I Need An Affordable And Fuel Efficent Commuter Car! What Should I Buy?

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Jack lives successful Oregon and is astir really rack up nan miles pinch a agelong commute to activity and to nan university. His aging Chevy Trailblazer pinch 200,000 miles is getting to nan extremity of its life and is very thirsty. He has a fund up to $15,000 and wants thing bully for road cruising that will besides return immoderate respectable MPG. What car should he buy?

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Here is nan scenario.

Im astir to person a beautiful agelong commute to work, and an moreover longer commute successful nan different guidance to spell to university, and my existent regular isnt going to trim it. Its an 07 Chevrolet Trailblazer thats loaded pinch problems, has complete 200k, and is unspeakable erstwhile it comes to substance economy. Im looking for thing bully connected gas, bully for road cruising, and possibly a small fun. Im gonna support nan blazer successful lawsuit one request to haul thing aliases do thing that requires cargo room, truthful cargo abstraction isnt a large issue.

Overall I americium looking for -

Good substance economy

Good connected nan highway

Perferably manual

Maybe a small nosy if available, not a priority

But I don't person a batch to walk and I want to enactment nether $15k.

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $15,000

Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Good substance economy, comfortableness for road cruising, possibly a small fun

Doesn't want: Something pinch bad MPG

Autotrader.com

Normally for these articles, I effort my champion to only springiness 1 suggestion. However, successful this lawsuit it really depends connected what your business is. If you person entree to reliable conveyance charging astatine your location aliases university, an EV could beryllium nan solution you are seeking. There are tons of low-mile electrics sub- $15,000 and you would apt suffice for nan utilized EV taxation in installments that is still successful play until September. Something for illustration a Chevy Bolt has an effective scope of good complete 200 miles, and minimal attraction costs. These are some nosy to thrust and comfortable connected nan highway.

If charging a car isn't successful nan cards, really astir a Mazda3 hatchback? It's a bully equilibrium of sporty and comfortableness while returning a respectable 30 MPG connected nan highway. These don't transportation nan value premium for illustration akin Hondas and Toyotas, but still supply reliable transport. I commuted for years successful thing very akin to this 2011 3s hatchback and recovered it to beryllium a awesome car.

Man, this is simply a reliable one. It's decidedly imaginable to find fuel-efficient cars pinch manual transmissions successful nan Portland area that besides fresh your budget, but astir of what I recovered didn't look for illustration thing you'd want to thrust arsenic portion of a agelong commute. I mean, I emotion nan Fiat 500, but moreover I don't cognize if I'd bask a agelong commute successful an Abarth. People besides thin to get frightened by Mini's past reliability issues, and astir of nan Minis I recovered successful your value scope were aged capable that's astir apt a valid fear.

That said, if you tin discuss aliases find a measurement to agelong your fund conscionable a tad, I deliberation I've recovered a car that will beryllium (almost) precisely what you're looking for. What you request is simply a BMW 3 Series hybrid. Specifically, you request this 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance successful Tigard. It has 76,802miles connected nan odometer and is presently listed astatine $17,406 if you see their ridiculous accessory charge. I don't cognize really overmuch elasticity you person budget-wise, but arsenic agelong arsenic you tin plug it successful regularly, it's rated astatine 71 MPGe, truthful it'll decidedly hit your Trailblazer successful nan substance system department.

And while it doesn't person a manual transmission, it's still a 3 Series, truthful it should beryllium acold much nosy to thrust than nan Trailblazer, while besides being comfortable capable to astatine slightest make your caller commute tolerable. Parts will beryllium much costly than they are connected an aged Chevrolet, but isn't that why you commute? To gain money astatine your occupation to spend parts for your BMW?

I considered a fewer different cars for you, for illustration plug-in-hybrid Volvos and BMWs, but you said you want thing astatine slightest a small fun, truthful participate nan second-generation Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid. It pairs a supercharged (!) V6 motor pinch an electrical centrifugal and artillery battalion for a mixed 416 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque. Car and Driver sewage 1 to 60 mph successful conscionable 5.2 seconds, truthful it's decidedly quick, and it's still a Porsche, truthful it's decidedly sporty enough, but it'll surely beryllium comfortable, too. You besides get 14 miles of EV range, which isn't bad for nan mid-2010s, and nan EPA rated these astatine 47 MPGe (or 22 mpg mixed sans electrification).

There are a bunch of Cayenne E-Hybrids wrong aliases conscionable supra your value range, but I picked this 1 arsenic its spec is very good. It's a small acold distant from you successful Oregon, but it's conscionable an example. You tin ne'er spell incorrect pinch a bully bluish complete brown, and it seems well-optioned. I don't deliberation I'd beryllium that concerned pinch nan mileage, but location are others retired location pinch nether 100,000 miles, too. I cognize you said you'd beryllium keeping nan Trailblazer truthful cargo abstraction isn't a concern, but these Cayennes are besides rather freely and practical. Maybe ditch nan Blazer and find yourself an moreover nicer Cayenne than this one. You merit it for putting up pinch specified agelong commutes.

This one's easy, Jack. You're keeping nan applicable car around, and you want thing pinch immoderate nosy and a manual gearbox paired to its substance economy. I could urge you a Honda CR-Z, nan uncommon manual hybrid, but I deliberation there's thing other connected your mind. I deliberation you want a Miata, and I'm present to support that choice.Miatas get bully substance economy, pinch their ray weights and four-cylinder engines. Even this NA, pinch its popup headlights, surely thumps retired your aged Trailblazer for state mileage — arsenic I'm judge astir thing would. This isn't a difficult question, Jack, but it's a mobility you asked Jalopnik specifically. That intends you don't want nan easy answers, nan hybrids and EVs, you want thing that's nosy first and substance businesslike second. It's a bully statement of thinking, and I promote you to prosecute it.This Miata looks great, prevention for nan easily-repaired tear successful nan seat, and nan post-crash misaligned hood, but these are conscionable justifications to get a PPI — not to spell bargain a CT200H aliases something. Or, of course, to drawback immoderate of nan thousands of Miatas astir for your budget. The world is your oyster, and you merit a top-down two-seat fun-to-drive pearl astatine nan center. Jack, get a Miata. You'll person nosy pinch it. Isn't that what life is really each about?