New car

[ironsniper1]

Hey all my current car is fully paid for and now I want to sell it to get something with better mpg, but I have a budget of $3000-$3,500. Does anyone know of a car that gets 28-30 mpg city, that's not older than 1999 and less than 120k miles? I also want to avoid dodge ford and Chrysler as much as possible. Thanks<br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[peejman]

Look for a Saturn SL series, '98 or newer.  30 mpg city, 37 mpg hwy with a 5 speed.  I put 175k trouble free miles on one.  Wish I still had it.

[ironsniper1]

Look for a Saturn SL series, '98 or newer.  30 mpg city, 37 mpg hwy with a 5 speed.  I put 175k trouble free miles on one.  Wish I still had it.

i have never driven a manual though would love too but my gf does not trust me driving one but maybe i can talk her out :P

[LagerHead]

Good luck. We just went through 2 months of searching before we found a car for my daughter that didn't involve a rebuilt title. And of course there was only "minor damage" to each of them, which explains why the insurance company totalled it, right?  :squint: We finally had to stop looking on craigslist and go to a dealer but we did end up with a pretty nice deal. 

[TN Outlaw]

i have a 1999 honda civic ex, it gets about 28 around town and 34 highway.

[Il Duce]

Honda Civic or Acura Integra

[Guest uofmeet]

Honda Civic or Acura Integra

Aren't those the same thing?

[ironsniper1]

i have a 1999 honda civic ex, it gets about 28 around town and 34 highway.

Most of the ones I have looked at have about 140k miles+ or need work or if they are in my price range are older than I would like


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[peejman]

i have never driven a manual though would love too but my gf does not trust me driving one but maybe i can talk her out :P

 

Who's the car for, you or her?  A stick is the only way to go in a small car. 

[ironsniper1]

It's for me and it's hard to explain so I'll just leave it at that<br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TN Outlaw]

Most of the ones I have looked at have about 140k miles+ or need work or if they are in my price range are older than I would like


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140k on a civic isnt bad they will run forever if treated right.

[Spook]

Take a look at an Infiniti G20.

[JPR1959]

See if you can find a 1999 or newer Toyota Corolla.  Toyota started putting timing chains on their 4 cylinders that year.  I drove a rental and averaged 40 mpg.  I'd also look at a Honda Civic or Accord.

[bigbabysweets]

When I was in the market months ago I had seen some decent prices online at dougjustus.com I'm not sure if they meet your criteria or how they look in person.

[Il Duce]

Aren't those the same thing?

 

Same motor otherwise not really

[Patton]

I wouldn't pass up a deal on a Nissan if I found one. I can think of about a dozen mechanics in my life that drove Nissans even though they worked at a Honda or Toyota service shop.

[Patton]

Everyone is mentioning Honda Civics, I have enough faith in them that there are two in my driveway. However they are not as perfect as you will think. We replaced an automatic transmission in our 01 a few years ago at 100k. My MIL had to have a new engine in a 07 at about 160k and for a whole it kept blowing the main fuse for the entire car.

[mav]

A used Accord might be out of your price range, but it is certainly reliable.  I bought my new Accord in 2006 to drive back and forth to work.  I have already put almost 220k miles on it, and it still runs great.  I have been so pleased with my Honda that I will probably buy another one once I hit 300k.  I would assume that a Civic would have around the same reliability as an Accord, and it is quite a bit cheaper.

[Murgatroy]

Aren't those the same thing?

Two completely different cars in the same class. The Integra is more upscale than the Civic.

 

 

 

Op,

 

You can't really go wrong with a Honda or Toyota if you find one in your price range. 

 

However, that is a pretty steep bet looking for something with less than 120k and only $3,500. I am not saying it is an unrealistic pipe dream, but I am saying Good Luck.

 

By crossing the Fords off your list you are cutting out the Focii, which are a decent breed of commuter car.

 

I am a Fordyota man. I have a highly modified Celica, I daily drive a Mustang (>30MPG HWY) and my wife drives and Explorer, so I am slightly biased.

[Sam1]

just about any 4 banger is going to get 25-30ish.  If you want cheap, just go to an auction around your town and pick one up.  If you buy one from a used car lot, all you are doing is paying them for selling you an auction car that they washed & shined up.

[kieefer]

+1 on a Honda despite the issues I'm having with mine that has 190K on it.

[BigK]

I drove a Kia Spectra for 8 years before I got a truck. My wife got one 6 years ago and is still driving hers. They get around 30 mpg in the city and just over 36 mpg on the highway. They aren't fancy, but there's not a thing wrong with them mechanically. It'd easily last another 5 or 6 years, if she doesn't get tired of it first.

[Murgatroy]

I drove a Kia Spectra for 8 years before I got a truck. My wife got one 6 years ago and is still driving hers. They get around 30 mpg in the city and just over 36 mpg on the highway. They aren't fancy, but there's not a thing wrong with them mechanically. It'd easily last another 5 or 6 years, if she doesn't get tired of it first.

My brother bought a brand new one in `03. It was one time I really wish the bugger had called me. I don't like it. I have done most of the work on it over the years, but I still don't like it. Granted, the only major issue it had was warrantied. But it did toast the tranny at 20k. They have come leaps and bounds in ten years though. Our local Kia dealer is running a special right now, two Kias (Rio or Soul, mix or match) for $222 a month. I haven't read the fine print, but thankfully it happened a couple months after I bought my Mustang. I would hate myself for driving a Kia...

[BigK]

My brother bought a brand new one in `03. It was one time I really wish the bugger had called me. I don't like it. I have done most of the work on it over the years, but I still don't like it. Granted, the only major issue it had was warrantied. But it did toast the tranny at 20k. They have come leaps and bounds in ten years though. Our local Kia dealer is running a special right now, two Kias (Rio or Soul, mix or match) for $222 a month. I haven't read the fine print, but thankfully it happened a couple months after I bought my Mustang. I would hate myself for driving a Kia...

It isn't quite the chick magnet that a Mustang is, but it's dependable and frugal...too bad chicks don't dig that.

[kieefer]

It isn't quite the chick magnet that a Mustang is, but it's dependable and frugal...too bad chicks don't dig that.

Don't small furry critters like those Souls? That's could be a plus?