Cars.com

Dear Tom and Ray:

Since everyone is complaining about cars getting poorer gas mileage with the recent raising of speed limits, why don't manufacturers start using better gear ratios in cars, so the engines are turning slower while the cars go faster? -- Frank

Ray: They are, Frank. And actually, they have been for some time.

Tom: Engines used to turn at 3,000 rpm at 60 mph. Now, most cars with four- speed automatic transmissions turn well below that. Some, like the Buick Park Avenue I was driving recently, turn at about 1,700 rpm at 60 mph! That's about half the speed engines used to turn.

Ray: And you'll see much more of that, especially with more and more five- speed automatics coming out now. Mercedes, BMW and Ford all have five-speed automatics in some of their '97 cars, which give you the higher ratios and better gas mileage in high gears, without sacrificing the "oomph" (that's technical jargon) in the lower gears.

Tom: In other words, they're on it, Frank. At ease.

Everybody wants a new car. But from a purely financial point of view, there is no question that buying a used car is always cheaper, even in the long run. To learn more, order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1996 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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