Thinking about a new car, looking for ideas

[ksa8907]

Im with you on the celica. I fell in love with that look back in grade school, too bad most of the gt-s's are riced out and torn up. Other than that you might consider an older mini cooper s, might stretch the budget a little though.

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5353394745.html

[Xist]

I love my HX, but I think the rims are worth more than the lean burn, and they are more for looks than anything else. Lean burn seems great, but since I drive 55 MPH, it probably never engages, and when I do drive 65-70, my fuel economy definitely decreases, and then you need an MPGuino.

I only made $9,000 so far this year. That can only go up next year!

What is the ROI on an HX O2 sensor? I paid $175 and still get a CEL about once a week. Brucepick said that he stayed in lean burn as much as possible and burned out the same exhaust valve twice, but he thought that it had 200k the first time and 300,000 the second.

I rarely have more than one passenger, but four doors would be handy, and it is far easier to find a good LX or DX.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Daox

Toyota Celica - Always loved the last gen body style. I even have a Corolla trans kicking around to lower cruising rpm which is horrible on this car.

It might be a nice base for a project-car, even though some extreme mods would ruin its looks.

[Daox]

I tried to get with the Cobalt SS owner this weekend. I ended up spending 30 minutes with my father in law waiting in a parking lot shooting the breeze while he never showed up. Oh well, its off craigslist now.

This HX popped up over the weekend, but I'm thinking its way overpriced considering its nearly 20 years old. At that age, rust is a major concern (thus questioning the reliability issue). I'm not a fan of the gigantic wheels, but I could probably sell those off and get some smaller alloys or steelies and maybe even some LRRs for it.

97 honda civic hx 1800 OBO

[ksa8907]

To each their own, but... if you're only driving 5000 miles per year, why even bother with f/e? 20mpg to 40mpg is only $20/mo, 20 to 80 is only $40/mo. Do you really enjoy it that much?

[Daox]

Thats why I am willing to go down to 30 mpg. I do enjoy it quite a bit though. At 30 mpg there are a plethora of choices of very fun vehicles IMO. No need to go down to 20.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

To each their own, but... if you're only driving 5000 miles per year, why even bother with f/e?

Should he get a Lincoln Navigator instead?

[roosterk0031]

Not sure why but I think a Suzuki SX4 AWD would be kind of fun. 2010 has 150 hp and 6 sp manual.

[darcane]

Here's a maybe for you:
**2003 Ford Focus SVT**

That's the closest one I could find to you that wasn't too molested.

[Daox]

That does look fun. Its a bit farther than I'd like to go.

This one has dropped its price to $2500. Much more tempting at this price. I may go look at it this weekend.

Originally Posted by Daox

I did manage to find a Cobalt XFE. It has 150k miles which is eh a little higher than I'd like. Its also a bit banged up. The price is pretty attractive though at $3200.

Sadly, looking at the specs these cars are really not impressive. Nearly 3,000 lbs and .34 cd (7.47 cda wow). Still, a respectable 37 mpg highway EPA rating.

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS XFE Coupe 5 Speed - Rare Fuel Efficient Model