. It has horrible torque steer (only when your on it) and more road noise than her JCW, but it seems like it handles train tracks and potholes MUCH better than the JCW. It's also the base ST so the interior and comfort features are not on par with the JCW. For a daily, it's perfect if you can keep your foot out of it. Drive it mellow and it's like any other econo box, but I'm always putting my foot in it and it pulls very hard. The average mileage on the readout is 20.1. 95% of that is around town with me flooring it. I don't like how tight the center stack is to my right knee bust am getting used to that. I am sure your Focus is exactly the same.

Anytime you want to come over and run it around, feel free.

...and we found a white one. It has the upgraded wheels and red calipers (which I didn't want), but they are growing on me.
 

Uncle Dave

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Last tank with the sportwagen TDI

View attachment 753856

Great mileage.

Not a rig Id want out of warranty, or something to hand to a broke kid when I'm done.

The DPF and its host of complexities (DEF,regen issues) are major expensive if/ when they go bad.

Steve - Thats the thing about the mazdas - they aren't little shitboxes they have very high quality interiors and parts and run for decades

UD
 

DEEZNUTS

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Weird your Prius had issues like that, 50mpg is normal for those cars and head gaskets aren’t really common failures. Was yours a old “1st gen” ?

Mine was a 2013 V with the 1.8. I was told that there is nothing wrong with the engine, but the electric water pump can fail or be intermittent and doesnt alert drivers of over temp. Hybrid shop had more in for head gaskets than battery related stuff.

Replaced water pump and head gasket. No issues until it was hit.
 

BONER

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on my second Impala , 2010 now 2015. Nice sporty car with lots of room and features, reliable (except the warped rotor issue on the 2010) and still get 28ish mpg

So you're in the new body style. How do you like it vs. the previous body style? Does the motor / trans combo perform the same?
 

RCDave

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Is that after the dealer reflash and DEF retrofit? I know they had to rework all the buy-back models, only some of which qualified to be modified and resold in the US

Yes. VW dealer reflash of the ECU. The 2015 models already had DEF so no retrofit needed on this year for that. The one I bought was a CPO model and with an extended warranty of the engine long block and all emission systems (out to 162K miles!).
 

RCDave

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Great mileage.

Not a rig Id want out of warranty, or something to hand to a broke kid when I'm done.

The DPF and its host of complexities (DEF,regen issues) are major expensive if/ when they go bad.

Steve - Thats the thing about the mazdas - they aren't little shitboxes they have very high quality interiors and parts and run for decades

UD

A CPO model have extended factory warranties on the long block and all emission systems! Hard to go wrong with how long the warranty is on the TDI's
 

4czn10

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Weird your Prius had issues like that, 50mpg is normal for those cars and head gaskets aren’t really common failures. Was yours a old “1st gen” ?
that is weird...I've not heard of those issues either my remaining 07 has over 272k and had never given me a problem...
 

Bigbore500r

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Yes. VW dealer reflash of the ECU. The 2015 models already had DEF so no retrofit needed on this year for that. The one I bought was a CPO model and with an extended warranty of the engine long block and all emission systems (out to 162K miles!).
That's a pretty good deal right there
 

RCDave

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That's a pretty good deal right there

It was hard to pass up, especially with the price one can obtain them for. I paid $17K for a 2015 with only 17K miles. Super fun car to drive with significant low end torque, good handling, and the utility of a small wagon.
 

Uncle Dave

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A CPO model have extended factory warranties on the long block and all emission systems! Hard to go wrong with how long the warranty is on the TDI's

How long do they give on the engine and powertrain?
 

BONER

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first off I wanna say,... I would not walk, and I'd take any car with ac over a rzr in the desert heat,..the hey-lam factor goes away quick when my balls are sweating..that being said... who gives a fuc what brand??? they're all little shit boxes...

Yep! All designed to fail at some point.
 

DEEZNUTS

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Diesel costs more than regular unleaded.

You’d have to be getting 50% better mpg than a Prius if your “30% fuel savings over a Prius” is correct.

So if you got 50 mpg in your TDI, you were only getting 25 mpg in the Prius.

Is that what you’re saying?

We drove our 2010 Prius from Tucson to LA, cruise control set at 80 mph, zero traffic (it was at night) and averaged 79 mph over the entire trip. We got right at 49 mpg.


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Yes thats roughly correct. Apples to oranges though. Albeit it was Prius V which is heavier and had 17" alloys and wider, stickier tires. My driving includes some hills which the made the engine scream with the CVT. Never saw more than mid 30s with the Prius on that commute. Coworkers with pizza cutters get much better mpg.

50mpg in the TDI on the low side, it will much better at slower. 60mph is damn near at idle and no boost. No downshift even needed on the hills.

Diesel is less than 87 at most places in my area.
 

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Uncle Dave

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On the 2015 I purchased, VW provided a 162K warranty on the engine long block and all the emission systems

Thats stout - odd no time frame like or 10 years or something like that.
 

pronstar

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Yes thats roughly correct. Apples to oranges though. Albeit it was Prius V which is heavier and had 17" alloys and wider, stickier tires. My driving includes some hills which the made the engine scream with the CVT. Never saw more than mid 30s with the Prius on that commute. Coworkers with pizza cutters get much better mpg.



Our Prius dipped into mid-30’s once.
We had a bike rack/3 bikes attached to the back, on the highway to Palm Springs. We typically got low- to mid-40’s on this trip.

I was really surprised that the aerodynamics were so affected.


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DEEZNUTS

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How long do they give on the engine and powertrain?

I'm pretty sure the recalled TDIs were all given emission related warranty 100k miles from the date of the recall work as part of the consent decree.
 

was thatguy

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I saw a couple peeps mentioned corvettes.
Here is a little tidbit.
Our old C5 cost me $24k to buy with less than 20K miles on it.
It got about the same overall mileage as a Camry 4 cyl.
25+ mpg.

Yes, cost of ownership is higher somewhat, insurance and what have you, but I’d chuckle when guys with family trucksters would say “oh man that’s my dream car, wish I could afford one”...knowing damn well their ride easily cost twice what that corvette cost.

F2E49C1E-B8CC-48AD-8D76-C3ED9CEC8D37.jpeg
 

Uncle Dave

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in terms of retained value over 5 years and the ability to get 30+ if lightly driven the vette can make sense if you have the bucks up front.


UD
 

Uncle Dave

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When the VW got retrofitted - did it become a dog?

I have heard the retro killed performance.

UD
 

STV_Keith

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Dang Tom, you should have made this a poll to have any chance of picking one from all these suggestions. LOL

I'd suggest a Kia Forte or Hyundai Elantra. Basically the same car, same drivetrain and both have the best warranty you can get...10yrs/100k miles. Our Elantra gets 33-35 in town and 40+ on the highway.
 

pronstar

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in terms of retained value over 5 years and the ability to get 30+ if lightly driven the vette can make sense if you have the bucks up front.


UD

Lack of utility in a two-seater is a pretty big knock against it for most folks, methinks.


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RCDave

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When the VW got retrofitted - did it become a dog?

I have heard the retro killed performance.

UD

I didn't drive one before the ecu reprogram. Mine is pretty quick. With traction control defeated, it lights up the tires. Lol. The strongest part of the power band is 1250 to 3200 rpm. The low end torque makes it easy to drive and hills almost unnoticable
 

Uncle Dave

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I didn't drive one before the ecu reprogram. Mine is pretty quick. With traction control defeated, it lights up the tires. Lol. The strongest part of the power band is 1250 to 3200 rpm. The low end torque makes it easy to drive and hills almost unnoticable

Owning 2 sprinters I like small diesels.
 

was thatguy

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Lack of utility in a two-seater is a pretty big knock against it for most folks, methinks.


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For sure.
But that convertible had a big trunk.
Deb and I took it on a lot of road trips, and believe me she NEVER traveled light! Vegas was a 3 suitcase weekend for example.
 

pronstar

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Owning 2 sprinters I like small diesels.

Those Sprinter diesel engines really feel like gassers [emoji106]

They sure ain’t the low-revving torque monsters that a lot of us are used to.


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Uncle Dave

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Where do you live? You're welcome to test drive mine

Thanks, Im in West LA -
Sprinters are in Santa Ana at the shop.
One is a finished grooming conversion as a base, the other one an upgrade with higher-end features.

UD



IMG_8070.jpg
 

RCDave

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Thanks, Im in West LA -
Sprinters are in Santa Ana at the shop.
One is a finished grooming conversion as a base, the other one an upgrade with higher-end features.

UD



View attachment 754017
Wow. That's nice! Grooming conversion for dogs?

I'm over the hill in Encino but in the Westside often. I'll let you know next time I'm over there.
 

Uncle Dave

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Wow. That's nice! Grooming conversion for dogs?

I'm over the hill in Encino but in the Westside often. I'll let you know next time I'm over there.


Correct - My wife was a full-time mobile groomer -made a ton of dough but the work is punishing so she retired end of last year.
The van market today sucks with expensive but low end product in it so we decided to build our own for resale.

UD
 

RCDave

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Correct - My wife was a full-time mobile groomer -made a ton of dough but the work is punishing so she retired end of last year.
The van market today sucks with expensive but low end product in it so we decided to build our own for resale.

UD

Cool!

We breed and show dogs in AKC dog shows, thus understand the grooming gig...
 

BONER

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franky

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So you're in the new body style. How do you like it vs. the previous body style? Does the motor / trans combo perform the same?
Older one was more utilitarian, cloth interior, basic trim, had better visibility. New one is way more plush and sporty, lot more performance, tighter car.
 

BONER

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Older one was more utilitarian, cloth interior, basic trim, had better visibility. New one is way more plush and sporty, lot more performance, tighter car.

My 13 was a LTZ so it was hooked up. Hauled ass too.

One thing I didn't like was the brakes. One good hard shut down at anything above 80 warped the rotors every time. I put 4 different sets of brakes on that car trying to correct it. They're just too small. You can bolt on 07-09 Cadillac DTS brakes that are bigger but never got around to it. Also I felt the car had excessive nose dive / lift. Did you feel the same and are these issues still on the 2015+?
 

Quicksilver

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Another Mazda vote here. I bought a 1988 Mazda MX-6 for $2,000 thirteen years ago with the intention of driving it until it died. It's still going, with 319,000 miles on it. No clearcoat on the paint back then, so the paint still looks great. Body and interior great too. Bought a 2014 Mazda 6 and liked it but sold it to buy a side by side. The newer Mazda 6 you can pick up used for less than $20k.
 
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