What would you buy now to drive?

[mac]

I've reached one of those milestones in life, that on reflection, I'm not sure I want. But here it is: My trusty 2000 Pontiac Montane just turned over 300,000 miles. 300,761 to be exact. This has not happened because I am one of those performance freaks that actually change the oil every 3K miles. I go 10K a lot and it still has the original engine, tranny, 90% of engine accesories, and still gets 28 mpg at 60 mph. Dumb luck more than anything else. But I went looking for a replacement today knowing it's got to be coming soon. I can't believe it. I like SUVs, but they get worse mileage than my nine year old van, and have less room. Even the socalled hybreds don't do well enough to make up for the price delta. Knowing the eclectic mix of people here, some with real good automotive experience, I am asking for suggestions that will improve my performance, safety features, and styling. Any suggestions?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Little did I know I have been driving a "girlie man" truck for the last nine years, see below

Compared to Mac's it's barely broken in at 255K, but it will be replaced when my new F-250 arrives in a couple of weeks.

 

[MikeV]

I drive a Sprinter , '05 model, for work and a '76 Triumph TR-6 on the weekends. The Sprinter gets better mileage than the TR-6 (about 24-25 around town) The Sprinter is an awesome vehicle with lots of interior room and a 5 cylinder Mercedes diesel engine. Change oil every 10,000 miles (as recommended), get about 500 miles to the tank (26 gal). Currently have over 60k miles on it with out so much as a hiccup.

 

[mac]

Mike, I looked at the sprinter real long, but just could not write that check for so much more than a regular van. Still think it's a great van, just too pricey for me. I've been just amazed that the auto technology has lagged so much. Pontiac stopped making the Montana, and all its SUVs get way less mileage than my old van. Buckminster Fuller made a car he call the Dymazion back in 1933. It was teardrop shaped, had three wheels, with the rear wheel turning, held ten people, and got 30 to 50 mpg. That was 1933 for crying out loud. You can see some good video of it on youtube. The quest continues.

 

[pitzerwm]

Having had 2 Honda Vans, my vote is another one. 99K miles on this one, only LOF so far.

 

[Eric H]

Mac, Pontiac still makes the Montana (unless they stopped for '08) but have been slowly changing the name over to SV6. My wife has an '06 that she loves. Her gets 20 mpg, the AWD gets less.

Did you check out the "most washable car" the Chevy impala? I'm sure pontiac has a version, just don't know the name or it. I'm hoping to find a lightly used one next year.

 

[MEP001]

The Grand Prix is the Pontiac equivalent of the Impala - both cars advertise 28 MPG highway.

20 MPG is not very good anymore - my brother-in-law had a Chrysler minivan as a company vehicle, really nice, fully loaded and got 30 MPG.

I don't think they make the Montana or anything like it anymore. There's a repaneled Trailblazer SUV (the Torrent) that gets 24 MPG.

 

[Waxman]

I just sold my 2000 Honda CR-V. What a great little suv that was! 28 mpg, 5 speed, power everything, a/c. I paid $3500, drove it for a year or so and just sold it for the same $ I paid. You will have a hard time beating Honda reliability and longevity of drive train components.

Mine had 208,000 miles on the odometer when I bid a tearful farewell to it Wednesday.

 

[raisetheprice]

If you really don't need a van, I'd suggest finding a older used Lexus LS. I drive a 91 LS400 during the week...23-24 mpg average with a V8...I do run Super in it though. 337,000 miles and it still drives like a dream...original everything under the hood. Struts, timing belt changes, ignition coil, ball joints are the only things I've changed. I'm going for 1M miles. A stretch I know, but who knows. You can buy say a 95 LS400 for around $5000 with mileage in the 150K area.

 

[MEP001]

I remembered that I rented and drove a Ford Freestyle and liked it, not for its aesthetics, but in general as a functional vehicle. It had loads of power, more than you would ever really need, and I got 25 MPG overall with a lot of dogging it since it was a rental car. The back seats are very roomy and with the third row seats folded flat there's tons of cargo space. I liked the CVT transmission which doesn't shift, but it took some getting used to. When you floored it from a standstill it seemed sluggish, but once the engine winds up to 6000 RPM the CVT unspools and sends a big surge of power, enough to spin the front wheels when it hits 40 MPH, then the engine holds a steady 6000 RPM as it accelerates. It's based on the same chassis as a Volvo X90, so it should be very good in a collision.

It looks like it was slightly redesigned and is now the Taurus X. The EPA rating isn't good, 16/24. Europe gets a diesel version that can get up to 40 highway.

 

[MEP001]

I drive a 91 LS400 during the week...23-24 mpg average with a V8...I do run Super in it though.

I've tried super a few times, both in my car and my truck. I can tell no difference at all in my truck, either in power or mileage. My car has more power on super, but the advanced fuel management keeps it from knocking or pinging on cheap gas, and again there's no difference whatsoever on the mileage. I ran nothing but super in my car for the first year I had it, then the gas prices started getting really bad. After a year of nothing but cheap gas I did notice it getting hard to start in the morning, and one $5 can of B-12 Chemtool in the tank cured it and made it peppy as new (to me).