What is a reliable newer car with decent MPG?

[Oldmoparguy1]

If it were me, I would look at a used Nissan Altima. Like this one...
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Used 2010 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Radiant Silver Metallic, 2 door, FWD, Coupe, Gas I4 2.5L/,
Stock# P2172.

Bertera Subaru Outlet in Hartford ~ 19 mi. away $16,357
16,941 mi
888-465-4531

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Most hatchbacks I know are 2 doors, are you sure there's a 4 door hatch?

toyota yaris has/had a 4-door hatch version.

also crazy mention: mazda5 = mini-minivan. it's not bigger than the new larger prius V...
still some zoom zoom.

 

[NHGUY]

Base Dodge Dart.With rebates probably less.

 

[BobsArmory]

5 door, get a Pontiac Vibe. slightly used.

 

[SatinSilver]

The only potential negative with Mazdas is RUST. So if he lives in area that gets a decent amount of snow I'd probably skip it and look at some of the other suggestions mentioned.

 

[yesthatsteve]

If your friend isn't opposed to the boxy hatch, a Scion xB, Nissan Cube, or Kia Soul would fit the bill, as well.

Since he's not big on DIY, CPO (certified pre-owned) is worth a look for peace of mind.

 

[sciphi]

Honda Fit. Those can be found now with reasonable miles for under $16k OTD. The only issue is the AT, which likes to cook the ATF.

 

[hattaresguy]

My sister had a rental Cruze which was impressive for what it was.

 

[99Saturn]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
My sister had a rental Cruze which was impressive for what it was.


+1 - I think a Cruze is reasonable for the list. The "ghetto" LS model (I'd opt for manual in that case) could be picked up for under $16K out the door with tax, title, fees after rebates if not in any rush.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Realtech214
Why not a 2014 Impala?

Because you can't get one for $16K? Unless maybe it's missing some parts...

 

[unbeliever]

Recently was thinking similarly, and ended up with a Scion tC. I'm a long-time Toyota guy, but I'm not impressed with the tc. The manual transmission is very clunky, for one thing. The whole car rattles and bangs and clunks. I'm not a fashion princess... but... seriously?

I like Mazdas of olden-years, and was looking at the new models (SkyActive, etc). Probably what I should have done.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: 99Saturn
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
My sister had a rental Cruze which was impressive for what it was.


+1 - I think a Cruze is reasonable for the list. The "ghetto" LS model (I'd opt for manual in that case) could be picked up for under $16K out the door with tax, title, fees after rebates if not in any rush.


LS manual will net about 28-30 mpg in combined driving, with 35-38 mpg highway if driven conservatively. Some folks report being able to break 40 mpg highway, but not too often. There is a timing belt to worry about at 100k miles (IIRC on the interval), but aside from that it's a very reliable powertrain.

For the "sporty" thing, it will handle just okay out of the box. Bumping the tire pressure and ditching the S-speed rated OEM Firestones when it needs tires will noticeably improve the handling.

 

[99Saturn]

^ Yeah - 97.5K miles for the t-belt.

Ours is one that is beating the mpg estimates laid out above (I don't feel the driver is overly conservative, nor agressive for that matter) so I would have guessed/said better is achievable, but we're a sample set of 1, and I would trust the numbers sciphi laid out are accurate.

I'll know more once we get through this (second) summer.

 

[Patman]

Honda Civic! Plenty of them on the used car market and very reliable and stellar MPG!

 

[KitaCam]

There's more $aving$ in buying a slightly older model that gets good MPG....5-8 years @ 80-100k miles (half the age/miles of the current ride) for $7k or so....

 

[Cujet]

My friend just purchased a Honda Accord 4 cylinder, 6 speed manual transmission for just a tick over 20K. They are dealing like crazy on them, due to slow sales. The sport edition (substantially nicer) can be had for 22K OTD.

It's so nice, I'd like one.