On Mon, 26 Jun 2006 12:46:24 -0500, "Kent Finnell"
<kentfinn@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>"nblomgren" <nblom@mindspring.com> wrote in message
>news:ba10a250hc3svas9g516q54hpno9pai1al@4ax.com.. .
>>
>> Just got back from a Tennessee-Minnesota roundtrip.
>>
>> 2006 Honda Civic LX, MT, now with ~4500 miles on it. Almost all
>> driving with A/C.
>>
>> Highest mpg: 42.09 -- Freeway + some town driving, avg 60mph.
>>
>> Lowest: 37.37 -- Freeway, avg 70-75 mph. Ethanol "enhanced" gas. The
>> next tankfull was without ethanol: 39.51mpg.
>>
>>
>> I'm very happy with this. The car is still pretty new; when does the
>> mpg usually top out?
>>
>> --Nan
>
>Break in varies from 5,000 to 10,000 miles. I'd say that you're not going
>to drop below 37 mpg (mixed driving) until the first scheduled tune up
>(100,000 miles ?). You've got a better car than the tornado blew away and
>it should serve you well with minimal care.

It's a huge step up from the old car. Though the first two Saturns
were reliable and _cheap_, Saturn's moved away from those ideals.

The Civic wasn't cheap, but definitely worth the price. And now that
I'm a grownup and a professional (and have been for a LONG time), I'm
finally comfortable with the idea that it's okay to have something
nice

And reliable. And efficient.



There will be a drop in mpg after the first tuneup? Why does that
happen?

>I had a 1996 Ex Coupe 5 speed manual that averaged 31.1 mpg over 57k miles,
>mostly in and around Madison and round trips to Brentwood (70+ mph on I65) 5
>days per week. The low was 28.6 mpg (mostly Inglewood/Madison), the high
>was 33.4 (trip to Ft Payne, AL, 3 people on board and luggage, mostly 75 mph
>with A/C blasting).
>
>Stay away from the ethanol blends. They generally cost more and are not as
>efficient as the "real" stuff. Ethanol blends may be good for the farmers
>and may stretch the supply, but they do nothing for YOUR pocketbook and are
>not as good for the automobile.

In Minnesota it's impossible to find gas _without_ ethanol -- a
minimum of 10% is required by state law.

But it's not something I'd choose if given the option.

--Nan