Alternative cars to honda VX?
 

I've wanted a VX for quite some time but continue to realize that the price of them seems to high in the NW for what you get. They pretty much are 3500 if they are in decent shape. The gutted ricerized thrashed ones go for less but I don't want to deal with a ruined car.

Anyways, what are the alternative cars to the VX that
1) have 4 seats
2) get better than 40mpg
3) cost less than typical VXs

You can try the 94-up Geo Metro sedan. I got over 40 mpg with the 4-banger and 5-speed. Reliability was horrible though.

Stick the VX engine in a CX? :)

My stock CX got 44 mpg in the winter and 50mpg in the summer in mostly 55 to 65mph highway driving. You could go find one cheap with a clapped out engine and swap a VX engine in it.

older Toyota Carrolas get 40-45mpg, have 4 doors and run forever.

I second the idea of swapping in a VX engine to ANY Honda Civic... it's not that difficult to do, especially if you're OK with wiring. If you're not, there are companies like RyWire that will help you out for a decent price (normally less than $500). You send them your stock harness, and your new engine harness, and give them some details about your swap, and they will make you a plug-in harness that will run your engine, with your choice of ECU.

To this end, it would actually be a better idea to buy a gutted piece of Ricer trash, as you call it, because you could easily put the interior back in, and swap the (most likely damaged) engine, and do it all for under ~2k.

Unfortunately the gutted cars tend to have been really seriously beaten upon, and there is frequently a lot more wrong with them than is obvious at first. Some of that is from them being beaten on ("yo yo yo baby, it's a drag racer, I'ma take you at the stoplight!") and some of it is from seriously "questionable" mods (like 500 lbs of ill-fitting fiberglass body kit).

Better to start with a clean car if you have that option. (Can be a big "if"!)

-soD

I think you can still find a decent VX for a decent price. Just have to be patient as well as vigilant. I found several VXs that were at or nearly bone-stock for under $2k and finally purchased one at $1400... but I had to be fast.

The site craigshelper.com can be your friend.

How about a ford aspire?
I think they get 39mpg (yah, its below 40 but close enough) and I tend to see them for about 1K for mid 90s cars.
Festiva?
Justy?
These last two are getting a bit on the old side though.

Thanks for the tips on the corrola etc.

As for the motor swap or bringing back to life a hammered vx... I've been doing lots of car work over the past several years and am getting burned out on it. I had to put a new transmission input bearing the HX I got recently. At least that only involved one trip to the chiropractor and one weekend on my back:D The awd eagle talon I brought back to life pretty much pushed me over the top. I just don't want to deal with having to fix about everything on a car. Some things are ok but it really starts to add up (time, money, pain, suffering, frustration etc) when virtually everything on the car is on its last leg.

As for the good deals on VX's...I see good deals but they are in ohio or oklahoma or rhode island:( I've even seen a decent one in boise ID but that is about a 9-10 hour drive when the roads are clear. I just don't think the VX's are worth what people are asking for them around here. And from my craigslist perusing habit I've noticed that they are on CL for a very long time...probably cause other people don't want to pay that much either.

so, back to the Aspire. What do you guys think about those for ecomodding?...or maybe an EV conversion?

How about a Honda civic hx. I heard those get 46-49mpg with regular driving. I was looking for one but only found automatics. I'm pretty sure with 40psi+ in the tires and driving the speed limit 50mpg should be easy.

Got one about 3 months ago. I like it but its my wifes car. Suppose I should put it in my profile.:o