Looking for a good economy car...which one?

Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy your standard economy car-cheap, good on gas, and reliable, with a price tag of around $3000 US. Not much higher than that though.

Anyway, I know there's already a million topics with similar criteria, but most of the answers returned are Civics, Tercels, etc. I'm 6'4", however, and sure as hell can't fit in a Tercel; I've tried.

Any suggestions?

you can find a saturn for that much i paid 3150 for my 96 sl2 with only 55k milies on it. and when i floor it which is most of the time i get 21mpg and it's auto. the only thing that needed repair was both my idler pully and my tensior went bad.

As crappy as they drive, older 2.2L cavaliers and sunfires have great leg room and are very reliable.

I also recommend a saturn, they too have good leg room.

Civic, my dad is 6'6" and he fits fine in them.

i just got a 95 protege for 850

im 6 3 and i fit great

and i know what you mean as i drove a geo metro for years

however its just a function of the seats used. not really the size of the car.

um get japanese. but, on the used market toyota and hondas are inflated.


nissan sentra, mitsubishi mirage, mazda protege um geo prizm... which is the corrolla. those are what youre looking for. japanese only, dont mess around.

i also am looking for a good economy car. which car would be my best bet and why? currently i am liking the protege, maxima and the 626. what are the pros and cons of each?

well its really dependent on the year.

In general with those 3 models you are spanning a large difference in gas mileage. i have a second gen protege 1.5 and its epa is 31 39. a maxxima is more in the 20 25 range. a 626 probably 24 32

in terms of models and reliability the protege and the maxima are excellent and the 626 less but good.

I personally hate automatics. I tihnk its hard to find a 626 manual so id eliminate it.

thanks. ya i've eliminated the 626. well basically im looking for a car in the $2.5k-3.5k range. So it has to be that price (cheap), and have good reliability. Although mpg is important, it is not a top priority. I need something that will be reliable, but is fun to drive.. i know asking for a "sporty" car at this price range is stupid, but im just saying i dont want a crown victoria or something (i'm a HS senior).

thanks. ya i've eliminated the 626. well basically im looking for a car in the $2.5k-3.5k range. So it has to be that price (cheap), and have good reliability. Although mpg is important, it is not a top priority. I need something that will be reliable, but is fun to drive.. i know asking for a "sporty" car at this price range is stupid, but im just saying i dont want a crown victoria or something (i'm a HS senior).
Ya I really have no idea whats going to come up on your used market. lol. Some of the models I already listed are often bargains on the used market. Thats not to say that other cars arent the same or better just that those are often undervalued.

I do know that the maxima is actually a rare model in that its a v6 sedan with manual. So in that sense, if you find a manual one, I think thats an extremely desireable vehicle. I think Id live with bad gas mileage. Only for the manual though. I dont care how many horsepower it has with an auto, especially if its old enough to have a 3 speed. My geo metro will be faster around town than it.
There is just no such thing as automatic/performance. Im a pizza delivery guy and my miles are all around town.

I think maxximas go for reasonable on the used market as well. I mean I would not limit yourself to one model. I buy used cars a lot, and I participate in other people buying used cars. You dont want one specific model what you want is a STEAL. So you pick a general type and then try to learn how to jump on a steal.

I almost bought a 97 626 recently btw. It had 140k miles and ran perfectly, it was $1000. It was an auto though so I knew I wouldnt use it it would be just a prospect buy to resell it as is. I own a protege and well.... it handles better is much faster and gets much better gas mileage. Its interior room is similar even the 626 is not even larger by too much on these years. So as a new car I cant imagine people buying the 626... I hesitated and it sold a few hours later.

So anyhow heres what I have to say about that, even though I dont like the 626 they are sometimes undervalued on the used car market.

The Chevy Prizm is a version of the Corolla and about as reliable but sells for a lot less. The MPG is as good as you can get in an automatic transmission without going to hybrid, especially in the 4-speed version.

You can probably get late 90s, 125K miles for your price range.

"Fun to drive" I don't know anything about. (To me "fun to drive" is a go-cart, so what do I know ...)

The Chevy Prizm is a version of the Corolla and about as reliable but sells for a lot less. The MPG is as good as you can get in an automatic transmission without going to hybrid, especially in the 4-speed version.

You can probably get late 90s, 125K miles for your price range.

"Fun to drive" I don't know anything about. (To me "fun to drive" is a go-cart, so what do I know ...)

i must say that the chevy or geo prizm being a toyota corrolla is a pretty well known secret as opposed to being unknown. Its printed in like every used car book.

So in reality finding one for cheap will be like a needle in a haystack. It is actually worth less than a corrolla anyway in that it uses a cheaper interior and wheels and such but really its a corrolla

I have seen the data on the new corrolla with an automatic. It does get the best gas mileage according to the epa. It follows no logic. With an automatic the corrolla 1.8 gets 38 mpg hwy and a yaris gets 36. with a 1.5 and weighing like 300-400 pounds less.

If it looks like a duck its a duck. The Epa is a famously unreliable test not even taking cars out of the garage to test mpg. Something in the way the corrolla deals with emmissions fools the epa test, its that simple.

i must say that the chevy or geo prizm being a toyota corrolla is a pretty well known secret as opposed to being unknown. Its printed in like every used car book.I would agree that it's pretty well known in your circles and among Automotive Forums posters and such. But the vast majority of people don't pay attention to car matters, and they determine the market in that they do buy cars anyway.

Furthermore, even among people like yourself, there are a lot of people who have vague ideas about "cheaper interior and wheels and such", so the market for Corollas is a lot hotter.

But it's silly to argue about this. The idea that Prizm sell for a lot less than Corollas is a fact that can be verified and is not subject to argument based on this or that theory. You can look on getauto.com or autotrader.com or any number of other similar websites and compare the prices. (It is also one of the reasons for the demise of the Prizm - one of the main arguments against buying it new was the fact that the resale value would be a lot less than that of a Corolla, so anyone buying a new one might as well have bought a Corolla for about the same price.)
So in reality finding one for cheap will be like a needle in a haystack.Depends on what you mean by cheap. I would guess about 20% less than a Corolla, on average.It is actually worth less than a corrolla anyway in that it uses a cheaper interior and wheels and such but really its a corrollaI don't know what you mean by "cheaper interior". I can say, based on personal experience having replaced a power window motor and master switch, that these components are Toyota. I believe the radio is in fact different.

The wheels will have long since been replaced by the time you buy your used model for $2.5K-$3.5K.
I have seen the data on the new corrolla with an automatic. It does get the best gas mileage according to the epa. It follows no logic. With an automatic the corrolla 1.8 gets 38 mpg hwy and a yaris gets 36. with a 1.5 and weighing like 300-400 pounds less.
If it looks like a duck its a duck. The Epa is a famously unreliable test not even taking cars out of the garage to test mpg. Something in the way the corrolla deals with emmissions fools the epa test, its that simple.FTR, the Prizm does not equate to the new Corolla, having been discontinued after 2002.

ISTM, based on the postings of other people, that the mileage for individuals varies a lot more than one might expect. My own personal experience with a 2000 Prizm (4 speed automatic) has been about 36 MPG, based on what I would estimate as 75% highway driving.

Ya I really have no idea whats going to come up on your used market. lol. Some of the models I already listed are often bargains on the used market. Thats not to say that other cars arent the same or better just that those are often undervalued.

I do know that the maxima is actually a rare model in that its a v6 sedan with manual. So in that sense, if you find a manual one, I think thats an extremely desireable vehicle. I think Id live with bad gas mileage. Only for the manual though. I dont care how many horsepower it has with an auto, especially if its old enough to have a 3 speed. My geo metro will be faster around town than it.
There is just no such thing as automatic/performance. Im a pizza delivery guy and my miles are all around town.

I think maxximas go for reasonable on the used market as well. I mean I would not limit yourself to one model. I buy used cars a lot, and I participate in other people buying used cars. You dont want one specific model what you want is a STEAL. So you pick a general type and then try to learn how to jump on a steal.

I almost bought a 97 626 recently btw. It had 140k miles and ran perfectly, it was $1000. It was an auto though so I knew I wouldnt use it it would be just a prospect buy to resell it as is. I own a protege and well.... it handles better is much faster and gets much better gas mileage. Its interior room is similar even the 626 is not even larger by too much on these years. So as a new car I cant imagine people buying the 626... I hesitated and it sold a few hours later.

So anyhow heres what I have to say about that, even though I dont like the 626 they are sometimes undervalued on the used car market.

I just recently got a '96 Maxima for my high school graduation present. I think my dad paid like $3200 for it, and I love it. It's an auto 4spd with overdrive, and I really would like it to be manual, but I can live with it I guess. I get decent gas mileage for a v6, about 22 with everyday driving and about 25 with highway driving (I take the highway to work everyday). Also, it goes like hell when I floor it, and everything is stock on it yet, but I plan on adding some cosmetic/performance stuff to it soon. I commute to college everyday (About a 25-30 mile drive one way) and although the gas mileage could be better, it's still decent to get me to school and work (Still a lot cheaper than living in a dorm :grinyes:). So far we've had absolutely no problems with it in the 6 months I've owned it, other than a little clearcoat peeling off the rear spoiler and a spot on the hood, but that's minor. No mechanical problems other than general maintenance (My dad is right on the ball with maintenance, keeps everything recorded on a notebook in the garage, lol). All in all the Maxima seems to be very reliable and it's currently about to hit 105k miles (It was at 97k when we bought it in March '06) and the guy had no major problems with it over those almost 100k miles and he was the second owner of the car, bought it off his sister who bought it new in '96 (She had a third child and needed more space so she bought a mini-van and sold this to her brother) and he only sold it because he got a promotion and with that promotion came a company car so he has no use for this one. So for the money, you couldn't go wrong with an older Maxima, $3k would probably easily get you one in good condition, and as long as you keep up with it on maintenance should last you well over 200k miles and beyond. It's also a very roomy car, I'm 6' 2" and I fit into it very comfortably, and I have a 6' 6" friend that ride with me occassionally and he fits in comfortably too, with room to spare. It's a very roomy car and very sporty looking for a luxury sedan. My mom actually gave me the option of taking her '99 Altima 5 spd MT (Only 60k miles) but it's a 4 cyl and a metallic baby blue color, so I wasn't really fond of that, lol. Although that gas mileage is better (which is why she offered it) I think I'm going to stick with my Maxima, I like it a lot.

It has taken me about 15 years of driving to finally really learn what driving is...
I mean to get the thing going at the correct rpm. To get the feel for how an automatic shifts ( one of my cars is a 3 speed auto van)

Anyhow what Im trying to say is I hate automatics. There is no way your 200 hp maxxima is going to make it around town faster than my 92 hp protege. Itll be sick. Eventually I think youll take the altima with the manual hands down.

I suppose when you are indeed 80% highway driving you perhaps enjoy passing or something, high speed performance to which a auto does not hurt.

But as I said it took many hundred k miles before I felt this way. I can remember early in my driving life I thought the automatic was what was desirable... I mean I could smoke while driving or something.

But no way. Gas mileage on an automatic in my personal tests is alway abysmal like half the epa. So slow stupid and unreliable.

You may say that manual clutch replacement is a hassle you can avoid with an automatic. The reality is, the automatic is designed in a planned obsolecence method where the part that is the clutch fails and destroys the whole thing.

Actually Ill rant more on it if you desire. I think a used car with an automatic is worth very little as an investment to try and go the distance. Honda civic toyota corrolla whatever. Its a very fragile component, 150k miles is already beyond mtbf and it goes out almost with relatively no notice as opposed to the manual transmission which dies extrememly slowly and is immediately easy to diagnose.

transmission replacement, a front drive car with auto transmission.... Its not something for the shade tree mechanic. The part and replacement are way more expensive than the car at this point. Its the main reason the car goes to the junk yard.

I agree 100% with stamar.

This thread is like 6 months old...why did you bring it to the top if you weren't even going to add anything to it!?

You bring nothing to the table do you?

Get a Mazda B2300 i'm 6'2 and i have room to spare in the cab. Plus it gets the best gas milage of any truck out there.

The Mazda truck is just a Ranger....and I'm willing to bet it's easier to get a deal on a Ranger.