Fun and economical...

First post and I'm sure all of you are going to love me for it.

Yep, it's another help me choose/find an economical car thread. One of these pops up every couple of days or so, right? Well, I figured if everyone else can do it, so can I. It's that sense of entitlement that comes along with being an American.

So, what I want is a car that gets 50+ mpg (around town), has somewhere in excess of 800hp (forced induction of course... at that power level, NA is somewhat unpleasant to drive), and will take a flogging like no other car on the road.

Seriously though. I am looking for ideas for a daily driver that gets good fuel economy (35+ mpg hwy), has a manual transmission, and remains relatively competent on an auto-x course.

The fuel economy requirements sort of rule out the standard Miata response, unless someone can verify that the fuel economy estimates are somewhat inaccurate. If you can, I am willing to consider the Miata as an option. Other cars that have been considered are CRXs (good luck finding one), Civics, Saturn SCs, ZX2s, Cavaliers, etc.

My driving habits tend to be those that get on the nerves of most other motorists: Super slow acceleration and ~60mph top speed on the hwy.

I would like for my budget to remain in the $4K range, but I can exceed that for the right car. As a matter of fact, I'm going to try to sell my beloved Callaway Corvette (sob!) in the near future to make room in the garage for the new car. The sacrifices we make when we grow up and make super important adult decisions like graduating college and getting married

MX6 GT. I've seen mid 30's out of mine as long as i'm off the loud pedal. Can be had for peanuts.

If you're only going to drive 60, you may as well just ride the bus.

Keep the Callaway Corvette. What you think you are going to save per year really is not that much money.

How many miles do you drive per year?
What are you driving and what kind of mpg are you getting now?

jrw1621 wrote: Keep the Callaway Corvette. What you think you are going to save per year really is not that much money. How many miles do you drive per year? What are you driving and what kind of mpg are you getting now?

^exactly what I've been pointing out to my wife about fuel mileage cars. and my friend Dungey. he wanted a GTO desperately but was afraid of the mileage, so was going to settle for a honda. We did the figures and he was only going to spend like $10 more a week to be in a car that is possibly the best total package to come out of an american company in 10 years, that he was absolutely in love with, rather than being in something he was settling for and planning to sell to get something better.
he got a gto. with the ls2. and LOVES it.
I can't imagine trading a callaway vette for anything, let alone for an econ car to auto x as a side duty.

Build one of these:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/1994-honda-civic-d15-3-stage-vtec-turbo-11881.html

I could pull about 34 mpg out of my protege5. I really enjoyed autocrossing that car.

94 civic DX would get 38-50mpg and with some mods probably would have been a good autox car

I'll check out the MX6.

I drive 110 miles every day. 55 miles each way to and from work.

I'm not actually trading the Callaway on anything. Really, I'm looking to send it off to a better home who will have more time for it. It's got 500hp and 700tq and it just doesn't feel fast enough. Obviously, there's something wrong with me, so I need to get shed of it before I kill myself and the car (...a greater loss to the world would be the car, surely).

Currently, I'm driving a 2001 Toyota Prerunner and getting about 23mpg on the highway. Nothing to sneeze at considering the vehicle, but the extra 12+mpg would essentially act as an increase in pay at work. Besides, a 35mpg car under $4K will pay for itself in less than 2 years at the current gas prices.

As for the riding the bus comment: lmao!

I appreciate the comments and suggestions.

easycreeper wrote: I'll check out the MX6. I drive 110 miles every day. 55 miles each way to and from work. Currently, I'm driving a 2001 Toyota Prerunner and getting about 23mpg on the highway. Nothing to sneeze at considering the vehicle, but the extra 12+mpg would essentially act as an increase in pay at work. Besides, a 35mpg car under $4K will pay for itself in less than 2 years at the current gas prices. I appreciate the comments and suggestions.

Well, it really will not save you so much that it pays for itself in two years. Maybe 3 years.
Head over to www.fueleconomy.gov
Once you compare two cars it will show you a typical annual fuel spending. Now, under that number is a tiny hidden link that will allow you to customize. From here you can alter the amount of miles driven, the cost of fuel and the percentage of highway driving.

Play with the power search function and you can find cars that are rated at 35 mpg.

See if you can get a Honda Insight for under $4k. That will give you a payback in about 1.5 yrs

$4k? Buy $2000 accent, vintage 2000-2005. Springs, struts $400, tires/wheels $450. Maintenance work that is likely lacking $400. Stereo for $150. Done. 35+mpg cruiser that cost a tick over $3k, is indestructible and you don't care if you park it outside so hte vette can stay inside.

id reccomed against a cavalier. i was first responder saturday night on an accident scene involving a late 90's 2 door. (just driving along, and come up on a just happened, tires still smoking accident) i was shocked at how badly that car was folded up after a 50MPH hit from a honda civic. granted, the cavalier was hit in the door, but still. every pane of glass blown out, drives door all but touching the center hump. dont buy one. unless its caged.

od actually look at a late 80's civic si hatch. our z6 swapped crx gets 37 on our 45 mile a day commute. the hatch is easier to find, and cheaper. more practical too, but i have fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in the rex.

my old protege5 averaged 33 on my commute the late 90's saturn sl1 my wife had when we got married got 43 on our trips back and forth from nc to pa. ive got a frined that does 55 miles a day in a mid 90s 200sx, getting 34.7 average. hope that helps widen the search some.

michael

E30 318is, E36 318ti or 318is. Ford Focus?

Pics of Callaway please.

Accent? I had a 2001. Burned oil and leaked like a chevy, The ECM/MAF was messed up and always ran lean, I did replace the MAF. It melted the pistons. It threw the alt belt, when I went to replace it, one of the bolts broke of in the block. The final nail in the coffin was the PLASTIC throwout bearing grenaded and destroyed the nose of the trans. It always gathered crap in the spark plug recesses also, and with the oil leaks needed plug wires frequently. Also had to replace the coil pack... Worst car I've ever owned. And I've had some real POS cars.

My protege 5 has 276K, and just now had some problems with the ECM and TPS sensor.

easycreeper wrote: My driving habits tend to be those that get on the nerves of most other motorists: Super slow acceleration and ~60mph top speed on the hwy.

easycreeper wrote: It's got 500hp and 700tq and it just doesn't feel fast enough. Obviously, there's something wrong with me, so I need to get shed of it before I kill myself and the car

As my screen name implies, I have been drinking tonight but I am having trouble making sense of these two comments. Do you drive the thing like an an elderly Asian women or like crash-Gordon on his way to a victory. You can't have it both ways. Anyways, I would suggest my favorite, the early 90s Nissan Sentra SE-R or something similar. Lightweight, 4 cylinders, decent gas mileage, and takes a beating while asking for more.

Keep the Vette. Add a VW Rabbit GTi Callaway.

Big Saturn fan here. SC2 will get mid 30's combined, I get 32 with mostly city and a frisky right foot. 38hwy at 75mph A/C blowing. SC1 will get a couple mpg's more but you give up 24hp, nicer interior, and the suspension is softer. Not worth it. Plastic body panels don't dent or rust, and it's one of the more powerful cars in SCCA HS. Parts are cheap and easy to find, a 4k budget should land a very, very nice one.

Call me crazy but I've done 100+ MI daily commutes in my 2 16v Sciroccos for 3 years until I finally got a local transfer. I was getting a good 32mpg doing 75mph+ and less than ideal acceleration methods. With an 8v or just more conservative driving methods 35 really would be attainable.

The reason I survived driving so far so long? They really are a hoot to drive and kept me sane.

I don't see why a MK2 GTI couldn't do the same, but they tend to have held their value better.

I'd forgotten to give some of the older VWs consideration because of an aversion to the newer models (wife's last car was a New Beetle and it wasn't very reliable). Are there particular models to be on the lookout for?

The Saturn has been a front runner recently, but finding one that's in decent shape and not an overnight stay away has been difficult. Same thing for Civics, especially one that hasn't been "modified" by a "Boy Racer" as the Brits are fond of calling them.

I've been out to the fueleconomy.gov website for reference, but I know that real world mpg is likely a little higher than what is listed. The actual mpg values you guys are providing are really a big help in making the decision/opening up new options.

DrunkenMonkey: I do drive like an Asian Woman most of the time to keep from being noticed by the Men in Blue, but I do like to open up a little here and there when no one is looking, especially on twisty roads.

Pics as requested by MCODave:

Mazda Protege, circa 1999-2003. I used one for a daily driver for 3 years. My commute was 25 miles each way, mostly suburban country roads, and I averaged 34mpg. On highway cruising, it would get 37-38mpg at 70mph. For a little econobox, it was a ton of fun, really good handling. Dead nuts reliable too, and cheap to maintain.

My experience with a 2.0 ('03) Protege was less than stellar. I never managed to average more than 31mpg unless it was an anomaly. My average over 25k miles was just under 31 mpg. I HATED that engine. Great chassis. 90% Hwy, 100 mile daily commute.

I'm now driving a TDI Golf, and for the commute, it's an infinitely better car...and it currently saves me $134 a month compared to the PROTEGE.
Using Canadian gas prices, you'd save $2700 a year (226/month) going from the truck to a VW TDI.

(I have a spreadsheet for this kind of thing - enginerd)

Could probably get a 30 mpg Escort for around 1 G.

easycreeper wrote: I'd forgotten to give some of the older VWs consideration because of an aversion to the newer models (wife's last car was a New Beetle and it wasn't very reliable). Are there particular models to be on the lookout for?

My last 2 Scirocco were had for challenge money with money left over for refreshing. They tend to be the redhead stepchild of early VWs. Not as desireable as the early Sciroccos, and overshadowed by the MK2's

Benefit is that they'll be had for cheap and with the better rust resistance found in the later 80's.

Anyone you go with, the 16v's commonly had timing belts go because people ignored the 30k mi requirement, but they're super easy to do. 8v's are less sexy but still offer good reletive power, but their non-interference head makes major valve issues less likely. CIS injection may not be as super efficient as modern EFI, but it works very reliably when sorted.

Vanilla Jettas and Golfs of the late 80's and early 90's don't have the as much cost associated with them.

Focus

njansenv wrote: My experience with a 2.0 ('03) Protege was less than stellar. I never managed to average more than 31mpg unless it was an anomaly. My average over 25k miles was just under 31 mpg. I HATED that engine. Great chassis. 90% Hwy, 100 mile daily commute.

Good point. I forgot to mention that my Protege was a 1.6L LX model. Fast it was certainly not, but it was a fun little mill.

I would recomend against the accent. Low powered not great fuel economy (i got ~33) and the best part was it literally fell apart in the 40k I put on mine from new. I did all recomended maintenance but by the time I traded it (05 accent gt bought new) it had 2 transmissions and was making loud engine/wheelbearing noises. The interior was sweating oil and it had numerous rattles and squeaks. Perhapse I expected to much out of the car but it spent to much time in the shop and never got the mpg i expected. It did handle nice though