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Hi all,I stumbled onto your site about 2 hours ago and decided I need to register!So much useful info on here.I just got a new job in Boston and need to commute there from so maine,around 200 miles round trip.My 1991 geo prizm has 80,000 miles on it and have been averaging 32-33 mpg.I really need to get it over 40 mpg.I will start with higher pressure in tires,and try to apply some hm techniques.we will see.thanks Mark

Welcome to CleanMPG, Mark! It sounds like you're off to a great start so just be sure to read the stickied posts in the Articles section (linked on the left... read all of them even if they don't apply directly to your vehicle as many principles are shared among vehicle types) andlet us know if you have any questions. :)

I am glad that you found this place. There are so many helpful people here. Just ask your questions, practice, then ask more questions, the practice. Patience is rewarded.

Good morning and welcome to you, Mark! I'm far too new at this to offer any suggestions, but wanted to welcome you all the same. That's quite a commute you have! I know you'll be seeing great results if only you follow the advice given here and practice, practice, practice!

I look forward to seeing you around!

Pax

Fr. John

Welcome - with a Geo, you'll be kickin' some serious "gas" in no time!! :)

thanks for the welcome.I got some bad news this morning when I was getting the geo inspected.The rear brake lines and fuel lines are badly corroded and the cv joints are gone as well.Approx $600-700 for the repairs.What to do?I dont want a new car with the payment as I am going to be putting alot of miles on a year.The geo has got only 80000 miles on it and is in pretty good shape,runs darn near perfect.I am leaning toward the repairs if it will get me a couple more years.well thanks for the replies. Mark

If the car is otherwise solid, I would put the money into it. You will get far better return than trying to find something else.

600 is not bad. I need about 4k to fix my van, so we're looking for something new.

Mark,

32-33 is a very good start. Until recently, when my daughter took the car, I was commuting with a 96 prizm that has 150,000 on it. Yours is just barely broke in. Is yours a manual? I think for this time of year mid 40s are quite possible. 50mph or slightly under is a good speed for mileage. Yes blow the tires up. Also do a grill block since I have found it is hard to keep the engine temps up without the grill blocked. I was also thinking about doing a warm air mod for the intake air, but never got around to it. Consider synthetic oil. I was running Mobil 0w-40. Read all the articles on this site and start trying the different techniques. After 2 years of trying, last summer I was able to consistently get 50mpg tanks, so be patient. On the repairs, these items are relatively minor. After all you can not buy much for that price these days and it seems the rest of the car is in pretty good shape. That’s a long commute. Maybe after you get settled you can stay in Boston during the week and go home on weekends. But I know from recent experience that the rents in Boston are absurd. Looking forward to your mileage posts.

Wayne

The repair price sounds like it's less than what the car's worth. I've heard that the old Prizm/Corolla's hold up pretty well. If the car is otherwise solid it would probably be a good investment. It sounds like you will be putting a ton of miles on the car, so you might want to put a little money aside each month to deal with the occasional repairs that older cars need (maybe half of what the payment on a new Corolla would be?. )

Welcome to the forum.