Efficient car for under $3k?

[Alaphlosiam]

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!

[muffildy]

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.

[Ladogaboy]

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.

[Daox]

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.

[Alaphlosiam]

Originally Posted by muffildy

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.

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.

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.

Haha, yeah, if I find an '01 Insight for under $5k and under 250k miles I'll poop myself. (That's not a promise.)

Originally Posted by Daox

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.

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...

[JethroBodine]

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).

[Ryland]

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.

[SVOboy]

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.

[Frank Lee]

Ha ha, alcohol gumming up engines.

[Ryland]

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.