10K for something fuel efficient, which seat do you take?
 

With fuel prices slapping me around like a little girl, I'm thinking about getting a second car as a pure DD. If you had up to $10K to buy a car and the two goals were 'fun' and easy on gas, what would you get?

I realize that everyone will split the 'fun' vs gas savings differently according to the car they choose, but that's exactly what I'm looking for -- varied opinions.

# of seats is not an issue, but it must have 4 wheels..

Please post the car, approx. cost, and fuel efficiency (L/100km)

Aight Lemme g00g1e dat

1. 2004 RSX
2. 2003 TL
3. 2007 Focus
4. 2007 Elantra
5. 2003 G35
6. 2009 Rio
7. 2005 Civic
8. 2006 Vibe
9. 2005 Camry
10.2007 Corolla

aight peace

^^ lol just googled the same thing!
a lot of those are not fun
id suggest vw 1.8T mk4, 400-500km a tank

vw golf tdi, integra LS, civic with a b18, miata, 240sx with the ka24. -all in manual

All of these are well under 10k, 4 cylinder and with some suspension work will fulfill the 'fun' requirement. the tdi and miata will be the most fuel efficient but the others are decent as well. Also all take regular gas other than the diesel.

it's gotta be a honda civic si or an integra gsr.

vw's... not really good on gas and 1.8T requires premium.

ford focus zx3 isn't too bad imo (perhaps svt if you can find one fore less than 10000?)

2006 Civic, probably pretty close to 10K (I found a few in the 9000 range). They say about 30km/l but I would expect realistically probably closer to 24 though that's still a hella lot better then my car gets in the city (in fact, I'm thinking about selling my car to get one!).

an integra

92-95 civic vx. pretty much successor to the HF. as spartan as they come. 5spd and heat is pretty much all you get. has vtec-e. they are rare and sellers often ask a premium. range from $500-5000.

according to fueleconomy.gov
39 mpg or 6L/100km city
49 mpg or 4.8L/100km highway
43 mpg or 5.5L/100km combined

not hard to get consistent 50mpg and i've read claims of up to 60mpg from hypermiler forums.

buy my car lol........ i am partial to the civics and hondas simply for the low maint. cost...cheap fuel, and cheap repairs....heck my turbo integra gets 10l p/100 k in the city even hitting boost

2001-2005 Civic.

I've owned mine for 5 years and I've never had to do any repairs outside of basic maintenance, I average 42 mpg all highway. If you want a bit more luxury then an Acura EL, it's mechanically identical to the Civic with a leather interior and other slight cosmetic improvements.

like you, I am also considering getting a second car... I'm waiting for all the 2012 EV's to come out and see what can be had for the least amount of money. I heard that they're going to cost in the 30's but it all depends on how much gas costs by then. If gas continues with this upward trend, even I, a petro head for 10+ years, am willing to go Green (in the wallet) :troll:

acura el

open question: would an acura csx fit?

I'm in OP's situation - but i need 4 dr and 4 wheels

Consider a used 2001-05 (Gen 4.2) Toyota Rav4, 4WD.

Great on gas for a I4 engine, 160HP, 4WD for winter, 4 doors for better usage, mid size for all purpose driving, and the best part is this particular gen had minimal issues and easy on maintenance.

Good luck with the search.

Sounds like you're keeping the //M.

If that's the case, it's cheaper in the long run to just pay for maintenance, insurance and, yes, fuel, on the single, thirstier car than for two. Don't forget the capital cost: $10 k buys an imperial SHITLOAD of gas.

^ if you daily the //M the amount of down time headache parts wait and rapid mileage induced depreciation make it unworthy.

svt focus

yes, civic VX would be one of my top choices.

other very good candidates are as follows:
any EF/EG chassis civic hb
first gen Toyota Echo hb
those 3cylinder Suzuki Swifts
VW mk2/mk3 with the 1.8L engine

miata or eg

^This. Get the miata. Where else can you get rear-wheel drive, a convertible, and awesome handling - all for less than the cost of a bed!?!

Forget the other junks suggested in this thread. For example, Acura EL is fun to drive? What a joke! And the Echo? You've gotta be kidding me.

The only downside is it looks like a freaking bathtub on wheels.

great tips, i was looking at miatas.. just wasn't sure how they are on gas. anyone with real world experience on the L/100KM?

The civic VX sounds interesting, considered it gets 3x better milage than the M5.. haha

my friend used to have an old diesel VW, and that thing would run forever on a single tank, of course that's probably more towards the fuel economy side than the fun side.

this car will actually replace the 323 for my fiancee. I'll probably still daily the M5.. its surprisingly easy on maintenance, it's just a thirsty bugger.

Must have a turbo... power when you need it and fuel efficiency when you don't. My MR2T, 45L tank would get anywhere from 200kms to 600kms depending on how I drive. If it weren't the reliability issues with a 20 year old car, I'd still be driving it.

let me stop you there...

a turbo'd diesel with a chip is nothing but torque, youll lose your balls in the hatch. but finding a decent mile'd diesel for under 10k is hard.

The miata has a 40L tank (IIRC). I would normally get around 400km before the light comes on. I think I could push 450 out of it before I really need to fill up. This was with a relatively normal foot. It's been a while, so those figures may not be totally correct.

However, afaik, it isn't the best on gas (or maybe it was just my car, lol). Around 9L/100km. I don't think the miata engine was exactly made with gas consumption in mind. This was for a NA model (1991) and 95% city driving (mixed with hills like Boundary, Rupert..etc).

I think the NB (1995?+) models may get slightly better mileage.

Miatas are decent on gas but not true misers. They tend to be geared slightly shorter.