which honda civics meet these criteria
 

4door sedan
5spd
epa: 40+mpg
98 or newer
Budget $6,000

262 results in the United States.

Find Your Car: Honda Civic Listings Near Cleveland, OH 44129 - AutoTrader.com

Civic Hybrid is the only 4 door that I know of that gets over 40mpg and it's old enough now that it a 2003 civic hybrid blue books for $3,500

Between seeing Team Honda, and my Mustang approaching 40, I am pretty sure any Honda can do it lol

There is a difference tho between starting with a car that already gets 40mpg and starting with a car that gets 25mpg.

If you drive smart, you should be able to achieve 40+ with just about any 4 cylinder Honda sedan. I have a 1994 1.6L Honda Del Sol Si 5 speed, it has probably the worst aerodynamics of any Honda car and it is also paired with the shortest (most sporty) gears that Honda offered then (that I know of). I have achieved 40+mpg with it by only having an EOC switch and changing my driving habits. I am 100% positive that you can achieve the same or better results with a newer, longer geared, more aerodynamic 1998+ sedan.

EDIT: Check craigslist in your area, there are tons of them.
http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/se...inAsk=&maxAsk=

I agree, there is a difference between getting 40 mpg EPA estimated, and actually getting 40 mpg.

But OP did not specify if he wants to stomp the gas pedal and get 40 mpg, or drive smart and/or ecomod to get 40 mpg. Since he is here on ecomodder, I imagine driving smarter/modding are not out of the question-otherwise he would have asked in a Honda forum. Like shortie said, any Honda sedan that meets his criteria is a 40+ mpg car.

03-05 Civic Hybrid is the only one with 40+ epa rating and stickshift. You don't want that one. By now the batteries are failing and Honda isn't interested in replacing them.

Honda likes to short-change their manuals with higher-revving gear ratios. Still, any recent Civic stick will easily do 40+ mpg, just not epa rated as such. I mean, set the cruise control at 65 and you'll get it.

Bought exactly this car with a failing hybrid battery for cheap, replaced the hybrid battery for [relatively] cheap from Bumblebee Batteries... an easy DIY project. Flip the HV cut switch, take out about 20 screws, unplug the battery, plug in the new one, replace those 20 screws, flip on the switch, done.

I'm now enjoying an average of 52 mpg over the last 20k miles in a good sized 4 door car and a mostly in-town commute.

Buy a 2003-2005 Civic hybrid manual with a bad battery: $3500
Buy a new hybrid battery from Bumblebee: $2100

Gets you in under your budget and well over your target.

Sam

Thanks for that info.

good idea perhaps.