good cheap economy car?

[steelfist]

the car we use now uses an average of 10 miles per gallon. it's been guzzling our money and fuel, and our familly have decided to buy a new one. the problem is that we are quite tight on budget.

is there a mid-sized car that's light on fuel, can carry 5 people, and is very cheap? it dosen't have to be new, or released in the 21st centuary. i'm hoping that there's a $5000-$10,000 car that's available. oh yea, we live in a place where the driver sits on the right.

 

[livingfortoday]

 

[cycocelica]

honda civic. reliable, cheap, and good on gas

 

[Counterfit]

The Civic isn't a midsize though, and you'd be hard-pressed to fit 5 people in it.
Which country you live in will affect your options. It'll be much easier to find a fuel-sipper in the UK and Ireland as compared to Australia (well, I think). If you're in Japan, well, you have all sorts of crazy options.

 

[Zwhaler]

Go for a Toyota Corolla or a Civic. I don't like the new Civics because of the funky styling, and the engine is very difficult to do any work on because of the way it is set up (where things are placed) Id go for the Corolla. Great car.

 

[cycocelica]

The Civic isn't a midsize though, and you'd be hard-pressed to fit 5 people in it.
Which country you live in will affect your options. It'll be much easier to find a fuel-sipper in the UK and Ireland as compared to Australia (well, I think). If you're in Japan, well, you have all sorts of crazy options.

This is true, but a four door civic would probably suffice. You would be hard press to fit 5 people into most economy cars. I guess it depends on how big the people are.

 

[apfhex]

Midsize = less economic, it seems, unless you get a hybrid. And given the current prices on hybrids, you're not going to make up for it in gas saved.

A 4-door Civic can hold 5 adults best of the compact cars I've ridden in. My friends and I do it regularly with a 2001 model and a 2006 hybrid too — I'm very tall and providing I'm in the front passenger seat, or in the back behind a not-so-tall person (so that they can move the seat forward enough), I'm reasonably comfortable. If I have to drive it, though, that's another story......... (my legs have a hard time fitting under the steering wheel)

Even though the Corolla is bigger outside (I think?), the inside is tiny compared to the Civic. Much less room! Dunno how they manage that.

Of course cars in other countries tend to be a bit differently designed, so I don't know how a European or Japanese Civic would be. Probably smaller overall.

 

[j26]

A 1.4 VW Golf. It averages about 45mpg (for us - partly urban, partly rural usage) and is a very comfy and well built car.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

If you really want a 'midsize', then you're looking at 20 MPG, tops, for one old enough to be within your price range.

If you really just mean 'can carry 5 people without injuring each other', then you have many more options. Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra.

I had a 1999 Hyundai Accent that I recently sold for $2500 that could fit 5, albeit not in extreme comfort. (I did once ride in the rear middle seat for a 4 hour drive. It wasn't too bad, and I'm a 6 foot, 200 pound guy. Of course, it helped that I was unmarried sitting between two relatively slim women. (Sadly, they were the wives of the much larger men sitting in the front seats.) And it got 35 MPG. As j26 mentioned, though, older VWs get REALLY good mileage. A nice 2002 Jetta TDI wagon would be at the high end of your price range, but can get 50 MPG, and if you're willing to do some modifications, you can even run it off filtered cooking grease.

'Diesel' as it is known today, is refined petroleum, similar to kerosine. 'Bio-diesel' is plant matter refined to similar chemical properties, and can run in unmodified diesel engines. 'Greasel' is the name for a diesel engine that has been modified to run off cooking grease. Yup, it can go straight from the McDonald's french fry pan, through a filter, to your tank. This type of fuel, plant OIL, is what Rudolf Diesel actually intended his engine to run off, not refined petroleum. Basically, the difference is that Bio-diesel has been thinned out and has an agent added so it doesn't solidify, where 'greasel' systems use straight vegetable oil, which needs to be heated to about 158°F/70°C before it is liquid enough to inject and burn. Thusly, greasel cars usually have a second fuel tank for conventional diesel or biodiesel to use until the grease warms up.

 

[steelfist]

ironicly, it was the hond civic 6th generation that is causing the problem. hundreds of dollars US are spent trying to fix the car. now, the speakers are broken, the cd and radio is messed up, the aircon is broken, and it guzzles at about 10 mpg. (I use American dollars for easier computing for most people even though i'm in hong kong.)

is there a second-hand car shop in hong kong?

 

[Xeem]

That is very unusual; the Honda Civic is one of the most reliable cars in the world. I wouldn't recommend many economy cars other than the Civic and Corolla.

 

[polevault139]

Gremlin, mine gets good gas mileage, and it's a chick magnet

 

[CanadaRAM]

We just took delivery on a Nissan Versa (5 door hatchback). Better gas mileage than a Civic IIRC, and awesome interior room. 6'4" son can sit in the back seat with ease. Priced lower than the Honda Fit, way more room than a Fit or a Yaris, which is what I was comparing to.