$5000 Good MPG, good handling DD, what would you get?

SVT focus or 03 vibe gt. Both are similar weight/power. However, with the focus make sure the timing belt is done, or a valve could shank the whole engine. Also the clutches on those tend to have issues, but most have been upgraded by now.

The thing with finding high mileage cars with turbos and awd is shit goes wrong, and it goes wrong most often on those. My old WRX got shit for gas mileage, and that was new. I never got over 20 unless on the highway.

I'd say find an SVT focus with the euro pack so you have HIDs, heated seats and all that. Just do the maintenance on them.
 
I have a 2001 Impala LS. One of my favorite cars that I've ever owned. Very reliable, comfortably and decent drive, and very decent on gas.
 
I have an '02 SVT Focus. 75K, garage kept, no winters, etc. Alternator, clutch master cyl., timing belt, steering rack, all replaced in the last 15K.
It can be had, but you'll need to bring more than $5K. I haven't posted it up yet, because I haven't convinced myself to sell it. I haven't convinced myself because it IS just so much FUN to drive!! Once I get the Mustang back on the road, maybe the appeal of the SVT will decrease??
 
Thanks guys.

Previous to my current car I had an automatic ZX3 focus, absolutely hated it. However, it had bent wheels, a few bad sensors, automatic, extremely loud valvetrain, and a bad alignment, and broken air conditioning in the middle of summer. I think the car was a wreck because the drivers side door and rear quarter panel had been poorly repainted and i found some odd things while replacing brake light bulbs. I would have really enjoyed that car in stick form and in good shape though i think. Are these cars generally that shitty or did I get a bad one?

I do like the civic idea, but I'm having a real hard time just finding a 96-2000 stick one with less than 150k for any amount of money. People seem to drive the wheels of those things.

How are the vibes on reliability? I have friend that has one with black leather and it's actually a really nice car. I heard some of them have toyota engines, are they any good?

With Saab's i've always heard that they are very problematic and expensive to fix, but I don't know if there is any truth to that.
 
Also, does any have any experience with Saturns? I can find them for pretty cheap and many people pull 40 mpg out of them. Only bad thing i've heard is that they burn oil. Not too big of deal though I don't think.
 
I've known several people with Saturns and they've been great cars if you don't mind that they're bland. Dunno how "fun" they are to drive either, but I'm sure with a 5-speed it'll be decent based on your expectations. Like you mentioned though you fill the oil and check the gas :lol: but that's just how they are and doesn't seem to affect reliability if you keep up on it.
 
Birdie2000 said:
I've known several people with Saturns and they've been great cars if you don't mind that they're bland. Dunno how "fun" they are to drive either, but I'm sure with a 5-speed it'll be decent based on your expectations. Like you mentioned though you fill the oil and check the gas :lol: but that's just how they are and doesn't seem to affect reliability if you keep up on it.
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yeah, they burn, but its not too bad. I had one that went through about a quart every thousand miles. Ran forever though, they just had loose rings it seems
 
DarkoStoj said:
i really like 02-03 subaru wrx wagons.
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I've got an 02 sedan for DD duties right now. it has enough pep to keep my commute interesting.

ConfusedGarage said:
The thing with finding high mileage cars with turbos and awd is shit goes wrong, and it goes wrong most often on those. My old WRX got shit for gas mileage, and that was new. I never got over 20 unless on the highway.
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No doubt turbo awd cars that have been beat on will nickel and dime you. My WRX is pulling 23-24 mpg with my commute being 27 miles each way, mostly on telegraph.
 
I had a 02 Focus SVT that car is a blast. If i could have had a little more cash for a WRX or SRT i would have gone that route.
 
ZJeepMI said:
Thanks guys.

Previous to my current car I had an automatic ZX3 focus, absolutely hated it. However, it had bent wheels, a few bad sensors, automatic, extremely loud valvetrain, and a bad alignment, and broken air conditioning in the middle of summer. I think the car was a wreck because the drivers side door and rear quarter panel had been poorly repainted and i found some odd things while replacing brake light bulbs. I would have really enjoyed that car in stick form and in good shape though i think. Are these cars generally that shitty or did I get a bad one?

I do like the civic idea, but I'm having a real hard time just finding a 96-2000 stick one with less than 150k for any amount of money. People seem to drive the wheels of those things.

How are the vibes on reliability? I have friend that has one with black leather and it's actually a really nice car. I heard some of them have toyota engines, are they any good?

With Saab's i've always heard that they are very problematic and expensive to fix, but I don't know if there is any truth to that.
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Vibe is nothing more than a Toyota Matrix. Not the cheapest car to repair in my opinion.


Civic doesn't HAVE to be 96-00, thats just the generation I prefer and they're also VERY cheap in those years. The newer ones just went with a more bland styling but DO get better fuel economy.

http://lansing.craigslist.org/cto/2824909947.html


I would NOT be scared of a Civic with 130k miles in the least bit. Just ask them if they've done Honda's recommended timing belt replacement.

If you can do a coupe, you can get Acura RSX's in that price range sometimes.

Or an Integra, in fact - there is an 01 GSR for sale on CL.

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/cto/2823696979.html

Integras are brother to the Civic.
 
SVT Focus if you don't care about speed...although it doesn't get as good of gas mileage as you'd think for that car
Cobalt
Neon

Civic Si
Integra GSR
 
Could look for a Lincoln Mark8 They can be had in that price range even with an LSC I get about 25 mpg on the expressway I do pretty much only city driving and I'm averaging 19mpg. So far it has been pretty trouble free.
 
Quick86 said:
Vibe is nothing more than a Toyota Matrix. Not the cheapest car to repair in my opinion.


Civic doesn't HAVE to be 96-00, thats just the generation I prefer and they're also VERY cheap in those years. The newer ones just went with a more bland styling but DO get better fuel economy.

http://lansing.craigslist.org/cto/2824909947.html


I would NOT be scared of a Civic with 130k miles in the least bit. Just ask them if they've done Honda's recommended timing belt replacement.

If you can do a coupe, you can get Acura RSX's in that price range sometimes.

Or an Integra, in fact - there is an 01 GSR for sale on CL.

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/cto/2823696979.html

Integras are brother to the Civic.
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Mileage means very little on a civic. I think that if you find one that appears to be in good shape, it may be the same case as far as under the hood goes.

I'm contemplating putting my civic up FS when school lets out. It's a great car, but being that it's my only car, I want to find something RWD. If I had another car, I wouldn't even consider getting rid of it.
IMG_7489.jpg


it's an '02 civic Si. it's ugly, yes. I have managed a best of 34.5mpg, and there is lots of room in the back with the seats down. essentially it's a slightly less powerful focus SVT, that is slightly better. i like the exterior of the focus more, but the interior is much better in the civic. the K20 is extremely reliable, which is the same 2.0L engine that is in the base model RSX (160hp, 132ft lb).

it has that funky ass shifter that everyone says is "so weird," and "looks uncomfortable". all of which is very wrong - it is in fact, awesome.
MyEP3interior2.jpg
 
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I have harassed you many times about living in my back yard yet you never bring your car out to meets. lol. I love your SI. Those cars grew on me.
 
I don't do meets anymore, I just drive my shit to and from places. It mostly just sits in a parking lot on Abbott though.
 
Awesome. Well i've been looking on autotrader and the local craiglist a little and I have found a few civics and integras, usually between 120-140k miles, and they look very nice. I haven't found many Integra GSR or Civic si's that don't look like a ricer drove them and beat the hell out of them though.

I have also found a ton of saturns with under 100k in that price. I like the SL2 the most, it has the most powerful engine (which isn't terribly powerful..) and still has 4 doors which is nice, but not necessary.

And cobalts are plentiful as well, usually with a little over 100k. Do these cars last pretty well? Comparable to honda or saturn?

Would I be better off with a lower mileage saturn or higher mileage integra/civic, based strictly on reliability? I do like the idea of buying american, but tons of those civics are made here anyway and i'm a poor college student who can't afford gas and excessive maintanance
 
I love my wifes cobalt, BUT..........

It's a 2007.. We've had to have the low control arm bushings replaced....twice
The steering column replaced....twice
Radio replaced....twice
Hood Latch....once
Remotes....twice

All under warranty thankfully.. Steering columns in those use a set of nylon gears that - well, are a horrible idea in my opinion for something that gets used as frequently as a STEERING WHEEL...The radio would stop understanding unputs of favorites (You'd want to change to Favorite #3 for example, press it like 5 times, and still nothing happen. Turn the car off, back on, it would work. She doesn't spill things in her car and keeps it very clean, so it's not like it's caused by someone spilling their redbull on it. lol)..... The lower control arm bushings are pretty well known. And the hood latch failed in the sense that the sensor thought the hood was popped when it wasn't. This caused the car's remote start to stop working as a safety precaution.

I love the Cobalt's - they're great cars, but when I place it's reliability to my Civic....

My Civic has 260k miles. For maintenance it has had 3 timing belts on it. Spark plugs, wires, fuel filter, distributor cap and rotor...

Parts that have failed:
O2 Sensor (pre-cat. Failed because of exhaust manifold crack)
Upper Control Arm (front. Was finally worn out at ~250k...so I replaced both uppers....)
Exhaust (Exhaust manifold cracked at probably 235k...)

That's IT. Everything else on my car, clutch included, is still ORIGINAL from the factory, aside from brakes, oil, and air filter obviously...

For that reason, every time I think about selling the car, I cannot. It is FAR too dependable and cheap to repair.

Example of cost to repair my Honda:

This winter I smoked a chunk of ice that fell off a truck and fucked up the header on it. Bent it upwards and is leaking now. Cost for my aftermarket replacement? $83 shipped to my door.
 
I've heard that Cobalts have higher insurance rates, due to safety issues. Apparently there is a high percentage of personal injury claims compared to other cars. The Pontiac G6 was the same.

Oh, and the reason you're not finding many GSRs or Si Civics is that they are THE most stolen cars in Mi. On Xceedspeed, there is another stolen car thread every few days. So bare that in mind.

For the sake of it, here is my old '97 Ex.
DSC00022.jpg


The last picture I took of it. I had put OEM Si wheels on it, and I thought it was very simple and clean. Difficult to see though.
Picture009.jpg


With a nice set of tires and a cheap set of coilovers, it was a blast to drive.
 
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