I’ve been looking at marketplace for a small car with good gas mileage that I can get cheap. I don’t mind doing work to it like replacing a clutch or dealing with a head gasket or engine replacement. The trouble I’m having in my area ( Midwest United States) is that either mileage is well into the 200k range, price is unrealistic so I won’t bother trying to reason with them, the car is more of a headache than it’s worth (Chevy Cruze) or there’s more than one issue like transmission problem plus body damage. I could go up in price under $10k but I don’t see the up side in spending that much to get better gas mileage unless the car can go at least another 5-10 years.
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Used car market has been fucked since 2020. This is unfortunately just how it be.
Its compounded by the fact that in the Midwest, most cars have a shelf life of less than 10 years before they rust into unusable heaps, which keeps the used market undersupplied with running cars.
Try to find estate sales/auctions. Frequently, low mileage good condition cars owned by old people get dumped on there for not much.
most cars have a shelf life of less than 10 years before they rust into unusable heaps
Not Japanese cars.
The answer is always Toyota Corolla.
I actually did just contact the $750 Corolla. It has 221k and needs an engine.
The problem with that is sellers are asking high prices for high mileage vehicles near me. I might as well double my budget and buy a Prius or Honda insight.
Chevy Volt seems like the best option to me right now. They’ve been reliable, can run off battery for ~30 miles, and then are just a normal hybrid that gets great gas milage. You can find mediocre examples for <5k where I am in Portland/Seattle. 10k would get you a really decent one that should definitely last >5 years.
@Joelk111 @PriorityMotif I want to find a used Chevy Bolt EUV. They’re pricy but, as you mention, should still last awhile.
I see a 12’ for sale near me for $3900 with 181k on it.
Engine replacement is a big job to be okay with. Where in Midwest?
I’m seeing lots of Kia’s and Hyundai’s available: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/gasoline/cars-under-7000/cleveland-oh?mileage=70000&mpgRange=30-MPG&zip=44101
East Central Illinois near UIUC. I’ve done engines and transmissions in my garage but also used to work as a mechanic and have done many more. It’s much easier with a lift though. I’ve been shying away from Hyundai/Kia due to their engine problems. While I don’t mind doing an engine I would still have to find a good used one, which might be difficult if all of them have bad engines.
Yeah you’re not gonna find a reliable, cheap, low mileage car for your price range. You’re gonna have to settle on something you’ll need to maintain. Presume you don’t want hybrid or you’re okay with replacing battery?
@venusaur @PriorityMotif That’s for sure! I haven’t been able to find an inexpensive used car that isn’t a piece of junk. I ended up buying an electric scooter instead. It working well.
What in the world? I never seen so many tags
@venusaur LOL!
I wouldn’t mind a hybrid if it’s possible to replace individual cells like you can with some Prius models or get a range upgrade like you can with earlier Nissan leaf. I also don’t mind doing maintenance. We bought a Dodge Grand caravan with 180k last year and I’ve had to fix quite a bit on it. Fortunately parts are cheap for it and it’s easy to work on. My daily driver is a Crown Victoria police interceptor with 230k on it. I’m spending about $35/week on gas at today’s prices at about 20mi/gal. I’d like to find something that gets at least mid 30’s on the highway.
I can imagine hybrid cars going up for a while. Not gonna be able to get one of those under $10k with the other criteria. I think you gotta give somewhere, and yeah that sucks. Used market is the prime market right now, and lots of people don’t own their cars.
If ur cool with the dodge caravan I’m surprised you’re not into the Hyundai. Will have a lot to work on, but cheap to repair. There is the problem of people stealing them though.
Try auto tempest if you’re not already.
09’ - 20’ Hyundai Santa Fe, Sonata Hybrid, Tucson, Elantra and Veloster and Kia Forte, Optima Hybrid, Sorento, Soul and Sportage with Theta II 2.4-liter multipoint fuel injection (MPI), 1.6-liter Gamma GDI and 2.0-liter Nu GDI had a class action for engine failures, it’s pretty much a guarantee that the engine will fail. I avoided the 3.6L caravan/t&c because they can have camshaft issues. Mine has the older pushrod v6 3.3.
They don’t have replacement engines with the problems fixed?
Yeah it’s a crazy world out there. Good luck! Love keeping my old car running, but like you I’m getting worried about the mpg. In my case I want something more modern, but can’t afford anything modern enough to fit my criteria and price range.
They did an ecu update for more sensitive knock sensing and extended the engine warranty to 15yr/150k. I heard they replaced a ton of engines under warranty, but I can’t imagine that they changed much in the engine design. The problem is rod bearings failing and the engine seized. Some analysis showed that there could have still been machining debris in the engine from the factory or overall oiling issues. Lack of maintenance probably plays a factor as well. It looks like they were just poorly designed.
