What are some good reliable 4 door cars for a DD that get 30+ mpg? With gas prices getting so high the wife finally wants a 3rd car.I have mine and an 03 durango which both love gas.We are looking for something 4-6 years old with low mileage.The wife likes the jetta but I am open to suggetions. OOPS can someone move this to the talk forum??
Looking for a DD 4 door
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imblown-ru
New Member
srt-4 
i know i know everyone bash them, but it is a somewhat roomy, fun, 4 door car, and mine with intake exhaust and ignition, got 28-29 mpg.and 250 whp!
i know i know everyone bash them, but it is a somewhat roomy, fun, 4 door car, and mine with intake exhaust and ignition, got 28-29 mpg.and 250 whp!
moved to talk...
I would get a focus if your just looking for a small car thats good on gas. I work on fords for a living and I will tell you the focus gets a bad rep for the stupid recalls in the early cars but they are nice little cars and are relaible. In fact I will be picking one up soon for a new DD..
My advise is don't by imports, you pay for the name and predicted relabilty and in my years as a mechanic and working at a volkswagon/honda dealer then a toyota store and now for the last 6 years ford, I am confident to say that the realiability is so close that it's not worth the 3-4 grand extra you pay for a used honda over a used ford.
I would get a focus if your just looking for a small car thats good on gas. I work on fords for a living and I will tell you the focus gets a bad rep for the stupid recalls in the early cars but they are nice little cars and are relaible. In fact I will be picking one up soon for a new DD..
My advise is don't by imports, you pay for the name and predicted relabilty and in my years as a mechanic and working at a volkswagon/honda dealer then a toyota store and now for the last 6 years ford, I am confident to say that the realiability is so close that it's not worth the 3-4 grand extra you pay for a used honda over a used ford.
04DarkShadowGT
Member
svttech76 said:
The focus sucks on gas for a compact car, especially the older ones. They would routinely get low to mid 20s combined driving. That imo is pretty bad for a economy car. My Mazda6 gets 25-30 mixed driving and its a midsize.
I would buy a newer body style Corolla, they frequently get 30-35 mixed and 40 highway mileage. They are better built, not necessarily engine, but they will not rattle or squeek as soon as a Focus or Neon. But thats jmo. I had a 00 SI civic that was awesome, it took all of my abuse and never a single rattle in 55K miles. My 04 Mustang rattled like crazy at 25K miles.
Well alot depends on your price range. For about 10k you can get 1998/1999 Lexus ES300 (less than 100k miles), 1996-2000 BMW 325i, 323i, 525i, 528i with around 100k miles or less. Those cars with proper maintence will go for 250k plus miles w/o little to no problems. Search those forums, and you'll see a huge number of people with high mileage Lexus's or BMW's. I'm in the process of looking for a DD in the 10k range, and I just can't bring myself to buy a 2005/6 Taurus when I can get an 98/99/00 ES 300 for the same price with less than 100k miles, tons more options, considerably better build quality, quieter, safer, etc, etc, etc. Do your homework, tons of used cars to pick out of.....
for 30+ mpg, you are going to be looking into small 4 or 2 door 4 cylinder cars. I doubt any v6 will get that in city driving. But if it were me, I wouldnt want a family car to be a 4 cylinder. Not my idea of a car I would want my love ones driving on the highway with.
BurningRubber
10 Year Member
- Dec 6, 2004
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I have a question...
I never understood buying another car that gets better gas mileage as a 2nd or 3rd car to help in cutting gas consumption.
Why...?
Because you are spending thousands on a car, plus insurance, tax tags & title (which alone is several hundred bucks in gas) AND even though it will get 25-30mpg you STILL have to put gas into it, plus its a hit or miss buying a used car and not having mechanical issues or bugs.
If you really want a 3rd car for fuel economy im gonna have to agree on an SRT-4. Those things are pretty bad ass.
I never understood buying another car that gets better gas mileage as a 2nd or 3rd car to help in cutting gas consumption.
Why...?
Because you are spending thousands on a car, plus insurance, tax tags & title (which alone is several hundred bucks in gas) AND even though it will get 25-30mpg you STILL have to put gas into it, plus its a hit or miss buying a used car and not having mechanical issues or bugs.
If you really want a 3rd car for fuel economy im gonna have to agree on an SRT-4. Those things are pretty bad ass.
speedfreak98r
Banned
Prius FTW..I'm actually looking also. However, my price range is somewhat smaller than yours. I found an '87 civic for $250 with a bad head gasket, and an '87 prelude for $800. My thing is, if it breaks down, i'll just leave it there
We are looking at the 5-6k range because we want to pay cash.It will be for the wife to drive back and forth to work.That way I can park the stang and just drive it when I want to.We have the durango for the family vehicle but I would like a 4 door because of the twins.I am just looking for something for the next 2-3 years then the wife gets whatever she wants as the durango will be paid for and we won't have daycare because the twins will start school.01BlkGT said:
nickthegenius
Active Member
VW and reliability don't go in the same sentence. Skip the Jetta. I had one and I liked it, but I will never have another VW that I need to depend on. Remember that most Golf/Jetta MkIV (99.5-up) were recalled for faulty window regulators, bad coil packs, and it seems like I'm missing one smaller one. They are nice looking cars and you get a touch of luxury in your commuter, but its not worth it.
I now have a Focus ZX3. Its a 2005 with the newer Duratec 2.0L. The gas mileage is merely OK. It consistantly gets 27mpg. I once got 31mpg on an all-interstate trip. It is the first new car I have bought in the last 6yrs that utterly refuses to even the EPA "city" figure. Hell, my '99 Formula and '01 Formulas both got 25-27mpg and they had an extra 170hp. Otherwise, I love the Focus. The hatch is handy and its a super simple car as the only option it left the factory with was A/C. I'm going to drive it until it dies.
I now have a Focus ZX3. Its a 2005 with the newer Duratec 2.0L. The gas mileage is merely OK. It consistantly gets 27mpg. I once got 31mpg on an all-interstate trip. It is the first new car I have bought in the last 6yrs that utterly refuses to even the EPA "city" figure. Hell, my '99 Formula and '01 Formulas both got 25-27mpg and they had an extra 170hp. Otherwise, I love the Focus. The hatch is handy and its a super simple car as the only option it left the factory with was A/C. I'm going to drive it until it dies.
Well a buddy of mine just picked up a super clean 1995 BMW 525i with 66k miles on it for 5k. That thing is nice, will run forever, and in a few years you can still sell if for 3k or more. Much better than a 95-2000 Civic to drive around imo.... There are deals out there, you just have to look for them.
04DarkShadowGT said:
my 02 focus got me 30+ mpg... I worked on both forign and domestic makes my whole life... there is nothing wrong with a focus.. I loved mine, never had a rattle in it either. I think I am pretty qualified to pick a car I might add. if it was not a decent car I would not spend my own money to buy it.
BTW I know my fuel economy was accurate, I tested it with the WDS fuel economy test..
QuickCapri83
New Member
Get a GTI VR6. Lottssaaa fun!!!! 2nd to Mustangs, VR6 GTI's are my thing. I owned a '97, got great gas mileage. They're very reliable, but you need a good mechanic to diagnos issues as the arise. I put 65k on mine, it as 90k when I got it, and, only invest around 700 in maintaning it. 'Nough said 
Note: I very much prefer the 12V to teh 24V. I drove 3-4 MK4 24V VR's and didnt like them, didnt like the torque curve, and especially didnt like the sound. The MK3 with the 12V owns, one of the best sounding engines in the world, ferrari takes 1st, then MK3VR6, then a bone stock mustang redlining.
:SNSign:
Note: I very much prefer the 12V to teh 24V. I drove 3-4 MK4 24V VR's and didnt like them, didnt like the torque curve, and especially didnt like the sound. The MK3 with the 12V owns, one of the best sounding engines in the world, ferrari takes 1st, then MK3VR6, then a bone stock mustang redlining.
:SNSign:
Dorsai
New Member
+1 on skip the Jettas...bad news long term, hell even short term is no party. A friend at work just picked one up last week and already the drivers power window wont go back up 
They are made in Mexico after all. Sorta like the Focus.
I also had (yeah, had) an 04 Focus ZX3 and while the car was "ok" it was not very good on gas, at best it got around 25 combined. That was with an automatic and the 2.3L Duratec motor which was pretty gutsy for a 4 cl motor. My problem with the car, like most Ford's lately, is I dont trust the long term durability. The car just did'nt seem put together very well. Since I have a company car until the end of the year I went ahead and traded it on the GT.
Later this year I will be looking for another DD myself and I will probably look for a low mileage 4 dr Honda Civic. Someone at work has one with 280K miles and still drives it daily...kinda hard to argue with those results.
They are made in Mexico after all. Sorta like the Focus.I also had (yeah, had) an 04 Focus ZX3 and while the car was "ok" it was not very good on gas, at best it got around 25 combined. That was with an automatic and the 2.3L Duratec motor which was pretty gutsy for a 4 cl motor. My problem with the car, like most Ford's lately, is I dont trust the long term durability. The car just did'nt seem put together very well. Since I have a company car until the end of the year I went ahead and traded it on the GT.
Later this year I will be looking for another DD myself and I will probably look for a low mileage 4 dr Honda Civic. Someone at work has one with 280K miles and still drives it daily...kinda hard to argue with those results.
abouttobeglue
Founding Member
BurningRubber said:
im with this guy, always wondered it myself, to save a few dollars at the pump people will buy a 2nd car, have added insurance cost, maintenance, tires, and DRIVE A CAR THEY ****ING HATE. makes no sense to me. i bought a 2nd vehicle, a truck with a v8, because you cant fit a sheet of plywood in a mustang, and bungee cording it to the hood is not an option.
abouttobeglue
Founding Member
and our gts dont get bad gas mileage, 18-20 in the city, 23-25 on the highway, but once you get exhaust and a few other things it all goes to hell
javsvt
Member
Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 if you dont want a turbo. I have a 01 RS, runs like a champ. Great in the snow, and good on gas mileage.
Dorsai said:+1 on skip the Jettas...bad news long term, hell even short term is no party. A friend at work just picked one up last week and already the drivers power window wont go back up
I also had (yeah, had) an 04 Focus ZX3 and while the car was "ok" it was not very good on gas, at best it got around 25 combined. That was with an automatic and the 2.3L Duratec motor which was pretty gutsy for a 4 cl motor. My problem with the car, like most Ford's lately, is I dont trust the long term durability. The car just did'nt seem put together very well. Since I have a company car until the end of the year I went ahead and traded it on the GT.
Later this year I will be looking for another DD myself and I will probably look for a low mileage 4 dr Honda Civic. Someone at work has one with 280K miles and still drives it daily...kinda hard to argue with those results.
you have a co worker with a 280k civic.. Here are the 2 best original motor and trans fords that come into my shop
1. 340k mile automatic 95 supercoupe, never rebuilt engine or trans.. STILL SHIFTS HARD AT WOT!!! LOL
2. 310k mile 98 ford taurus
we also have many town cars that are owned by limo companies with 200k-300k on them.. and SD deisel pickups that have double the mileage of that civic..
put it this way, I have had such good luck with fords even back when I used to drive GM toys my DD was a ford.Even when I was a honda tech I DROVE A FORD for a DD.
every single ford in my family has been a great car that lasted a long time. I know quite a bit about fords since i work on them everyday and I would not hesitate to buy one.
Don't beleive the car mags, those guys are all frauds with fancy collage degrees in journalism or some other crap that has nothing to do with cars.. hand them a disassembled trans ask them to make it work, then we will see who know what they are talking about.
