A friend needs a car. His '94 Mitsu Galant is headed for the scrapper. His budget cap is $5000.
Requirements: Hatchback Automatic Reliable Can deliver pizzas
He's not mechanically savvy (doesn't even know how to charge a/c), so this ideally is something that doesn't need work or fiddling with.
I imagine the answer begins with "T" and ends in "oyota," but I want to see what you guys can come up with. I'm thinking Ford Focus is also on that list.
answer could also begin with M and end with azda3 or perhaps azda6.
Protege5. Spend the rest on five years worth of pizza! Or lots of gasoline.
EK Civic.
Yes, my first thoughts were cars beginning with a T...namely Yaris. Older Scion if you can find one in that price.
Nicest Metro he can get his hands on?
Hyundai Accent hatch?
ebonyandivory wrote: Protege5. Spend the rest on five years worth of pizza! Or lots of gasoline.
+1
Ford Focus ZX5, too.
This is also technically a 'hatchback'
Yaris would be great if you can find one in that price range.
I'd vote Saturn S series. Not a hatch, but you can get a wagon. Cheap to buy, cheap to feed.
Good call on the Scions. The xB is definitely in that price range and hits all the right buttons. Can't find any Mazda3s at that price thought I did find a 6 wagon. No unmolested Civic hatches in our area. Some decent Focuses and Saturns.
I don't think I'd willingly subject anyone to a Metro who didn't already want one.
I've got a PT Cruiser I'd like to unload. You could stack a lot of pizza in a PT, and based upon the phone calls I'm not getting, I bet you could find one cheap.
I was wondering about the PT, but saw in another thread something about a timing belt job being a nightmare. What's the reality there?
The plus sides of that reality are, it was either done recently enough that you wont worry about it for a while, or, it only needs to be done once before he'll get tired of it, wreck it, sell it, etc. 
I have been known to expound repeatedly on the false economy of people driving overly expensive and inefficient cars as pizza delivery vehicles, but seems like these suggestions are mostly on the right track!
I think reliability is the top concern, efficiency the second concern, and everything else no concern for delivering pizza. Maybe it would be tough to find a clean Yaris or Xa for 5k in your area, but it should buy you the nicest Echo you can find! I dont think they're substantially different from an mpg or reliability standpoint. Why does this guy want a hatch again? If he was getting by with a Galant (sedan)...
PT is not going to get good mileage in stop and go. In all likelihood, it will get BAD mileage, like 18-19 in constant stop and go.
Id be looking for an Xa, but it might be tough to find much selection on those.
the focus would be a good choice.
Very high mileage 2nd gen Prius.
ProDarwin wrote: Very high mileage 2nd gen Prius.
I second this motion! Or perhaps a high mile auto 1G Honda Insight..
Accent hatch.
Oh, did I forget to mention my other favorite car to buy?
If he can't find a clean one in his area for under 2K, he's not trying. 99% came with auto's. 25mpg city all day long. Cockroach reliability. Can be fixed with a hammer and duct tape.
In reply to Bobzilla:
That too......as scary as it is to admit it.
Seriously, any generation Accent hatch. It ain't pretty but they're nearly impossible to destroy. Parts and repairs are cheap and it gets great gas mileage. Plus, the vast majority are automatics.
beans wrote: Oh, did I forget to mention my other favorite car to buy?
As long as you don't mind slipping transmissions.
Festiva
Civic VX
Asspyre
$5k buys a nice CRX!
Personally, I wouldn't bother spending $5k on a Pizza Assault Vehicle. Spend $3-$4k on a DD, and $1-$2k on the pizzapimpride.
All the cool kids always delivered pizzas in ACVW's, so I'm going with the VW 412.
Disclaimer: I may be old.
Saturn wagon (and a case of oil) as first choice. 99.9% will be automatics.
Accent as second.
Honda Fit with 250,000 miles.
Toyota Matrix
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