I need vehicle recommendations for my new commute. - General

I recently got a new job but the job is an hour drive from my current location, about 55 miles(88km). I currently drive a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse that has seen better days for sure and I don't know how long it will last making that commute everyday. Its gas mileage is also trash. So essentially I need recommendations on vehicles that are super reliable and have great gas mileage. Not looking for pretty or premium just something that gets the job done and wont fall apart. Thank you

Find an old corolla. They get pretty good mileage. I still can squeeze almost 30 out of my 91 if I don't floor it haha. Newer is probably even better. Plus airbags I guess. Also manuals get slightly better mileage if you can drive one.

"super reliable" is very abstract in this day and age since all cars wear out. depends how they're built. so i recommend something from the 90s with low mileage but has a nice hefty frame and built like a brick. vw passat? if you buy a newer car and run it in, you'll waste your money. unless ur loaded.

Studebaker

Crown Vic P71. Get one in decent shape and itt'l get 20-22MPG highway, it's indestructible, and nobody's ever going to cut you off or tailgate you or even speed around you. They're also cheap as hell and, if you care about this sort of thing, they do well in crashes.

[QUOTE=TestECull;51886442]Crown Vic P71. Get one in decent shape and itt'l get 20-22MPG highway, it's indestructible, and nobody's ever going to cut you off or tailgate you or even speed around you. They're also cheap as hell and, if you care about this sort of thing, they do well in crashes.[/QUOTE] Get one if you can, but good luck, police in the US have been buying em just for spare parts for theirs. That should tell you how amazing they are when the police still wants to use em after being discontinued.

[QUOTE=Crimor;51886453]Get one if you can, but good luck, police in the US have been buying em just for spare parts for theirs. That should tell you how amazing they are when the police still wants to use em after being discontinued.[/QUOTE] My local PD is just keeping the ones no longer fit for service to keep the ones still fit for service in service. The P71 I actually own came from a couple hundred miles away, some rinky dinky county sherriff's office best I can tell. Only thing I don't like about mine is that they only had automatic transmissions.

[QUOTE=residualgrub;51884987]I recently got a new job but the job is an hour drive from my current location, about 55 miles(88km). I currently drive a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse that has seen better days for sure and I don't know how long it will last making that commute everyday. Its gas mileage is also trash. So essentially I need recommendations on vehicles that are super reliable and have great gas mileage. Not looking for pretty or premium just something that gets the job done and wont fall apart. Thank you[/QUOTE] If it's reasonable to, a motorcycle might be what you're after. excellent mileage, fun to ride on a good day, super simple to maintain (especially single cylinders) and might get you there faster if lane-filtering is legal in your state. most 250cc ish bikes can be picked up secondhand for a few grand, and are the power range you're after.

I've had good luck with 2006 and up Mazda's.

$200-500 dodge neon take the risk it'll pay off :)

Get a 2000-2005 Toyota Echo. [img]http://azr.cdnmedia.autotrader.ca/image_resize.php?width=620&quality=80&image=/buyers-guide/2005/toyota/images/05echo_1.jpg[/img] You can find them pretty cheap on CL, they are decent little cars with an abundance of parts and Toyota reliability to boot. Alternatively you can get a Scion xA/xB which shares same platform with the Echo. Also, do not listen to thelurker. Chrysler has the worst quality.

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;51887592]$200-500 dodge neon take the risk it'll pay off :)[/QUOTE] [t]http://www.iihs.org/frontend/iihs/ratings/images/api-rating-image.ashx?id=306&width=800[/t] Innovative full-body crumple zone

[QUOTE=TestECull;51886442]Crown Vic P71. Get one in decent shape and itt'l get 20-22MPG highway, it's indestructible, and nobody's ever going to cut you off or tailgate you or even speed around you. They're also cheap as hell and, if you care about this sort of thing, they do well in crashes.[/QUOTE] the car does well in crashes because there's no crumple zone the meatbag in a solid box stopping from 50 mph, now that's iffier

[QUOTE=TestECull;51886442]Crown Vic P71. Get one in decent shape and itt'l get 20-22MPG highway, it's indestructible, and nobody's ever going to cut you off or tailgate you or even speed around you. They're also cheap as hell and, if you care about this sort of thing, they do well in crashes.[/QUOTE] Honestly I can't recommend a P71 for someone just looking for a boring A to B commuter. The gas mileage just ain't good enough. They're also more for car enthusiasts than non-car people because of RWD and feel and sensation and V8 noise.

[QUOTE=LordCrypto;51887857]the car does well in crashes because there's no crumple zone the meatbag in a solid box stopping from 50 mph, now that's iffier[/QUOTE] No, the car does well in crashes because it's built properly. It's got crumple zones, it's got airbags, disc brakes, all that good shit. It's built like a fucking tank because it [i]had[/i] to be built so, because cops were driving these things around at ludicrous speeds as part of their daily routine. The Crown Vic has just as good an IIHS rating as any other car of its model year. [QUOTE=Trekintosh;51887967]Honestly I can't recommend a P71 for someone just looking for a boring A to B commuter. The gas mileage just ain't good enough. They're also more for car enthusiasts than non-car people because of RWD and feel and sensation and V8 noise.[/QUOTE] So things like being comfortable, roomy, able to carry five in relative luxury, a trunk large enough to fit a smart fortwo into, a stone cold reliable powertrain that's proven durable in far more demanding usage than a grocery getter will ever see, low insurance premiums and a low purchase price aren't things that would appeal to an average joe? Not everyone buying a 'Vic is after the V8 and RWD. The 'Vic is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades on that front, able to satisfy gearheads like me who want V8 RWD fun yet also able to be a practical family sedan, and the P71 happens to be the cheapest, toughest version thereof. I could maybe see the gas mileage not working for someone that [b]needs[/b] 30+, but honestly? Mine was getting me, on average with an equal spread of spirited countryside driving and 75MPH freeway cruising, about 18-19. If I went easy on it I could push that right up towards 22-23...but I'm a gearhead so it's impossible not to let it sing a bit on my twisty country roads :v:. The economy of a P71 is good enough, and slightly better than any other 'Vic on account of not having to lug around 92890499495 tons of pleather like the civvy models have to do...they're good enough for the average joe. They'll equal what you get out of a V6 FWD sedan. To put it another way....you think the plethora of handicapped grandpas driving around in P71s far nicer than mine are doing it because it's got a bit of get-up-and-go?

Crown Vics aren't the car to get if you're looking for efficiency. P71s are also usually beat to shit because cops drive them like they're rentals.

2004 Ford Focus. I've been driving mine for a while, including frequent 1 hour commutes and it's still going good, and hopefully still will be despite that time I went 12,000 miles without an oil change

The most important question is how much money you have to spend. Since you're driving a beat up mitsubishi I will assume you are not exactly rolling in cash. You want something reliable, sturdy and fuel-efficient, so these aforementioned replies are out of the running straightaway: -a 90's vw passat: comfortable, but the engines are leaky. Mileage is ok for a midsize sedan but not amazing. Past experiences with 90's vw products make me hesitate to recommend them to anyone who isn't proficient at repairing their own cars, or doesn't have access to a loaner. -crown vic: good luck finding one that isn't beat to shit from years of fleet/cop use. Fuel efficiency is also poor by current standards. The only standard which it might meet for you is that it would be cheap to run since parts are easy to come by and the mechanicals are all bulletproof at this point. This is not a good fit for the OP in my opinion. These things are fuckin dinosaurs. -neon: Their only redeeming quality is that they are cheap as hell, and that applies to everything about them. If my credit was so bad this was all I could get, I'd take the bus instead, 55 miles be damned. -a motorcycle: commuting with a motorcycle is an idea that sounds exciting and cool until you actually do it. Then the realities of daily driving a vehicle while exposed to the elements, and many times smaller than the rest of traffic, sink in. 55 miles on a motorcycle? Better hope you live somewhere without lots of rain and traffic. The other replies are more sensible. -old corolla: these are super boring but reliable. When they do break (and in an older car things are going to break no matter what), the plentiful parts supply mean repairs are easy and cheap. Mileage is good, certainly far better than your eclipse, and insurance will almost certainly be cheap as well. All this applies to corollas of pretty much any year, so don't limit yourself to just wadded-up early 90's examples. -echo/xa/xb: notice the repeated inclusion of toyota products. As with the corolla, these are super vanilla and boring but are reliable, efficient and cheap to own in almost every respect. I recommend the xb just because I have a soft spot for boxy cars with lots of storage room. The echo looks like a clown car. -2000-era focus: another bland but safe choice. You might have better luck finding one of these over something like a corolla, which commands a premium over the focus because of its reputation. Any of those would be fine, and I would also include honda civics, which are about as boring and vanilla a choice as the corolla. I daily drive a 2003 civic sedan, so insurance is cheap, mileage is consistently in the 30s and mechanically it is still sound. It's not even close to luxurious but it still runs, and is only starting to show signs of being worn out despite it being driven daily since it was new. A last note: manuals are a rare choice in the US, and are for a very small and specific group of buyers. They will be harder to find used, and often they will be more expensive as well because of the increased demand (whether perceived or actual).

Anything late 90's - early 00's Toyota. You can't get a more reliable and cheap car to own.

Ayyy another eclipse owner. I'm in the 4th gen GT. Gas mileage doesn't get any better up a generation... My recommendation would be, if you want to keep it in the car family, the 00-07 Lancers. They're stupid reliable, I've seen them being sold on CL at 200k miles+ still kicking. The 05-07 models have the 4G69, which is a fantastic engine block, plus you'd be sharing engines with the 4th gen eclipse GS. [editline]2nd March 2017[/editline] tl;dr stick to your early 2000s imports and you'll do alright

Cheap? Civic. Reliable? Civic. Good mileage? Civic. Comfortable? Civic.

come on guys these cars are so boring u need at least a little bit of love for the car to drive for 2hrs a day.... [editline]3rd March 2017[/editline] toyota celica?

v-dub golf fun as fuck cars Don't drive it like a retard and you'll get good mpg out of it.

[QUOTE=AK'z;51905441]come on guys these cars are so boring u need at least a little bit of love for the car to drive for 2hrs a day.... [editline]3rd March 2017[/editline] toyota celica?[/QUOTE] Fuck yeah, I drive a 1991 Celica SX (GT for americans) in manual and it's amazing, great mileage, fun to drive and costs little in maintenance plus it looks pretty good.

Mazda 3's are pretty solid and in abundance cheap. Usually get around 30-40mpg.

Really wish you had given us a price range. Bought my 2000 Focus for $1200 in the summer of 2012 and I've put just shy of 30,000 miles on it, putting it right under 180k total. Outside of regular maintenance, I've replaced the fuel pump and the ac condenser because I can't stand to be without ac. That's seriously it. For a car that rolled off the lot 18 years ago for $12,000, these things are seriously dependable. Plus look how sexy these fuckers are: [IMG]http://www.focusfanatics.com/albums/data/2/49392000_Ford_Focus_ZX3.jpg[/IMG]

I have a 2014 Chevy Cruze Eco. Looks great, has a fun manual trans, gets 40+ mpg when I want it to, all the tech goodies you could ever want. Bought mine used last year for $12k, you can probably find a 2012 for around 8, maybe less. You'd just have to forgo the touch screen for a conventional stereo.

[QUOTE=Propane Addict;51916694]Really wish you had given us a price range. Bought my 2000 Focus for $1200 in the summer of 2012 and I've put just shy of 30,000 miles on it, putting it right under 180k total. Outside of regular maintenance, I've replaced the fuel pump and the ac condenser because I can't stand to be without ac. That's seriously it. For a car that rolled off the lot 18 years ago for $12,000, these things are seriously dependable. Plus look how sexy these fuckers are: [IMG]http://www.focusfanatics.com/albums/data/2/49392000_Ford_Focus_ZX3.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] ye but this is a chav's car

Get a diesel. I know diesels aren't as common in America for some reason, but you will notice your fuel bill go down enormously with a diesel car.

literally any of the cars mentioned in this thread will involve a total tradeoff of your dignity, i'd suggest a motorcycle but that comes at the cost of being fuckin freezing half the year round while you're out and about; keep your options open and look around some, if you're after raw shit like MPG a bike will save you massive amounts of cash in the long run and will get you laid, but a car is gonna be more comfortable for longer treks despite everythin else