Window sticker only gives an estimate of car's mileage

Q. My 2002 Dodge Neon SE only gets about 17 mpg in the city. Thedealer checked the car and found nothing wrong. It said the new carwindow sticker only gives fuel economy estimated in tests by theEnvironmental Protection Agency and that "real world" figures candiffer a lot. It suggested putting more air in the tires. I'm a 71-year-old senior citizen.--W.C., Chicago

A. And thus probably don't squander fuel economy with such thingsas jackrabbit starts. The EPA-estimated city fuel economy for yourcar with an automatic transmission is 25 mpg. But the dealer iscorrect in saying actual fuel economy probably will differ from theEPA figures. While better than nothing, those numbers …