Beater cars and fuel economy

By Andrew Duthie

We just got gas in Virginia. 202189 miles on the odometer, and the last tank gave us 32.7 mpg. My co-pilot, Simon, remarked on the irony that with all the recent focus on ‘green’ and CO2 emissions, it’s far more difficult to find a new car with this kind of fuel economy than it is to find an old beater breaking the 30 mpg mark. I find myself agreeing.

See the recent Flickr photo of the GPS screen to see where we are. Current ETA at the hotel in Staten Island is 4:42pm CDT.

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5 Responses to “Beater cars and fuel economy”

  1. Peg Says:

    … it’s far more difficult to find a new car with this kind of fuel economy than it is to find an old beater breaking the 30 mpg mark.

    Yes, it’ll be interesting to see if more cars end up reused instead of being recycled (or outright junked) as a result of escalating gas prices. Although I totally understand the allure of buying new (even though it makes zero fiscal sense).

    Love you!

  2. Nancy Says:

    This article on CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/20/geo.metro/index.html, describes how popular the Geo Metro and Ford Festiva are on eBay. Even mentions how the Metro gets nearly the same gas mileage as the Prius. One guy in the article has started a side business fixing up Metros and then selling them online. Makes me miss my Festiva.

    enjoy the ride!

  3. Duke Says:

    Go Andrew and Simon! I’ll sit here and huff and puff and watch ya’ll make it all the way home! If you need anything, call me!

    duke

  4. aduthie Says:

    Thanks, Duke! If you can make a little trip, we’ll be at the Fort Payne Days Inn on Saturday afternoon/evening, at the end of leg 3. The parking lot party is open to all if you’re up for it

  5. Bounce Says:

    Break a leg guys! Win big or go home disco!

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