Fuel economy is the number one consideration of new car buyers these days, the surveys say (or so we’ve been told). But what about used car buyers? For every new car sold in America each year, three used cars change hands. Aren’t used car buyers similarly concerned about gas mileage? Of course they are … but no one seems to be doing anything about it. That’s why I’m rolling out my Ain’t Fuelin’ video series. I want to improve the fuel efficiency of half of the older cars on the road by ten percent through a mindful maintenance process.
I just finished testing the first vehicle for Ain’t Fuelin’, a 2010 Hyundai Sonata Limited, equipped with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. [Complete Hyundai Sonata Gas Mileage Charts for model years 1989 through 2013.] To bring folks up to speed, I ran an impromptu Google Hangout last night to share some observations and interesting stuff I’ve found while poking around on the Internet.
We expect our primary sources of information to be unbiased and reliable. But they aren’t. The game has changed and what’s provided often has little connection with fact. The results that find our eyes with the most frequency are bought and sold. If respect for customers is key, this is a failure at the core. If reduction of carbon emissions is touted as a core corporate value, who is really being served?
I cannot give away the results just yet or share Ain’t Fuelin’s plot twists, but I can say this: you can get better gas mileage from your old car by making some simple changes. If you make the right choices, you can save a considerable amount of money over the time that you own that vehicle. Small things add up. The more small changes you make, the more potential you have to reduce the amount of cash left at the pump each week.
In the meantime, feel free to pick up a free copy of our Roadmap to Better Gas Mileage guide … and stay tuned!
– by Daniel Gray
