My turn, what car $3,000 +30mpgs

my mkiii jetta bit the dust. I know I am hunting unicorns with this one. I am not the best with a wrench, I can change oil, brakes, spark plugs..carp like that. The wife has baned me from getting anther VW or Saab,..I don't know witch one she hated more??

Something boring and Japanese then.

Saab or VW are so much more fun though!

Civic.

how old can you go? I could hit 30mpg in my old 318ti..

What transmission?

I drive about 55 miles a day, I perfer stick...but she is leaning to an auto,..

I am not to concern about the age of the more of how many miles it has on it, I would like to stay under 150k (these could be high hopes though)

$3k is a tough price point these days. You have to make a difficult choice:

Fun/interesting car that's about to fall apart

vs.

Boring appliance that will run forever.

You, and only you, must decide which makes more sense for your situation.

If I was in your shoes, I'd be looking for a 2003-ish Corolla with around 120k on it. It'll be no fun at all, especially with an auto, but you can treat it like a rented mule and it will get you to work every day.

Gm fullsize with a 3.8

I'd be looking for a 6th gen civic. If "cheap to buy, cheap to run" are top priorities and fun is a distant afterthought, that's my go-to. The non-vtec models always got me 35+mpg with the 5spd. Double wishbone suspension all around and surprisingly fun to drive for what is ultimately a cheap econobox.

Protege but look for rust. I'm kind of curious what the last Metro's were like to drive. ZX2. ZX3. Suzuki Forenza? Seems like a lot of cars would fit the requirements listed.

Ford Focus. Many can be found under $3000 and they are rated for 40 mpg highway. Find one with the 2.3L Duratec motor for more power and less maintenance expenses due to having a timing chain and not a timing belt.

BMW 318ti also works. Dirt cheap cars as many are around the $2000 mark. Can get you 33 mpg highway but not much more since it is geared so short that you spin 3500 rpm at 70.

I have both cars and have issues letting go of either.

P10/P11 G20, 2000-2001 Sentra SE 2.0, and like MINIzguy said a 2.3 duratec focus.

If you're willing to look for something bigger early 7th gen accords have fallen just above 3k, they're probably the most tolerable with the auto transmission after the 2.3 focus

I never got near 40mpg in my duratec zx3 but I would buy another one in a heart beat.

My Zetec ZX3 only gets around 30, I would trade it for my old 1st gen dohc neon any day.

On the other hand my 2nd gen Miata got over 30, and I would take it over any car I have had since.

I'd have to go civic. At least around here, that will get you in a decent 6G or 7G model and you know they run a long time.

At that price point, given my current proclivities, I'd buy the nicest SW2 I could find and still have money left to maintainify it for a while.

Miata...duh

Otherwise...Protégé, Corolla/Prizm, older Accord, Infinity G20 will probably fall into your price range. I've had all these cars and easily hit 30mpg with them.

Volksrodden wrote: I drive about 55 miles a day, I perfer stick...but she is leaning to an auto,..

I think you need to sort this out first. You are the primary driver and she is telling you what to drive? I see bigger issues here.

Just let her pick a car for you. Happy wife happy life.

Protege (not the P5, I've only hit 30mpg 2 times in owning mine) Corolla, civics, some base model accords can come close.

My 96 Civic was averaging 42mpg. Wasn't horrible to drive either.

Saturn S-Series. 3K will net you a very nice one. 30mpg in traffic, pushing 40mpg on the highway. Get a twin cam 5 speed.

e30 318is. Might be able to find one at that price. Mine gets between 30 and 32 with a slightly longer rear end in it.

You could get a Honda Insight with a dead battery and get 70mpg. Or get a 2003ish Civic Hybrid 5-speed. If fun is more a priority get a 2002+ Civic Si, you will need to dig a little to find one under $3k but I've seen them. The last gen Celica and pull that kind of mpg and is lighter and faster, but smaller.

My 1983 Civic cost $1000, peaked at just under 45mpg (normal, more aggressive driving is closer to 37), and has needed zero unscheduled maintenance for the last year.