Reliable,cheap high MPG car for mom

[Connoisseur]

My mom's looking for a new car. The only requirements are: 4-door, cheap, high mpg (30+) and reliable. Right now she's looking at a brand new 2008 Civic LX sedan. Seems the invoice is around 17k and I suspect she can get it down to around 16k. Ideally she wants something 15k or less. Two questions:
1) Does anyone recommend any other cars in this category?
2) This may be a bad question to ask but can she get a better deal in the North Central NJ area?

Any help would be appreciated. She's looking to buy this week as she's been running on a rental and it's getting damn expensive. I told her to shop around and that seems like a good deal.

 

[Arkaign]

If she's worried about resale at all, then that's probably the #1 best choice you can make.

If she's just going to drive it until the wheels come off, check out the '08 Focus Sedan. They have a little more torque, they are slightly lighter, they use Mazda Duratec 2.0 motors that don't have timing belts (the chain is rated for expected life of the motor, IIRC), and their fuel economy is excellent. I'm getting high 30s in my '08 Coupe with the 5spd, and the auto isn't too far off of that.
Curtain air bags and MP3-compatible CD Audio system is standard even on the base car.

The Focus will save you at least a couple grand off of an equivalent Civic. But, as I said before, if she is planning on trading it in after 3-4 years, the Civic will certainly command better resale value, and thus be the better option.

 

[Connoisseur]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
If she's worried about resale at all, then that's probably the #1 best choice you can make.

If she's just going to drive it until the wheels come off, check out the '08 Focus Sedan. They have a little more torque, they are slightly lighter, they use Mazda Duratec 2.0 motors that don't have timing belts (the chain is rated for expected life of the motor, IIRC), and their fuel economy is excellent. I'm getting high 30s in my '08 Coupe with the 5spd, and the auto isn't too far off of that.
Curtain air bags and MP3-compatible CD Audio system is standard even on the base car.

The Focus will save you at least a couple grand off of an equivalent Civic. But, as I said before, if she is planning on trading it in after 3-4 years, the Civic will certainly command better resale value, and thus be the better option.

Thanks for the suggestion. Yeah she's owned american cars her whole life so I think she just wanted to switch to japanese. Like many others she thinks Honda is infallible. I'm guessing that's the cheapest she's gonna get for a Japanese car?

 

[Vette73]

You can get a nice Cobalt for less then 15k. Great engine and gets 30+ MPG.

If you want a European type car then look at the Saturn Astra. More money then the Cobalt but you get a better interior and look IMO.

http://www.saturn.com/saturn/v...tra/5door/overview.jsp

 

[BassBomb]

I'd check out the new Corolla too, it has claimed better mileage than the Civic and I believe has a lower sticker price

Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris might be your cup of tea too but personally I'd go with Civic/Corolla kind

 

[Funyuns101]

invoice for the Civic LX is $15,616 according to Edmund's.
You should be able to get close to that.
Otherwise, check out the cars listed above and I'd add the Hyundai Elantra if she's not worried about resale value.

 

[Thump553]

From my aborted search a couple of weeks ago, I concluded that cheap and high mpg are mutually exclusive in the current car market. If she goes for a quality car that gets good mileage expect to pay MSRP, with possibly a few exceptions.

If she is willing to take the risk of gas prices becoming more tolerable, she can get a great deal on any of a multitude of gas hogs right now-new or used.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Thump553
From my aborted search a couple of weeks ago, I concluded that cheap and high mpg are mutually exclusive in the current car market. If she goes for a quality car that gets good mileage expect to pay MSRP, with possibly a few exceptions.

If she is willing to take the risk of gas prices becoming more tolerable, she can get a great deal on any of a multitude of gas hogs right now-new or used.

There are great deals on the '08 Focus right now, which has slightly more power, better handling, 35mpg fuel economy, etc, etc. It's got the same 2.0 Duratec Mazda motor thats in the base Mazda3, but tuned to 140hp instead of 148 or so. The Civic also has 140hp, but less torque, along with more weight.

Styling-wise, I'd have to give the edge to the Civic, but the Focus is a very decent deal for the money. Expect to see base models in the 12s all day long, and loaded ones coming out the door for 14-15k.

Resale = Honda FTW though.

 

[thomsbrain]

I have seen many ads for new Focuses and the Hyundai hatchbacks selling for less than $10,000 with A/C. Lots of incentives on some of the less popular small-car models right now to try to snatch some of the market as it shifts from bigger cars.