dieselbeef

looking to buy a small car for about 5 grand that gets better than 30 mpg. not really peticular bout what it is but mileage is all important. gotta get twice what the truck gets to make it feasible.

gonna sell off the zx 11 since i cant carry my son to daycare on it.

what kinda car gets the best mileage....that you know by owning.. it is fact!!

hamilton71801

Get a little TDI VW if you can find one now. My wife's little Beetle gets 47 consistenly and I've seen as good as 52mpg's on a 55 mph trip.

DevilzTower

VW TDIs are good, but good luck finding one in decent condition for 5K, I like them but they hold their value like crazy.

Look for smaller than 2.0L and a stick, that'll getcha what you want.

Old Civics(espicially old CRX hatchbacks), Old Celicas with the base engine, cavailers, old acura integras with the base engine ... stuff like that.

I would stay away from relatively modern german cars (except VW TDIs) since they tend to drink premium fuel and aren't that good about using small amounts of it either.

Common

1995 Civic 1.5 d15 5 speed.

Marty86

For 5k you can get a BMW 318 that gets 32mpg, or a Ford Focus that gets about 31-33mpg. My wife has the Focus, its a 2000 and has 134k on it. The only problem we've ever had was the alternator and battery (both original) went out together at 125k.

nirion

I would recommend a Toyota Corolla or its clone a Geo/Chevy Prism. They get great MPG and you can easily get a nice one for under 5k. 1st body style I would recommend is 93-97 as they will be cheaper but still have be fairly nice, the older ones were smaller and the interiors weren't as nice. They were updated in 98-02 body style. The 03-07 body style is even nicer and bigger, but I doubt you find one that isn't beat all to heck for under 5k. If you get a 5 speed you should be pushing 37-38mpg or more. The automatic will get a little less. The older ones had 1.6 or 1.8L engines. the newer ones just 1.8.

halfpint23

Second the Geo - my 96 metro was just a great little beater getaround car, I ran it till it got soft enough that hubby insisted that I get something newer. I'm not as tough as I used to be, and my commute is over an hour each way

I got an Aveo - and am pretty pleased with it. Five-speed, nice CD/stereo, AC that actually works, and it's a LOT bigger inside than the Geo was. Size-large hubby actually fits in this car without whining! I could have gotten better mileage with any of the diesels, but the price bite would have killed me.

jbevly

92-96 Geo Prizm, with a manual. It is the same car as a corolla 4 door. I commute 75 miles a day in it, 35-38 mpg (hand calculated). It's even a bit sproty, and fun to drive, and they are cheap to repair. I have 225K miles on mine. Bought it for 750 bucks, 100k miles ago. Good Luck!

dieselbeef

thanks guys...been so long since i had a car i had no idea what to look for but fuel is killin me. 1200$ so far this yr and i dont use it for a business. so its tuff. thanks for the input..keep it comin guys

Truckman0097

I have to agree - I own a 99 Corolla 5 speed manual - 34-38 hand calculated...runs great (Other than the clutch - stock clutch at 110K miles)and cheap to maintain.... you should be able to find one for under $5K easily.

soulezoo

I ended up getting a corolla myself and it is getting 39-42 mpg-- call it an even 40 average. The Honda accord is another to consider as well as the civic... Toyotas and Hondas hold up the best over time. I would love to have a VW TDI too.. but they cost too much now.

Dodgezilla

I thought about doing this but I just can't drive a car everyday anymore. I just have to have a big truck so I can see what's going on around me....

archer39

i have a ford aspire for my beater car. I gets 40+ mpg highway and about 37 city. Has been very reliable not a single problem in 50k miles. May not be the most stylish car but it serves its purpose. No A/C or power steering but it gets 40mpg easily.

Timmay2

Make sure you do the math before buying.
Another car will give you another vehicle to pay license fees on, insurance, maintenance that has to be done (tires/battery/oil). Really gotta save alot of money on gas to justify the ongoing costs of owning another vehicle.
15,000 miles / 30mpg 500 gallons
15,000 miles / 17mpg 882 gallons
= 382 gallons * $4 = 1500$/year
Average $80 to licensing
Insurance? maybe $400/year more? 33 a month is fair.
4 oil changes at $25 = $100
Cheap tires figure 4 years life, $50/yr

so now we see that it probably will cost about 630 or so provided nothing breaks.
save about 900 a year.
Providing that nothing at all breaks it will take 5 to 6 years to get your $5,000 back.

Now if you put That $5,000 in a 7% mutual fund.. Youll earn $350 a year, which further offsets the 900 savings, which drops it down to saving $550 a year, which will now take you 9 years to make your money back.


Sorry for the long post, I just had to throw all that out there for fun!

I almost considered a beater car myself on the side, but layed out all the math like that and i figured i didnt want to wait 10 years to reap the rewards of driving a POS to work.

*smiles*

Dean Snow

Saturn Ion SC2 1.9L.
Can pick them up fully loaded for around 5 grand for a 99-2001 with appx. 90k miles on them. They get in the area of 32-38 MPG and last forever---nearly 275k miles if taken care of.

Best of personal experience with them also.