Best disposable appliance for commute

I'm in the market for a cheap, reliable appliance for my 140 mile/day commute. Musts: easy to work on, relatively cheap to insure (if possible), 30+ MPG, no major known defects... I don't require many amenities and even A/C isn't an absolute necessity.

I quick scan of CL made me realize the usual suspects (Tercels and 92-95 Civics) are now in short supply and have mostly been used up. Plus Hondas and Toyotas have higher resale that pushes others like the Echo out of the realm of sensibility.

Thoughts? Are there any Kia or Hyundais that fit the bill?

Define: cheap.

What is cheap to you might be expensive to me.

Saturns are going real cheap these days and check the boxes. Non-turbo Saab 900 isn't a bad option either. The E36 318i cars are pretty worthless too and not awful to drive on a commute.

Yeah, my 2011 Elantra was a cheap new car that fits the bill and then some, but is $17.5K cheap to you?

I liked it so much I bought Mrs Aussie one as well

Late Saturn SC1 with a stick. Super MPG and not terribly uncomfortable. Aside from that, they handle better than you should ever expect an appliance to handle.

Cheap - sorry i should have defined that. I'm looking to spend <$4k - prefereably much less.

As for Saturns - what are the best ones (meaning least known problems)?

Geo/Chevy Prizm. It's a Corolla in everything but the badges, and is usually priced for less

Sonic wrote: Geo/Chevy Prizm. It's a Corolla in everything but the badges, and is usually priced for less

They were good little cars (my brother had one for his kids to drive and it lasted for years and years) but they may be hard to find depending on location - I can't remember the last time I saw one in Minnesota, I think they've all rusted away here.

?

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/3504309986.html

my 2009 Hyundai Accent has been trouble free. (third generation spans from 2006-2011). bought mine new and has 80k on it now, its super easy to work on, they are very simple cars (also helps hyundai has all the service manuals online for free)

i have no experience with the 1st or 2nd gen myself but i would certainly look into them. if it were me I would be looking for a 2nd gen GT hatchback.

Anyways, a more practical choice would be say.... a first gen Kia Sephia. They're really a re-badged 91-94 Protege, but easier to find in nice shape, don't cost a damn thing, and they're pretty much bulletproof.

Orrrr.... DansXR2 is selling his first gen Probe GT for cheap. They're reliable and get good gas mileage.

TDI values vary significantly by region - but I LOVE my Golf TDI for commuting. Relaxed cruising and reasonably quiet, great resale and 50+mpg every tank.

Cheap, disposable, reliable, high MPG? Can NOT beat the Corolla / Prizm. Either one is widely available in the $1500 - $2500 range, they're very reliable, and when you do work on them they're dead simple and parts are ridiculously cheap. They're also not terrible to drive - especially if you get one with a stick - with the DOHC motor they put out around 120 to 140hp depending on the year.

Apples to apples, a Saturn SL will be 33-50% cheaper than the same Corolla

JohnRW1621 wrote: Apples to apples, a Saturn SL will be 33-50% cheaper than the same Corolla

This. You want a Twincam model (SC2/SL2/SW2) if possible. They're all basically the same car for the whole run, but later ones are a little heavier and have a little nicer interior.

Twincam motors get good mileage and are pretty spunky. Single cam motors before 1994 (IIRC) are TBI injection and are sloooooow. The Singlecam got MPI in 1994 and went from 85 hp to 100 hp, and will get out of its own way. Honestly, though, the difference in fuel economy is minimal between the DOHC and SOHC motors, so hold out for a twin cam.

They burn oil. All of them. THere is supposedly a decarbonizing procedure that sounds like snake oil but actually frees up stuck rings and gets them to stop burning as much oil.

The alternators like to go out, and they're kind of a bastard to change.

Aside from that, they're fantastic. Early coupes have no backseat legroom or headroom. When they changed the bodystyle over they got a lot more livable, (longer wheelbase) but it's still no place to put an adult.

Aside from Saturns, MOST of the 90's econocars have devotees, for good reason. I've owned a Protege, a Civic, a Saturn, and a Sentra all from the early 90's, and they all put a smile on my face and were very reliable.

I like my 2000 Insight if you can find one.

psteav wrote:

JohnRW1621 wrote: Apples to apples, a Saturn SL will be 33-50% cheaper than the same Corolla

This. You want a Twincam model (SC2/SL2/SW2) if possible. They're all basically the same car for the whole run, but later ones are a little heavier and have a little nicer interior. Twincam motors get good mileage and are pretty spunky. Single cam motors before 1994 (IIRC) are TBI injection and are sloooooow. The Singlecam got MPI in 1994 and went from 85 hp to 100 hp, and will get out of its own way. Honestly, though, the difference in fuel economy is minimal between the DOHC and SOHC motors, so hold out for a twin cam. They burn oil. All of them. THere is supposedly a decarbonizing procedure that sounds like snake oil but actually frees up stuck rings and gets them to stop burning as much oil. The alternators like to go out, and they're kind of a bastard to change. Aside from that, they're fantastic. Early coupes have no backseat legroom or headroom. When they changed the bodystyle over they got a lot more livable, (longer wheelbase) but it's still no place to put an adult. Aside from Saturns, MOST of the 90's econocars have devotees, for good reason. I've owned a Protege, a Civic, a Saturn, and a Sentra all from the early 90's, and they all put a smile on my face and were very reliable.

Anything to be concerned about with their transmissions (auto and manual)?

psteav wrote: They burn oil. All of them. THere is supposedly a decarbonizing procedure that sounds like snake oil but actually frees up stuck rings and gets them to stop burning as much oil. The alternators like to go out, and they're kind of a bastard to change. .

Mrs BSU had a 2000 SL1 when we met. I did the decarbonizing procedure and it worked like a champ. Car would get 35mpg no matter how you drove it. It was somewhat slow but faster than some. Nothing ever broke that wasn't my wife's doing, I called it the Rubbermaid car because it felt like driving a trash can but wouldn't die.

Ours was an automatic and sold it at 125k. It shifted great.

In reply to PS122:
Plastic body panels do a great job of keeping the cars looking attractive (no rust) but look at a Saturn differently since these same panels hide rust.
The centers are metal, the sides are plastic with metal skeleton. Hood, roof, trunklid are metal.
Here are samples of what is under there:

My only exposure to cheap Saturns is a couple that burned so much oil as to be comical. I do not think the Corolla/Prizm is prone to that. I wouldn't like a "disposable commuter" that needed a quart of oil with every tank of gas. It's likely that the Saturns I knew were abused, but their reputation is such that they always burn oil, and frequently it is a lot of oil.

Early '90s Toyotas are practically indestructible.

dculberson wrote: My only exposure to cheap Saturns is a couple that burned so much oil as to be comical. I do not think the Corolla/Prizm is prone to that. I wouldn't like a "disposable commuter" that needed a quart of oil with every tank of gas. It's likely that the Saturns I knew were abused, but their reputation is such that they always burn oil, and frequently it is a **lot** of oil.

Meh. Mine had 150k of hard living when I sold it, and it would burn a quart and a half between changes. All of the other ones I've been around have been similar.

sister's dd, saturn single cam saturn auto sedan since high school, babied and always taken care of mechanically, got the car with 36k, has about 80k something on it now, brother in law mentions they cant figure out where the oil goes but it needs frequent topping off. regardless they love the little E36 M3box. now he's commuting with it.

mazda2

0% apr!

fidelity101 wrote: mazda2 0% apr!

Monthly payments... NOOOOO!