Need help choosing a fuel efficient yet sporty daily driver

[serialk11r]

Sporty? Automatic, seats 4-5, 4 doors seem to be qualities at odds with sporty, but okay.

For city driving better mpg would mean lower weight. If you didn't need to carry so many passengers I would've suggested an MR2, but I guess you don't want a manual transmission either (although at 130 for a clutch + labor it's really not bad).

How does a Civic Si not fit the bill? The EPA rating of 20/29 is total BS, no one gets fuel economy that low unless they track their car, it's an easy 30+ mpg (I would imagine mid 20s with aggressive driving), solid 200hp, and it's a Honda so it's reliable. With a 12k budget you could just switch out the clutch and flywheel right away if you're worried. At 2800lbs or whatever you should be getting great city mpg.

[ecomodded]

Yes get a TDI !
but for no more than $5000 in my opinion , also try the car auctions I seen a couple tdi jettas go for around $2000 each, minty looking and running.

The vw have a nice feel to them, solid accurate steering with a tuning box they come alive for low rpm driving. They are a nice car to drive , you should test drive one.

[UltArc]

Cars for Sale: 2009 Lexus IS 250 in DAVIE, FL 33314: Sedan Details - 376166546 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2005 BMW 545i Sedan in Turnersville, NJ 08012: Sedan Details - 376456818 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe in Saugus, MA 01906: Coupe Details - 374464851 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS 3.6 in Houston, TX 77074: Sedan Details - 376163916 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2005 Cadillac CTS V Sedan in Beaufort, SC 29906: Sedan Details - 373322590 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2007 Infiniti G35 Coupe in Houston, TX 77055: Coupe Details - 376244003 - AutoTrader.com

Lexus IS, BMW 5 series, G series Datsun, CTS (found a V in the price range). The only issue will be repairs. G series would probably be the cheapest to repair, IS would probably be the nicest and least needing repairs.

I only searched for standards, not sure how the auto prices compare. Since these are sporty cars, I imagine the autos are cheaper and more plentiful.

[jcp123]

Hm tdi Jetta, get gli suspension under it...good call!

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by UltArc

Lexus IS, BMW 5 series, G series Datsun, CTS (found a V in the price range). The only issue will be repairs. G series would probably be the cheapest to repair, IS would probably be the nicest and least needing repairs.

The problem is that those are all extremely heavy cars with big engines, and he said 80% city driving.

[Hersbird]

My sister's 99 TDI was a maintenance nightmare, maybe she just got a bad one. Plus where you live diesel is $.30/gal more which eats up some of the economy advantage. Here it is $.70 more per gallon and eats up all of the economy advantage.

[digital rules]

My bosses 06 Jetta 5 sp-MT has been a money pit. (Cracked flywheel, etc) He said he will never buy another VW. My 5 speed Corolla does better in the city, but the boss is not a hypermiler.

[roosterk0031]

2014 Ford Focus SE REGULAR TITLE

I'd get this tomorrow, if I needed an additional car, FFV and 40 mpg. 27 miles, full warranty, just a few dents. Might even be worth a fly and drive, maybe 4 miles from DesMoines airport.

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

The problem is that those are all extremely heavy cars with big engines, and he said 80% city driving.

True, I still have a standard stuck in my head, which means kill switch and easy city driving. I think most the loss of economy vyvthese vehicles would be better than the missing sportiness of some others. It seems like no one makes a lightweight FR sedan anymore :/

[Frank Lee]

OP doesn't know it yet but he really needs a Tempo.