Looking for good MPG DD Beater $1500 or under.

[cburb88]

My goal is to find a good DD beater car for the best mpg i can get for 1500 or under preferably a civic, not into the geo cars and some of the VW cars seem like they could be a decent option specially the diesels but i have no experience with them and seem less reliable then civics, seen and heard alot of horror stories with vw.

Preferably want a hatchback, so for that kinda money my only option seems like the 88-91 which i dont mind at all. If i have to ill settle for a 92-95 civic 2 door since i see them all the time in my price range.

So my question mainly is what should i go with for the best mpg in that price range? Preferably want a car to average 35mpg give or take. not sure if the 92-95 2 door civics would be a better mpg car then the 88-91 hatches or not. I will eventually sell the car and work my way up to a civic VX, at least that is what im planning on doing.

Unless someone can somehow talk me into looking into certain older year golfs or jettas that are overall good cars then that is my plan, thanks for any help.

[Draigflag]

Hi welcome. It really sucks that you only have a few choices in the US if you want a good cheap high MPG car. Just checked the UK Autotrader for cars in that budget and there are over 4000 small diesel cars that do up to 76 MPG for sale within that criteria!

Good luck with your search, I hope you find somthing decent

[cburb88]

Thanks, yea I wish we had more diesels too. I'll be on the lookout for a little while till I find a decent one.

[Jay2TheRescue]

There aren't many of them left on the road, but in the early 80's Ford did make an Escort hatchback diesel. WHen the fuel price spiked a few years ago those cars started working their way out into the market, and people were asking $5,000 for them. I imagine right now people aren't that desperate for a diesel, and you may get a decent deal on one. Otherwise, VW made a bunch of Rabbit diesels in the 80's as well.

[Matt715]

I had a '86 Golf diesel. It was pretty reliable and I consistently got in the upper 40s to lower 50s for mpg. It actually had a lot more room in it than it appeared.

[cburb88]

I dont think i have ever seen a diesel escort probably pretty rare, and yea im kinda unsure about a vw, i have more confidence with honda. Im honestly thinking about looking at the crx too, i can get them for a pretty decent price and they can get real good mpg, better then a hatch sometimes. At first i was worried about the room but they actually have a decent little trunk hatch deal and a nice little compartment with cubby holes and stuff so i could probably make due.

[Draigflag]

If economy is priority, then i'd always vouch for diesel, did you see my other thread? VW Golf got almost 100 MPG recently on a 1000 mile road trip!

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by excerpts from cburb88

preferably a civic

seem less reliable then civics, seen and heard alot of horror stories with vw.

my only option seems like the 88-91 which i dont mind at all. If i have to ill settle for a 92-95 civic 2 door

not sure if the 92-95 2 door civics would be a better mpg car then the 88-91 hatches or not. I will eventually sell the car and work my way up to a civic VX, at least that is what im planning on doing.

i have more confidence with honda. Im honestly thinking about looking at the crx too

Sounds like you are dead-set on Honda. You don't need to ask us, you already know what you're comfortable with.

I tend to look at total cost of ownership (including MPG, parts cost, junkyard parts availability, repair labor if you don't DIY, insurance, tickets and insurance hikes if you drive something that attracts cops, etc) and that tends to lead me away from the popular default choice of Honda/Toyota/Nissan. For my priorities, I have a preference for GM, though Ford often fits too.

[cburb88]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Sounds like you are dead-set on Honda. You don't need to ask us, you already know what you're comfortable with.

I tend to look at total cost of ownership (including MPG, parts cost, junkyard parts availability, repair labor if you don't DIY, insurance, tickets and insurance hikes if you drive something that attracts cops, etc) and that tends to lead me away from the popular default choice of Honda/Toyota/Nissan. For my priorities, I have a preference for GM, though Ford often fits too.

Yea i try to look everything full circle too, i just know for a fact that parts are very available for the hondas and they are pretty easy to work on. Not to mention the reliability is proven with them. I dont have first hand experience with any other brands that much. I think i have figured out that im going to look at civic hatch's 88-95, and the crx's i should be able to average 35mpg or so with those choices with the ability to get higher also.

[cburb88]

Ended up buying a package deal for 2 crx hfs 1500 bucks. Both are complete running and driving just a few exhaust, ignition timing, missing problems and white one has a bad pilot or throwout bearing or something in it even though guy just did clutch i think he messed something up other then that they seem nice, blue 89 212k miles white 90 322k miles. Both run quiet and smooth besides timing and such. Crazy how smooth these run mechanically with the miles they have.