Looking for a car. 35mpg+ in the 3000-5000 dollar range.

[Roger]

Second gen Neons (2000 and up) seem to have fewer problems. I know I can max my speedo in 4th or 5th gear (speed limiter kicks in way higher than you think it should). I've had a great time with it and plan to keep it for many more years. 2003 and up get a 4 speed auto, not the older 3 speed. But I would suggest a 5 speed car personally.

 

[zukirider21]

neons = CHEAPO CRAPO

i honestly cant think of a worse high mpg car one could possibly buy. seriously. stay away from chrysler corporation vehicles.

i say look for a focus. got to play with one (zx3) recently and it turned out to be a very decent vehicle. 190k on it at the only prob was a leaky valvecover gasket.

 

[2002BlackEdge]

SMART CAR!!!!! then turn it into a Smart Diablo Car...think about it, a car the size and shape of an egg, with a hayabusa engine... 14K rpm and Rwd...

those are awesome, i have seen em do 200+ mph also.


i got real lucky when i bought my gas saver, that i never drive except when my truck is down... i bought a 97 honda civic for 250, looked and runs great, and the last fill up i averaged 33 mpg

 

[Roger]

neons = CHEAPO CRAPO

i honestly cant think of a worse high mpg car one could possibly buy. seriously. stay away from chrysler corporation vehicles.

i say look for a focus. got to play with one (zx3) recently and it turned out to be a very decent vehicle. 190k on it at the only prob was a leaky valvecover gasket.

I looked at the Focus when I bought my Neon. Compared to my Neon, it had less power, and got worse mileage. Besides, I couldn't get comfortable in the Focus, the center stack/pod and my knee just didn't fit in the same spot. I'm 6'3" and heavier than I like... The Ford dealer in my town wouldn't work with me like the Dodge dealer did. I never said a Neon was a perfect car, but it worked better for me in the long run than I thought it would. It survived two years of my son driving it before I took it back from him... Glad to have it back.

 

[smokey]

I have a 2000 zx2 5speed with 166K on it right now. Great little car been getting 39 MPG freeway around 30 none highway. Just normal maintenance timing belt,brakes,and new rear wheel bearings and tierod and ball joints. Bought it new and would buy another one.

 

[OilPatch197]

Well, I meant cars that get good gas mileage. Anything above 28 is good, just some people consider 20 to be good (what my ranger SHOULD get) but since I drive somewhere around 120 miles a day, I need better than that. And by sporty I meant not a coupe or a wagon. I'm not looking for a powerfull car that will do high 30's in mpg but still manage to be a 10 second car with a little work. That's not possible.


I might..........

....since after me and my girlfriend move in togeather she'd be the one driving it.

I would vouch for the Geo Metro, but a "sleeper" nobody has mentioned is a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with a 2.5L "Tech4" motor.

It's more of a midsize car, 30mpg+ consistantly, roomier too, important if you are on the big side.

Now talking about the Prius...

It TOTALLY kicks the crap out of a Prius!

The metro is bigger, has more legroom, more cargo space.
The metro is WAY more plush inside, and with its Nav system you never get lost.
The metro has way more power then the Prius and accelerates much faster!
The metro also will protect you way better in a crash then the tin-can Prius, cuz the Metro has dual stage airbags and side curtain airbags.

No contest!

Rusted out Metros go on craigslist for $800 and used car dealers buy em same day and resell em for $2500 to fat people with bad credit.

 

[koda6966]

Going to look at that ZX2 today, hopefully the bank approves the loan I applied for..

 

[koda6966]

Don't know if insurance is mandatory there, but if it is, be sure to call and see how much your rate will increase before making a decision. Obviously the best way to buy a car is with cash in hand. Here you need to have full coverage on a car that's on loan, and sometimes (especially since you're under 25) can get up to more than half of the car payment itself. Just make sure you'll be able to swing the payments.
Pete

I just have to hang on to the car for the next couple months making payments, then I'll have about 4500 in excess college grant money and nothing to do with it.

As soon as I ditch the loan on the car, I'll ditch the full coverage as well. I'm not sure if I'll go down to the minimum though.. I have that on my Ranger and having a cracked windshield is really starting to piss me off.

Oh.. and the Escort has one of these radios.

Ford.. oh how I despise you sometimes. First things I'll be buying if I get the car is snow tires.. and a stereo conversion plate. About 40 dollars, although I hear crutchfield has a sale where if you buy a new stereo, they will throw it in for an extra 20. I need a new stereo anyways. The converter plate looks like the one pictured below, although different places sell different styles apparently. I've seen some with round defroster buttons.

I'm just waiting to hear from the bank tomorrow. Hopefully they will accept my 3 year loan application.. but knowing banks they will probably trim it down to two year.

 

[exbass94]

I would vouch for the Geo Metro, but a "sleeper" nobody has mentioned is a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with a 2.5L "Tech4" motor.

It's more of a midsize car, 30mpg+ consistantly, roomier too, important if you are on the big side.

Now talking about the Prius...

It TOTALLY kicks the crap out of a Prius!

The metro is bigger, has more legroom, more cargo space.
The metro is WAY more plush inside, and with its Nav system you never get lost.
The metro has way more power then the Prius and accelerates much faster!
The metro also will protect you way better in a crash then the tin-can Prius, cuz the Metro has dual stage airbags and side curtain airbags.

No contest!

Rusted out Metros go on craigslist for $800 and used car dealers buy em same day and resell em for $2500 to fat people with bad credit.

Is this post a joke or something? Try reversing just about everything (everything except cargo volume) you said and you might be onto something.

 

[koda6966]

Bought the Escort. Picking it up on Friday, pics to come and a new thread.

Oh, and it comes to $78.50 for my monthly payment for three years. Plus 190 a month for insurance. Money's gonna be tight for a while. Hopefully I'll be able in January or early Febuary to pay it off in full, then drop my insurance back down to the minimum.

That sounds like a lot (For a kid making 7.35 an hour, and commuting to college) but it's going to be cheaper overall since I wont be buying as much gas every other day, and I won't be dropping 20 or so in oil every week.

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

yeah, but payments and interest working against you really sucks

 

[chillmiller]

relaint robin lol i would love to own one but no really


get a bike one of them really cool competition styles with the skinny wheels and the 30 something speeds>.> your not gonna get 35+ with a car under 3K that will run for more than oh say 2 months

 

[erocka1982]

i had a festiva. and a few of my buddies loved them so much they got some too. one buddy got 3 of them. they get awesome gas milage(not sure exactly) not alot of power but their only turnin 12" wheels. plus their granade proof!!!

 

[fastpakr]

Is this post a joke or something? Try reversing just about everything (everything except cargo volume) you said and you might be onto something.

+1. The ridiculousness of the post you responded to is absolutely astounding.

 

[koda6966]

relaint robin lol i would love to own one but no really
get a bike one of them really cool competition styles with the skinny wheels and the 30 something speeds>.> your not gonna get 35+ with a car under 3K that will run for more than oh say 2 months

Let see you drive over 100 miles a day on a bike. IN WINTER. Think before you post stupid crap. And I could get 40mpg on a 1000 dollar car, but it's ugly. Older cars are CHEAP and also on average get one hell of alot better gas mileage than newer cars. Our old Escort got about 45 and that was a 93.