which car gets the best mileage for an auto?

[GasSavers_BEEF]

the 2.2 liter has its drawbacks too. the fuel injectors leak (maybe that was just a given year or run of years) and the fuel pump is expensive to change out.

I haven't had to worry about my fuel pump but I changed out my injectors at 95k which is when I bought the thing. the smell of raw gas was so strong that I thought my gas tank was leaking. the mecanic told me to stop driving it until I could get it done. there again, maybe it was just my year. the mechanic did say that the s-10s had the same issue (the ones with the 2.2s)

other than that, it has been smoothe sailing for 80k more miles and hopefully many many more.

[thornburg]

Originally Posted by 1cheap1

Get the car with the most safety features. Mileage is great but safety is important. Just my two cents.

There is some truth to this. Check the safety ratings of whatever vehicle you are looking at (for example, the Tercel was a death trap in many of its incarnations). Also, consider the features you need/want (and your mother, since I assume this is the same quest as the 3-speed corolla thread was about).

I was in the same boat of needing an automatic for several different reasons, and was looking a similar price range ($2500 or less, less being better), and ended up with the 1990 Celica ST you see listed under my name. The ST model of the celica is basically a Corolla with a different body (as it shares the engine, transmission, and suspension of the Corolla). Surprisingly, the "sporty" Celica has better crash-test scores than the Corolla, although it is somewhat less practical if you need access to the back seat or don't like getting in and out of low-to-the-ground cars. I'm not saying you should buy a Celica, although I've been very happy with mine (and if you look at the "consumer rating" on Edmunds.com, the Celica has one of the highest scores of all small cars).

Make good use of all your online datapoints:

CarFax.com or similar (you can sign up for "unlimited" VIN checks during your car-hunt, highly recommended).

FuelEconomy.gov for EPA MPG ratings

Safercar.gov for safety ratings

KBB.com and Edmunds.com for pricing and other info

Oh, and let us know what you get, when you get something.

Good luck. I know used-car shopping can be very stressful and very frustrating.

P.S. This may be obvious, but some of the good cars to look at are: Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla/Geo-Chevy Prizm, Nissan Senta/200SX, Mazda 323/Protege/3, Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer, Chevy Cavalier, Mitsubishi Mirage/Eagle Summit

I don't vouch that those are all great cars (especially for reliability or safety), but they all get decent MPG (for an automatic) and can be had for $2k or less (although some, like the Civic, can be REALLY hard to find for that price if they aren't rusted through or falling apart).

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by BEEF

the 2.2 liter has its drawbacks too. the fuel injectors leak (maybe that was just a given year or run of years) and the fuel pump is expensive to change out.

I haven't had to worry about my fuel pump but I changed out my injectors at 95k which is when I bought the thing. the smell of raw gas was so strong that I thought my gas tank was leaking. the mecanic told me to stop driving it until I could get it done. there again, maybe it was just my year. the mechanic did say that the s-10s had the same issue (the ones with the 2.2s)

other than that, it has been smoothe sailing for 80k more miles and hopefully many many more.

yea ive heard of this too, seems the 98+ s-10's (newer 2.2L) seem to have the injector O rings failing and leaking problem. but if you know what your doing it takes half hour to fix.