Is the answer a Prius? Some EV with the rebate from the Inflation Reduction Act? A different hybrid?
Looking for something to drive when I don't need the 16mpg van, but I also don't want it to suck the life out of my soul.
$5000... maybe a touch more.
Gen 2 Prius is the Droid you're looking for.
Indy - Guy said:Gen 2 Prius is the Droid you're looking for.
+1
They are great cars for DIYers. There are some repairs that are very expensive at retail that can be done for pennies at DIY. When facing one of these expensive retail repairs, many people sell their Prius, cheap, to one of us GRMers!
Gen2 is '04-'09. '06+ got some slight updates. The early cars are not bad but the '06+ cars are just a little better.
With $5k you could get a '07+ Prius with less than 150k miles. Personally, look for a $4k car and invest the remaining $1k into things like updated suspension.
In reply to John Welsh :
I was noticing that 3rd gen stuff is pretty cheap as well, and so far all of the 2nd gen stuff is pretty beat. Any specific reason to avoid a 3rd gen?
As you'll see in the buyers guide, the 1.8L of the Gen3 burns oil and blows HGs. The 1.5L of Gen2 does neither
Listen to John, he knows what he's talking about 
Oddly enough, the Prius C is technically a 3rd gen, but it got the 1.5L from the gen 2's.
I dd'd one for a few years, they're very slow and very compact
I'm reading through the thread he linked. Good stuff.
What about a Honda Insight? It's better looking IMHO.
Prius C is a good choice too since it does revert back to using the reliable 1.5L.
A little smaller and being newer, a little more expensive than a Gen2, but for that higher price, typically not less miles.
Also, there were not 1 million Prius C, like there was of Gen2s that makes parts availability exceptional and cheap!
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:What about a Honda Insight? It's better looking IMHO.
Or how about a manual Honda CR-Z?
The 1st gen Insight had sort of a crappy battery pack and management for it, compared to the Prius. One good thing is that it'll run with a bad hybrid pack, unlike the Prius. Bad thing is that it's even slower..
+whatever on the 2nd gen Prius. My last one was christened the Freeus since I got it from a coworker for free with a bad brake module. I had a spare from one my wife had wrecked, so it was running a couple of days later for zero dollars. Drove it well past the 300k mile mark, gave it to a buddy, thus continuing the Freeus theme. He's still driving it and just took it to St. Louis and back from Florida. He brought 2 tractor tires back with it, strapped to one of those luggage hitch racks. Still got 40 mpg.
As a Prius alternative, don't forget the Ford C-Max. DD#1's non-plug-in version has been great for her. It's nice to be in and drive, holds a lot of stuff, and it knocks back 45 mpg week in, week out.
I imagine they are in your price range at this point.
In reply to John Welsh :
How about the Lexus version? CT200? Anything specific on those to avoid?
I've had my C for almost a year. Moved from a Mazda 2. Not as fun, but still a great little car. Now I'm all about momentum.
Steve_Jones said:In reply to John Welsh :
How about the Lexus version? CT200? Anything specific on those to avoid?
That Lexus is a tarted up Gen3 Prius so...it is the same 1.8L known for burning oil and blowing HGs. Typically doesnt happen until over 175k, so if you can find a young one you might be fine.
When it come to Lexus Hybrid I like the HS250h. This was a 3 year only model before the CT200.
Simplified answer of being a Prius sized chassis in sedan format but carries a Camry Hybrid engine, 2.5L. The big engine/small package formula makes mpg only be modest at 35 city/34 hyw. A typical Gen2 Prius returns 40-46 mpg every day w/o trying.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
This is my favorite one listed near you right now. '07 w/160 @ $4k The last Prius I sold was a rebuilt title '08 w/185k @ $4k. It too had a recent rebuilt battery but this one listed has less miles as well as a fresh battery. Sadly, all the pictures are of the passenger side of the car. I hope the driver's side is okay.
I'm gonna throw my full-throated support behind a gen2 Prius as well, so technically this won't be a threadjack.
Anyway, John's buyer's guide refers to replacing fading '04-'05 LCD screens with '06+ screens. Do they just swap right in? My '05 screen is getting a bit dim, and replacing the touchpad overlay would improve it, ut if I have to rip the whole thing apart anyway I'd love to know about a true upgrade that isn't a zillion bucks.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
The center screen is officially known as the MFD (multi functional display.) I have had them out but I have not had to figure compatibility to swapping one. I think it is important to buy a correct used one but I'm not sure how strict that compatibility is. As an example if you are nav equipped then buying a nav unit is likely important. But, if you are not nav equipped can you buy a nav equipped unit and everything else but nav works? I don't know.
This video is a tidy presentation of how to take the Prius dashboard apart. Starts at 40 second mark and for you would go to 2 min mark. You could skip the step of unbolting the passenger airbag because you wouldn't be removing the dashpad. But, watch to the 3 minute mark anyway. The center unit is held in with two 10mm and generally is just like unplugging a factory radio.
The rule to taking the dashboard apart is to start at the outboard and work towards the center. The plastic overlaps when putting the puzzle together so doing it any other way will guarantee breaking plastic.
My preferred Prius Dismantler charges $150-$250 for an MFD. Being Cleveland, OH market cars (not a sunny climate) these units are likely not sun damaged.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
According to fueleconomy.gov, driving a Gen2 Prius would save you $2.2k over the course of 15k miles.
With that said about mpg, I should also add that the mpg is my third favorite thing about the Gen2 Prius.
#1: they don't break
#2: when they do break the internet and DIY support is deep.
#3: 42 mpg without trying and can get to 50mpg with trying.
stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) said:DeadSkunk (Warren) said:What about a Honda Insight? It's better looking IMHO.
Or how about a manual Honda CR-Z?
I was thinking about these as well for being more enthusiast-friendly with their manual transmissions and greater potential to be modded into nerdy hypermilers.
Mazda 3
So a good MPG fun car to drive for 5k or less?
I'm pretty much always gonna throw out a zx2 with that criteria. I get 35mpg always and 42 sometimes
My 96 Civic I had (DX, so SOHC, no VTEC), would routinely get high 30's for fuel mileage with me doing my best impression of the Fast and Furious. If I drove it "normally", it would get 42mpg (mostly highway). I seldom did.
Definitely nostalgia talking, but I'd try to find a clean example of that era Honda/Acura before a Prius. Aside from CV axles, mine was nothing but regular maintenance in my ownership. Slap an aftermarket radio in with Bluetooth and what more could you want? There's nothing to break. Very "analog" compared to most everything else being discussed. Mine was a 5spd, manual windows, but had AC and Power Steering. Buddy got a CX hatchback, and they didn't even get power steering.
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