New to Eco world and would like recommendations

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

For anyone seeking for reliable transportation with a good balance of comfort and economy, the Corolla is still among the best options.

[JockoT]

As the owner of a Honda Jazz, here in the UK, I'd suggest you give the Honda Fit a look. My fuel figures are great and the bulk of my commute is 4 mile, cold engine bites. On a 120 mile trip I would be looking at 60+ mpg (UK).

[elhigh]

I bet an air dam would do some good things for your Corolla's FE.

[Daschicken]

An early 2000s camry I drove had ridiculously overboosted power steering, i'll bet those overboosted Toyotas can benefit from a P/S delete more than my car did. It would also be a lot easier to drive, not weighing 3400 lbs. Corollas of that era MIGHT have been available with manual steering, something worth looking into. Now, that being said, I have gained MAYBE 1% from my P/S delete. It really is more of a performance mod than a gas mileage mod.

[elhigh]

If not a PS delete - because a lot of front drivers have REALLY heavy steering when you take the boost off - then a pulley swap to reduce their running speed. It's not a removal, but it's something.

I had a Hyundai Excel - the most irresponsibly named car ever made - that had manual steering, and boy you could pop a sweat wrestling that thing around the parking lots. At speed it was nothing but under about 10mph, golly.

[JockoT]

My SAAB 99 had steering like that. You ended up with arms like Garth.

[jcp123]

That's why I'm happy my Honda manual steering is such a delight. I honestly thought it was really funky power steering on the test drive. I looked for any PS leaks when I got back only to find that it was manual steering.

Then again, I've been a manual steering guy for a long time, ever since I learned stick in a '66 Mustang with a 4-speed and manual steering.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

Corollas of that era MIGHT have been available with manual steering, something worth looking into.

IIRC there were some no-frills versions of the Corolla with non-assisted steering by then, but only in Africa, Southeast and Central Asia, and maybe a handful of Latin American countries.

[Dr mac1]

Go buy a Mercedes 190d .Make sure you find one with a 2.2 and a 5 speed . No turbo. It will get over 40. No mods

[BLSTIC]

My '99 1.3 3-door 5spd Echo is just dandy, even uphill with the a/c on. I can't see you realistically needing a 'better' commuting car than that unless your commute involves off-roading