Efficient car for under $3k?
 

So I drive a 2005 HCH-I now, but it's technically my dad's car -- he bought it and lets me use it as my own car so I don't have to worry about paying off a car on my own and can focus on my studies. Yes, I'm a very babied child. Anyway.

I was talking to my dad about making some aero mods, mainly an antenna delete and rear wheel skirts. He's not keen on me lowering the value of his car, so he said no, but he'd be willing to get me a cheap POS car for $3k or under that I'd have to maintain, pay for, etc., but I could also mod it however I liked 'cause he wouldn't care.

So, I figure I should stick with Honda and just get a '90s Civic... but apparently with gasoline being E15 now, any cars older than 2001 start developing problems if they use newer gas. So, while I want a '96 Civic, my dad's not too keen on letting me have that.

With that in mind, what Hondas would be good? I'm open to all suggestions. Also keep in mind, $3-4k price limit...

Also, if you have better suggestions that aren't Hondas, I'll take them. As a personal preference, though, I'm not too keen on American cars.

If this thread belongs somewhere else, please let me know for future reference!

not
 

theres not a whole lot of very good mpg cars in that price range
a volkswagon jetta can be had for that and gets decent mpg.
a car to look out for is the honda insight 2001 or so version; it gets much much better mpg than the later versions because its manual with better drag/weight but i doubt youll find one outside of a salvage yard for under 3k.

You might be able to find some diamonds in the rough. I'm not sure about the E15 affecting '90s engines. My guess is that you'll have to look at some of the cheaper Japanese/Korean cars from the early 2000s. Toyota and Honda are probably off the list due to price. The biggest hurdle you'll probably face is that cars started gaining weight around that period, but they shouldn't be too bad.

The difference between E10 and E15 is virtually nothing. If E10 affected the engine poorly (which afaik has only been the case for pre OBDII vehicles, my 97 Paseo probably looses 1 mpg with E10), it'll be virtually the same with E15.

Urgh, I've heard way too many horror stories about maintaining VWs. My friend's friend has a Passat Wagon that he has to fix weekly, but he's also an idiot.
Haha, yeah, if I find an '01 Insight for under $5k and under 250k miles I'll poop myself. (That's not a promise.)

I haven't done too much research into it myself, but apparently the entire fuel system just starts to get gummed up a bit more. I mean, I could also get additive for every time I fill up my tank, but that's a $3-4 extra bit every tank, so that defeats the purpose of hypermiling...

Most Jettas aren't really good on EPA ratings either, mid to lower 20s. Diesels not withstanding, of course. My Mk 2 Digifant Jetta, though, has been rock steady as far as reliability( I blame the radiator and water pump on age).

I avoid E10 gasoline and pay the extra 70 cents per tank for the higher grade gasoline and feel like it makes up for it in improved mileage, of course others see no change in mileage.
With a $3,000 budget you should be able to get something nice, not just a beater, as I see it you have a lot of options depending on how hard you search and how much you negotiate on price, look on Ebay for a car like the Civic VX and you will find ones like the one that recently sold for around $5,500 check craigslist every day and you can find ones like mine for $1,100, photos of the Ebay VX and my VX could be set side by side and most people would think they were the same car, no rust and so on.
List of cars that I would search for would be Toyota Corrola/Geo Prizim with a 5 speed, Honda Civic with a 5 speed, Toyota Tercel, even a Saturn SL1 is going to get decent mileage and as long as it hasn't been trashed should be a decent car, much more reliable then a Volkswagon, for $3,000 you might even find something really nice! if you aren't to big you might even look at cars like Toyota Celica's, they'll get 35-40mpg with the 5 speed if you get an older one.

I haven't been in the US for a while, but I doubt they would make standard a type of gasoline that really negatively impacts the fuel system on a large percentage of vehicles, or that any amount of "gumming up" would require an expensive additive for every tank.

If you want a cheap, efficient car, I would buy an old Civic. They have more options for modifications as well.

Ha ha, alcohol gumming up engines.

I'm not sure what the car market is like in your area, but I did a craigslist search here earlier and found a long list of cars that looked nice and get around 40mpg for $2,000 $3,000 and a few beaters (rust, dents, no major mechanical issues) priced at around $900.
Nice thing is, you don't need a car right this minute, you can shop and wait and drive what you are driving, but if you tend to get ice covered roads or live in an area that has deer or other wild life that tends to get hit by cars, buy one soon, before people start crashing their cars, at least around here cars sell fast right after the first snow fall and the first ice storm.

While the older Hondas have a good reputation for mileage. They are ususally riced out or neglected with broken timing belts and replaced engines.

I know the Va Tech area well used to go to shcool there. If I was looking for a car then I would consider the 96 and up Toyota Tercel, or a later Echo. While the gearing could be better those two light weight cars would be very nice for your 3000 foot elevation changes. They also benefit from engines with timing chains instead of belts and are not generally consider candidates for the ricers.

The later 96 and up Tercels and the Echos use the same basic engine as the Prius, a proven design that requires very little maintenance.

Bottom line, I would drive the gift Civic hybrid until that was not an option and when Pop says don't mod it, consider that it is his car, and you are saving tons of money as long as you have access to his car.

I am probably older than your father.

regards
Mech

Also, if you decide to get a car consider the Richmond area for prospects. Prices there are better than the more eastern part of the state, and there are very little rust issues in the areas from Richmond to the southern parts of the state. Even the Dc area sees more rust issues than Richmond.

regards
Mech

I would seriously consider diesel VW's. You might even be able to find a decent Mk4 TDI for under 3 grand. They are known to get pretty good mileage, are rarely driven hard and you will also find the VW community is great. You will not be left in the cold if something goes wrong or if you need advice on a mod.

i am a little bias but i agree with old mechanic. yeah i'm a kill joy, save your money till you get out of school. i have a daughter going to vcu. everything comes out of my pocket (car,room&board tution..etc) so i understand a little where your dad is comin from (she also has a car of mine). get out of college with as little debt as possible. oh and i live across the river from old mech in gloucester. hey can you kids get a summer job that dosent cost parents money :) i asked her to take classes during the summer to save money :) gosh can tech cut a little slack to UVA football team:)

i did not know that gas effected older cars

It does: It makes them run! :p

Ethanol is highly corrosive, which means it can degrade rubber and steel fuel lines that are not resistent to this effect, on top of having less energy per unit volume than pure gasoline. Most cars from the last decade or so are at least capable of handling E10, but at least the pre obdII cars seem to suffer worse from the lower energy content than newer cars which can compensate more by injecting even more fuel to compensate for the change in the stoiciometric air fuel ratio.

E15 would add an additional 5% ethanol by volume, which would further increase the risk of corrosion for older fuel systems, as well as knocking loose more crud which may plug the fuel filters.

It is not recommended to run E85 through a flex fuel vehicle if it has not been run regularly or the sudden change may cause fuel system damage, and at a minimum clogs the fuel filter.

LOL you are surrounded by my mother's relatives. If you know any Crocketts or Abbotts you know my family, ;) if you know them well enough you might be a part of my family!

Small World
regards
Mech

My jetta was under 2k. After putting on new tires initally and installing new included glow plugs. It has not needed any true repairs except a tail light bulb. 50 mpg is easy with it.

Could I spend more sure. The radio quit working and the tach never worked but it gets me where I am going.

I can't imagine that there is any more value in a vehicle than my Jetta. I don't need expensive insurance. Have no payment.

recently bought my daughter a 97 saturn sw2. fun to drive, fairly quick and can get into the 40s, with a bit of hypermiling.

135K miles, loaded, very nice shape other than minor hood ding. 1750 bucks.

i think another to look at are similar year escorts and cavaliers. they are not as good a car as a civic, but, they aren't bad and can be had at a fraction of the price.