I'm tossing around the idea of getting rid of my '12 Mazda3 hatchback in exchange for a cheaper commuter car with no car payment. It can be auto or manual trans, preferably manual, fit at least one car seat safely, and cost less than $10k. The cheaper the better, but it has to be reliable and get decent fuel economy. I am thinking of old Escorts, Protégés, etc....but maybe something more sporty that I could tune a little too.

Any recommendations?

 

Have you looked at miatas?
They are really cheap and reliable.

 

1st gen honda insight. You can put a small turbo on it which will actually increase the fuel economy and give it enough power to get out of it's own way. I think you can get 70mpg highway with it.

/thread.

 

Have a look at the mid-to-late 2000s Toyota Camry. Examples with around 100k can be had for less than half of your $10k budget, and they tend to run forever.

 

Honda Civic /thread

 

Something Japanese from the 2000s that fits in your budget.

Personally I'd keep driving the nicer, newer car and just work hard at making double or triple payments. I like new car amenities too much.

 

This ^^ or, if a good one can be found, even a '02 to '05.

 

And toss more money away? Either ditch the payment completely, or use your extra money for better things. (unless your loan has a shitty interest rate)

 

I LOVE my Acura TSX.
I picked up an 06 with 210k miles (well maintained with receipts) for $4500
The interior has held up very well for the miles.
It's a nice mix of reliability, luxury, comfort and cost.

You can find lower mileage examples within you budget.


If you're looking for an even cheaper car early to mid Camry and Corolla are great.

 

I was in a similar situation a couple years ago and ended up with a '04 6sp G35 Sedan. It's a nice car especially for the price, decent power, reliable, carseat fits fine, rwd, I get ~20mpg in town which was good enough for me. The manuals are tougher to find than autos but not impossible.

 

Seriously considered this, but it won't accommodate the car seat (legally).

The car is a Grand Touring so it has all the standard bells and whistles. The payments are actually tiny, around $150/month at crazy low interest, so part of the motivation is just to take the equity out of a car that I'm not in love with and put it towards something that is done depreciating. Also, insurance will be cheaper on a paid off beater car.

 

I second the Acura TSX.

I recently got a 2004 with 175k miles for dirt cheap. I've been driving it instead of a 2007 Accord with 100k less miles, and I much prefer the TSX. They're also available with a 6 speed and are fairly "tune able". TL rear away bar, intake/exhaust, 50 degree VTC gear, and Hondata reflash or Flashpro are all easy mods that would make the car more fun but still 100% comfortable DD. Gas mileage is food too, I've been getting ~26 ish combined, which is equivalent to my newer accord but the TSX requires premium.


Actually...I take that all back, I would recommend a low mileage 2007 Honda Accord SE. I have one for sale, super low miles, two owner. It will literally run forever, has nothing super fancy to break, easy and cheap to maintain/repair.

��

 

I've been running 87 octane...
Lol, That's how cheap I am. But I only use very low engine loads and have a good ear for knock so YOLO.

 

lolz that doesn't even cover my alcohol budget for the month.

 

Drive it to Oregon. I want to sell my 04 TDI before it implodes.

 

I just gave my 05 TSX to my nephew who needed a car to commute to college. 165K miles and no problems that weren't my own fault. Had been my wife's DD since new. I took it to replace my 07 Accord which met an unfortunate end with a NY DOT truck. That was a very good auto - not a back-road stormer, but decent handling, comfy and a good highway commuter. You should be able to get either of those for $3-5K depending on the car, and I would be happy with either.

 

Your '12 Mazda 3 is only worth probably $14-15k anyway private party. Just keep it and tune it up.

But if you insist on getting rid of it, the TSX would be an awesome choice.

 

If you're getting a mid 2000s camry avoid the 2AZ with the oil burning issues, i think they fixed it in later years. The 2AZ is less reliable than its predecessor.

 

I like the idea of the TSX above, but here in AZ a clean one with under 160k miles is $6-8k.

My wife drives our '13 NC daily, and due to a promotion her commute recently went from 20 miles/day to over 100... Piling the miles on the MX-5 is driving me nuts, but there's no way to financially justify another car when it gets 30+mpg already.

 

Hyundai Accents suffer pretty badly from depreciation and are dirt cheap. One that's only a couple years old with low mileage will probably be well below your $10k mark.

Source: my less than 40k miles 2010 accent (manual / lowest base model) had a kbb value of like $4k =/