Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > General Efficiency Discussion
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 11-21-2013, 10:16 PM   #21 (permalink)
5 Gears of Fury
 
War_Wagon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Vancouver B.C., Canada
Posts: 1,230

Spunky - '90 Honda Civic CX
90 day: 35.56 mpg (US)
Thanks: 175
Thanked 176 Times in 137 Posts
+1 for reliability. A newer Focus may give me slightly better FE than my '90 CX, but I know that unless the CX is currently on fire it will always start ha ha. In an under $3000 car you want as simple as possible while still being fuel injected IMO.

As for hybrids, it depends on what you are looking for. A 2000-2006 Insight will function without a working battery pack. A similar Prius will not. I don't know about early Civic hybrids etc, but I am sure someone else here will.

And as for the Escorts, I think they all had the head gasket issue. The early Focuses shared the same engine for the first few years until they went to the Z-Tec. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

__________________
"Don't look for one place to lose 100 pounds, look for 1600 places to lose an ounce." - Tony DeFeo

Last edited by War_Wagon; 11-21-2013 at 10:23 PM..
  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 11-22-2013, 05:33 AM   #22 (permalink)
It's all about Diesel
 
cRiPpLe_rOoStEr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Posts: 12,548
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1,622 Times in 1,447 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedDevil View Post
I did rent a Kia Shuma to tour the Azores island of Flores. The car was mediocre, to put it nicely. Nearly left me stranded because it could not climb a hill in reverse. Had to roll it down an ever steeper grading road to a rocky beach to find a turning point; finally turned it around in a ditchlike alley, covering the inside with mud in the process by a spinning wheel (we had the windows open... bad mistake!)
It sounds quite odd to me that you've experienced problems with a Kia. At least the ones I've seen in Brazil and Uruguay were not so bad altough often the owners abused them a little. Well, maybe the ones I've seen didn't have that problem with hills due to a lower differential ratio which is usual back here...
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 07:18 AM   #23 (permalink)
Master EcoWalker
 
RedDevil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
Posts: 3,998

Red Devil - '11 Honda Insight Elegance
Team Honda
90 day: 47.72 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,711
Thanked 2,245 Times in 1,454 Posts
Nowadays Kia shares their platforms with Hyundai and score well in customer reviews.
Older Kias that's another story. I was interested in the Shuma and delighted I could rent one (in 2004). There was al lot more wrong with it than just the reverse gear of course.
As a rental it might have fallen short on TLC, but I can see through that.
I drove a 60 hp '86 VW Golf Diesel at the time, my standards were not that high.

We do have a Hyundai I10 (AKA Kia Picanto) that has had 2 power steering failures under warranty, but the dealer (who sold hundreds of them) claims ours is the only one with that problem. All replaced under warranty, with free courtesy car. No cost whatsoever (save regular service and gas) on the I10 so far; quite happy with it esp. since we won it in a lottery!
__________________
2011 Honda Insight + HID, LEDs, tiny PV panel, extra brake pad return springs, neutral wheel alignment, 44/42 PSI (air), PHEV light (inop), tightened wheel nut.
lifetime FE over 0.2 Gmeter or 0.13 Mmile.


For confirmation go to people just like you.
For education go to people unlike yourself.

Last edited by RedDevil; 11-22-2013 at 07:23 AM..
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 07:38 AM   #24 (permalink)
radioranger
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canton CT
Posts: 442
Thanks: 140
Thanked 44 Times in 33 Posts
That was a problem with all the early 80's 1.6 models,till around 84 or so , the 1.9 was pretty good if you changed the anti freeze every 3 yrs or so , the 2.0's have no big problems , except I've heard the ZX2 had some issues, but the plain jane sedans are pretty good and cheap to boot. 1000 for a really nice looking one . mine was a find as it was a west coast car with fresh paint and zero body rust, for 1100, have 194 k now and running fine, all the accessorys eventually give trouble, except the AC so far, but fun to drive and averaging over 40 mpg on 75% highway running,
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 10:05 AM   #25 (permalink)
(:
 
Frank Lee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
Festivas were Kias and they were nice, simple, sturdy units.
__________________


  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Frank Lee For This Useful Post:
mikeyjd (03-22-2014)
Old 11-22-2013, 10:18 AM   #26 (permalink)
Master EcoWalker
 
RedDevil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
Posts: 3,998

Red Devil - '11 Honda Insight Elegance
Team Honda
90 day: 47.72 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,711
Thanked 2,245 Times in 1,454 Posts
That particular Kia (Pride) was a Mazda 121 in its earlier life.
I'd rather compare the Festiva to the Mazda than that Kia, not that the Prides were bad or such - only when Kia started designing their own cars did it go bad. For a while.
__________________
2011 Honda Insight + HID, LEDs, tiny PV panel, extra brake pad return springs, neutral wheel alignment, 44/42 PSI (air), PHEV light (inop), tightened wheel nut.
lifetime FE over 0.2 Gmeter or 0.13 Mmile.


For confirmation go to people just like you.
For education go to people unlike yourself.
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 11:00 AM   #27 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
justme1969's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: ff
Posts: 459
Thanks: 59
Thanked 38 Times in 30 Posts
A late 90s tercel with stick. would be my answer. Bullet proof!
Then a mid 90s 4cyl 5 spd maxima. Bomb proof.
then early 90s models honda 5 spd.
Then metros / swifts
Then I will say lastly probes and other fords /mazdas with 4 cyl. 5 spd.
early - mid 90s escorts /323 etc were power houses but with oversized tires can pull down fair mpg.
I wouldnt recomend KIAs except for people versed in complex auto electric and valvetrain repairs. My sephia always has something wrong but parts are dirt cheap and the darn thing still never completely left me stranded.
I also beat the snot out of it... did I mention parts are cheap?? theres ya sign.
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 11:58 AM   #28 (permalink)
Not Doug
 
Xist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Show Low, AZ
Posts: 12,186

Chorizo - '00 Honda Civic HX, baby! :D
90 day: 35.35 mpg (US)

Mid-Life Crisis Fighter - '99 Honda Accord LX
90 day: 34.2 mpg (US)

Gramps - '04 Toyota Camry LE
90 day: 35.39 mpg (US)

Don't hit me bro - '05 Toyota Camry LE
90 day: 35.79 mpg (US)
Thanks: 7,217
Thanked 2,217 Times in 1,708 Posts
I had a friend with a 1997 Kia Sportage whose dad constantly said that Kia was supposed to make them for Ford, who backed out, so Kia sold them under their own label, and when those were successful, Mazda made the Tribute and then Ford had the Escápe.

You speak human?

According to the dad, Kia made the Sportage better because it was supposed to be a Ford, so the same might apply to the Aspire.
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 12:40 PM   #29 (permalink)
Master Novice
 
elhigh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SE USA - East Tennessee
Posts: 2,314

Josie - '87 Toyota Pickup
90 day: 40.02 mpg (US)

Felicia - '09 Toyota Prius Base
90 day: 49.01 mpg (US)
Thanks: 427
Thanked 616 Times in 450 Posts
There's a '98 Civic for sale in Allentown, asking price $1550. Needs brake line for front wheels, it says. But it also specifies 30mpg combined, I know you could beat that.
__________________




Lead or follow. Either is fine.
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2013, 08:32 PM   #30 (permalink)
Too busy for gas stations
 
Superfuelgero's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: The intersection of TN/MS/AL
Posts: 460

Turtle - '92 Honda Civic Vx
Team Honda
90 day: 67.09 mpg (US)

Rolla - '10 Toyota Corolla Le

Beast - '91 Chevy V2500

Bus - '01 VW Eurovan MV

Speed - '93 Harley bored and storked Harley w/ turbo/ nitrous
90 day: 53.09 mpg (US)

Cal - '68 Ford Mustang GT/CS
Thanks: 87
Thanked 176 Times in 114 Posts
When I was looking earlier this year, I was surprised to find Toyota Echos in that price range (around 2k). Seems they were forgotten due to the name change (tercel-echo-yaris). Then I found my vx for 1300, no contest. Whatever you get, if you want a deal, have cash in hand, and be ready to drive at a moments notice.

__________________
Shooting for 600 miles of range at 65-70 mph out of a vx.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com