Whats a safe, gass efficient, and cheap car?

Question

I just got in a car wreck and my car got totaled. I got rear ended and so the other woman's insurance is paying for the damage or a new car. i think I'll probably end up getting a new car cause repair would be too much. so I'm looking for a very safe car thats also gas efficient cause i have to drive 45 min. everyday to work. my limit on price is $5,000. If anyone has any ideas please share. Thank You!

Answer 1

Honda Civic is what i would say. You can find an older one in good condition for $5,000 and it's great on gas (~40mpg on some of them - depends on size of engine) it's considered to be a pretty safe car as well.

Answer 2

I disagree that DOHC gets better gas millage than a SOHC.... DOHC means double over head cam and SOHC means single over head cam. You need more gas to power a DOHC engine than a SOHC engine even tho most SOHC engines carry carburetor which spout gas like crazy but if u could find one thats  EFI (electronic fuel injected) theres no way a SOHC will use more gas. Your Escort was a DOHC and it was powerful so if you get a car now with a SOHC engine well its gonna feel SLOW! to you....even though speed isn't important to you. Saturn cars i know noting about....sorry cutie. Honda's are very nice for boosting espically the ek9 vtec models or the integra dc2 or dc5 type S or type R. Volvo is a gas guzzler those cars are twice as heavy or even 3 times as heavy as your escort meaning it uses lots of gas but from what i heard there very reliable but you would gotta full up twice a day. Toyota is nice and so is Mitsubishi :)

Answer 3

Look for a Honda Civic, a one owner if possible that will have all of the maintenance records.......

Answer 4

Volvo 240 sedan. Not the most gas efficient car around but it is VERY rugged and not expensive to maintain. Actually despite most of the info you'll find on the 'net these cars are very reliable.

I owned one for 6 years. The weakest points this car has is electrical (taillight assembly), and changing out brake pades (every 15 - 20k). Gas mileage...expect 23mpg (automatic), more if you have a freeflowing exhaust system.

The Volvo was rear ended at 25mph by a full sized pick up...a Ford I think (I wasn't there, dad borrowed the car that day) and received no damage at all. The car was also rear ended by a Civic. Again...no damage, couldn't say that about the Civic tho, it needed minor body work.

A Volvo 240 in good condition can be picked up for well under $5k. I've seen decent daily drivers go for $1500 on Ebay. The easiest ones to maintain will be pre-airbag and pre-ABS. Volvo did not put airbags in the 240 until 1990, if I remember correctly the same is true of ABS. 1985 - 1988 are considered the best years to get, IMO.

Answer 5

Its probably not your first choice but a geo metro is super good on gas. 50 miles/gallon.

Or something a little more stylish is a mitsubishi eclipse. I have a 97 Eclipse RS and also a 96 Eagle Talon (same thing as eclipse) and they both get close to 40 miles/gallon. Also very safe and cheap to fix.

Answer 6

I would say a 1997-2001 Saturn SL or SC. They are reliable, get awesome gas mileage, and you can get one with all the frills for a really reasonable price.

Example: I just purchased a 1996 SC2 (DOHC) for my girlfriend for $700. It has leather seats, power steering, sunroof, power windows, power door locks, cruise control, and an automatic transmission. 98k original and everything works.

The DOHC engine has more power, and the SOHC gets better fuel economy. They are both great engines. As far as Saturns go, they're all great. Just avoid the L-Series. They are very problematic.

I would suggest against a Volvo because the wiring on them is shoddy to say the least. Extremely poor connections, constant problems with lights and switches.

Hondas are fine cars if you can iron out all the sensor problems as they arise. They seem to self-destruct if you don't keep on top of them. Perhaps that's just my experience though...