Apr 29, 2008 6:09 pm US/Central
With 60 MPG, Economy Cars Are Making A Comeback
(WCCO)
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The reason for the booming business is that the one liter, three cylinder engines are good on gas.
CBS
With a gallon of regular unleaded averaging $3.45 in the Twin Cities, a St. Cloud man is doing his part to help people save money by consuming less gas.
He's bringing back the econo car.
"They're almost like toys," said Brenton Netz, a GEO Metro gear head.
For the past couple of years, he's been traveling the country in search of the economical efficient cars. He's got about 10 Geo Metros.
He sells them on the internet and with high gas prices he can hardly keep up with the demand.
"I wish I had an unlimited supply of these because I could sell as many as I could get my hands on," said the St. Cloud resident.
The reason for the booming business is that the one liter, three cylinder engines are good on gas.
"I mean, 45 to 50 miles to the gallon in ideal conditions," he said.
The Geo Metro XFI get's even better mileage.
"They'll get 60-plus miles to the gallon," said Netz.
You can stretch that mileage by changing a few things.
"You can gut the interior and save 50 or 100 pounds. You can lower them a couple of inches," he said.
They are some downsides to driving in this ride. It could get squashed in an accident.
"They're safer than riding a motorcycle, but they're not as safe as some of the cars you can buy today," said Netz.
On the upside, if you're just running around town, or commuting, this could be the ride for you.
"They make good second cars, or what I call mission specific cars. So, if you're a commuter and it's just you, then this car would be perfect," said Netz.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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