Quote:
Originally Posted by bp944
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My initial finds:
mazda mx 3
BMW 318 ti
eagle talon awd (could be fun)
crx (in questionable shape)
ford focus zx3 (looks like the mpg might be not so great)
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I had an 01 ZX3 and I can tell you with careful driving 25-30 in town is do-able and 35-38hwy. My commute is about 90% highway and county roads and I averaged about 34mpg (year round-all conditions) over the 110,000miles I drove that thing. Good conditions would have me in the 36-37 range; "fun time" would drop me into the low 30's
. Not a phenominal car on gas but sporty and fun. I wouldn't, however, dream of hauling an engine in the back of it.
My suggestion, a Saturn S-series wagon with a stick (stay away from the "L" series). 38-42mpg is easily do-able with the "twin cam" being on the low end of that range. Also, their plastic so the bodies don't rust, the metal bits seem to be coated/painted well and don't rust bad (I'm in Indiana, we have the same problems here), they'll run forever (so long as you check the oil on occasion) and they can be picked up for<$2000. I wouldn't think twice about chucking car parts in the back of one as they are cheap transportation at its finest and hardly worth pampering.