ArmyofOne

Its for business. I have put 58,000 miles on my truck in 18 months since I bought it, mostly because I have been driving it around north Texas for business. That needs to stop. I need to be able to put 3,000-5,500 miles a month, on. It needs to be fuel efficient (25mpg+ hwy), comfortable, mid size at least, sedan, and reliable. On the list I have:

95-02 Lexus LS
98-05 Lexus ES (top of the list, but hard to find in decent shape for the price range I want)
00-05 Toyota Camry
00-08 Toyota Avalon
06-10 Honda Civic EX
01-10 Honda Accord EX

thoughts? Any others I should add to the mix?

bagwell

get the newest Honda Civic you can find.....



whats your monthly gas costing you!!!!????

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Thought you had a beater Focus OP?

Decent list, all are more or less reliable and efficient for what they are. I would add Altima to the list. Mazda3 first gen I'd toss in there too considering you have Civic on your list.

bagwell

had a 1st gen mazda3.... a/c was kinda weak (even with ice32 evac and recharg)

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Was it the 2.0 or 2.3?

bagwell

2.0 good little car tho.

mmarshall

If my memory is right, haven't you already had experience with older Civics? I'd stay away from the 2012 version, though......complete El-Cheapo cost-cutting inside and out. You're probably correct to look at the ones before that....or a 2013 or later.

ArmyofOne

Surprisingly not bad, gas is cheap here, I run midgrade (owners manual recommends) at an average of $2/gallon, some places $2.20, some $1.80 and anywhere in between.

It will go 500 miles of highway driving on a tank, and at $2 a gallon, it costs me $46 to fill from empty. I fill it at 1/4 tank most of the time, or at around 425 miles, put 19 or 20 gallons in (so say $40 on avg). So I am averaging 21.25 MPG. Not bad for a V8-powered, 4x4 Luxo-truck. Comes in at $500 a month or so for the amount of driving I do.

My concern is that its my personal truck, not for the business, so I would like to not rack up the miles. The gas is besides the point. Everything costs more to maintain on the truck. trans fluid and filter changes are $1700, Differential and transfer case service is $500, Tires are $1200 (for cheap ones, and I don't buy cheap ones), oil changes are $120-$150 (depending on oil brand and where I go), spark plugs (every 60k) are $700 to change, etc. I can cut some off of that if I DIY, but I don't have a great deal of time to do that. So really I just want something smooth and comfortable, that wont leave me stranded, and still has all the comforts of my truck (except satnav, I have a portable GPS.)

Altima is a NO. I can't stand the CVT in it.

Focus Wagon was getting long in the tooth, I sold it last november. 285,000 miles. I put 100k on it in a year. It was beginning to cost a lot of money to maintain, and it had an electrical issue I could never nail down.

metaleckz

iTrader: (9)

1st gen prius ?

ArmyofOne

I would need it to be bigger/more comfortable than that, and also more reliable. They got better in the second gen in the reliability department, but cost too much without going over 200k miles.

I have had 2 back surgeries (7 vertebrae and 6 disc replacments), It is hard for me to get in and out of a car that size.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

Acura TSX.. 07-08 ish era

mmarshall

When I mentioned the Civic earlier, I didn't know you had had back surgery. Hope it heals up well for you.


Might want to check out some Sonatas from the mid/late 2000s range. They seemed well-screwed together, tended to have long (but not transferable) warranties, depreciate faster than average, and generally had easy-riding suspensions and tires for your back. And they had conventional automatics....not the CVTs you dislike.

Some older Avalons might also be a good pick, as they probably depreciate a little more than an equivalent ES.

Aron9000

Out of those choices, I'd go with the 2000-04 Avalon. Rock solid reliable, TONS of room(one of the roomiest sedans you can buy and why I pick it over the ES300), fully depreciated so you can score a good deal on one owned by an old man with 50k miles on it. Fairly good pickup with the V6, will get 30mpg if you keep your speed at 70 and its flat. Usually old people take really good care of their stuff, a $6000 Civic is a young person's car that is going to have the crap beat out of it most of the time.

Of course I like big, softer cars vs smaller cars for just straight commuting/highway use. I know a Civic can be fun to drive around the corners, but I'd imagine Texas all the roads are straight as an arrow.

Littleguy

Ok, enough of these boring and useful suggestions, here are some fun ones.

-2004 Pontiac GTO: You could probably squeeze into one for around your budget. LS1 will run forever with great highway mpg, the lovely Holden chassis, really comfy highway car.

-98-02 Camaro or Trans Am: LS power, what more needs to be said?

-2010+ Hyundai Genesis Coupe: You could squeeze into one of these with either the 2.0T or the 3.8V6 for your price range. RWD and good MPG.

-350Z: You would probably be looking at a salvage title in your price range, but if you are going to pile miles on it and everything works, who cares!

Those are my main fun ones for now.

mmarshall

He's had extensive back surgery. Sure, those vehicles you mention may be responsive, but his back probably doesn't need a stiff, sport-oriented suspension or a low-slung vehicle just a few inches off the ground.