What's a good $2000 commuter car? (~30mpg)

[MonkOnXanax]

I have a 2000 Eclipse GT, but I want to get a cheap (~$2000) commuter car to go travel to school and back. I will probably put ~80 miles on the car each day.

I'd like to get one that gets ~30mpg. I've been looking at older 240SXs, but I don't know what mileage they get.

If anyone has any suggestions for a *reliable* car that won't break down(for a year or two), I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[amnesiac]

Honda CRX? Any other old Civic.

 

[KK]

Geo metro. +40MPG

KK

 

[StageLeft]

Forget the 240sx; you want something cheap and reliable like a 93 sentra Or a corolla or old civic, though I think honda's have too hig a resale for what they are really worth.

 

[Vampirrella]

thats right.. an older honda civic type car. You wont go wrong with that. Reliable, low upkeep, good gas mileage. For around $2k you should be able to find a early '90s or very late 80's model.

In our local paper i've seen many old 80's hondas that are in great shape for their age

 

[DougK62]

Cavalier/Sunfire. You can get a fairly new one pretty cheap. They arent as refined as some would like, but the drivetrains are very well built and quite sturdy.

 

[ultimatebob]

When I was in college, I used a 1988 Ford Escort to commute to college. That ugly little car was built like a tank, and always got me where I needed to be. I also averaged 28 MPG in mostly city driving. You could probably get a '92 model with low mileage for $2,000.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

Originally posted by: DougK62
Cavalier/Sunfire. You can get a fairly new one pretty cheap. They arent as refined as some would like, but the drivetrains are very well built and quite sturdy.

I was going to recommend a 2nd generation Cavalier (1988-1994), but I kept my mouth shut because I didn't feel like being flammed for my past two cars. If this is your choice of car, do yourself a favor and find a RS model with a 3.1 V6 in it.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I'd try and avoid those late 80s imports. Alot of those guys still ran carbs and those can be a pain in the butt.

You should be able to find a 90s 2.2/2.5l dodge of some kind with under 100k miles for $2k or less. They are pretty reliable and real cheap to fix when something does break. The turbo versions are a lot of fun but are less reliable.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
I'd try and avoid those late 80s imports. Alot of those guys still ran carbs and those can be a pain in the butt.

1989 was the last year for that, so anything 1990 or later will be FI. Also, you can simply look for the fuel injected versions of the cars (ie Accord lxi).

Viper GTS

 

[b0mbrman]

Early 90's Corolla or Civic

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
When I was in college, I used a 1988 Ford Escort to commute to college. That ugly little car was built like a tank, and always got me where I needed to be. I also averaged 28 MPG in mostly city driving. You could probably get a '92 model with low mileage for $2,000.

Actually you could pick up a '95-96 escort for $2000.


BTW-I have a '96 escort(that I'm going to give to my daughter), it's never given me any problems.

 

[Lvis]

Well I would suggest any of the "popular" american cars. Escort, Shadow, Cavalier, Saturn, etc. You can get a newer, lower mileage car in this price frame, by going american.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: MonkOnXanax
I have a 2000 Eclipse GT, but I want to get a cheap (~$2000) commuter car to go travel to school and back. I will probably put ~80 miles on the car each day.

I'd like to get one that gets ~30mpg. I've been looking at older 240SXs, but I don't know what mileage they get.

If anyone has any suggestions for a *reliable* car that won't break down(for a year or two), I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

240sxes don't get good gas mileage. My 1995 gets 24mpg highway with a little city. Then again this is at about 85mph average...

Get a CRX.

 

[N8Magic]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Early 90's Corolla or Civic

Those would be my pick.

 

[HannibalX]

My old Escort got about 28 mpg city and 30+ highway. It was a 2-door five speed. Fun little car!

 

[MonkOnXanax]

Thanks guys.

I'd like to stay away from Civics since they seem to be pretty overpriced.

My little bro has a Contour, my ex had a Mystique, and a friend of mine has a Mustang. All of them have had nothing but problems, so I'm kind of wary of Fords right now.

How reliable are the Cavaliers and Sunfires?

 

[StageLeft]

How reliable are the Cavaliers and Sunfires?

Not very. Given that you're looking for a 93-96 vehicle most likely I'd really want to be driving a domestic.

 

[vegetation]

Look for a late 80s/early 90s CRX HF model. They got amazing gas mileage at 40+, even up to 50 mpg with a lightfoot. Might be hard to find one that hasn't been riced out though.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

How reliable are the Cavaliers and Sunfires?

Not very. Given that you're looking for a 93-96 vehicle most likely I'd really want to be driving a domestic.

I would honestly say if you were going the route of a J-Body (Cavalier/Sunfire), here's what you should probably expect:

2.2 OHV: Notorious for head gaskets
2.3 DOHC: Olds design... I'd recommend to stay away from
2.4 DOHC: Water pump failure (just watch your guages and you'll be set)
3.1 V6: Do these motors have a flaw?

IMO, I think this would be your best American made economy car.

 

[crabbyman]

I second KK's response of Geo Metro. I have a '97 Geo Metro that I bought..like...3 years ago and its at around 100,000 miles. Right now I have never had a problem except an EGR valve that I have to have replaced. Its an $80 part...even with that not working I still get 30+ mpg in the cities when I deliver pizzas....which is really hard on any car. On the highway I have recently gotten like 41mpg..and thats with that bad part. So you can't lose with a Metro. I say get a '97 Geo Metro LSI.... mine was $3700 after tax and title..I see them around for less than $2000. You might have to suck up your pride after driving the Eclipse...but you will reep the gas milage and save some $$!

 

[MonkOnXanax]

I guess I'll take a look at the old CRXs (50mpg rocks!) and the 240SXs. I really like the fact that the 240SX is RWD. And who knows, maybe do a SR20DET swap later on down the road.

 

[Freejack2]

The plymouth acclaims/dodge spirits are pretty good. My wife has one and the only major repair it's had in 125k miles is the air conditioning. You can probably get a 94 or so with reasonably low miles for $2000. The down side though is it just barely does 30mph.

Also an accountant I know put well over 100k on a Saturn. Probably can get a 94 or 95 for $2000 also. I think he said he was getting over 40mph highway.

Some people also like the geo metro which is apparently a twin of the toyota corlolla. Probably can get a 93 or 94 of it for $2000 also.

Just make sure you check it's carfax and if you can take it to a mechanic before buying it.

Edit: In the future please specify you're looking for imports only so no one wastes their time.

 

[Kelvrick]

Get a crotch rocket. Great gas milage and is fun to drive.

<== monkey dance

 

[Pepsi90919]

just make sure it's not a yugo or chrysler and you'll be set.