Looking for the "best" vehicle for $5K

[whokilledthejams]

Perhaps a Chevy Prizm? It's a Corolla with cheaper seats and worse resale value. It's a win-win situation for someone after a cheap car that will run forever. At this point, if you paid $5k for one, you paid an awful lot.

Compared, say, to an otherwise identical Corolla or comparable Civic, the Prizm is an amazing deal.

[pint]

I'll have to checkout some Neons, Saturns, Prizms, etc. I was worried the 3 cylinder Metro may struggle in the Rockies! I spend at least 500-750 miles there per month.

[RiseAbove]

I bought my '99 Cavalier for $3000. EPA estimates are not so good, but I have hypermiled it up over 35 mpg and my goal is to get 40 mpg or bust.

[TheDon]

mercedes 190D 2.2 liter diesel with a 5 speed... easily gets mid 40's and will run on anything except gasoline!

you can usually find them for sub 4k and wouldnt spend less than 2500 on a good one with a strong engine and transmission.

Great reliability, great engineering, very safe, very german.

[RacerX]

If you are looking for economy I'd buy a 1.0L late model metro, They are easy to work on, mpg is great, parts aren't that hard to find and they are cheap to fix..

[piekar]

i like ford escorts, there cheap and last a long time. this is my second one, my dad has had 5 of them, he drives a lot for work, everyone has gone to 275000, without a major repair needed. get a manual trans, better mileage and last a lot longer. you can pick up a late model one for a good price and still have cash in your pocket. i have averaged 38 to 41 in mine with just a scangauge

[Vince-HX]

Honda vx or hx, cost less than $5000 and get an easy 50+ mpg with the right driver. And economy based parts are dirty cheap because so many kids want "performance". For instance, I just picked up a complete running vx engine swap for $150 and have a crx shell that I paid $200 for and will have a 65+ mpg capable car for under $500.

Plus they look good

[Johnny Mullet]

If you are unfamiliar with the Metro, get something like a Honda. Don't get me wrong, I love my Metro, but if you don't know what you are looking for, you may be stuck with a rusted out car running on 2 cylinders. Most Metro owners I know have a strange passion for these cars and fix them themselves since they are simple to work on.

If you really want a Metro, find a rust-free southern/western car regardless of running condition, remove the engine and trans and have the entire engine compartment and body repainted. Rebuild the engine with quality upgrades like the economy cam and gear offered through 3 Tech Performance and put it all back together. This will give you the power you need and make the 3 cylinder perform better. Then with proper love and maintenance, you will have a great ride.

I am currently saving up for a 3Tech economy grind cam and 8 degree cam gear for mine since I spent a few hours reading the reviews on those items.

Rust free car running or not would cost anywhere between $300 - $7000 depending on condition. If you find one for under a grand, then you got way more then enough money to fix it up like a new car.

Granted, my Metro has some rust issues, but if you read my Metro page (see sig) you will see that I have less than $1000 in my car including purchase price. I would not sell it for $5000 since it saves me that much in fuel per year.

[tasdrouille]

I have to go with the 95-99 Jetta TDI. It can do 60 mpg at 60 mph. The reliability is good on this model. There is an awesome and knowledgeable online community for TDIs. I just love mine. My car is 9 years old and in the last year all I did was an oil change (drove only 16k miles though)

[pint]

Originally Posted by tasdrouille

I have to go with the 95-99 Jetta TDI. It can do 60 mpg at 60 mph. The reliability is good on this model. There is an awesome and knowledgeable online community for TDIs. I just love mine. My car is 9 years old and in the last year all I did was an oil change (drove only 16k miles though)

I would love a TDI, but I've been watching high mile 90's vintage go for $10k!