Just a reminder, this is a company fleet car in which I will probably be the primary driver. It must have an automatic tranny (I lost that one). The goal is to come up with a highly fuel efficient vehicle, with low or lowest life cycle costs. It is to be an example/hedge against fuel costs. So mpg matters most. We placed a reservation thru our fleet manager for a Smart Car in April. But that $99 is refundable. That might get us the chance to place an actual order in November, more or less. Nobody knows for sure. Unless we come across an orphan. We might get Jetta Diesel info in July or August, since deliveries begin in September. Might be able to get a Jetta Diesel, if we aren't too picky, by the end of the year. A Smart Car would likely be next spring or summer. The car would likely be kept 4-5 years at 10,000 - 15,000 miles per year. Probably toward the low end of that range.
Hybrids just aren't going to meet those requirements. Maybe a diesel hybrid will, one day. Problems include the expected lifetime of the battery pack and resale, which also ties in to reliability and cost to repair. But that's some great info, Don. Thank you for sharing it. Nice overlay on the pic, made it easy to understand.
And thanks, jayn_j for that link. Good info, that I'm sure keeps the same results more or less, as fuel prices increase. I wonder where a Jetta diesel would fit in.
OK- revisiting the mini. You're right, a/c is included in the base. It's some kind of upgraded automatic a/c that costs extra. So if we go to Edmund's and price a base, with the convenience pkg (to get the cruise control, an aftermarket item for the Smart), alarm system, automatic tranny, and heated seats, you get a True Market Value cost of $22,450. Of course, if we dropped the cruise control/convenience pkg, that comes down to just under $21K. With 26/34, it just isn't going to quite make the cut. But it comes closer than I expected. Fun, yes- but not the highest savings. Oddly enough, I have more leg room in the Smart Car than the mini.
Smart Car has a lot of questions about it, especially since they only plan to sell 25,000 of them in the U.S. in 2008. How many in 2009, when I could actually expect delivery? Such low numbers may mean limited repair part availability. But Mitsubishi makes some of the most reliable engines in the world, and I believe that engine is used in other vehicles overseas. And safety. But it will rarely be taken on a hwy over 45 mph, and never on a trip over 100 miles. Price unknown, est to come in at $16,000 to $17,000.
Jetta diesel. Just not enough known. Need pricing, options and availability. Looks like the basic 2009 gasser version can be had for just over $19,000. Diesel upcharge unknown. But it's a larger, presumably safer car.
Honda diesels. Appear to be too far off in the future for consideration this time around.
