need a gas-saver car

[GregM]

I'm looking for a CHEAP car for my mom and I to drive. its about 33 hwy miles each way daily. So far I've been looking for 1993+ Camrys, Paseos, Tercels, Prizms, and Civics.

Let me know if there is a good car that fits into this... we are looking to spend $2000 or less and it needs to get 35MPG+ at 60-65mph with a few stops.

Currently she drives a Lincoln Navigator and gets about 14-16 MPG, and we are looking to be able to recoup the cost of the car within 4-8 months of driving (about 70 miles daily) (or before the car goes kaput).

[Cobol74]

Anything small and japanese really will be reliable and give good MPG. You list is OK as far as I know. The others that I would suggest would be French - not sold in your market. Oh, do you get VW Lupo, Fox, Polo or Jetta?

[Spectre]

We didn't get the Lupo or Polo, but we did get the Fox and Jetta. However, VW products sold in North America are *very* unreliable, and generally should not be recommended as second-hand vehicles.

[Cobol74]

^ Made "South of the Border" instead of in the fatherland perhaps? Shame.

[bafranksbro]

^ Yep, mine's made in Mexico.

[airmenair]

Geo Metro, possibly one of the cheapest cars in the US. I wouldn't drive one but if I didn't care I'd get that.

[Dins]

Cheap little japanese box, like an old civic. lame as hell, but good gas milage. i'd say diesels, but they don't make sense and aren't available at that budget.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by Cobol74

^ Made "South of the Border" instead of in the fatherland perhaps? Shame.

Originally Posted by bafranksbro

^ Yep, mine's made in Mexico.

Yup, Mexico or Brazil for VW's sold here. On top of which, the VW dealer network is quite possibly the worst PR disaster ever seen in the North American auto market, surpassing even GM dealers.

Originally Posted by airmenair

Geo Metro, possibly one of the cheapest cars in the US. I wouldn't drive one but if I didn't care I'd get that.

Eh. The Metro turned out to not be all that reliable, especially the 3-cylinder.

To the OP's original post, I'd add the old Honda CRX's, if you can find one that hasn't been hacked up. They were a blast to drive and got 54mpg on the highway, IIRC.

[GM_IV]

If your going Toyota, the Tercel and the Paseo are basically the same and just plain economy cars, very good if you want to save money. The Corolla are a tad faster than the Tercel and a bit bigger and remain good with fuel economy. I'd say forget the Camrys from 1993+ since the 3rd generation was when the Camry got fat and heavy at 3200 lbs. Those Camrys are heavier than my car(3100 lbs), the previous 2 Camrys were much lighter and are a better consideration if gas saving is your concern since they're at least 300-400 lbs lighter.

[thedguy]

Buy my 87 Sentra, last long drive I took it averaged 35mpg with the a/c on through the midwest. It'll be less depressing than a Geo Metro I can tell you that much right now.

[GregM]

1. Where do you live?
2. How much?

I meant to say I've been looking at corollas too. Just having a hard time finding much under $2k that doesn't have the drive-by shooting feel.

[Spectre]

Yeah, the Sentra (also known as the Sunny and much reviled by Top Gear) is also a good choice for a transport appliance. Being a Nissan guy, I should have mentioned that myself...

Another option is the Toyota Echo, which everyone always seems to forget.

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Yeah, the Sentra (also known as the Sunny and much reviled by Top Gear) is also a good choice for a transport appliance. Being a Nissan guy, I should have mentioned that myself...

Another option is the Toyota Echo, which everyone always seems to forget.

Echo is too much of a clown car, and I don't think it was that great on fuel maybe 30mpg or so. A friend of mine had one and destroyed it in an accident.

[GM_IV]

Originally Posted by prizrak

Echo is too much of a clown car, and I don't think it was that great on fuel maybe 30mpg or so. A friend of mine had one and destroyed it in an accident.

Actually it is better than the Tercel in fuel economy despite it being oddly styled and quite tall for something so small. Its not very popular though especially in the US possibly due to its strange styling although the face-lifted version IMO was worse than the early ones. I didn't mention the Echo only because its too new and likely too expensive to be priced under $2000 USD.

[Cobol74]

Do you get Yaris? Not bad, although I did notice it go on the top 10 most dangerous cars in the world list - go figure!

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by GM_IV

Actually it is better than the Tercel in fuel economy despite it being oddly styled and quite tall for something so small. Its not very popular though especially in the US possibly due to its strange styling although the face-lifted version IMO was worse than the early ones. I didn't mention the Echo only because its too new and likely too expensive to be priced under $2000 USD.

Tercel is just too old so engine is not quite as efficient. It[Echo] was a fine car to drive but damn weird looking, although I have seen it riced out...... I do like the hatch version you guys got, saw one on the road and it looked pretty nice.

OP,
What about something like that Matrix? The non sporty model is based on the Corolla chassis and it's pretty roomy if necessary. I think it's about the same on fuel as a Corolla, plus they been around for quite a bit so you should be able to find one for a decent price.

[tone76]

Originally Posted by airmenair

Geo Metro, possibly one of the cheapest cars in the US. I wouldn't drive one but if I didn't care I'd get that.

+1

Basically the same car as the Suzuki Swift, sold in Australia as the Holden Barina until 1994 when Holden started sourcing the Opel Corsa and rebadging that instead. The Swift/Barina have a good reputation for reliability (which, in the case of the Barina, was shot to pieces when they switched to the Corsa), not sure if this rubbed off on the Metro ...

[MadCow809]

Japanese = save petrol.

that or a diesel car, but seeing as the diesel price in usa isnt exactly cheap.. i guess you should stick to a 4pot jap car.

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by GregM

1. Where do you live?
2. How much?

I meant to say I've been looking at corollas too. Just having a hard time finding much under $2k that doesn't have the drive-by shooting feel.

St. Louis Missouri.

[jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Cobol74

Do you get Yaris? Not bad, although I did notice it go on the top 10 most dangerous cars in the world list - go figure!

We have the Yaris here, but Toyota just started recently selling them (2005), so it would be too expensive.

I would suggest a Civic HF.