Opinions for another car

[Makdaddymac]

hey all,
im thinking about getting rid of my civic which is valued at about 4k.<<--budget

In my area its more theft prone then anything(stolen last week and recovered for those who dont know), especially since i put it back together with a ricer front end(it was cheaper), and i really don't think an alarm,and other security means is enough for me to sleep right at night.....every time a car drives by my window i wake up and think they are scoping my car,

but here is the deal, im in college, need something reliable and sips gas. so im thinking another civic that is bone stock and maybe even automatic(but this defeats the point)
but i was wondering if there is a reliable(econo) mpg beast that i have overlooked, i really hate corrolas btw....

and im thinking four popper fox?? but my civic got 28-30mpg on a bad day.. and i think a 4cyc fox would be a downgrade

thanks

 

[LaserSVT]

Hyundai Accent/Tiburon/Elantra all get good mileage and wont get stolen
Their is also the Escort ZX2 or an older Focus, Nissan Sentra or Altima. My Mark VIII sees 28 on the highway and they are fast and comfertable for 4K

 

[QUICK91LX]

I HIGHLY recommend a ZX2 Escort. I had a 99 with a 5-speed and it was a spectacular car for me. 28mpg on a BAD day. Highway driving got me 36mpg. Most of the time my average was around 32-33. It was a solid mid 15 second car and I think that if it had some wider tires it would have been quite a handler. I kinda regret selling it, but live and learn I guess. You can get a nice one for $4k or less. I did absolutely NOTHING to mine except change the oil and fill it with gas. It never even had an annoying rattle or shimmy. They look kinda cool, too.

I do not, however, recommend an older Focus, ESPECIALLY one that is sub 4k. My girlfriend has one and I hate it.

If you can find a ZX2 S/R for a good price, grab it. They are to the ZX2 what SVT is to the Focus.

 

[Makdaddymac]

im thinking ranger. i can get a 4 popper 98+ for about 3k put some stang rims on it a custom intake and see about 25 and 30's on teh highway, plus no one will steal it, i can hop a curb,work, become the truck guy that everyone calls and has to pay gas to use....

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I used to drive a '92 Ranger. It was a V6 and wasn't that great on gas but i loved it. If i didn't have my Merkur, i'd be looking for a Civic hatch, but i can see your point about theft prone. I've also heard good things about the Hyundai's. A friend of mine drives a '97 Cavalier and says he gets low 30ish MPG and loves it aside from it being super boring. Personally i love being able to drive something that's different and fun...hence the Merkur. Before that i drove an '88 Bronco II which was awesome too.

 

[lang williams]

Look for a clean 86 svo mustang. I don't know how reliable they are but they are fun to drive.

 

[kevin2m4]

+1 on the hyundai and +1 on the escort. my family has 3 escorts and i have an elantra

 

[LaserSVT]

Four banger rangers suck They cant get out of their own way, they always loose a coil pack (they have two coils and 8 plugs), the crank angle sensor, alt and they will only be good for low 20's on gas. Seems I remeber a common clunk from the rear but forget the cause of it. Might only be on the V-6 4x4 models though

 

[justagt]

Hmm

Um...if a $4000 civic is a magnet for theft, you may want to consider moving...

You could also go to the nearest junkyard and buy a off color bumper to replace the "ricer" one you said you put on. Maybe buy an off color hood too or something to make it look less nice.

 

[stykthyn]

I have one word for you: Vespa

 

[Flavadave4]

95-99 Jetta III with the 2.0, if not that an early 90's Volvo Wagon with the 2.3 good for 25mpg and flawlessly cool operation.

Note- this one pictured has a VR6 motor with is fun to drive but a little less MPG

 

[LaserSVT]

I have one word for you: Vespa

Thats Italian for ghey

 

[stykthyn]

Thats Italian for ghey

billy, your gheyness offends me





+1 for the volvo. my dad just bought a 91 with the 2.3 a few months ago and so far it has been very impressive. too bad they are butt ugly...........................kind of like billy.

 

[LiquidGT]

95-99 Jetta III with the 2.0, if not that an early 90's Volvo Wagon with the 2.3 good for 25mpg and flawlessly cool operation.

Seriously, I say consider a 91-96 Escort GT (or LX-E) 5 speed, or 1.8 Protege around the same years. They had a 127 hp Mazda engine, 4W disc brakes, reliable, gets above 30mpg. You might want to stay away from a '91 though, they had the 1.8 had the 'short nose' crank and the harmonic balancer might sheer off.

 

[LaserSVT]

billy, your gheyness offends me





+1 for the volvo. my dad just bought a 91 with the 2.3 a few months ago and so far it has been very impressive. too bad they are butt ugly...........................kind of like billy.

Woot Woot! Im like a Volvo!

 

[lang williams]

Nice thing bout a volvo is you can always do a 5.0 swap into it.

 

[QUICK91LX]

Nice thing bout a volvo is you can always do a 5.0 swap into it.

that is only on the 7 series RWD volvos. may be possible on the 2 series but havent seen one swapped yet. that also defeats the mpg idea.

i have a 96 volvo 850 n/a with a stick that is S-L-O-W but very comfy and solid. turbo models were never available in this country with a stick but they run pretty well. mine gets me 24 consistantly in mixed driving. only downside is parts are expensive and rarely available anywhere but a dealer.

My choices for a Volvo:

740 TIC

850R

 

[Mr. Rustypwnz]

Look for a clean 86 svo mustang. I don't know how reliable they are but they are fun to drive.

you cant find a rusted out one for 4 grand anymore...

they are cool cars, the only reason you know your in a mustang is when you get out and look at it, other than that it could be something completely diff.

but for a grand you can absolutely waste a bolt on 5.0 and still get 30mpg
insurance is really cheap as well..

other than that I missed doing huge burnouts and all that, but it was unique and a hell of alot of fun

 

[25thmustang]

Ford FESTIVA or Fiesta...

My friend got 40+ mpg, they are ugly as sin and worth nothing. He paid $100 or $150 for it, and drove it for a couple years before selling it. The current owner drives it now. I highly highly recommend something like that. Cheap to insure, cheap to drive, cheap to fix if you ever need to and noone even looks at stealing it. Put some dents all around, spray bomb paint and you wont even have to lock the car!

Take my word for it...

 

[hemi_fan]

If you dont want a civic, I'd suggest an early 90's Accord. I had a '92 with a 5-speed and the 2.2L and it went to 520,000km without missing a beat, sold it for scrap because the clutch wore out and we didnt want to put in the money. The car had little rust, the bad spot is in the rear quarter right above the rear bumper but theres no hidden spots. The car also got like 38mpg combined driving, 42 highway. Plus it actually drove and handled really well, quite neutral and feels like a light car. The upside to this, you get a Honda for reliability/fuel consumption but its not a civic and doesnt have a V-tec motor so nobody wants to steal it!