Cheap car?
 

Hit some ice in my impala, took it over a snow bank and rolled it. Might be toast.

If I want to buy a new car on the cheap that would work well for hypermiling what would I go with? Looks like the geo metro is a popular choice. Any particular year or version?

3cyl manual will obviously give the best mileage

I got my 2002 Ford Focus Zx3 (hatchback) for $3000 with 80K miles. I am getting 36mpg city and 42mpg highway right now and we are in WINTER. (Ive only had it during the winter time).

It is EXCEPTIONAL to say the least AND it fits four VERY comfortably, has TONS of space, looks pretty good, and its a blast to drive!

If you can get a Honda with a stick shift and lean burn, you should do that. That would be the 92-95 Civic VX, the 96+ Civic HX, and stick-shifted Honda hybrids.

Geos are good b/c you can get them for 800 dollars, you don't need 3k cars.

Saturns get pretty good mileage.

I vote Honda 92 thru 94 and run an Ostrich and Crome free management.:thumbup:

http://www.moates.net/product_info.p...roducts_id=169

I'd recommend something 1996 or newer for its OBD-II diagnostics, and the ability to hook up a ScanGauge II to it. Beyond that, look for a 1.5 L engine or smaller, a manual transmission, and a Japanese manufacturer.

You better go to Florida to get any geo cars.

They are RUSTY so bad here because salt. You don't see lot geo reach 200,000 miles before rot. In Florida I see some reach 300,000 to 400,000 miles plus they are cheaper than here.

justjohn -

A Saturn S-Series S?1 will give you good MPG for a low price. Go to saturnfans.com/forums/ to see the Saturn S-Series forum. It's huuuuuuge!

CarloSW2

+1 on a 5th gen(92-95 honda (or a 4th gen 88-91) can be had cheep and I have had quite a few of them with plenty of miles 200,000+ still in fine shape.

I'd recomend an Hyundia Accent. 3K for something 02-04 with 80K miles. In my mind the Hyundia and Kia are just as reliable as Toyota and Honda but they don't have the cost premium. Also since they are percieved as the cheap car more are sold without power/air/auto. So you can get one without all the extras that you would just have to remove. That's my vote.

Depending on how much money you want to spend and what kind of gas mileage you are looking for. I own a fleet of Escorts, 2-1988's one with 502,000 miles on the original 1.9L 4 speed that has a lifetime average since I started my fuel log of over 43 MPG, one with a 1.9L automatic with a lifetime average of 31.5 MPG, a 1997 station wagon with a 2.0L 5 speed with a lifetime average of over 44 MPG, but about 90% of that is highway trips and I've got a 2002 with a 2.0L automatic that my 18 year old son drives most of the time and he usually gets between 29-32 MPG in mixed driving. If you're interested in an Escort and don't mind SLOW and basic transportation, I'd suggest trying to find a good late '80's or early '90's Escort Pony. No bells and whistles, just a basic car.

A Geo Metro would be a good choice for fuel economy, but be prepared to invest some time and money into it to make it right. Just like any other used car, you need to do research before buying.

Geo Metro Buyer's Guide

Thanks for all the input!

Looks like the accent doesn't get quite the gas mileage, but they do seem cheap. Still keeping the civic in mind with all those votes. Are there any other korean civic equivalents I should be looking at?

Here is the range of my first few offers:

1990 Honda Civic - 150k asking $700
It is a 4 speed manual with around 150,000. It has rust in front of rear wheels and a wrinkle/dent in drivers door. The hatchback door leaks when it rains hard but I suspect that is easily fixable. The baffles in the muffler are rusted out, I think(not loud but rattles some). Uses a quart of oil every1500-2000 as I recall. Light brown color but I don't have a picture. Drove it to north central North Dakota last summer and got 50mpg going 60mph. Typically gets 40-45.

2002 Hyundai Accent - 85k asking $1700
Very clean inside and out, no dents or rust. Averages 30 MPG on the highway. New tires 2008, new battery August 2009. Needs some exhaust work and windshield wiper fluid motor repaired, otherwise runs great.

Thoughts?

Honestly keep in mind the Focus... I didn't look at it much but its getting me 42mpg highway and 36mpg city STOCK! And its newer so it doesn't have so many things you have to fix down the road.

Yeah, trying to look at the focus and saturn s series as well, thanks.

Well I just speak from your perspective because I was there literally 3 months ago (I actually made a thread just like this one). I looked at the accent (which get HORRIBLE gas mileage for some reason), I didn't want all the problems that older cars bring like those old Hondas, I wanted something that also looked "decent".

Now if I had the money I would have gone with a Yaris, but thsoe are like $5k or 6k. So I ended up with the Focus zx3 and its been nothing but GREAT (a lot of aftermarket support as well so easy tuning for mpg). I would have also gotten a TDI but then again those are a little more.

I have a friend in Minnesota who buys rust-free Metros in California, etc. but I found one up here. It gets too cold for salt. :-) The very most desireable to my mind is the '93 XFI coupe, but they are all real easy to work on, swap parts, etc. The 96 is bigger and heavier; you could put a later engine in if you really want OBD II in the small body.
For years, I got great value from old Toyotas, and thought 3 cylinders were too odd, but now I think they are great. Only one piston stops at a time, instead of four, and they have a growl all their own.

I like the 120* rotation thing, as well. It makes for a smoother engine, I think (not necessarily more balanced, but smoother power, it seems, even at lower RPM.)

If you do consider a Focus, get a 2003 or newer. The first year or two they were out, Focuses were absolute dogs for reliability.

Accents are crude compared to Japanese cars. They don't have DFCO, for instance. All the little crudenesses of the Accent add up to very poor mileage results for a subcompact.

I'd avoid used Civics unless you find a super great deal. Most reasonably priced ones have >150,000 miles on them, and you can pick up an Elantra or Echo for a lot less.

The elantra isn't that good on gas either. You like the echo then? I looked it up and found some good reviews, but there don't seem to be many of them out there.

Out here, once in awhile, I can find a non-raped Civic in half-assed decent condition for under $1,000.

Lately, I've seen more and more of them on CL for in the $500 range, even as new as '95, and owned by normal people, not ricers.

I way overpaid for a Ford Aspire a few years ago due to low miles and air conditioning. It gets an average of 40 mpg but it went out of style fast.

This year I got a $400. Ford Probe. I knew the Aspire is a Kia and yesterday I found out that the Probe has a Mazda engine. Both are all right so far. I want to stay "cheap" so I can afford my EVs.

Not a fancy Honda' but that is one way for me to get 4 vehicles for the price of 1 :D

I only dropped 500 for my nonriced 95 civic hatch. The bumpers have taken a little abuse and the speedo is funky otherwise it is in fine shape. Once I move to town and start driving it an MPGuino and some aero mods will fix up those shortcomings nicely.

When I got my current samurai I paid 500 for two (would love to find a similar deal on a pair of metros) The man I bought them from said that one don't run good and the other does not run at all. I adjusted the timing on the one that ran bad and have been driving it the last 2 years or so, the other I put gas in it and traded it for a 500 dollar gun.

i agree with the last posters

you can find a good running, high mpg car for $1000 or less

(my crx)

I just had a hint of this discussion with Ben (SVOboy) earlier.

I told him that the requirements for me to buy a vehicle are that there are less than 4 digits in the price, and the first one is less than a 5.

I've never paid more than $500 for a car. I usually beat 'em up, add stupid little things, and sell them for more than I have into them, including tax/tags/title fees.

If that doesn't happen, I take 'em off the road and part them out, definitely making more money than I have into it. I prefer to keep them on the road or sell as a whole to someone who can use them, though. Less stress that way.

Any good places to look besides craigslist? Seems like half the prices on there are significantly over blue book.

Driving aroudn isn't a bad idea really, going to those "mom and pop" type car dealers.

eBay is another good choice.

Check 250 miles away on CL that may help broaden your search.

Look at cars.com and autotrader, too. They're mostly dealers on autotrader, but dealers are more willing to negotiate.

People will negotiate when you find their bad spots.

The put the price up as a starting point. Most people know they're not going to get that much.

Often, you can make a reasonable offer, and you'll get it.

I've seen cars that were listed for 2,000 go fro under 1,000 after tearing into the owner about quality issues.

You gotta be careful though.

Worst I've ever had is "No.".

I don't push, though... There are too many other cars out there for sale for me to want to waste my time on one person.

I make an offer, state my case, and wait for a response. If it's no, I take my cash and walk.

It's true, the world is swimming in good cheap cars! I could easily drag another one home every week but I'm simply out of room!

Here's what I do:

I'm getting a guy to deliver a '91 Geo Storm to me (possibly) for $200. Nothing wrong with it except the engine is blown. An engine costs me $213.97 with as many accessories as I can pull with it.

Later this week, I'm going to deliver a bunch of junk I have to a guy in Binghamton, NY, who has a '97 VW Golf. I'm taking the car as payment for parts I have no use for, and never had to pay for, as they came from parted out cars that I made more than I spent on them.

The Tacoma I just parted out - $200. Sold the rusted bed for more than that, made another $1000 on top of that.

Cara - $250. Needed a water pump and timing belt - $80.

Granny - $400. Needed nothing.

I guess most of them are just over blue book, which I suppose is what you'd expect. Mostly annoyed cause I had one guy ask 1700 for his '91 civic with 160k on it and needing new tires and tail lights though. Laughed me off when I mentioned the blue book was $575.

The really annoying thing is he's apparently the only person selling a vx in a hundred mile radius.

There are two things that I picked about that post as soon as I read it:

1 - Blue book is garbage. Treat it as though it is merely a suggestion based on information that isn't available. Normally, a car priced at BB value is about 30% too high. Look for NADA values in the future. They're closer to accurate.

2 - Most of the cars that you're going to be looking at, the BB value just doesn't apply. There's a thing called "Market Value", which is what you need to look at. You're in a "highest bidder" game now.

number 2 is why you don't specifically look for a car like the VX if you're looking to get off under $1000. Even old ass Hondas from the early 80's are selling for over $1000 right now. They're cheap to own and maintain, which by far makes up for the purchase price.

There is a point where you learn that you don't need the highest mileage car on the block by EPA ratings, and that's when you really become a Hypermiler, I think. Right about the time you start to realize that it's not what you drive, but how you drive it that determines your fuel economy.

Even a Corvette can get 30 MPG...

I will check out NADA. I see your point about what car you get, but why not start with the best canvas, as it were?

Obviously I'm not going to limit myself to looking at only one submodel, but I don't think it hurts to check those first.

It doesn't hurt, but I've found out that if you're cheap like me, it's just easier to search by price than model.

I've found that when you want something specific and you want it on a schedule i.e. NOW, you will never find a good deal. Then when you relax and aren't really needing that thing, it falls into your lap.

I agree compretery. I, however, am always relaxed. I jump on the deals when I don't need them, because I never lose money on them. Even if I figure out that I"ll never need something, I bought it so far under value that I can recoup my costs and then some.

Later, I'll go buy more of something else, and feel good having done it.

It just turns out that when I do need something, I usually don't have to stress too much, because I already have it. It helps to be resourceful, though.

Shopping is my coping skill. I just do it in a different way.