New to Eco world and would like recommendations
 

Hello all!

My name is Dale I am a firefighter paramedic inspector in southwest ohio. I just started a new job that is 120 mile round trip 5x a day. Looking for recommendations on great vehicle. I am looking for a "work" car my priorities are 1. reliability 2. mpg 40+ 3. working a/c, 4. oh and a budget of $2500 tops.

Do not care on transmission choice, number of doors etc. Will probably upgrade the stereo and speakers to make the trip more enjoyable. I have started looking at Toyota Echo and Yaris both have a 1.5 non interference motor with a timing chain and seemed to be capable of 350k mile+ drivetrain life, runs on 87. Any personal experience with that platform or another you strongly recommend? TDIs are expensive for my price range and use more expensive diesel fuel.

Thanks for having me!

It sounds like you are on the right track.
You were able to find some echos and yaris for $2500?

My recommendation is no volkswags unless they are air cooled.

You might get in to a 1st gen Honda Insight for your budget, and if you're driving 600 miles a day, it might be worth it. I don't know if they come with A/C, though.

While the Geo Metro is cheap to own and in fuel, I'd probably not want to drive 120 miles of presumably highway with it's 3-cylinder and poor crash rating.

The Echo/Yaris sounds like a good choice to me. Big enough engine and solid enough vehicle for all that driving.

I've seen 2nd gen Prius' within your budget, if you need a larger, more comfortable vehicle. They can last forever.

Probably out of your budget, but there's also the Honda Fit to consider. And maybe the Mitsubishi Mirage. Again, price will be the issue.

Or you can find a 92+ Civic with the lean burn engine, if you can find a low-mileage one any more.

If you drive that much, i'd recommend a diesel.

I had an Echo. Fantastically reliable and great mpg, but ac took a horrendous toll on FE. Echos get a plus for space versatility, nice ride, and a timing chain which basically never fails. Minuses are that it's very susceptible to wind buffeting and if you carry more than about ~150lbs besides yourself, the suspension, brakes, and power get iffy. But it's a top choice where FE and ultimate reliability are concerned. Might look and see if there's any 03-08 Corollas at that price range as well.

You might look at 96-00 Civics, although with those miles, you'll be racking up timing belt changes like crazy. Everything else will basically always just work though. It's a better driver in many ways, and comparable FE to the Echo, but not as space efficient. I got my '97 DX coupe a month and a half ago in nice shape for $2100.

If you do the round trip 5 times a day, then fuel cost very quickly makes the car price negligeable.

600 miles a day is 3k miles a week and 150k miles a year.

If you assume your car is second hand, you will probably wear it out in a year. That makes your "car" cost roughly 200$ a month.

Sorry I typed in correctly 5 round trips a week, 600 miles a week. I get in a rush sometimes lol.

Is is still 30k miles a year.

So your car costs 40-50 usd a month to own. You will be spending more than that for fuel. So a more fuel efficient car like a diesel (depends on your local fuel prices) could be cheaper in the long run.

On a recent thread it was mentioned that leasing a Leaf and plugging it to the grid as a power stabilizer would cost you 50 usd a month. Might be interesting to investigate.

Update. I purchased a 99 Corolla CE auto. Unfortunately no overdrive but the car had 112k, very clean and well maintained. Mpgs really seem to go down when in excess 70 mph. Worst mileage was 32.5 with ac blowing 80 mph, best 36 mpg no ac average 70 mph. Very pleased with the car should be a nice reliable daily for years to come.

I have a 96 civic, but my brother had a Corolla like yours, he loved it. For basic transportation you can't beat them, they are pretty roomy, comfy, reliable, cheap to insure, parts are almost free, and they get good gas mileage. You could say they "car" very well :thumbup: That being said, I still want a CR-Z...:D

For anyone seeking for reliable transportation with a good balance of comfort and economy, the Corolla is still among the best options.

As the owner of a Honda Jazz, here in the UK, I'd suggest you give the Honda Fit a look. My fuel figures are great and the bulk of my commute is 4 mile, cold engine bites. On a 120 mile trip I would be looking at 60+ mpg (UK).

I bet an air dam would do some good things for your Corolla's FE.

An early 2000s camry I drove had ridiculously overboosted power steering, i'll bet those overboosted Toyotas can benefit from a P/S delete more than my car did. It would also be a lot easier to drive, not weighing 3400 lbs. Corollas of that era MIGHT have been available with manual steering, something worth looking into. Now, that being said, I have gained MAYBE 1% from my P/S delete. It really is more of a performance mod than a gas mileage mod.

If not a PS delete - because a lot of front drivers have REALLY heavy steering when you take the boost off - then a pulley swap to reduce their running speed. It's not a removal, but it's something.

I had a Hyundai Excel - the most irresponsibly named car ever made - that had manual steering, and boy you could pop a sweat wrestling that thing around the parking lots. At speed it was nothing but under about 10mph, golly.

My SAAB 99 had steering like that. You ended up with arms like Garth.

That's why I'm happy my Honda manual steering is such a delight. I honestly thought it was really funky power steering on the test drive. I looked for any PS leaks when I got back only to find that it was manual steering.

Then again, I've been a manual steering guy for a long time, ever since I learned stick in a '66 Mustang with a 4-speed and manual steering.

IIRC there were some no-frills versions of the Corolla with non-assisted steering by then, but only in Africa, Southeast and Central Asia, and maybe a handful of Latin American countries.

Go buy a Mercedes 190d .Make sure you find one with a 2.2 and a 5 speed . No turbo. It will get over 40. No mods

My '99 1.3 3-door 5spd Echo is just dandy, even uphill with the a/c on. I can't see you realistically needing a 'better' commuting car than that unless your commute involves off-roading

Even some small cars can actually fare quite well in moderate off-roading.

No doubt. The moderate ground clearance and *really good* approach & departure angles mean that it's shortcoming is more in break angle & traction

But the ultimate concern was durability. The suspension isn't exactly 'heavy duty'

For anyone seeking for reliable transportation with an excellent stability of comfort and economic system, the Corolla continues to be a few of the first-rate options.

I saw a Gen 1 honda insight on craigslist in my area for $3,200... 144,000 miles seemed like a pretty good deal