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

dean1484 wrote:

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.

I don't see "bigger issues here". That seems insulting to me but what do I know?

I drive my car 99% of the time. But if my wife's Caravan is down, she'll drive mine. Happens a few times a year for one reason or another.

If she's taking our kids around, I want her to feel comfortable and safe driving. Call me whatever you want, it's a "sacrifice" I make for family.

Rant over

another protégé (I'm a fan of the BG chassis LX with the 1.8L DOHC BP motor) and duratec ZX3 vote

I second GM full size with 3800. 90% of the fuel economy of the other suggestions with twice the car. Maintenance is more or less nonexistent. Its easy to find garage kept cars that old people bought new. Yes, they are boring. But they will give you years and years of dependable service.

I sold my inherited 8th Gen Civic for $3500. It had nearly 200k miles, needed some suspension work, and the AC had a mind of it's own, but still got really good mileage. Selling it was likely the worst decision I made last year. Had it been a manual, I might still have it.

I'll give another vote for duratec focus. I bought mine new. Rarely does a tank return less than 30mpg regardless of driving style, and I have only had one unexpected repair (out of warranty) in 115k miles.

I'm going to vote against the GM 3800 whatever unless you clarify when it came from. There were some years that are not all that long-term reliable because of accounting decisions at GM. Dexacool coolant didn't help anything either. These are also great years to find electrical faults in that both older and newer cars don't have.

That said, if you can find one that's old lady driven, an early-90's "full size" like a Delta 88 or Bonneville might not be such a bad way to go and leave room in the budget for basic maitenance or a seat swap (the front seats in these cars are usually pretty saggy by now).

Actually just go get a Protege.

ebonyandivory wrote:

dean1484 wrote:

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.

I don't see "bigger issues here". That seems insulting to me but what do I know? I drive my car 99% of the time. But if my wife's Caravan is down, she'll drive mine. Happens a few times a year for one reason or another. If she's taking our kids around, I want her to feel comfortable and safe driving. Call me whatever you want, it's a "sacrifice" I make for family. Rant over

sorry that came off wrong. My wife wanted an H2. I can not stand the thing. Guess what we have in the driveway.

You statement above reinforces my point if it is important that she likes the car I would have her make the decision on what car. It is an appliance after all.

I have five cars in the driveway. Only one was my choice and I have had it since before I met my wife. Every other car has been purchased as a compromise to the needs of my wife and kids. Even my current DD was my wife's previous car.

Another suggestion. Would your wife's current car suit you needs? I have always been giving my wife the "new" car. Sounds like your wife is like mine and has the majority of the kid halling duties and her car has to be bullet proof. Thus she gets the newer cars that suite her needs and I use the hand me downs for commuter duties.

Integra? If not then I would second an older Accord. Easy to maintain/work on, cheap parts and can be moderately fun in twisties.

Protege or Focus would be my go to options in that price range.

pres589 wrote: I'm going to vote against the GM 3800 whatever unless you clarify when it came from. There were some years that are not all that long-term reliable because of accounting decisions at GM. Dexacool coolant didn't help anything either. These are also great years to find electrical faults in that both older and newer cars don't have. That said, if you can find one that's old lady driven, an early-90's "full size" like a Delta 88 or Bonneville might not be such a bad way to go and leave room in the budget for basic maitenance or a seat swap (the front seats in these cars are usually pretty saggy by now). Actually just go get a Protege.

Yeah My favorites are from the late 90s early 2000's with the series 2 motors. He says $3000 is the budget. I personally would be shopping for a non luxury car interior in an impala, bonneville, or 88. $3k would get a pretty nice one.

I say Protege. I had a 2000 5 speed got upwards of 35 MPG. most i got was about 38. My only problem was that I kept breaking clutch forks for some reason. But other than that, it was an amazing car. As for the GM 3.8, the one I had in my Grand Prix held up to whatever I threw at it. Bu t I dont remember ever gettin 30 mpg out of it. Maybe got 25-27 mpg. But the upside is that there is quite a good size aftermarket for it. That is IF you decide to go down that road.

In reply to BeardedJag:

Every one I've talked to with grand prixs say that they didn't get the mileage that the bigger cars got. My guess is they were tuned / geared for more power and better acceleration. I'm basing that strictly on speculation.

Thats the only thing I could think of as well.

In reply to gearheadmb:

I wouldn't. I had a 3.8 equiped Intrigue for a long time. Not a horrible car but in the last year of ownership I had to change out the upper intake manifold. Six months later the cooling system and combustion pressures were starting to get mixed. Coolant sometimes barfing on the ground after shutdown, steam in the exhaust after a start, etc. Electrical issues with the HVAC system and various systems not working right that the Internet says is caused by a not so great ignition switch. And with the car worth very little on trade it just wasn't worth dealing with.

I think the Grand Prix get worse mileage because of slightly wider tires and a curb weight equal to the four door cars.

In reply to pres589:

Yea that would make sense. I also Put 17" AMerican Racing Casino wheels on it too. On top of the heavy sound system I put in as well.

SL1

pres589 wrote: In reply to gearheadmb: I wouldn't. I had a 3.8 equiped Intrigue for a long time. Not a horrible car but in the last year of ownership I had to change out the upper intake manifold. Six months later the cooling system and combustion pressures were starting to get mixed. Coolant sometimes barfing on the ground after shutdown, steam in the exhaust after a start, etc. Electrical issues with the HVAC system and various systems not working right that the Internet says is caused by a not so great ignition switch. And with the car worth very little on trade it just wasn't worth dealing with. I think the Grand Prix get worse mileage because of slightly wider tires and a curb weight equal to the four door cars.

Well at least you didn't buy the dohc v6 intrigue. That thing would really have you hating life. I also didn't care for the intrigues, not for engine problems, but for being a kinda crappy luxury car. Automatic climate control and six way power adjustable everything is not something gm had mastered in that vintage of car. While its true that the 3800 did occasionally eat the upper intake, overall I personally feel they were rock solid engines, that get better fuel economy than they had any right to. Of course, YMMV.

In reply to gearheadmb:

Eh. About 26 mpg on the highway? I don't find that very impressive. P71's pull that, right?

I recently acquired a '99 Protege auto with the 1.6 for $free. It's a good little car, but painfully slow. And I'm used to slow cars (1.6 miata and '84 318i). I'm sure it would be fine with the stick though.

Suzuki Esteem Wagon. Looks like a Legacy but without the AWD and gas guzzling flat 4. Cheap to buy and maintain, can be had with a 5 speed.

dean1484 wrote:

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.

With that being said, I am trying to get to with the big Toyota SUV she want and I drive her Camry

Even though I am a spirited drive,..I don't drive fast or push the limits of grip through the turns. I am liking the idea of a Buick, my daughter and race RC cars on the weekends and our gear takes up a lot of room (I am not getting a mini van). Thank you for the suggestions. I'll let you guys know what the end out come is.

My wife managed to average less than 20mpg in her 99 GP. I was getting 26 or so in my modified 05GTP. Driving style matters a whole lot in those cars.

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

I hit 48 on one trip with that car.

98-02 accord. My 01 DX gets 28-31 MPG no matter how I drive it. A little bit more refined and roomy than a civic, but not quite as fun to drive. Still should be good for 300k+ if you treat it right.