Looking for a small inexpensive car

fellini123 · #1 08/09/06, 11:13 PM

Ok, we sold our 4 wheel drive mini van that was getting 18 MPG on a good day. So now we are searching for a small car that gets good gas milage and is inexpensive.
Maybe new, maybe a program vehicle. It is for me to drive, has to be automatic, (knees wont work a clutch anymore) and I have to have AC. Other than that anything goes.
I would like to be able to carry a few bags of dog food, but from what I have seen you can do that in any car.
Any suggestions???
Alice in Virginia

AngieM2 · #2 08/09/06, 11:24 PM

My Pontiac Vibe (same as a Toyota Matrix) is station-wagon-ish. Can carry 4 full sized adults and luggage, and get 30 mpg around town, 34 mpg on interstate.

There should be some program and gently used ones available now.

You may want to google the model and check it out.

Angie

donsgal · #3 08/10/06, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fellini123

Ok, we sold our 4 wheel drive mini van that was getting 18 MPG on a good day. So now we are searching for a small car that gets good gas milage and is inexpensive.
Maybe new, maybe a program vehicle. It is for me to drive, has to be automatic, (knees wont work a clutch anymore) and I have to have AC. Other than that anything goes.
I would like to be able to carry a few bags of dog food, but from what I have seen you can do that in any car.
Any suggestions???
Alice in Virginia

My next car is probably going to be a Scion xA. They are a wonderful value because everything is standard (even air conditioning). Mileage is 38/32 which ain't chopped liver.

I like the new 2-door Yaris (40 mpg in highway) and the Aveo Hatchback too (27/37 mpg).

donsgal

LiberalCountryBoy · #4 08/10/06, 01:24 AM

DON'T BUY A KIA !!!

Unless you want to buy my two month old KIA Rio that only has three thousand miles on it.
Just kidding.
I wouldn't do that to you.

DON'T BUY A KIA !!!

You will be tempted by the lowest priced new car you can buy, a warranty not worth the paper its written on, and good gas mileage - But trust me

DON'T BUY A KIA !!!

icpudummie · #5 08/10/06, 02:00 AM

I have a Ford Escort, it was a fleet car. I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it. It was a 2001 and bought it in 2002. Has A/C, am/fm radio, automatic, 4 cyclinder and fun to drive. 4 door and trunk, the back seat as a 60-40 split to the trunk area. It has excellent mileage and mechanically sound. I've had it for 4 years now with no expensive repairs. I've kept up on oil changes every 3000 miles.

Good luck in your search.

MaryNY · #6 08/10/06, 05:14 AM

A Hyundai if you have a dealer in your area! I am driving my second one in a row -- first one was a 1995 Excel hatchback, current one is a 2002 Accent four-door sedan. The mileage has been good - 34 miles per gallon on the highway (at least!), 10 year 100,000 mile warranty and they stand behind that warranty, though it may not cover everything (like brakes) that you might want it to. Plus, Roadside service -- my battery died early -- I called the 800 number they sent a local tow guy out and started it and I didn't even have to pay him. I drove it to the dealer, they replaced the battery -- I had to pay some, but when I did it restarted the warranty on the battery -- four years! And the price for the Accent isn't bad either -- between $10,000-something to $14,000-something depending on what you get. if you want something a little bigger, the Elantra is really nice, too.

It comes with A/C, manual or automatic, radio/CD stuff, etc. Great little cars. As for cargo, I can get at least two bales of straw in the trunk of my Accent, and put another bale across the back seats (which fold down like a hatchback, but this is a regular 4-door sedan). I get a 5 to 6 foot fresh Christmas tree in there each winter -- you put it in butt first from the back door toward the trunk (again with the back seats down) and then when you get the tree home, you open the trunk, yank the tree out by the tree trunk and none of the branches break off because you aren't pulling against them.

My only problem with Hyundai is that they are not currently offering a station wagon -- they used to have a really nice one! I don't know when the idiots at the car manufacturers are going to wise up that SUV ain't makin' it because of the gas guzzling and a nice station wagon will serve most of the same purposes and be much more popular with aging Boomers as they are easier to get into and out of. My mother has a prosthetic hip and can't climb into an SUV sort of vehicle, as they are too high off the ground -- she has to be able to back up to the seat and sit -- a great deal of the aging population is going to be dealing with problems like that one way or another. I would love it if they come out with a station wagon by the time I'm ready for a new car.

Good luck with your car hunt!

MaryNY

Alice In TX/MO · #7 08/10/06, 07:15 AM

Toyota, absolutely!!!

foxtrapper · #8 08/10/06, 07:34 AM

If all you want is an automatic, a/c, and the ability to carry a few bags of dog food, you're right, any car made will do it.

So get anything, or continue to refine your needs & wants.

titansrunfarm · #9 08/10/06, 07:40 AM

My parents are in the process of trading their gorgeous 17 MPG Mercury Mountaineer in on two Toyota Yaris' (34-40MPG), they have figured out that even with two vehicles they will ultimately save.

caberjim · #10 08/10/06, 07:45 AM

My 02 has 70k+ and nary a problem. With the hatchback, you have more room than you would think for houling feed, hay, lumber, equipment, etc. And you cannot beat the price.

pumpkinlady · #11 08/10/06, 07:55 AM

We have a 2006 checy cobalt, auto/ac, 2 door, back seat drops down to open into the trunk area, average 32-36 miles to a gallon on hwy. We walked out of dealership at just over $13,000. We use it as our get around car and keep our bigger car and diesel truck parked as much as we can. not as comfortable as my lesabre but great car to run around in and it does hold alot.

HermitJohn · #12 08/10/06, 08:00 AM

Do you actually need AWD (only real trucks offer 4wd anymore) or was that just a whim? It will lower fuel mileage you get and models available to you as not every car has an AWD option. If I had to buy a new AWD, I think I would go with a Subaru. And are you sure you cant drive a clutch anymore. The difference between pushing a clutch on a small car and on a pickup is night and day. I have an old Ford Festiva, and its no effort at all to push clutch on it. My old Ford F250 on other hand requires a strong leg.

WisJim · #13 08/10/06, 08:12 AM

Just bought a Chevy (formerly GEO) Metro, 2000 model year (newest car I've ever had), 3 cylinder, but ours has the 5spd (wife refuses to get an automatic). Only gets 44 to 46mpg on hilly hiways. It was cheap, from a friend, so we got it to replace our 1992 Geo Prizm (Toyota Corolla) which would get 40mpg or sometimes more on the hiway. I am impressed with the newer Corollas, as they have goo mileage ratings. Also late model Hondas, not as good of mileages as the early 1990s models, but still good, and they last forever.

Dubai Vol · #14 08/10/06, 08:14 AM

Whatever you buy, I second the recommendation that it be a hatchback. America fell out of love with them when they were dubbed "econoboxes," but they are SO practical.

Consider: in the US the VW Jetta outsells the Golf some 10 to 1. In the rest of the world that ratio is reversed. I'd bet the same goes for all cars. Somehow US drivers haven't figured out that puting a trunk on a hatch makes it LESS useful.

Much as I lover German cars, I never recommend them to anyone. Japanese or Korean. Hyundai has improved to the point that they are among the most reliable cars made today. Apparently Kia isn't there yet....

My personal recommendation: the newest Toyota or Honda hatch you can afford.

If you must have a domestic, I'll grit my teeth and say Focus hatch or wagon. I have to grit my teeth because my last Ford made me swear off the brand (parts support from Ford was non-existent. Boo.) That said, the Focus is a decent car.

HermitJohn · #15 08/10/06, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubai Vol

Hyundai has improved to the point that they are among the most reliable cars made today. Apparently Kia isn't there yet....

ALL NEW KIAS ARE REBADGED HYUNDAIS. Hyundai bought KIA after KIA Corp went bankrupt in the late 90s and last KIA designed vehicle was sold in US in like 2001.

Saying Kias are different than Hyundais is like saying Pontiac is different than Buick. Maybe Pontiac and Buick have little different grill or something, but otherwise its all GM. Well Kia or Hyundai, its all Hyundai now.

**clovis** · #16 08/10/06, 08:35 AM

We have a Chevy HHR, and love it!!!!! We get excellent gas mileage when driven conservatively. It is easy to get 38-40, and often better than that, on the highway. Not so great in town, but what does?

Rear hatch, plenty of room, AC, am/fm/cd, power windows/locks, cruise, etc is standard on the HHR. We bought the base with automatic for $16,241.

Stop by a Chevy dealership and check them out, and take one for a drive. We absolutely love our HHR, and would buy another if ours got totaled.

Absolutely a wonderful car! And the fuel economy is hard to beat!
clove

HermitJohn · #17 08/10/06, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubai Vol

Whatever you buy, I second the recommendation that it be a hatchback.

Especially one that you can slide stuff in back like on a stationwagon. Those with hump that you have to deal with are less desirable. If you regularly need to haul feed or something, hatchbacks tend to have soft springs in rear. I upgraded my Festiva with some actually quite stiff springs from an old Triumph. They are actually bit too stiff and cause some interesting wheel hop if I hit bump on hiway, but I can haul a full load without any sagging and rocks/ruts in my driveway no longer tear muffler off every other trip out.

I noticed weird little vehicle called Honda Element when I've been to town. Dont know anything about it, but it has to be the ultimate square box on wheels, more so than old Volvo wagons that I used to own. I mean the thing looks like a mini-hearse and rather ugly, but if you think about it, has to be super practical. I always hated hatchbacks/stationwagons that because of styling (such as sloping windows), some item lacked inch of fitting.

Thoughthound · #18 08/10/06, 09:54 AM

When I met my wife, she drove a 93 Geo Prizm (same as a Corolla). I made fun of her.

Since then I've had 3 cars and am shopping for my fourth. She is still driving the Prizm. One alternator, one clutch master cylinder and regular maintenance is all that's been required. It never gets washed and has only minor rust -- In Iowa!

My fourth car will likely be a Prizm/Corolla.

AngieM2 · #19 08/10/06, 10:18 AM

I'd love an Element.... my kids think it's ugly. but it's made to be a camper, truck and is rubber matted inside for utility use. The hospital security around here has one or more and when talking with them, they love it. If 'stuff" gets spilled inside, they just open both side doors and hose it out.....

I still think my next.(whenever that is) car will be an Element.

Angie

SolarGary · #20 08/10/06, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fellini123

Ok, we sold our 4 wheel drive mini van that was getting 18 MPG on a good day. So now we are searching for a small car that gets good gas milage and is inexpensive.
Maybe new, maybe a program vehicle. It is for me to drive, has to be automatic, (knees wont work a clutch anymore) and I have to have AC. Other than that anything goes.
I would like to be able to carry a few bags of dog food, but from what I have seen you can do that in any car.
Any suggestions???
Alice in Virginia

Hi,

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ has a "compare cars" gadget that lets you say what size etc. car you want, and it gives you a list high mpg cars that meet your criteria. Lots of good stuff their.

I think that the Toyota Yaris that was mentioned above is the non-hybrid mpg champ?

Gary
www.BuildItSolar.com