I've been doing a lot of boring city driving for work lately, and an Evo IX with good power and a stiff clutch is not exactly ideal for this type of commuting, so I was just thinking about some other options...

I've actually done the math, I was considering a Civic Hybrid since (at least they claim) they get like 40-50 mpg... If I could do something like this - double my MPG, lower the price of fuel about 20-25 cents per gallon, and I'm driving around 800-1,000 for commuting / work, I think it would be quite the savings. I'd get to enjoy the Evo more when I drive it.

I had a '96 Civic that had minimal options, but it had the important ones like power windows/locks and AC.

Anyhow, I was looking at this car:
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/3013551938.html

It's cheap and I'm wondering if it has issues, but does anyone have experience with these cars? I loved my old Civic but it got rear ended, and that was years ago, but I've always thought about getting another since they are good economy cars and all. I do NOT want a Prius, I just don't care for them and really would prefer something manual. If anyone has any input on what other kinds of DD cars that may be worth looking at, that would be great! Or if anyone has input on the Civic Hybrid, I'd love to hear about that too, as I know very little about them.

Thanks in advance for any input!

Trevor

 

My Dad has that same gen Civic Hybrid for his commuter (I think his is an 04 but I'm not positive). He's quite happy with it as a commuter - boring as hell but he's able to get 45+ MPG on it without any trouble. When I drove it I was getting in the low to mid 30s but I was flooring it everywhere because it's so ****ing slow. However, his has the CVT, the MT might be slightly more interesting to drive.

What's your budget? The current gen Focus is a great all-around car - great economy plus a nice comfy interior.

 

LOL, I know the floor it due to it being so ******* slow, that's for sure! That's one of the tough parts about having a slow economical DD - there are always times where you need / want to get ahead of people and you just CAN'T.... it feels very strange after you've been driving a car where you easily leave people in the dust.

I'm not looking to spend very much, probably around 5-8k, so obviously something used. I've heard horror stories about the batteries on hybrids going bad and costing a hell of a lot, but I haven't heard any negatives about the Civic in particular.

Focus could be another option, I might have to look at that, but it'd have to be an older one, and I know the newer ones are very much improved, but probably beyond what I'm looking to spend.

 

My picks would be a Focus, civic or Yaris. Good luck with your search!

 

The focus isn't bad but neither is the corolla. I drove the hell out of a corolla for a few years and the mileage was great. If you want a fun car that gets great mileage and is cheap, get a miata. They are a blast, cheap, and get fantastic gas mileage. I averaged 40mpg highway in mine when I had it. I miss that car more than any I have ever owned. I paid 4k for it and it was so much fun.

Wes

 

Yeah I had a Miata years ago too, and it was very fun and got great mileage, but I'd like something a little bigger and convertibles are not ideal here. My old Miata had a hardtop, which was great, but I still need more room and have to have several passengers here and there, but not all the time. Thanks for the suggestions, feel free to send any others out there, I'll probably expand my search to include some of these cars and see what comes up...

 

Holy hell, I was just looking at a review of the Civic Hybrid and saw this "The Civic Hybrid can get to 60 miles per hour with a little wheel spin in a leisurely 12.1 seconds--1.8 seconds slower than the Prius--but compensates by being able to go from 30mph to 50mph in 4.9 seconds (the Prius took 7 seconds)."

Damn, that's like dangerously slow!! It sounds like I could get out and run faster.

 

honda insight

 

I have a 2009 tC that I use for daily driving.. About 28mpg and not too bad of a ride for the daily commute.. I like that it's a Toyota so all I do is wash it and regular oil changes and that's it..

140 flywheel hp of pure mad fury let me tell you..

The only issue is it requires 24hr advance notice to the transmission that you floored it for it to respond..

 

I got a boring corrolla. Great gas mileage, but the trade off is the tank is only 12 gallons.

 

as a former Prius owner I can honestly say that all hybrids suck schiett. Hybrids in that price range will most likely have issues with the batteries sooner than later, or they are a salvage title (I.E batteries have been replaced once already)

don't get it.. You would be better off spending more money and finding a jetta diesel which can easily get 50mpg

 

Awesome!

 

Love my integra. It is decently interesting to drive, has a big trunk, has never given me a single problem, great gas mileage and I bought it for $1500.

 

A diesel golf can be found for pretty cheap. Then again I am in Canada where diesel is cheaper than regular! Might not be the best option if its more than premium there.

 

Another thought - Nissan Versa. It's the ultimate in boring practicality but they're dirt cheap (<$11k new, super cheap used) and reliable.

Diesels are fetching a premium down here right now. There's very few on the used market because of how quickly people are snatching them up.