Best Car to EcoMod under $2k?

[FlyLow]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a good car that would be easy to eco mod to 50mpg. I have a budget of $2k on the car not including mods. What type of car would would you guys suggest I look for?

[iveyjh]

Geo Metro 1.0 5-speed

[H-Man]

Easy? Cheap? I'd say the geo metro or Honda civic (good luck finding an unmolested honda civic vx, but if you find one they will get 50 MPG stock)
If you need more space, I have a soft spot for the corollas and prizms.
tl;dr: Honda civic VX, HF, or HX
Geo metro base or XFI (avoid automatics and the 1.3 L)

[Gealii]

Geo metro 5 speed
you might find a civic for under 2000, the 1s in my area are either trashed, molested or worth thousands to the owner

[pete c]

any of those vehicles in decent shape bring well over 2K. I would look at old saturns and escorts. very nice ones can be had for well under 2K.

[FlyLow]

I have been searching for a Metro 1.0 5spd in my area for a few months now with out any luck. What I have found is a 96 HX that I can get for $1500 BUT it was rear ended. Something I can fix myself but it would need to be on a frame machine for the quarter panel to fit right. I have also come across an 81 Civic dx 1.3l that is in my price range.

Does anyone know anything about the 81 DX? Are parts easy to find?

[Gealii]

Just remembered try looking for 5speed ford escort zx2 i bought mine for 950 and have replaced battery and brake lines which were fine wen i bought it. has over 190k miles now

with no hypermiling i pull 34mpg hw im sure with some mods and eoc 50 would be easy

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Metro, Corolla/Prizm, Volkswagen Jetta or Rabbit/Golf from the 80s to early 90s, Ford Escort, Ford Festiva, and depending of your mechanic skills you could get even an early Geo Tracker to get 50 MPG...

[Rusty94cx]

If your patient you can find a civic for under 2000k easy. I got a cx all be it quite rusty. But the underside and all suspension points are rock solid for 500$. I've put 100 miles a day and only put a brake hose and caliper on it also a dist. So 1 year ton of miles 6 days a week an 200$ in repairs less oil changes. I got my vx bone stock. Minus wheels and aftermarket radio. I got it for 1000$ got hit ruined fender an got 970$. So now I've got wheels it needed axles and seals. Inner outer tie rod ends and other do dads. I've probably spent 750$. Including wheels axles fender ect. I'm way under 2000k. Scour craigslist. I've seen a few. Heck there was just a crx with a d15z1 swap and vx wheels a little rusty but not bad it was only 750$. No mods and that will get you 50 as is. The civics never seem to need anything parts are easy to come by. They aren't a BMW but neither is a geo. Any civic with a cx vx final drive will be good on gas.

[fusion210]

First generation Dodge/Plymouth neon with a five speed. You start out with an epa rating of 36/37mpg highway. You have the option of basically upgrading everything with either cheap aftermarket parts or the junkyard. Of which neons always populate.

You can check out my project log www.neons.org • View topic - My ecomodded neon. Tire spats & mini folding mirror install.

I haven't updated it in a while, but basically if you use a transmission with a 3.55 final drive/.72 fifth gear (they come on normal sohc neons), low rolling resistance tires, a grill block, OEM base model side mirror delete, removing the power from power steering, cheap under drive pulley, easy and cheap weight reduction, you're going to be incredibly close. The low rolling resistance tires are going to be the only expensive thing. You'll get over 50mpg with some light hypermiling.