grassroots commuting hard core economy car challenge

AKA help me find a really cheap, fairly reliable and possibly disposable commuter hoopdie for my BIL.

His employer transferred him to a location in a bad neighborhood, and he doesn't want to park his like new Honda anywhere near there. I know the area and I don't blame him.

So he's asked me to help him find a reliable low maintenance hoopdie that gets atleast mid twenties mpg in city driving. And he wants to spend under a grand! He actually said $500, but I think the odds of finding something that will be reliable and pass inspection with out needing a ton of work are too slim at that price point (but not impossible).

Also, since I am his mechanic, I want something that I won't have to work on every week, or need to mail order special parts.

The first cars that come to mind are Metros, early Saturns, Mazda protoge & 323, Ford escort, corrolla/prism and Tercel.

He can drive a stick, and he has owned a Metro, early Saturns and 323 in the past.

So the first thing I'd like to know is are there any other cars that I should add to my search list. Next, what are the known trouble areas for these cars? (Yea, I know, at less then a grand the whole plan is trouble)

For example; don't Metros have a problem with unrepairable rust in the front suspension? And don't early Saturns have problems with piston rings?

Thanks in advance for the input. .

I have no useful advice on this topic, but the title of the thread compels me to repost this, which I made a while back:

oh, actually I would suggest find an old e30 ETA. Slow, usually ugly in that price range, stick shift.....nobody would steal it. And they pop up all day long on CL around here for $700 or so in running (but cosmetically ugly) shape.

volvo?

I got my 850 in reasonably good shape for only $1200

Where is he? I happen to have something that might fit the bill. really ugly, mostly beat, brown Chevy prism.

I'd skip the early Saturns. People steal them because they are easier to steal than find a taxi. I think all you need is a butterknife.

irish44j wrote: I have no useful advice on this topic, but the title of the thread compels me to repost this, which I made a while back:

I had your bumper sticker design in mind when made the title for this thread.

irish44j wrote: oh, actually I would suggest find an old e30 ETA. Slow, usually ugly in that price range, stick shift.....nobody would steal it. And they pop up all day long on CL around here for $700 or so in running (but cosmetically ugly) shape.

Don't they use CIS injection? I don't want any part of that mess.

I'll give the same advice I give to teams shopping for BABE cars since its a similar target market.

The best car you can buy for under $1000 is the best car you can find for under $1000. At that price range they will all be flogged and beat. A sub 1k honda is probably no better than a sub 1k GM. In fact in that price range Im more inclined to buy american because they dont carry the honda/toyota tax so your dollar goes a little further and gets you a better car.

Your best bet, Geo Prism. Toyota corolla under the skin, unloved for the Geo badge. Boring but cheap and reliable.

local candidates

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3403242838.html

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3429349296.html

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3379427428.html

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3415895938.html

In reply to JThw8: 3 of those 4 I've already emailed to my BIL And he & I really need to do BABE, we'd be a great team

HappyAndy wrote: In reply to JThw8: 3 of those 4 I've already emailed to my BIL And he & I really need to do BABE, we'd be a great team

2013 Announcement is supposed to happen within the week. You'll want to plan on that one....

With an epa rating when new of 20 city and 30 hyw, I get tankfull mpg of 25 in my '97 LeSabre.
There are completely overlooked. The GM 3800 engine is stout and known for an easy 200k miles (and more.)
Parts are cheap and everywhere. Sample: a new (not reman'ed) half shaft/cv joint can be had for $59 at PepVanceZone - and it is in stock.)
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3401103513.html#.ULBKT2cSRH0 http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3429634765.html#.ULBKAGcSRH0

HappyAndy wrote:

irish44j wrote: oh, actually I would suggest find an old e30 ETA. Slow, usually ugly in that price range, stick shift.....nobody would steal it. And they pop up all day long on CL around here for $700 or so in running (but cosmetically ugly) shape.

Don't they use CIS injection? I don't want any part of that mess.

I think the early ETAs were L-Jetronic, which I don't think was CIS (K-Jet was CIS).

I have L-Jet on my M10 rallycrosser and it's never been a problem. We have a couple early ETAs that have run all season without any problems other than a broken motor mount or suspension piece here or there.

The SuperETAs got Motronic as I recall.

JohnRW1621 wrote: With an epa rating when new of 20 city and 30 hyw, I get tankfull mpg of 25 in my '97 LeSabre. There are completely overlooked. The GM 3800 engine is stout and known for an easy 200k miles (and more.) Parts are cheap and everywhere. Sample: a new (not reman'ed) half shaft/cv joint can be had for $59 at PepVanceZone - and it is in stock.) http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3401103513.html#.ULBKT2cSRH0 http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3429634765.html#.ULBKAGcSRH0

I was going to suggest something along those lines. Peter Egan once spent a column extolling the surprising efficiency of his GM V6. And you know nobody's ever going to steal one.

Around here, a sub-$1k car is an old Subaru wagon. Everyone is required to own one at some point. All four halfshafts are the same, they're cheap and in stock too. Guess how I know...

Yeah, take saturn off the list if its in an area where its likely to get stolen. The door locks on those are a joke, you can open them with pretty much any key that will fit in the lock.

like the others have said... when buying at that type of price don't get picky... just look for the best you can...

if you've got a smart phone find the best craigslist app you can for android thats craigs notifica https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mufumbo.craigslist.notification.android

set it up to check every 15 min or so... call as soon as you see something even remotely ok... might take a little time finding a good car for the price but it could be worth it...

Cavalier.. paid $200 for my current 98 2 door 5 speed needing a head gasket and tires. it gets right around 30mpg,l and the worst problem it has is that the driver's side door hinges are sagged to the point that the door latch doesn't work perfectly 100% of the time, but it takes like a second to flip the latch by hand so it will close..

i can guarantee that no one will try to steal a Cavalier, and if something does break parts are cheap and easily swapped.

novaderrik wrote: Cavalier.. i can guarantee that no one will try to steal a Cavalier, and if something does break parts are cheap and easily swapped.

I like this thought process.

I personally think a cobalt xfe would be the perfect "nice enough" car with a/c and a radio to commute with, fuel efficient enough, and blah enough to get overlooked.

Unfortunately I haven't seen the xfe models dropping much below 10k. When they are under 5k, I will have one.

My BIL is ok with a Cadavalier. What is the Pontiac equivalent? I know about the Sunfire 2 dr, but didn't the 4 dr have a different name?

Edit: wiki tells me the last generation of Pontiac J bodies were all called sunfire

I vote Buick or Olds with the 3800. It's nice commuting on a couch.

Mazda Protege circa 2000 or so. Pretty much the definitin of a toaster. Worth zero moeny as trade-ins and about as reliable as a hammer.

Anything with a 3800 is bulletproof. My Dad go 30 on long hwy trips in he Lasabre all the time. Never knew Saturns were any easier to steal than anything else. Add a kill switch somewhere? get a 96-02 with twincams. They run forever even if they use oil. Bonus for plastic bodies, no rust or dents!

Its not so much that stealing a saturn is easier, its that pretty much any key or remotely key shaped thing will open the doors with no problem.

I don't see any love for the sentra. They're reliable and cheap to buy plus they usually have the basic power features on them.