which car gets the best mileage for an auto?

[civic94]

im selling my stick shift civic, and going to get an automatic so I can share my car with my mom (use 1 less car). something that i can get around 30 mpg combined will be great

i dont plan to spend anything over 2000, so far the options are:

92-95 civic
93-97 corolla
90+ tercel?

I was looking at the carpoint for the gas mileage between the civic and corolla, the civic is higher, but on fueleconomy.gov the users get the exact same mileage. I'm leaning towards a corolla, simply because honda auto trannys are not that good.

how about a tercel? isnt those cars rare, such as if i need a replacement part it will be extremely hard to find?


also whats the difference between the prizm and corolla except for the engine and tranny? are the wiring made my toyota also or by geo?

[1cheap1]

Get the car with the most safety features. Mileage is great but safety is important. Just my two cents.

[Hockey4mnhs]

I would go with a civic or a corolla. they will get about the same so go with the one you like most.

[theholycow]

I know it's not on your list, but BEEF is averaging nearly 36mpg with an automatic 1997 Cavalier. Those should be well within your price range, according to kbb.com.

[dkjones96]

Not to mention that the Cavaliers have parts so readily available at the junkyard that if anything at all breaks it shouldn't be expensive to fix.

[Somedude]

The Cavalier is a good choice too, it also has more power than all those three cars (with the 2.4L 150hp model) you mentioned as well as great gas milage.

http://a137.g.akamai.net/f/137/3538/120m/imageonthefly.cars.com/images/?IMG=U7CHGEC2.JPG&width=690&COLOR=ffffff

I have driven an auto 95 Civic LX before and it is so slow that when the light turns green most traffic behind me soon pass and cut me off because they think I am going super slow on purpose.

[dkjones96]

I prefer the 2.2L OHV engine over the 2.4L engine. Especially if you are just riding around town, the extra torque from the 2.2 is nice and I'm pretty sure it has WAY more potential than the 2.4 does.

[bowtieguy]

since you mentioned a prizm, check out this one w/ AT. his FE is better than mine with a 5 speed!

http://www.gassavers.org/garage/view/274

don't know about getting one under $2k tho.

[BEEF]

my car 1997 cavalier auto trans 2 door gets around 35-36 average. I have seen 38 at times. I paid 2k for it over 4 1/2 years ago. good little cars. you are limited in mpg but I think it does alright and you can pick one up relatively cheap.

and, no, mines is not for sale.

*edit* it also has the 2.2 liter engine

[VetteOwner]

the 2.2l engine is reliable, same one in my s-10. cavileers are cheap and abundant(parts are cheap too)

that and personally ive ridden in plenty of cavileers and they seem "bigger" on the inside than corollas or civics....(maybe they just fit me better? i dunno) now berettas/corsicas are just odd fitting to me....(anyone have mpg numbers on those???)

[BEEF]

the 2.2 liter has its drawbacks too. the fuel injectors leak (maybe that was just a given year or run of years) and the fuel pump is expensive to change out.

I haven't had to worry about my fuel pump but I changed out my injectors at 95k which is when I bought the thing. the smell of raw gas was so strong that I thought my gas tank was leaking. the mecanic told me to stop driving it until I could get it done. there again, maybe it was just my year. the mechanic did say that the s-10s had the same issue (the ones with the 2.2s)

other than that, it has been smoothe sailing for 80k more miles and hopefully many many more.

[thornburg]

Get the car with the most safety features. Mileage is great but safety is important. Just my two cents.

There is some truth to this. Check the safety ratings of whatever vehicle you are looking at (for example, the Tercel was a death trap in many of its incarnations). Also, consider the features you need/want (and your mother, since I assume this is the same quest as the 3-speed corolla thread was about).

I was in the same boat of needing an automatic for several different reasons, and was looking a similar price range ($2500 or less, less being better), and ended up with the 1990 Celica ST you see listed under my name. The ST model of the celica is basically a Corolla with a different body (as it shares the engine, transmission, and suspension of the Corolla). Surprisingly, the "sporty" Celica has better crash-test scores than the Corolla, although it is somewhat less practical if you need access to the back seat or don't like getting in and out of low-to-the-ground cars. I'm not saying you should buy a Celica, although I've been very happy with mine (and if you look at the "consumer rating" on Edmunds.com, the Celica has one of the highest scores of all small cars).

Make good use of all your online datapoints:

CarFax.com or similar (you can sign up for "unlimited" VIN checks during your car-hunt, highly recommended).

FuelEconomy.gov for EPA MPG ratings

Safercar.gov for safety ratings

KBB.com and Edmunds.com for pricing and other info

Oh, and let us know what you get, when you get something. ;)

:thumbup: Good luck. I know used-car shopping can be very stressful and very frustrating.

P.S. This may be obvious, but some of the good cars to look at are: Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla/Geo-Chevy Prizm, Nissan Senta/200SX, Mazda 323/Protege/3, Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer, Chevy Cavalier, Mitsubishi Mirage/Eagle Summit

I don't vouch that those are all great cars (especially for reliability or safety), but they all get decent MPG (for an automatic) and can be had for $2k or less (although some, like the Civic, can be REALLY hard to find for that price if they aren't rusted through or falling apart).

[VetteOwner]

the 2.2 liter has its drawbacks too. the fuel injectors leak (maybe that was just a given year or run of years) and the fuel pump is expensive to change out.

I haven't had to worry about my fuel pump but I changed out my injectors at 95k which is when I bought the thing. the smell of raw gas was so strong that I thought my gas tank was leaking. the mecanic told me to stop driving it until I could get it done. there again, maybe it was just my year. the mechanic did say that the s-10s had the same issue (the ones with the 2.2s)

other than that, it has been smoothe sailing for 80k more miles and hopefully many many more.

yea ive heard of this too, seems the 98+ s-10's (newer 2.2L) seem to have the injector O rings failing and leaking problem. but if you know what your doing it takes half hour to fix.