Best econo car?

[Yummybud]

I'm thinking about selling my current money pit (porsche 944) and getting a econo car to drive for the next 3 years of university instead of busing as it's a pretty far distance and my car needs constant $$ to keep it in good condition.

Anyways I'm willing to save or finance up to 10 k cdn (not sure what that is in U.S like 8.5-9k) and I would preferably want something newer no 80s cars, prefereably late 90s/ early 2000.

I have thought about toyota echo, not the hb, suppose to be really reliable, cheap to buy but it kind of looks like a peanut and I've heard it starts to blow around in the wind on freeways....

I'm also looking for a bit of safety, don't want to get squashed like a bug in a crash.

I've also thought about vw gti 1.8t but that is definately over 10 k and I don't feel like owing money.

other cars I've thought about ...... dodge neon , really cheap to buy like 2003-2005 model. not sure if the newer ones are big piles of crap like the older ones.

oh and hyundai accent 2000+ model again really cheap to buy but also cheaply made.

oh and nissan sentra 2000+ is another car that would fit my budget.


any ideas? I'm not sure how the newer gm/ ford/ dodge cars are, they are cheap to buy used but I'm not sure about reliablility / quality.

 

[NserUame]

A jetta or gulf diesel gets upwards of 40 miles to the gallon. As long as you can handle the fact that it only has 120 ponies it's a decent car. I personally can't stand a lot of those 'economy' cars. The visors are made of cardboard (no joke), the doors are thin, etc. etc.

A friend recently got rid of his Jetta TDI, bought it at an auction for $8,000 (2000 I think...maybe 99) and turned around and sold it for $11,000. If you have any by you, auctions are the way to go, go with a pre-approved loan and you can save yourself a bundle of money.

As far as the new american cars...reliability wise they're alot better than they used to be. However if you're hesitant on getting a European car (can't blame you, parts and labor are outrageous) go with a Japanese make. The newer Toyota Camry's get good gas mileage, again not a ballsy car but well made. Nissan Sentra is a great car, stay clear of the mid to early 90's though, they're interior room is lacking to say the least. I hate to say it, but a Civic is also another car that's easy on the pocket...just for the love of God don't put a wing on it.

 

[Yummybud]

yeah like I said the toyota echo has great reviews for being super reliable, it also gets excellent mpg, around 40, has a 1.5l 105 hp engine and a light body.

the thing is I'm not sure how safe I'll feel in a toyota echo on a freeway in winter with heavy rain and wind blowing it around...... and yes they are made pretty flimsy

I want to get a newer car so newer golf diesel would be too expensie, at least 15k.

I seriously want a golf gti 1.8t.... I know a guy that has one and he says it's super reliable (has it for 3 years) but that's most likely a bit over 10k, I think 2001 was the first year and they're like 12-15k.

no I won't put a wing on an economy car, I seriously hate ricers and feel like puking when I see one. I love my 944 but half the time I'm taking the bus because it's on jack stand waiting for repairs.

I don't care about interior room as I won't be taking any passengers just me, so I don't need a family car.

 

[kusherberry]

cadi ex

 

[Yummybud]

nissan sentras have bad reviews on carsurvey. the 2000 newer models look decent for basic transportation but I've read some reviews about them not being reliable.

 

[NOKUY]

I'm not a big fan of cars (more of a truck person)....but if I had to get a car it'd be a subaru outback wagon. You might be able to find a used WRX in your price range.

 

[Yummybud]

cadi ex

what's a cadi ex?

a cadillac?

I don't want to buy a car with a v8...... 4 banger economy car.

I wouldn't mind a bit of performance/ not looking like puke but cheap maintenance and reliablity are number one.

 

[Yummybud]

I'm not a big fan of cars (more of a truck person)....but if I had to get a car it'd be a subaru outback wagon. You might be able to find a used WRX in your price range.

I like the wrx but even the base wrx around here seems to be around 15 k obviously the sti is way more expansive like 25k.

if I want to spend 15k I'd get a golf gti 1.8t but I don't feel like financing and having monthly payments when I go to school. I don't think I can save more than 10k cash to pay for it. financing 5 k is still a lot when also paying for gas/ parking / insurance /maintenance.

 

[Guest]

Honda Civic... you could probably find a good one with fairly low mileage for that kind of money. Clearly it's not the biggest car, but it does ok safety-wise, and it's crazy reliable.

 

[NserUame]

http://motors.search.ebay.com/tdi_V...QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQsacatZ6018QQssPageNameZWLRS

I mean I don't care what you get, but I think you'll find the TDI much less than you thought. Keep in mind this is Ebay, where you really don't get that great of a deal on cars. Regardless of what car you get, check out prive listings and auctions, you can save so much money.

The wiggers around here love the Ford Focus, the SVT model or some shit like that actually has some balls and still gets 30+ miles to the gallon...too bad they look like an egg. However I have heard positive things about the car, aside from the looks.

 

[I Used To Grow]

subaru dude..subaru..

 

[Yummybud]

yeah that's the U.S, cars are a bit more expensive here and even ebay doesn't show the proper prices for U.S prices.

http://vancouver.craigslist.org/car/288281065.html

http://vancouver.craigslist.org/car/290363166.html

kind of out of my budget unless I borrow money which wouldn't be very economical

 

[Yummybud]

I learned manual on a ford focus hb and it was actually a pretty quick car but I'm not sure about reliability from a Ford....

and yeah they do look like some freak mutant car.

 

[Yummybud]

subaru dude..subaru..

like I said I like the subarus but not sure if I can afford one, I like the wrx hb ? or wagon , I always see one and think they look sharp in the suby ralley blue

plus it's awd and boxer engine.

 

[NOKUY]

heres a YUGO ...it's been rigged to run on some type of alternative fuel...so you could save on gas.

I can get ya a good deal on her

 

[Yummybud]

wow looks like it even has a toilet in the back.

 

[cadillachydro]

Im a fan of hatchbacks... and I'll tell ya the GTI is the most fun for your buck, but as you said they're a little on the high side of your budget.

Vw's have all the cool little features like unlocking doors and hatch/trunk from the key along with closing the sunroof and rolling down the windows. 1999 and up jetta's and golf's have excellent saftey features like 8 airbag systems. I cant say enough about the reliability and tunability of the 1.8t. The VR6 is great too, ive owned both.

Reliability for great value, theres lots of options. Toyota Corolla is a great car, not exactly a chick magnet but really efficient and reliable, along with Honda civic even Acoords, the Nissan Sentra isnt a bad choice either.

I would highly recommend a manual transmission over an automatic for a couple reasons. One, they get better gas milage than autos, and two they are much cheaper to repair... A clutch job is always cheaper than a tranny rebuild. Plus 4 cyl engines mated to automatic trannys just doesn't do it for me, yuck.

Dont count out spending way less on a reliable bucket either... My friend got 30k miles out of an old 84 Volvo 240d he paid $500 bucks for... talk about a solid ride. Ive seen lots of guys buy buckets for cheap and drive the wheels of em for less than a $1000 bucks.

Types that fit the bucket category would be old toyota 4cyl trucks, Volvo's, anything GM like buicks and oldsmobiles with the 3.8L v6's... Basically anything for dirt cheap thats ugly and runs well.

Good luck finding a ride Yummy.

 

[Yummybud]

http://www.buysell.com/root/detail/...274/1999_SUBARU_LEGACY_OUTBACK_4dr_Wagon.aspx

I guess something like this looks decent not sure why I would want a wagon though. How reliable are subarus? I don't see too many subarus around so I'm not too sure.

 

[beancounter]

honda civic with a manual transmission. Si/SiR model if you want more power..

toyota corrola, Mazda Protege..

those are the only 3 4 cyls i would buy, period.. anything else is MUCH less reliable, much more $ outa the gate, or too expensive to fix..

Buy a manual transmission if you want extra reliability and fuel economy.. I can never, in good concious, recomend an automatic transmition, or ANY domestic 4cyl.

the toyota and honda resale will be better than the mazda, and reliabilty for some model years on the Protege are not as good as the civic or corrola, but still much better than anything on offere from the big 3..

subarus are nice, but not if you want cheap, reliable transport..

 

[Yummybud]

well for once I would like to go with a newer car late 90s or newer.

yeah gti is a really good deal, the 1.8t stock isn't really crazy fast but it has enough power and with a chip it can be fast and it's also nice handling and the interior of the newer golfs are really nice not like an econo box.

unless I get something sporty like a gti I'll probably get an auto. My 944 is a 5speed right now and it's fun to drive but driving a manual kind of sucks in rush hour traffic or in wet weather going up hill etc or even worse going up a steep hill in heavy traffic.