Gas Games: Where Can I Get That 31 MPG Mustang?

[TMN]

Selling cars is about finding buyer hot-buttons and then pushing them repeatedly until they light up and start signing on the dotted line. Today the gas mileage button is as hot as it gets. So with tough times and the carrot dangling that goes with it, dealers are getting more “creative” than ever to hook buyers in the lip and reel them in. In the excitement, the truth is sometimes lost in the chum.



If you have looked at car advertising in your newspaper lately or driven by your dealer lot you will notice that MPG ratings are plastered on every car, often more prominently than the price or payments. The closer you look however, you start to notice that things are not as they seem. Dealers are using every trick in the book right now to gain advantage, and like always buyers need to beware of claims - especially when it comes to MPG.

We checked out local paper in Phoenix, AZ this weekend and found three separate Ford Dealer advertisements for a new 2008 Focus. One claimed the official EPA certified 35 MPG highway rating. That’s cool, but another dealer advertised 39 and another even 41 MPG. How can this be? Is one dealer getting a better batch of cars than the other? Is one dealer adding a magic potion to the cars?



Selling cars is about finding buyer hot-buttons and then pushing them repeatedly until they light up and start signing on the dotted line. Today the gas mileage button is as hot as it gets. So with tough times and the carrot dangling that goes with it, dealers are getting more “creative” than ever to hook buyers in the lip and reel them in. In the excitement, the truth is sometimes lost in the chum.

If you have looked at car advertising in your newspaper lately or driven by your dealer lot you will notice that MPG ratings are plastered on every car, often more prominently than the price or payments. The closer you look however, you start to notice that things are not as they seem. Dealers are using every trick in the book right now to gain advantage, and like always buyers need to beware of claims - especially when it comes to MPG.

We checked out local paper in Phoenix, AZ this weekend and found three separate Ford Dealer advertisements for a new 2008 Focus. One claimed the official EPA certified 35 MPG highway rating. That’s cool, but another dealer advertised 39 and another even 41 MPG. How can this be? Is one dealer getting a better batch of cars than the other? Is one dealer adding a magic potion to the cars?

So what does this have to do with the dealers advertising higher MPG numbers? To offset the pain of the lower "real world" MPG estimates, the EPA added "reported ranges" to give more depth. If you look below the official number, there is a posted range that EPA says some vehicles have achieved in other conditions besides that of the official tests. Some of these reported numbers come from other sources and are not always substantiated. None the less, they are reported on the window sticker as a guide.

In the case of the 31 MPG Mustang we saw at Berge Ford, the window sticker says 26 MPG for highway efficiency. Below the official number, the EPA says it has reports that vehicles have achieved as little as 21 and as much as 31 on the highway. So in our case the dealer chose to seize upon the far end of this range and plaster it on the windshields of all their cars.

The reality is that you are about as likely to achieve this number in real life as you are to win the lottery. While these numbers are published by the EPA on the Mustang‘s window sticker, they are not to be taken as what most drivers will achieve. In fact, the EPA website further states that the Mustang’s combined city and highway mileage is more like 20 MPG.

Perhaps you might be able to achieve 31 MPG in that Mustang if you fill up at the top of a mountain range and coast down to the bottom on the freeway at 55 mph with the air-conditioning off. But to advertise the car with this number is shady. The dealership of course made no apology for this sleight of hand, but further spun the EPA official ratings as being much lower than reality - that we could expect that 31 MPG with the Mustang and likely more.

The salesperson cited anecdotal evidence, saying he sold his brother in-law a Mustang V6 last month. "He is averaging 33-35 miles a gallon commuting to work", we were told. Of course, why wouldn’t we get the same? The salesman said so right?

The most important thing for buyers seeking MPG as their decision hot button to do is check out the EPA official numbers on any car before they go to the dealers. This way you are armed with the official information before you get sold. Never buy a car based on what the dealer tells you or represents to you - ever.

Get official EPA MPG Ratings here: www.fueleconomy.gov

[Pastor J]

This type of sales tactic is becoming common place in our town. When I bought my V6 I was told that even though the window sticker shows a high of 25, that they were getting 28 to 30 out of the Mustangs in the area.

Now I was not buying it for 30 mph (although that would have been sweet), I was buying it to get around 24, which is double what my Daily Driver truck was.

If you averaged the window sticker city and highway you get 23, and guess what I get........23 mpg. Looks like those guys at Ford do know more than a local salesman.

[Mr Dayzee]

I guess they are doing what they can to empty the lot. On some people it is a great tactic but to most it is not in my opinion. And what I can't stand are the dealers that lie and think consumers and dumb! But now we have a couple dealers in our area offering $2.99 gas for the next 5 years if you buy a car. Not sure what the details are on it but it does make you wanna check it out I guess. Oh well, still jammin gears and enjoying our performance car no matter what gas gets to...

[Sabre]

What was it that P. T. Barnum said?

"There's a fool/sucker born every minute."

Consumers should always be educated and informed. I know that these sales people get away with stuff like this, but with all the info that is available these days, you'd think folks would be less inclined to taken in by fast talking shysters.

[chiefstang]

OK, might as well get this out of the way. Aside from being a Mustang nut, I am one of the evil car salesmen you speak of, so first off if you guys have any questions about buying a new Ford, feel free to ask, and I'll be glad to help. That being said, the gas mileage ratings posted on the windows ARE conservative with the new standardization of the test. The fact that Mustang owners aren't seeing higher #'s does not surprise me as how you drive the car is the biggest determining factor in consumption of fuel. The Focus is rated at 33-34 mpg on the highway, agreed? I recently took an automatic Focus on a dealer trade to a store about two hours away, and picked up a five speed for the return trip. So the trip went both directions, so that eliminates a downhill grade, or even a headwind pushing me. To further get rid of any variables, all I did was set the cruise at 75mph, with the a/c on. No coasting, hypermiling tricks, etc... I reset the mileage tracker on my lot, and read it when I arrived at the other dealer, so while it was mostly highway, there was a little stop and go involved. How did I do? Drumroll......... An honest 42 mpg with the 5- speed, and 41 mpg with the automatic. That's WITH the air on, and at 75 mph! If I was doing 55 (which is what the manufacturer rates it at btw), and not using the a/c, I probibly would have easily hit 45 mpg... On a car rated at 33 mpg. Not bad, and NOT bullsh*t. So keep your foot out of the gas (not easy, I know), take a road trip, and see what you really get at a steady pace. Might surprise you!

[msbk01]

Surley i'am not the only one who DID NOT purchase mustang for fuel milage ?
I beleave AMERICAN MUSCLE comes into play here ! Great fuel milage in a hot rod would be great, i would give up milage for power every time. But thats me