Eco-friendly, affordable used cars?

[monkeyscience]

I'm looking for suggestions for an eco-friendly, affordable used car. I'm graduating from college in a matter of days, and will have to buy a car in the next month or two. Yes, it would be fantastic if I could ride public transit (as I do now) or bike, but I'm moving to Houston and that is really *not* a feasible option for me right now.

I'd love to be able to buy a hybrid, but with a truckload of college debt, I can't afford a new car. I would like something large enough to put at least 4 adults in, so I can help with carpools. I'd actually really like an SUV for the hauling capacity, but I doubt that would be affordable OR eco-friendly.

I hope this is the right forum to post this in... it's the best I could find. If anyone knows a better place to post, please let me know!

[gmvh]

What about a Corolla or Civic? Both get great gas mileage and have lots of trunk space.

[EFmom]

Toyota Corolla. Great mileage and great reliability.

[chel]

while I love my current civic and the one I had before that, the back seat is very tight. Personally I would go one size up, Accord-ish, if you want to carry adults, especially if you're looking at a long commute.

[abharrington]

if you want the space of an SUV you could consider a cross over vehible, like the toyota highlander. they are built on the frame of a car so they handle like a car and get bettter gas milage like a car.

[Om Girl]

A diesel car gets more miles per gallon of fuel than traditional gas guzzlers! (Thereby burning less fuel and getting more MPG)

Also keeping your car tuned up, usuing appropriate oil and fuel octane + keeping tires properly inflated and keeping your car clean on the inside reduces the weight you're hauling around everyday.

4 cylinders burn less fuel and are efficient, 6 cylinders provide more horsepower but use more fuel, 8 cylinder provide even more horsepower, but definately burn the most amount of fuel.


Good luck!

[melissa17s]

We have hondas and love them. We have not had to do much repair- just oil changes and maintenance. Not much milage difference between our civic (1998) and our accord (1997). We are able to use our accord to go to art festivals packed full, and it still gets decent milage. The accord is definitely more comfortable when the kids are going out with us, but they do fit in the civic, too. Oh, and you get better milage, when you get the bare minimum car with the small engine- ours are minimal.

[aprons_and_acorns]

Our 2000 Honda Civic was a little under $7,000 when we bought it a year and a half ago and it's been awesome. Gets great mileage (40 mph highway) and seats four medium-sized adults. I used to have a 1991 Accord which also was a dream to drive. Very, very few repairs or problems with either of those cars.

[monkeyscience]

Thanks for all the suggestions! (I'm open to more if anyone has them.)

My family currently has a Camry, which they love - we had one before which we also loved, so Toyota has brownie points in my book. My parents owned a Honda while I was in Romania, which they apparently had a lot of problems with. I'll keep them in mind, though!

Does there tend to be any particular variation in fuel efficiency depending on how old the car is? I.e., would a 1995 Corolla get better/worse/the same mileage as a 2005 Corolla?

Also - not that I know how to drive a standard - do automatics use more gas?

[jillian+1]

nak... If you're serious about the green thing you should look into biodiesel. There are a few options out there.

[monkeyscience]

Originally Posted by jillian+1

nak... If you're serious about the green thing you should look into biodiesel. There are a few options out there.

That would definitely be something to look into eventually, but atm I need something I can just buy and use easily. I do know someone whose son toured the country in a biodiesel bus, though!

[melissa17s]

Originally Posted by monkeyscience

Thanks for all the suggestions! (I'm open to more if anyone has them.)

My family currently has a Camry, which they love - we had one before which we also loved, so Toyota has brownie points in my book. My parents owned a Honda while I was in Romania, which they apparently had a lot of problems with. I'll keep them in mind, though!

Does there tend to be any particular variation in fuel efficiency depending on how old the car is? I.e., would a 1995 Corolla get better/worse/the same mileage as a 2005 Corolla?

Also - not that I know how to drive a standard - do automatics use more gas?

I think you can go to various car reporting services, like the blue book, which inform you of the quirks and benefits of each model/make/year. Also, low miles means less wear and tear, but anything over 10 years will potentially wear out faster than a newer vehicle. I think "Click and Clack" from npr radio show have a formula for buying the most cost effective vehicle as far as age and cost of repair. If I remember correct- usually 5 year old used car costs the least, anything younger or older will cost more either due to newness or repairs related to age.

[anthasam]

Automatics typically use more gas. Driving a manual is easy to learn!

You could pick up a used Subaru. They run forever and get decent mileage (depending on the model).

[monkeyscience]

Originally Posted by anthasam

Automatics typically use more gas. Driving a manual is easy to learn!

You only say that because you haven't watched me trying to learn to dance... or do anything else that requires coordinating multiple limbs...