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mtn
mtn MegaDork
4/17/18 2:53 p.m.

Dad had a G37. He and Mom just traded it in on an Outback not 3 months ago. Gave me an option to buy it at about $2k less than they were offered on trade. I passed.

Great car, but for whatever reason I never fell in love with it. What an engine though-did you get the auto or the stick? Frankly the auto is phenomenal. 

06HHR
06HHR HalfDork
4/17/18 3:09 p.m.

Another vote here for the current gen Chevy Cruze.  Rented one in October 2016 when I missed my flight home after the USGP and had to get to Dallas because Southwest was booked solid out of Austin.  Hammered on that thing to get to Love field (averaged 85+) to catch a flight out to Ft. Lauderdale, was amazed at how little gas it took to fill up after 200+ miles of fast highway driving.  That 1.4T is underrated, they should be in your budget now (yay depreciation).  If you can stretch it, the Malibu is also an underrated highway cruiser, i actually prefer it to the new Camry after renting them back to back.

STM317
STM317 SuperDork
4/17/18 3:22 p.m.

I'm starting a similar search and first gen Volts seem really appealing to me. ~35 miles without using any gas, and then it gets something like 42mpg after the ICE kicks in. Although, if you can't charge at either end of your commute, a Cruze probably makes more sense. And I think they use premium fuel when they actually burn gasoline.

Ive also seen some pretty nice, low-mile first gen Fusion hybrids in your budget. They won't have all-electric range, but it's a hybrid that just looks like a normal sedan with a normal backseat and should clear 38mpg on the highway, and better in town/traffic. Better than Camry hybrids of that era in most objective metrics, but you skip the Toyota Tax.

Duke
Duke MegaDork
4/17/18 3:35 p.m.
06HHR said:

Another vote here for the current gen Chevy Cruze.

Agreed, they are very nice cars for their price point.

81cpcamaro
81cpcamaro Dork
4/17/18 4:23 p.m.

The current Cruze is a good option. So much so that I have one myself, 2018 Cruze LT hatchback. Great DD car, automatic version is pretty good. It appears I bought it just in time, as gas prices are going up now. First tank averaged 32.7 mpg on backroads, no highway.

Current generation first appeared in mid 2016, and there are some good deals on used ones out there.

Suprf1y
Suprf1y PowerDork
4/17/18 4:48 p.m.

I think the latest one has the new 1.4T and makes more/better power. I bought a Sonic , which has the same powertrain as the Cruze, for Mrs. f1y a year ago. We both like it but it's not what you're looking for.

Klayfish
Klayfish PowerDork
4/17/18 6:29 p.m.
mtn said:

Dad had a G37. He and Mom just traded it in on an Outback not 3 months ago. Gave me an option to buy it at about $2k less than they were offered on trade. I passed.

Great car, but for whatever reason I never fell in love with it. What an engine though-did you get the auto or the stick? Frankly the auto is phenomenal. 

Since I'm sharing the car with my wife, we got the auto.  She can drive stick, but strongly prefers auto.  Yes, it has a wicked powertrain, which is one thing I love about it.  The driving experience isn't 100% identical to the F30 328i, as the G37 is a much older platform design.  But it's awful darn close and for the money, I couldn't beat it...and have very little worries about putting miles on it.

I'd definitely suggest checking out the Elantra if you want a car to just pile endless miles on, using 87 octane and 30+ mpg.

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
4/18/18 7:07 a.m.

You only live once. 

 

E88.

mazdeuce - Seth
mazdeuce - Seth Mod Squad
4/18/18 7:19 a.m.

Part of it also depends on the roads. I've done a lot of highway in a Mazda2 and there is a LOT to be said for a little more weight and wheelbase if you're banging out freeway miles. I'd personally stay away from the B sized cars if I was doing a ton of 75mph traffic. Another vote for the Volt. You should go drive one just as a reference point, they're very good. 

mtn
mtn MegaDork
4/18/18 7:39 a.m.
z31maniac said:

You only live once. 

 

E88.

This is simultaneously the worst idea for my current life, and likely the one that I will be going after. 

NGTD
NGTD UberDork
4/18/18 8:33 a.m.

For good mileage excluding the VW diesels seems odd. They are mileage machines. Used prices are pretty steep though.

mtn
mtn MegaDork
4/18/18 8:42 a.m.
NGTD said:

For good mileage excluding the VW diesels seems odd. They are mileage machines. Used prices are pretty steep though.

I haven't forgiven VW for lying and intentionally harming my health. 

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
4/18/18 9:22 a.m.
mtn said:
z31maniac said:

You only live once. 

 

E88.

This is simultaneously the worst idea for my current life, and likely the one that I will be going after. 

DO IT! Give in to your desires!

Aspen
Aspen Reader
4/18/18 2:08 p.m.
pointofdeparture said:

 

Lexus CT200h is beginning to dip near that price range. Basically a nicer Prius with a normal interior. HS250h is getting there too but the MPG is not as good.

 

My usual plug for for the CT200h.  It shares the Prius drive train and good gas mileage, but almost nothing else. It handles great, has lots of pep for city driving, good seats, good stereo, decent equipment, uber reliable, depreciation has not been kind so the prices are cheep.  Test one.

akylekoz
akylekoz HalfDork
4/18/18 2:29 p.m.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/2010-accord-coupe/138124/page1/

This may have sold today, but if not fits your criteria, kind of.

Bob the REAL oil guy.
Bob the REAL oil guy. MegaDork
4/18/18 2:45 p.m.
John Welsh said:

If you Hyundai dealer does not have the offer on a Elantra, look at the Kia dealer on a Forte.  The cars are nearly identical in a Camaro/Firebird or Cavalier/Sunbird sort of way.    

having owned/driven both, the Forte has the better suspension tuning IMO. Wife loves her '14 Koup we got stupid cheap.

Mr_Clutch42
Mr_Clutch42 SuperDork
4/18/18 8:33 p.m.

I would also look for an 08-10 Camry, Altima, or Fusion hybrids. It seems like 5 or 6+ year old hybrids drop in value quite a bit since second owners don't want them, at least Chevy Volts depreciated a ton. I would take a look at a Volt, too, even though your situation isn't ideal for one.

Stefan
Stefan GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/19/18 11:46 a.m.

You know the Volt shares some underpinnings with the Cruze/Cobalt, right?

The 1st gens' can use Cruze lowering springs to help make it feel a little more sporty.  I just wish they came with a sunroof (the 2nd gens do, but are more expensive).

There's also the Cadillac version of the Volt, which is like the Prius/CT200H

dxman92
dxman92 Reader
4/19/18 8:18 p.m.

Second gen Fit is your answer. Get base model so you avoid the body kit that easily scrapes. Cruze with 1.4 wouldn't be bad. Mrs DX and I had a 1.8 as a rental in colorado a few years back and hammering that at 75-80 on the highway still yielded mid 30s mpg.

 

I'm going to play devils advocate and say base Jetta S from 12-14ish with 2 liter engine. Bare bones simple and engine has been around since dawn of time. Mrs Dx has one and its a good highway car. Comfortable to drive even with slushbox.

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