What car? - Starting over edition

So, a quick recap:

I landed a job in Tampa, 2900 miles across the country from where I sit. 

I sold all 4 of my vehicles. I am flying down there with a couple of suitcases and the clothes on my back, essentially starting over from scratch. 

My commute is about 35 miles each way. It is about 95% highway.

Requirements:

Budget is about $4000. I can flex to $5k if I have to. I am paying cash.

I need something that has some cargo capacity. It will be my only vehicle for a while. I'm down with a wagon or wagon-like car.

I also need 4 doors. My kids and eventually my folks will come down.

GAS MILEAGE!!! I need something that gets acceptable gas mileage. Like at least 30mpg on the highway.

I don't care if its FWD, RWD or AWD.

Prefer a manual but will drive an auto if I have to.

I want something that I won't despise commuting in but it needs to be reliable as well. No BiTurbos this time .

I have gleaned the local Craigslist for ideas. So far I have browsed:

Mazda 5 

Toyota Matrix/Vibe 

Scion xA, xB, xD

Suzuki Aerio

Honda Fit

Toyota Prius

Volkswagen Jetta Wagon (TDi or gas)

Nissan Versa

Ford Focus wagon

And then I have also looked for for giggles:

Honda Insight (Gen 1)

Honda CRZ

Toyota Corolla/Camry

Honda Civic/Accord

Mazda 3

Various Volvos

Various Saabs

Ford CVPIs because they are cheap, plentiful and awesome.

I'm suffering from analysis paralysis. I'll have about 3 days down there before I start my job. I'll have a rental car (Toyota Tacoma) for a week after I get there.

I'm so lost since I have never shopped for this class of car before. Are there any that stand above the others? Any to absolutely avoid?

Honda Fit 

I also forgot a few:

Honda Element

Ford C-Max Hybrid

Random MB C-class and E-class wagons

Mazda6? I put 100k on my 06 Hatch with the 2.3 it was a great commuter

stanger_missle said:

I also forgot a few:

Honda Element

 

You need to discount the Element due to your fuel mileage requirement. I daily drove mine foe 5 years and I am, and always have been, the king of fuel mileage. Everyone with Elements got 20mpg or therabouts. I got 25 out of mine. You won't get any better than that. Even driving in zero traffic at 55mpg, you'd never reach your 30 miles per gallon requirement. Otherwise the Element is about the finest, most useful car ever built.

How many kids?  I have two and we get by just fine with a 2 door.  If you aren't dead set of 4 doors, that might open up some other options.  

My wife had a 08 Mazda 3 hatch with the manual.  2.3 would get 30mpg no matter how you drove it.  And it never needed anything but wear parts oil, gas, tires, brakes, etc.  

Also my parents lived in Tampa and I spent summers there when on break from college.  You'll want working a/c.  Make sure whatever you get has it.  Tinted windows are also a bonus. 

No Minivans?

04-06 Elantra GT would fit the bill. Hatchback, low to mid 30's mpg, throw some decent wheels and tires, H&R's and enjoy. 

mr2s2000elise said:

Honda Fit 

/thread

Seriously, just get the Fit, treat it like your bitch and pocket all the $$$ you’ll be saving on fuel/repairs/etc. 

Another confirmation for the Fit and confirmation that if it weren't for MPG that Element would've been the answer. 

MPG put you into a Fit or similar.  The Fit is just a great little car, fun to drive, reliable as heck, and holds a surprising amount of stuff. 

If you really need more space, for $4K it hard to beat this: 

I know, I know, Pinchvalve is recommending the Rondo again, but it has more room inside than ANY CUV out there, you have to go to a minivan to get more interior space.  At $4K, you are getting a decent condition with reasonable miles, unlike what you will see from Hondas or Toyotas. It will hold 4 people and their luggage and even comes in a 7 passenger version if you want to haul lots of little people.  Reliability is outstanding and repair costs are low. It is an excellent cruiser on the highway, plenty of power with the V6 and it has a smooth, comfortable ride.  Mileage isn't great, you trade some MPG for the cushy ride, buy I can get it close to 30mpg on long drives.  And just look at it!  It oozes sex appeal! 

Fit or Matrix/Vibe.  At $4k and "starting over", you're going to want economical above all else.  Fun car can come later.  Matrix/Vibe is suuuuuper boring, but about as reliable as the sunrise.  My wife had one for 75k miles and the only thing we ever had to replace was the exterior door handles, all four of which broke within about six weeks of each other.    Vibes tend to be a little cheaper than the Matrix, but they're mechanically identical.  Room for four adults, and will actually carry 8' lumber if you fold the front passenger seat. 

No personal experience on the Fit, but I doubt you can really go wrong there either.  Might pay a little more for comparable miles/condition because Honda.

Pete Gossett said:

mr2s2000elise said:

Honda Fit 

/thread

Seriously, just get the Fit, treat it like your bitch and pocket all the $$$ you’ll be saving on fuel/repairs/etc. 

I disagree, at his pricepoint you're going to be looking at super high miles and all the little things are going to start going wrong. Because the Fit is Japanese built, those little bits and pieces start to get expensive because Honda. 

In that price range I suggest that you get the nicest, lowest mileage example of whatever fits your must have list.

How about an e39 wagon for 3k obo? 

Its mine. Fly and drive ready.

APEowner said:

In that price range I suggest that you get the nicest, lowest mileage example of whatever fits your must have list.

This would be my suggestion. Go simple. Don't worry about fun.

Also, 35 mile commute? I hope that's temporary. I would do everything reasonable to get that down to a much much lower number. You're just moving into a new area, for a job, look for housing close to that job!

B6 Passat wagon.  Mine is the VR6 4Motion version so I only get 25 mpg highway but the 4 cylinder turbo gets an easy 30 and is actually fairly rowdy when you put your foot down.  Huge space inside and German highway manners.

Also worth looking at at the Saab wagons, they are often overlooked and therefor quite cheap for what they are.  $4,000 gets about the nicest one left.

Fit.

i'd probably rock a 90's honda accord wagon. or a 2003+ saab 9-3 wagon. Or a dodge magnum. 

actually, screw honda and saab. go dodge magnum. With a hemi. Here it is:

https://lakeland.craigslist.org/cto/d/plant-city-2005-dodge-magnum-hemi-57/6775779576.html

screw gas mileage. 

bobzilla said:

Pete Gossett said:

mr2s2000elise said:

Honda Fit 

/thread

Seriously, just get the Fit, treat it like your bitch and pocket all the $$$ you’ll be saving on fuel/repairs/etc. 

I disagree, at his pricepoint you're going to be looking at super high miles and all the little things are going to start going wrong. Because the Fit is Japanese built, those little bits and pieces start to get expensive because Honda. 

Not from our experience. We have 2 in the family - one 1st gen, one 2nd - each with almost 200k on them and neither have needed anything other than tires/brakes/shocks. Part prices have been comparable to my old Accent too.  

Vibe/Matrix with the 1zz.

The 2zz requires premium if you're going to push it up to the cam change overs the $.50/gal+ extra erases a lot of the benefit of 30ish mpg it gets. You won't get that anyway if you're flogging it. Get a set of springs and shocks for it and have a good old time.

I'd actually argue a Mazda3 hatch is the better choice. The first gen GT with the NA 2.3L turned 30+ mpg pretty regularly on 87 octane while still being fun to drive.

The Fit is the utilitarian choice. I like them but they don't do anything for me.

What about a Saturn Astra or an Aura? They can be had in 4 doors, run regular, have a manual option, meet the mileage requirement and are dirt cheap to buy and maintain.

Weird darkhorse: Suzuki Kazashi. They've aged rather gracefully and, much like Saturn, no one wants a car from a brand no longer operating in the US.

Man, you guys are awesome! I'm a little apprehensive about the commute length but Tampa is set up weird. I'll be working in south Tampa. The houses there were all built in the '50s-60s. There are lots of apartments and town homes but it's expensive due to the base being right there. You can get much more for your money if you look at the suburbs. I am renting a 4 bed, 2 bath, 2200sq ft house for $1600/month. But it has a 3 car garage. You know, priorities .

Anyways, I realize that I should be looking for the nicest E36 M3box I can find for $4k. Something I can just mindlessly commute in. Something full size would be nice but I'm more concerned with cost per mile. I can always get something "fun" (wildy inappropriate for commuting) later once I get some paychecks in the bank. I keep finding 2007-2010 Prius' for under $4k. I don't think anything can beat them for cost per mile outside of a TDi Jetta or something. They seat 4, have a decent cargo area and seem pretty reliable. Sure, it's the automotive equivalent of unflavored tofu but it might be the perfect weapon of commuting destruction.

Thoughts? Any red flags in common issues I should be aware of?

In reply to Robbie :

I had an '05 Magnum RT when I lived in Tampa previously. They are great cars. On mine I had a JBA catback, cheapo Spectre intake, a 93 octane Diablosport tune and a DIY traction control disable switch. I disabled the MDS because it droned terribly with the catback. I could still knock down 20mpg on the highway if I drove it nice, which I didn't.

I loved how huge it was inside. The interior was a sea of hard plastic but the seats were comfy. It was a good long distance cruiser.

If it was me id probably buy the cheapest reliable car with decent mpg, like a Saturn SW1 or whatever. Ive known a few people with that car and they all go on and on about how much they love them. Plus they are cheap and one great thing about $500 cars is they pretty much stay worth $500 as long as they still run. Drive it for awhile, dump it for what you paid for it.

Then you get extra money for all the hidden costs of moving and can get something nicer, aka not a saturn wagon that is probably burning oil, when you are settled in your job. 

Reliability King is probably the Prius. Interior space goes to the Fit. Best  condition of either you find in your timeframe...