OK, I'm thinking of getting another car as a daily driver, to help save some money hopefully in gas, and help preserve my car a little. I would be taking out a loan, so right now I'm thinking a max of $2000 on a car. I was thinking maybe a small truck, like a Ranger or something. But I want something that will give me hopefully around 25mpg. My last Stang was a 4 banger Notchback, which I wish I would have kept. That's another idea, that got pretty good mpg. Any ideas on what to get.

Obviously I would want something to be reliable.

 

s10 with 2.5L 'iron duke' and five speed, manual steering. engine's reliable and there's not a whole lot to break. not to mention cheap insurance and you can haul parts for the camaro with it.

 

Uh, so that C5 Vette in your sig that gets about 28mpg is not actually yours, Mark?

To answer your question, what about a six cylinder 'Bird? Then you'll stay within the 3rd gen circle!

Seriously, though, for $2K, you can get a really good economy car if your not concerned with your image. I sell cheap cars with my Dad as an independent business and we have a couple of four cylinder TBI Plymouth Sundances that get great gas mileage... and I wouldn't be caught dead driving either one!

Good luck Mark, trying to prepare for the skyrocketing summer gas prices, eh? Well, it'd be a shame to garage the Camaro...

~Chris

 

thanks for the input, guess I'll be checking out ebay and autotrader later. I'd even take an old Civic or something, it doesn't have to be American. But I wouldn't mind another 4banger notchback, something that I could later mod too.

The Vette is my future father-in-laws.

I'm not too concerned with my image, just nothing that's all rusted out. I don't mind driving my mom's Lumina, even though it's like a girl's car. It has some pick up to it, and gets around 25mpg. I don't like having my car at college, for a couple reasons, people are idiots and I don't feel it's safe sometimes, with it being old there's always the rattles and not so smooth ride. Plus I would be able to mod it better with it not being a daily driver.

 

A little PU is a good idea. The ford rangers arent very impressive as far as fuel economy goes and I havent a clue why, 18 city 24 hyw, I had a 98 for a little while, speed 4 banger. The little misui trucks are great on fuel, around 24 city.

 

look into an s10... they are solid little trucks. rangers arent that great and I dont think that the toyota or nissian trucks are as nice as an s10. They get good gas mileage and relatively low maintence. I was driving one for work amonth or two ago that had 80,000 miles on it and it drives like a new truck. With a truck you are able to haul stuff from junk yards and such. I am looking to get another vehicle so I can haul stuff and trailor my car if need be. Looking at getting a 97 tahoe or something like that. You can get them for about 15K. Little out of the range you are looking though. Might be able to pick up a civic for real cheap but well... I will leave that one alone.

 

it's really hard to say for sure, but i'd say go with a 2wd s10 with the 2.8 around a 91 or so. the parts are cheap to fix them since they are common and gas milage isn't too bad. the four cylinder models are just too doggy for me personally, but they will do the job also.

 

I was just thinking, my brother has an old CJ5 Jeep I think it is. Like a late 70s or so. If I remember correctly the motor is a Jasper inline 6 or something, seemed to run fine. He put a new blue paint job on it, looks good. Big tires and straight pipes. He wanted like $3500 or so a while ago but never got any offers I don't think. Anyone think this might be a good idea, not sure of the mpg though. Maybe it's something I can talk to him about.

 

doubt the jeep will get the kind of mileage you're looking for but it would be a fun truck. i wouldn't get an import car cuz parts are much more expensive than domestic.

 

True, but I would think that a Civic or Camry would last a while, but not sure if they would be in my price range.

 

Hey, my dad is selling a 1984 Toyota Celica GT for $500!!!! It has 150,000 miles and it runs, well.... it drives and gets 30mpg!!

 

CT, is a bit a ways away. Anything wrong with it?

 

I know of a clean 4 banger '93 hatch you could steal for $2000. AC, PS, premium sound, moonroof, 30 mpg, best running 2.3L I've ever seen. Pretty clean, couple minor blemishes on the bumper from where the previous owner tapped a pole or something along those lines.

 

he could steal it for free though...

 

Wow, 30mpg, how many miles on it. Think it might be available in a month or so, I still need to talk this over with my parents, see if they think it's a good idea.

 

i had a 98 s10 ext cab with a 2.2 4cylinder and auto trans. I got 19 mpg in all around driving, pretty crappy for the huge lack of power the thing had.

 

Get yourself the ultimate gas miser, a Geo Metro. They get upwards of 50 m.p.g, plus they are the ultimate chick magnet.

 

Not a bad idea, but I don't want something, where a bicycle hits me and I'm dead.

 

I have to agree there. I won't drive anything that me and a friend can pick up. I think the Mustang looks pretty good. I have a Ranger with the 2.3, and that thing won't die. MPG isn't all that good in the truck, though. 26 no matter what kind of driving I do.

 

You don't consider 26 good.
I'd really like to check into the Stang, just need some time.

 

Well, compared to the 11 MPG I'm getting in my 81 Chevy truck it is, but for the amount of power the dog has it's terrible. A turbo 2.3 would be a very different story, I think. That reminds me... What about a late 80's or early 90's T-bird or Cougar RX something that had the turbo 2.3? They can be cheap, too.

 

I had an '89 Dodge Dakota 4 cyl. w/ 5 speed. I got 25 - 27 mpg with it. The bed is about 4-6 inches wider than the the S10 or Ranger, and when your buying a truck, bigger is always better.
You would be amazed at how many times you go to load something into the truck and wish the bed was "just a little bigger." The gears were better than the S10s although the newer S10s may better. The early S10s had 4 speeds and high gearing, the Dakota had a 5 speed and 411's.

 

ford crown victoria police interceptors are nice. v8 engine is standard equipment, car is comfortable to drive on long trips, and there's lots of space to haul around your friends and family. crownvics don't change much year to year, so used parts are reasonably priced as far as modern cars go.

i'm getting around 20MPG on the highway, but some vic owners have reported a little over 25MPG on long trips.

http://www.crownvic.net

p.s. In my state p71's have the same car insurance rates as crown vic lx's. Crownvic lx is viewed as a family car so rates are relatively low.

 

You guys are gonna think this is BS........but just ask AZIROC...this is my daily driver, yup, the nitroused caddy 500 in my sig. It gets around 15-19 mpg average. Caddy's get AWESOME mileage for their size when placed into light cars.

 

I already get 17-18 mpg, so that wouldn't do me any good.

 

I've got an s-10, mine is a 2000, but they really didnt change much since 93 or so when they did the re-design. I get 30mpg on the highway with a tanneau cover. If you're going to get a 4cyl truck absolutely do not get an automatic, it will suck power like you wouldnt believe and kill the mileage. An older s-10 like the one Ukraine Train had, can be had with almost no power equipment to break (i think his only had power brakes), and engine parts (water pump, alternator etc) are dirt cheap. Plus you can always do a v-8 swap in em if you feel like it. (i've got a 4x4 blazer with a tpi 305).

 

Try an early 90's Grand Prix SE. We have one with almost 200,000 miles and it runs perfectly. Great car, looks nice, has a little pep (190 hp) and gets very good milage on the highway. In town is in the 20's too, so it's not bad at all!

Oh, and they are cheap!

Also look at an early 90's saturn. Inexpensive, quality cars.

 

here's an alternate random idea, how about a fiero?
for the most part, people have a negative opinion of them, but they are easy on gas and fun to drive - if you enjoy a nimble go-kart like car. i have an '88 4cyl 5spd, gets me about 27mpg at 80mph, top speed about 100mph, and you can pick them up for 1000-1500 (4cyl cars). They have GM's 2.5 motor. They are always in junk yards so most parts are easy to come by. 88's are harder to find parts for because the suspension is different, so for a long lasting, cheap maintenance car, an 87 4cyl 5spd would be perfect. 87 and 88 4cyl cars have DIS - no distributor/cap/rotor to ever maintain. just plug in spark plugs to the coils. manual steering rack, 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 wheel independent suspension, no ABS hassles, no SIR/airbag hassle. Oh yeah, got to love the plastic body panels which will help resist dents. They are easy to work on - just unconventional; and there is a lot of online support.
The downsides - the 2.5 only has ~95HP, and will do no better than a high 17 - low 18 second quarter mile.
Here's a few quick pics of mine, has 165k miles and only appearance mod is the bra (previous owner put it on and now the paint is discolored, can't take it off) and the 16" wheels (off of a Grand Am), oh and the exhaust tips:

 

if it was me id probably go with a 92ish celica or something...ive seen real nice ones for cheap and they get almost 40mpg on the interstate i hear....no pep tho at 130hp but oh well...i wish my moms lumina still had pep its a 95....on its 3rd tranny...that whats i have to drive when the camaro is down (but that never happens ) anyways the tranny on hers is slipping...no regular maintnance has been done forever...it seriously gets maybe 12mpg in town and 15 on the highway...its horrible i used a 1/2 tank just running back and forth for camaro parts its ridiculus

 

Kawasaki Ninja 250 motorcycle.......cost 3,ooo new and get 70 MPG . Good *** I want one, trying to convince the parents.


nate

 

I'd have to back up the S-10 idea. My step dad had an 89 that he bought new and put over 200,000 miles on it, never once did he have to break into the engine, trans or rearend on it either. It had the Iron Duke four cyl, with a manual 5 speed, no power accesories whatsoever. It made through 11 years up upstate New York winters before he sold it. No idea what the milaege on it was though. He still sees it driving around town too... Best part is they can be bought for WAY under $2000.

just my .02

Eric

 

If you choose the crown victoria, you wont be disapointed. I drove my fathers vic for a few months before I got my camaro. That thing is sweet for a big car. It was a 1994 Crown Victoria LX with the handling and Performance Package - lol
Still, for that size of car, its nice. I really dunno the milage it got, but it ran 3.55 gears, 4.6L ford V8 (around 280 CID). Big soft, but still handles...ok...
Yes, I love the Crown Victoria.... Wish I could afford a newer one (post- 1998 style)...

 

That Fiero idea sounds flat out awesome! If you get a non running one for around $500, you could swap in a better (modern) four banger for even better fuel economy and power... Also with the junkyard's help, you could convert it to look like the 88 Fiero GTs with the Trans Am GTA-style rims etc. I think I might bite... if only I wasn't struggling monetarily just with the TA alone. ~Chris

 

I'm just looking for a maintenance free car right now, I don't have access to a garage or many tools at this time. By next year my Dad will have a new shop and the tools for to be able to work on cars. I figure by getting another car I could mod the Camaro better.

 

I just sold my 93 saturn SL2 for my 86 IROC, straight up. The saturn was awesome, it had 140k miles on it and twin cam 1.9L with an AT. My buddy has one with a stick, and it actually goes pretty good. They're fun to drive, they're plastic, so you can't ding the doors, and they're comfortable and clean. My friends' car has 230k miles or so on it, and it runs great. I highly reccomend one, and if I could I would still have it as my daily driver. One parking spot tho, and one car insurance bill are my limitations right now.

 

s10 or feiro... you can put a 350 tpi in either done the road. exgirlfriends dad is putting on in a feiro now. I dont know how maintance free they are though. I still think s10 though.

Is your dad in to cars too? Is this the one with the C5? I wish I had a place to work on my car. Apartments suck.

 

I'm kind of interested in this one.

http://autotrader.com/findacar/vdeta...&ac_afflt=none

 

No my Dad isn't the one with the Vette, that's my future fath-in-laws.
But my Dad used to be into cars but he has other interests now that take his money, boating, fishing, just bought a new house. But he has the knowledge and know how of working on cars, he rebuilt a 302 in my 1st car (Stang) that I ended up totalling.

 

Rustang Sally is probably worth about $200. If it runs OK you cant go wrong for 2 bills.

Brian

 

and yes, I know it is 2k.

 

Get a 1989-1994 Toyota pick-up. I drove one for two years before I got this car and thing had great gas milage and could be run into the ground without breaking down. The worst thing that happened to it was the alternator went out. Really hard to fix That thing had no cupholders, no cigarette outlet, no A/C, no cruise, no power steering, no anti-lock brakes, and had pleather seats that burnt my a*s when left in the sun. Other than those draw backs it was dependible as hell and was extremely cheap to own.

 

This one has 170k miles on it, but I've seen other pics and seems to be in really great condition. It's had some things replaced as in a tune up. Though I'm not too keen on the miles, anyone have any experience with a Stang with this many miles, how many might it have left.

 

Monte Carlo, Regal, El Camino, Cutlass

These cars are easy to work on, have highway gears, and if you install a 200r4 get 24mpg.

The parts are endless and cheap and you can always get your money back out of it.

 

Look at the older Datsun's...I ownwd a 200sx That just wouldnt die.....kinda like JASON....

 

Don't forget to take the engine's required octane into account.

My daily driver is an 84 cutlass, 231 V6, TH350C trans. It gets about 18mpg city. My 99 gets about 19mpg city. The difference is, the cutlass takes regular gas and the 99 won't drink anything but premium. So the cost difference is way more than the 1mpg would indicate.

 

If you have to haul stuff or people(family)....3 inch drop kit, 245/60 tires, 22+MPG. Need to get some white letter tires though.

 

1991 Jimmy: