Newbie, cars, rumors, diesel and tires.....

[Spule 4]

All:

Since I was told to introduce myself.....Found out about this forum via the FitFreak forum. Joined in Sep, but no posting until now.

I have owned a fleet of cars in my lifetime, and also worked as a mechanic many years ago. Gas and diesel experience.

Cars owned included Citroen (DS, GS and ID) Volvo (122 sedan, 122 wagon, 144S with a Group 4 spec motor, 145 and 245DL) Renault (R21) Mercedes (W123 300D, late non turbo, W114 280 gas) Toyota (Camrys), Cadillac (1983 DeVille and part owner of a 1961 DeVille) Metro/Swift (1993 that we had since new that we just sold on eBay for $2000)....

Few cars "almost" bought include BMW 524TD (bought the Benz instead) Citroen CX diesel wagon (huge), Renault R5 and a Subaru Legacy wagon.

.....and now down to one car, a base MT 2007 Honda Fit.

Always liked frugal and small cars, even when gas was cheap. There are a few exceptions to this in the list above, but the daily cars were small engines, and most were manual shift excluding the Toyotas and Benzes.

I am interested in the influx and interest in small cars into North America and even rumors such as the potential return of PSA since leaving in 1991 when Peugeot pulled out.

I like diesel cars, wish we had more, and would love to see the newer diesel technology. A friend that is a Renault fan is debating if the new diesels will hold up with time like the older Mercedes/VW/Peugeot ones that get into the 100s of thousands range.

My other area of interest is in tire technology, including the lack of real promotion or clarity on rolling resistance or discussion of LRR tires, especially for replacement tires.

Garrett

[Matt Timion]

Hey Garrett... looks like you've been in the small car world for quite a while now. I'm certain your input will help all of us here as we continue our journey towards better fuel economy.

What type of gas mileage have you gotten out of your Fit so far? I think my average today was 38mpg, but I'm uncertain if the scangauge is calibrated correctly.

Be certain to add your Fit to the garage and start a Gaslog. Soon we're going to have a Battle of the Subcompacts and compare the Fit and the Yaris over a period of time.

[rh77]

Welcome to GS!



That's a very interesting car collection over the years. Is there one that you particularly miss the most?

RH77

[onegammyleg]

Originally Posted by Spule 4

All:

Metro/Swift (1993 that we had since new that we just sold on eBay for $2000)....
Garrett

You sold it ? . we should ban you rite now ..!

[GasSavers_roadrunner]

Originally Posted by Matt Timion

Soon we're going to have a Battle of the Subcompacts and compare the Fit and the Yaris over a period of time.

I like that idea..........

[Spule 4]

Originally Posted by onegammyleg

You sold it ? . we should ban you rite now ..!

Why, I had the Fit, did not need extra cars, and now someone else is enjoying low fuel economy on his over 100 mile commute:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6242

Are there any other Metro owners that had their cars since new? We did get 55 out of that car once on the way to a Citroen club meeting in the 1990s.

[Spule 4]

Originally Posted by Matt Timion

Hey Garrett... looks like you've been in the small car world for quite a while now. I'm certain your input will help all of us here as we continue our journey towards better fuel economy.

What type of gas mileage have you gotten out of your Fit so far? I think my average today was 38mpg, but I'm uncertain if the scangauge is calibrated correctly.

Be certain to add your Fit to the garage and start a Gaslog. Soon we're going to have a Battle of the Subcompacts and compare the Fit and the Yaris over a period of time.

No scangauge, but I keep my gas recipts for all my cars and calculate it that way, give me a little time, and I can give you 13,000 miles of data.

[thisisntjared]

Originally Posted by Spule 4

No scangauge, but I keep my gas recipts for all my cars and calculate it that way, give me a little time, and I can give you 13,000 miles of data.

put it in the gas log

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Spule 4

Are there any other Metro owners that had their cars since new?

Hey Garrett, welcome to GS.

I've only been in the Metro (Firefly) game for a year and a half-ish. My original thought was to find a Civic VX, but they're few and far between around here (just like the amount of unoxidized metal on the ones I do find). So I jumped into the Suzukiclones.

[Spule 4]

Originally Posted by rh77

Welcome to GS!



That's a very interesting car collection over the years. Is there one that you particularly miss the most?

RH77

Sorry, I did not see the question.

I miss the 1971 Citroen ID/D-Special, I had it when I was in school. Put a Weber in it and headers. A good nimble fast car, (110 MPH was its top) I did not like the DS I replaced it with, I have always been a fan of the base model car. It is sitting in a friend's pasture now with terminal frame rot, he even starts the motor now ad again!

The GS was nice, but mine was absolutely worn/rusted out when I got it, but I did drive it for two years. With the 4 speed, you were at redline with the motor at about 90 MPH. A clean one would be fun for sure.

The 300D was a US spec car, but I fixed that. H4 headlamps and a cloth interior. I got 35 MPG out of one trip in it to east TN with the windows down and the roof open. A great road car, the 85 MPH speedo was worthless tho, there were a lot of trips with the needle pegged.....

The 1992 Camry wagon I put over 100K on myself. Boring but a great car that returned good economy and was very comfortable, but a bit big. When I sold it (two years after I quit driving it when it blew a rod), I sat in it for a while and found myself forgetting how big it was.



The Metro was a love/hate. It was a great car when new, but with todays driving, it does not do well on Tennessee interstates which means a lot of driving at 75-80 MPH, and its MPG drops off fast. But on 55 MPH backroads, you could not beat it. Great snow/ice car too. Too bad it was soo cheaply built, the Swift was a bit more upscale.

The Fit is my new favorite. The first new car I ever owned. Plenty of guts, great economy, and room. The Fit is GO!