If you’re in the market for a previously-owned low-mileage compressed natural gas-powered (CNG) Honda Civic, you’ll do well to check with your Uncle … Uncle Sam, that is. The United States Government has been purchasing CNG-powered Honda Civic GX and NGV models for over a decade. While these vehicles come up for public auction, you need to know where to look or you’ll miss out. Case in point … there’s an auction coming up on October 11th at the Norwalk Auto Auction in Norwalk, California where a total of sixteen CNG Civics are currently slated to cross the block.
buying a car
Does a New High Gas Mileage Vehicle Make Sense?
Are you thinking about replacing your gas guzzler with a fuel-efficient vehicle that gets more miles per gallon (MPG)? Not sure how much money you can expect to save every week, month, or year? MPGomatic to the rescue!
Cost justifying the purchase of a high gas mileage vehicle starts with some basic numbers. Thankfully, it isn’t a complicated process. You’ll begin by comparing the real-world gas mileage of your existing vehicle with the official government estimates for the new vehicle(s) that you have in mind.
Hybrid vs Conventional: Are Hybrids Worth the Added Cost?
There’s no shortage of folks that want you to believe that hybrid technology isn’t worth the added cost. They’ll throw an equation together that seems to prove their point, then hammer away at the issue without approaching the question without bias. There’s no question whether hybrids are more expensive. It’s whether or not you can expect to recoup the cost within the period of time that you own the vehicle.
In order to do so, you have to consider the specifics. You need to look at the characteristics of your driving cycles, then apply these to the equation. This can only happen when you take your annual miles driven into consideration, along with the percentage of city driving (as opposed to highway or rural driving), and your average local fuel prices.
What Does It Take to Make a Used Car Feel New Again?
It’s been said that for every new car sold each year in the United States, three used cars change hands. That’s a whopping number of cars – well into the tens of millions. As the vehicles move through the sales process, they’re refurbished to varying degrees. One of our goals here at MPGomatic is to create opportunities to make those used cars more fuel-efficient in the resale process. That’s why we’re so keen on our Honda Civic MPG project.
Updating a vehicle’s tires, wheels, and suspension can improve handling and increase MPGs, when the right components are chosen. A great set of low-rolling-resistance tires on lightweight alloys – along with new springs and shocks – bolt on quickly and can bring significant benefits. We’ve set out to answer the question … is it really possible to achieve tighter handling, an improved ride and better gas mileage with just one trip to the garage with strictly mechanical components?
Compact vs Sub-Compact: How Small is Small?
There are those who say that size matters when it comes to fuel efficiency. For many folks, “to get great gas mileage, you have to drive a small car,” is a prevailing mindset. But the big question is: how small is small? Will a compact or sub-compact car fit your needs? Do you really need something larger … or perhaps even smaller?
If you’re in an urban setting, with tight parking conditions, a tiny inexpensive car may be your best bet. There’s nothing like zipping through traffic and scoring those tight parking spaces with ease. But it’s a dramatically different story out on the open road. Would you be comfortable duking it out with double tractor trailers and dump trucks on the Interstate while driving a microcar like the Scion iQ or Smart car?
The chart below provides a list of compact, subcompact, and microcars available – or (possibly) soon to be available – in the American market. Compacts, subcompacts, and microcars are often referred to as C-, B-, and A-Segment cars, respectively.
Compact / Subcompact / Micro Cars (with reviews)
| Compact Cars (C-Segment) | Subcompact Cars (B-Segment) | Micro Cars (A-Segment) |
| Audi A3 | Chevy Sonic | Chevy Spark |
| Audi A4 | Fiat 500 | Ford Ka |
| Buick Verano | Ford Fiesta | Mitsubishi i MiEV |
| Chevy Cruze | Honda Fit | Smart |
| Chevy Volt | Hyundai Accent | Scion iQ |
| Dodge Dart | Kia Rio | |
| Ford Focus | Mini Cooper | |
| Honda Civic | Mazda2 | |
| Honda CR-Z | Nissan Cube | |
| Honda Insight | Nissan Juke | |
| Hyundai Elantra | Nissan Versa | |
| Hyundai Veloster | Scion xA | |
| Kia Forte | Scion xD | |
| Kia Soul | Toyota Prius c | |
| Mazda3 | Toyota Yaris | |
| Mitsubishi Lancer | Volvo C30 | |
| Nissan Sentra | ||
| Scion tC | ||
| Scion xB | ||
| Subaru Impreza | ||
| Suzuki Kizashi | ||
| Toyota Corolla | ||
| Volkswagen Golf | ||
| Volkswagen Jetta | ||