Time to start thinking about a new car, gas is starting to eat me

  • Thread starter Thread starter mustangGT90210
  • 104 comments
  • 5,639 views
mustangGT90210

mustangGT90210

Messages
3,008
Messages
You're crazy if you think
Messages
I can afford either of these.
Hey GTP, it's time for me to rack your brains/get more active on here. I started college today, and quickly realized that gas is going to absolutely eat me. I've gone through $20 just today with work and school. It's not time to replace my beast, but to supplement it.

With that being said, here's what I'm thinking:

Price: 2-2.5k
MPG: Ideally want 25 city, but will stretch down to 23ish.
Must be a manual trans. I will not accept automatic, and I can (kinda) afford to wait this one out.
Coupe, sedan, hatch, doesn't matter.
Thinking a 4 cylinder is my best bet for the efficiency.
Oh, and it has to be relatively cheap to insure. I'll be 19 in a month with a perfect record
Airbags... Yes please, due to insurance and safety, small car and no bags... :scared: For the right car though I'll screw the bags.

Basically, I'm looking for a manual tranny econobox with some personality. It has to have some get up and go, so no less than 130 horse. Cars like civics, sentra, accord, prelude, protege, etc. Prefer to stay away from nearly anything american, because american small cars sucked until late. So what kinda suggestions might you guys have that are more "under the radar but still fun" ?
 
Are those findable for that cheap? I was under the impression focus's were still 4-5 grand... I'll have to look that up
 
1995-1998 Nissan 200SX. Cheap, reliable and within your budget. However, hard to find so get a Sentra. :D

I also recommend a Contour.
 
Mazda tend to take a high dive in depreciation.

Perhaps you could fine a Protege for that cheap. They are fairly solid cars.
 
Countours are pretty decent cars, I completely forgot about those, one for the short list.


Bonus points for SVT goodness. (Yes, it contradicts the whole insurance thing...)

I'm glad I made this thread already, I was thinking that money would just be scraping the '95 model year, not getting to '98 and almost '00. So used to Mustang/F150 pricing :lol:
 
While not the most attractive, there's always the S-series Saturns (SC/SL/SW) They're pretty good on gas, have fairly cheap parts, are pretty easy to work on, cheap to insure - decent all-round cars. Typically, the SOHC models, while not performers by any stretch, average gas mileage in the high 20s/low 30s even in the city.
 
I appreciate your input, but I will not own a GM. They're a pain in my ass to work on and I bleed Ford Blue.


More important every GM I've seen has all kinds of screwy, not thought out designs that require way more effort than should be necessary
 
Kawasaki Ninja 250;

kawasaki_ninja_250r_se_01.jpg


You can pick one of these up for $1500 in good shape. It's easy on gas, reliable, can park anywhere, and so cheap that if you drop it you won't really care. You'll save $$$ on gas and insurance and have a blast doing it.

If you don't have a motorcycle license; your university will have classes on weekends or nights for like $20. You ride their bikes BTW.
 
I wouldn't recommend giving a powerful crotch rocket to a teenager. Only bad things will happen.

How about an Infiniti G20? You get the SR20DE, which is a great engine! And it checks every one of your boxes!

infiniti-g20-parts.jpg
 
Old Mazda P5s, if you can stretch your budget.

Oh, and the Civic VX. Great economy, spritely, despite being underneath your power requirements.
 
mustangGT90210
Countours are pretty decent cars, I completely forgot about those, one for the short list.
Click to expand...

My family currently has a '98 Countour with the 2.0 in it. We've had to rebuilt the transmission once already (automatic) and do some regular maintenance, but other than that it's been a reliable piece of crap. :lol:

Honestly it wouldn't be a bad car if it was a manual transmission and we could afford to replace the shocks.
 
astrosdude91
I wouldn't recommend giving a powerful crotch rocket to a teenager. Only bad things will happen.
Click to expand...

A Ninja 250 isn't a "powerful crotch rocket".

Quite the opposite and apparently one of the best learner bikes possible.


As for cars... Second P5 if you can find one, second the Saturn S-series. Actually, second Contour/ZX2 but either would have to be a manual.

They may be GM products but the S-series wasn't designed by corporate GM at all (Saturn until the later years was pretty much its own company). They have their own issues eventually but they drive well and even the SL1 automatic I drove a while back wasn't completely gutless with 3 people in it so...

Actually, second Contour/ZX2 but either would have to be a manual.
 
Saturn SL2. Cheap, reliable as hell (Twin Cam SL2 that is), and will easily beat your requirements for MPGs. Decently quick too with 124hp.

38435080014_large.jpg
 
Early to mid 90s Civic or Golf (gti?)

Excellent on gas, cheap for insurance, easy as heck to work on, and small which makes parking a whole lot easier.... Not sure of the size of your university but this is a big deal at mine.
 
Not sure on what engines they have for the Accords over there but I'm about to get an Accord with a 5-speed stick and the F22B1 VTEC SOHC motor (141hp I think). AU$4131 which is actually quite cheap for this neck of the woods.
 
Just checked. Wow, I feel old. Used P5s are now down in the $3k range.

2003-mazda-protege5-p5-front-angle-ucc.jpg


P5s are good cars. Have their issues... suspension bushings, worn synchros and some oil eating on abused models... but they come with nice, torquey 2 liter motors, have good cargo space, a great suspension, excellent handling and some upgradability if you want to go that direction. The ECU and turbocharged engine from the Mazdaspeed Protege are bolt-in pieces (only major difference with the engine is the variable tumble/swirl control on the P5...) and most suspension and exhaust mods for the MSP and MP3 fit it.

I'd rock one, even today... even secondhand.
 
niky
Just checked. Wow, I feel old. Used P5s are now down in the $3k range.
Click to expand...

Umm not around here they aren't. I'm lucky if I find one below $5k, and that's not the norm. Most of them have been around $6-7k. 👎

As a matter of fact I just searched my local craigslist and the cheapest one was $4,999 for a white automatic. Next one was a silver automatic at $7,800, :crazy:
 
Must be luck. I'm seeing some say they've got them for around 4-5 Canadian on Mazdas247 (I really should log in more... my last post there outside my cam thread was something like a year ago!).

Not even the 99s? Wow.
 
Murcie_LP640
Not sure on what engines they have for the Accords over there but I'm about to get an Accord with a 5-speed stick and the F22B1 VTEC SOHC motor (141hp I think). AU$4131 which is actually quite cheap for this neck of the woods.
Click to expand...

I've got a 2000 accord coupe v6 and if he's buying a car to be better on gas that's not exactly getting fantastic mpg. Oh and a 2000 with less than 200k kms here is about 8-10 thousand not 4.

Accords will come in a 4 cylinder or v6.
 
This is a '94, and the F22B1 is a four-cylinder; I believe in the generation in question (94-97) the F22B1 is in the EX trim for USDM.
 
Last edited:
Rotary Junkie
Actually, second Contour/ZX2 but either would have to be a manual.
Click to expand...

This. My ZX2 is near enough to gutless with a slushbox; apparently, just switching to a stick cuts about two seconds off the 0-60 time.
 
BrutherSuperior
Kawasaki Ninja 250;

kawasaki_ninja_250r_se_01.jpg


You can pick one of these up for $1500 in good shape. It's easy on gas, reliable, can park anywhere, and so cheap that if you drop it you won't really care. You'll save $$$ on gas and insurance and have a blast doing it.

If you don't have a motorcycle license; your university will have classes on weekends or nights for like $20. You ride their bikes BTW.
Click to expand...
I want one stupid bad. That was my first choice, in that color even. But everyone I talk to says I'll get killed.

I'm just wary about riding a bike around the busiest part of this town. And I don't know if anyone in here has ever been to florida, no one here can drive. The only reason I haven't been hit on multiple occassions is thanks to my horn and the fact no one can miss seeing the truck. If I wasn't going through that crap to get to school I'd be all over the bike
astrosdude91
I wouldn't recommend giving a powerful crotch rocket to a teenager. Only bad things will happen.

How about an Infiniti G20? You get the SR20DE, which is a great engine! And it checks every one of your boxes!

infiniti-g20-parts.jpg
Click to expand...
I like those. And they're a 90s nissan so they should hold up pretty well too!
niky
Old Mazda P5s, if you can stretch your budget.

Oh, and the Civic VX. Great economy, spritely, despite being underneath your power requirements.
Click to expand...
Which civic is the VX?

Would love a P5 or even just a regular Protege from that same age range, their my favorite of the econoboxes from then
Rotary Junkie
A Ninja 250 isn't a "powerful crotch rocket".

Quite the opposite and apparently one of the best learner bikes possible.


As for cars... Second P5 if you can find one, second the Saturn S-series. Actually, second Contour/ZX2 but either would have to be a manual.

They may be GM products but the S-series wasn't designed by corporate GM at all (Saturn until the later years was pretty much its own company). They have their own issues eventually but they drive well and even the SL1 automatic I drove a while back wasn't completely gutless with 3 people in it so...

Actually, second Contour/ZX2 but either would have to be a manual.
Click to expand...
Ok that's good to hear, I might be able to open my eyes up to saturn because they did their own thing. I'll have to start looking
CMvan46
Early to mid 90s Civic or Golf (gti?)

Excellent on gas, cheap for insurance, easy as heck to work on, and small which makes parking a whole lot easier.... Not sure of the size of your university but this is a big deal at mine.
Click to expand...
Wanna stay away from VW, expensive parts for my liking, and the electricals trip me out. Both my girlfriend's parents have Jetta TDIs, a MKIV and MKV, both having some stupid electrical stuff I don't wanna deal with.
Murcie_LP640
Not sure on what engines they have for the Accords over there but I'm about to get an Accord with a 5-speed stick and the F22B1 VTEC SOHC motor (141hp I think). AU$4131 which is actually quite cheap for this neck of the woods.
Click to expand...
VTEC :drool:
niky
Just checked. Wow, I feel old. Used P5s are now down in the $3k range.

2003-mazda-protege5-p5-front-angle-ucc.jpg


P5s are good cars. Have their issues... suspension bushings, worn synchros and some oil eating on abused models... but they come with nice, torquey 2 liter motors, have good cargo space, a great suspension, excellent handling and some upgradability if you want to go that direction. The ECU and turbocharged engine from the Mazdaspeed Protege are bolt-in pieces (only major difference with the engine is the variable tumble/swirl control on the P5...) and most suspension and exhaust mods for the MSP and MP3 fit it.

I'd rock one, even today... even secondhand.
Click to expand...

Off to craigslist. For one. Now.
 
This might be a bit too cheap of a car, but, how about the K11 Nissan Micra/March?

They're awfully cheap to buy and insure, they're quite reliable (in fact, I think it's quite hard to kill one if it receives a wee bit of mantaince) and get good MPG...

They're just as slow and boring as they are cheap though. But, if cheap and reliable are your maain concerns, it might be suitable.
 

Latest Posts

Back