Best disposable appliance for commute

I used to have a single cam '97 5 speed SL1 when I was stationed in Europe.

You'd be surprised how fast those pieces of E36M3 could go on the autobahn.

Not a bad car, but not particularly great either.

Saturns rust just as bad as any GM product from that era, look carefully at the rocker panels front to rear(the front and rear bulkheads/torque boxes too) and engine cradle, look around the trans mount in particular IIRC. The good news is its all flat and 90* angles,so the repair isnt terrible. The trans is a midplate design with 5th hanging outside the main case, allowing you to swap the taller SOHC overdrive gear set into a DOHC car without removing the trans.

I would vote for the newest Prizm you can find.

2.2 ohv cavalier.

super cheap, 32-34mpg highway, will run forever. simple to work on too.

patgizz wrote: 2.2 ohv cavalier. super cheap, 32-34mpg highway, will run forever. simple to work on too.

Is this the pre-ecotec engine?

B13 or B14 Sentra. I have 270k Miles on my SE-R and it has been bullet proof, gets good milege, handles great, and is comfortable. Best of all it is not a saturn .

In reply to PS122:

Paseo? It's a Tercel but generally unloved.

Came in here to post Prizm. I picked up a very low mileage 2001 earlier this year for $3,000

PS122 wrote:

patgizz wrote: 2.2 ohv cavalier. super cheap, 32-34mpg highway, will run forever. simple to work on too.

Is this the pre-ecotec engine?

Yes it is. The late cav's with ecotec, or early Cobalts would be a cheap reliable commuter

2001+ Focus... Any ZX2

If it doesn't have to have 4 doors, might want to consider the last generation Toyota Celica. Ours has 165k miles, gets 38 mpg on the highway, it's reliable, handles reasonably well, is quiet, front seats are comfortable (rear seats are useless for adults), has pretty decent cargo capacity, and is actually enjoyable to drive. I don't really consider it an appliance, but it is a manual trans (don't think it would be "fun" to drive with an automatic) and I only have a 15 mile commute each way.

All Toyotas in the past 15 years or so end up with a bad AC evaporator and if you pay to have it fixed it runs $1500 or a bit more. Otherwise, we've done routine maintenance, and replaced the clutch at 100k, just did the front brakes for the first time at 150k, and replaced the catalytic converter at about 140k.

Another Saturn vote. Get at twin cam car, there are lots of them in stick or auto.

I have 176,000 on my '97 Twin 5 speed, uses more oil if you're running synthetic or semi rather than regular. I'm at a quart every 1500 with semi-syn.

33 combo mileage with 38 if steady hi-way

I'll throw out for the 2000 Kia Spectra. Can be had in the 150k-200k mile range for $1000, maybe less. It's a car. If you look at it in the dark from directly in front squinting while drunk, it looks a bit like a Celica. With 4 doors.

The wife bought one to put off actually spending any money until she can get what she wants. It's gotten her to work without incident and several weekend road trips. Its a car.

I can't believe nobody has said Neon yet. $4k buys you a one owner, up to date maintainance car with enough dough left over for a second one.

The cheapest 4cyl, 5 speed you can find. $1600 bought my son an Escort that went well over 200K. His commute is about 80 miles a day. At 140 miles a day you are destroying it rather quickly. Buy something cheap, drive it into the ground. Who it's made by is largely a moot point. I don't know of a car manufacturer that makes an econ-o-box that won't go 200K+ with basic maintenance.

Zomby Woof wrote:

PS122 wrote:

patgizz wrote: 2.2 ohv cavalier. super cheap, 32-34mpg highway, will run forever. simple to work on too.

Is this the pre-ecotec engine?

Yes it is. The late cav's with ecotec, or early Cobalts would be a cheap reliable commuter

get the older models with the OHV 2.2.. other than the occasional head gasket, they are indestructible and get better mileage than the ecotec models do. and even if it does pop a head gasket and milkshake the crankcase, you will only be out about $120 in parts and a weekend afternoon in time fixing it..

find a stripped down model- i paid $200 for my current 98 2 door/5 speed/non AC/crank up windows beater and it's been pretty good for the 3500 or so miles i've put on it over the last couple of months.. i had to put a head gasket in it when i got it, and decided that i'd treat it to new tires- but as it sits right now i'm at about $800 total investment and can see no reason why it won't hold together for a couple of years if i can keep avoiding the temptation to power shift it..

yes, it's ugly.. yes, the odometer reads 298,000 miles.. yes, it appears to have been rolled at some time in it's life, if all the bondo that's chipping out of the roof and the door that says "Sunfire" mean anything... yes, every panel has at least 3 dents on it.. yes, i had to weld the driver's seat frame so i don't have the gangsta lean... yes, it's missing a front turn signal light.. but most importantly- yes, it always starts and yes it cruises down the interstate at 85mph like nothing, and really, that's all anyone can expect from a $200 car with a little bit of work..

In reply to novaderrik:

Mine is at 190k. in the 6 years I've had it It averages 2 oil changes a year, and I replaced a valve cover gasket and a coolant pipe and rides on cheap snow tires year round. Most of the paint has peeled of and where there is no paint it doesn't have the decency to rust away properly. I may never get rid of it.

Another vote for a Saturn. I daily drive a 1997 SOHC SL1. 187K. 33mpg combined no matter how I drive it. Ton of them in the yards around here for cheap replacement parts. Heard bad thing about some of the early automatics, but I have no experience with them.

+1 for DOHC Saturn. Avoid the SOHC. Only the head is different, but 91-94 cars are turtle slow, 95+ cars are dog slow. All of the SOHCs have the potential for a cracked head... although still not a common failure.

Yes, they all burn oil. One that has been remotely maintained will not burn much though. My last one burnt <1/4 qt between oil changes, and had 170k on it. My current one burns about 1/2qt every 5k miles, with 125k on it.

My current daily beater I picked up for $3k... leather, sunroof, a/c, auto (intentional), 100k miles, clean interior, no body damage, etc. Only thing missing is ABS/traction control. Look up $3k Corollas and see what you'll find (I was looking hard for a decent corolla) Mileage isn't spectacular with the auto... I'm averaging 31mpg. Then again, I have a town-ish commute, and I do have a roof rack which often has bikes on it.

I've seen the alternator comment by a few on here. They only take about 30-45mins to change and I've only had ONE fail (at ~200k miles), and I've had 10 Saturns if you count the lemons car.

Surprised at the rust comment, as you could combine the rust from all of the Saturns I have ever owned, and it would likely still be less than my 03 Miata was or 02 Subaru. If you are south of the mason dixon line, you'll have a hard time finding a bit of rust on the car at all. The only spots I have ever seen rust are the rear doorsills on a 1st gen sedan/wagon, and the cradle. Cradle is an easy replacement item if you are so inclined, although you'd have to be in a perpetual salt bath to rust it that badly.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Hood, roof, trunklid are metal.

93-95 wagon roofs and rear hatches were not metal

Auto trans issues: the "reverse slam". Basically the trans gunks up becase people neglect them.... which is suprising because its the most retardedly easy auto trans to service ever. Has an oilpan and spin-on filter just like the engine. Anyway, simple fixes depending on the severity... none of which require you to remove the trans.

Manual trans issues: only issue is the diff-pin failure, which is largely a result of people doing burnouts. One wheel peel = lots of heat in the diff = casing expands = pin drops out = trans takes a dump. I've seen it, but never had it happen to me. Keep your foot out of it when the tires break loose (including snow).

Had a 95 protege for a bit. Avg'd 35mpg fairly reliable.

ProDarwin wrote: Keep your foot out of it when the tires break loose (including snow).

Then what's the point of living where it snows?

Wally wrote: In reply to novaderrik: Mine is at 190k. in the 6 years I've had it It averages 2 oil changes a year, and I replaced a valve cover gasket and a coolant pipe and rides on cheap snow tires year round. Most of the paint has peeled of and where there is no paint it doesn't have the decency to rust away properly. I may never get rid of it.

oh yeah, i had to replace the coolant pipe on mine, tool... forgot about that... it was full of pinholes where the serp belt had been throwing debris at it for 295,000 miles.. but i couldn't justify spending money on that since i didn't really know if the car was a good driver yet, so i made a new pipe at work... if i had been smart, i would have just hit a junkyard and found the 97 and older setup that put the water outlet at the other end of the head with a short hose to the radiator and just moved the coil pack out of the way, but what's the point of having access to lathes and mills and welders at work if you don't make stuff for your car once in a while?

140 miles per day = 35,000 miles per year just commuting, and probably 40,000 for all driving per year.

That's a lot, and the fuel costs will wipe out any savings from a cheap car if it gets anything other than great mileage.

40,000 miles at 20 mpg = 2000 gallons = $8,000 per year at $4/gal.
40,000 miles at 30 mpg = 1350 gallons = $5,500 per year
40,000 miles at 40 mpg = 1000 gallons = $4,000 per year
40,000 miles at 50 mpg = 800 gallons = $3,200 per year

Against a 30 M.P.G. car, a 50 M.P.G. car saves $200 per month. That's a big fraction of a car payment right there.

If you can find a CRX HF, or an Insight, go for it. Otherwise you really should be looking at a Prius - even brand new.

00-up accent, 01-up elantra would both fit the bill perfectly. Our 00 accent has ~210+k miles and is still strong. The02 elantra was at 160+k miles and drivetrain was solid, body was getting rusty.

The elantra I would exleft mid-30s while the accent would be upper-30s as long as you keep the rpms under 3200. Both cars enter a weird fuel map at that speed that sucks gas.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1998-Chevrolet-Cavalier-2dr-5spd-ONE-OWNER-LOW-MILES-MD-INSPECTED-NO-RESERVE-/330850197192?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4d08355ec8

chaparral wrote: 140 miles per day = 35,000 miles per year just commuting, and probably 40,000 for all driving per year. That's a lot, and the fuel costs will wipe out any savings from a cheap car if it gets anything other than great mileage. 40,000 miles at 20 mpg = 2000 gallons = $8,000 per year at $4/gal. 40,000 miles at 30 mpg = 1350 gallons = $5,500 per year 40,000 miles at 40 mpg = 1000 gallons = $4,000 per year 40,000 miles at 50 mpg = 800 gallons = $3,200 per year Against a 30 M.P.G. car, a 50 M.P.G. car saves $200 per month. That's a big fraction of a car payment right there. If you can find a CRX HF, or an Insight, go for it. Otherwise you really should be looking at a Prius - even brand new.

this

this is why i bought a new toyota corolla. .7% financing, and the gas costs i was saving over my other DD almost made the payment per month, plus 5 years free tires and maintenance. no brainer