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Please accept my apologies for the long thread

How’s it goin' everyone? I just wanted to say hi, and see if there are any other former speed freaks on the board. I currently drive a 93 3.4L V6 camaro with a boat load of modifications (CAI, high flow throttlebody, headers, high flow cat, 3" catback, underdrive pulley, "drag" wheels... yadda yadda yadda) When I got the car I got around 14-15 MPG (16 year old with a heavy foot and a stock car) I now get 27-31 MPG (24 year old with a desire to cut energy needs, and a much more efficient car)

But anyway, I'm looking at buying a new car (currently thinking about a yaris (I really like not having a car payment)) to improve my FE, and so I can make the camaro an E85 weekend warrior.

My hobbies include music (I play the drums), break dancing (I have pics of the hole in my living room wall to prove it), my lawn 'n garden, and my compost pile (I took an organic farming class my senior year of college and it really changed my outlook on life)

Oh, I also like long walks on the beach :-p

-regards,
Aaron Leese

My brother had a 68 camaro with a 454 engine in it when I was in my youth that we both drove around in. Then I owned a shelby charger glhs which was plenty fast for a front wheel drive car.

There are lots of us here that look at hypermiling as a motor sport. You are in good company.

I personally like the honda fit. It might be able to hold more stuff with the seats folded down than the yaris.

Hi ATL:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and although your current ride may not be the most earth friendly beast, at least you are doing what you can with it as of late. 27 – 31 from a hopped up Camaro probably makes you a very unique member of the Camaro forums and I am personally glad to hear of your accomplishment and change of heart!

___The Yaris is on my CleanMPG’s “Best Buy” list given they can be found for a touch over $12K w/ a stick and airbags all-around. You cannot find a new, fully air-bagged equipped fuel saver with the looks of a Yaris for that kind of scratch. Just listening to the CleanMPG Yaris owners, they seem to be enjoying their cars (darn near Giddy in fact ;)) almost as much as the Prius owning members have … At least it gives some the chance to drive a new fuel saver without having to be a slave to the bank for 4 to 5 years depending on one’s economic status.

___In any case, I look forward to your contributions and hope to see that Camaro punch out a mid 30’s tank before to long. You might even end up embarrassing a few of us with a light touch of the pedal :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

well its good to know im not the only one

as for the fit.. i really dont like the way it looks, and room isnt a big thing for me, 95% of the time its just me in the car and the ocassional golf bag

i bought a house so i could stop living out of my car :)

27 – 31 from a hopped up Camaro probably makes you a very unique member of the Camaro forums and I am personally glad to hear of your accomplishment and change of heart!

they all think that im crazy, as I have a V6 camaro with prostars (3.5" wide up front and 8" in back, and i didnt buy 'em for racing)

thanks for the welcome, I look forward to contributing as much as possible in the future... (so many of the camaro/firebird message boards are full of negativity, unlike what I've seen here)

Welcome aboard, Aaron!

I bet most of us come from sport car backgrounds during our younger years. If you follow the progression of the cars I've owned you can see an outline of me growing up.

To this day the most fun car I've owned was a 1986 Nissan 300ZX turbo. Now I'm driving a 2007 Yaris liftback and it offers an entirely different kind of fun. Rather than seeing how fast I can accelerate off the line without losing traction I try to steal as many terrorist lunches as I can while lessening my global impact at the same time. It's a win-win scenario and I relish the thought of pissing off all the right people when I only fuel up about a gallon's worth per day despite a 50+ mile high altitude mountain commute.

You'll be enjoying this new sport soon. :)

Welcome! Sounds like you've got your head in the right place, and I'm looking forward to seeing how your automotive situation develops. Imagine the potential mods to do an engine that's only going to run ethanol ;) . On these boards I hear nothing but good things about the Yaris. Automotive writers seem to have a different idea but I don't give them a whole lot of credit for knowing what they're talking about. It's smaller and ligher than a Prius which means that a skilled driver can work all kinds of magic.

Welcome Aaron. Being a reformed impatient driver myself, I think you might enjoy this:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697

Once, I heard a story of college students taking a Trans AM apart then reassembling it with similar FE improvements. :)

heheh nice ATL i'm a racer too! but i keep it in the virtual scene since a real car like yours is too expensive ;)

once racing simluations like GT5 hits the online shores, I'll be able to give you a run for your money, as for real life racing well... someone supply me with a car ;)

i'd do it in my prius but you know... that's embarrasing.

but what you get in your camero is impressive indeed, keep it up!

Hi ATL,
You are not alone here (see my cars list). I've only been here since last November when I decided it would be a cool new motor challenge to get good mileage and save the world (I've done my share of wasting it in the past!).
Rather than a new Yaris (I think they are butt ugly myself) think about a good and BEAUTIFUL little used INSIGHT. If you are keeping your Camaro, you don't really need a new car. I'm not getting rid of my Vette any time soon but the Insight is really fun in its own way. I am addicted to hypermiling and drive it MUCH more than anything else. A motorsport in its own right.
Gary

You'll be enjoying this new sport soon. :)I've been enjoying it for quite some time, however I'm excited to find other people that are also into their FE

Welcome! Sounds like you've got your head in the right place, and I'm looking forward to seeing how your automotive situation develops. I imagine that I will be making my new car purchase sometime this summer... I figure my car can't last forever (its got over 177,000 miles:woot: )

Welcome Aaron. Being a reformed impatient driver myself, I think you might enjoy this:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697
I've never been an impatient driver, I just like accelerating quickly.

Excelent writing, I wish I were able to put my thoughts down like that!

Once, I heard a story of college students taking a Trans AM apart then reassembling it with similar FE improvements. :)

my college years were spent driving this
http://www.engr.siu.edu/staff2/sae/pictures/2001-2002/Race_photos/P5220011.JPG

heheh nice ATL i'm a racer too! but i keep it in the virtual scene since a real car like yours is too expensive ;)
LOL, my car isn't worth much of anything these days, old, miles, and all the mods... I'd be amazed if I could get $1,000 for it (not that I plan on ever selling it)

as for racing me... note the above picture :)

Rather than a new Yaris (I think they are butt ugly myself) think about a good and BEAUTIFUL little used INSIGHT
I've thought about it, actually insight central led me to 99MPG.com and then that led me here... however I can't seem to find a 5 spd insight that has under 100,000 miles around here (there arent many insights in the Saint Louis area) and I refuse to buy a CVT insight (odd seeing as my camaro has a slushbox)


thanks for the welcomes everyone, it's safe to say I'll be around these parts of the interweb for some time:Banane44:

PS, I've never seen so many banana guys on one message board.. I love it

Hi ATL,
I was a hot-rodder driver in my youth. :o Just crazy street driving in first a Maverick 3spd auto then a 68 Firebird 400hypo 4spd. After a few accidents I finally reformed to a FE seeker. I got a 69 Rambler then finally my favorite, a 79 Civic 1200.