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looking for small cheap cars (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/cars@lemmy.world
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I've been looking at marketplace for a small car with good gas mileage that I can get cheap. I don't mind doing work to it like replacing a clutch or dealing with a head gasket or engine replacement. The trouble I'm having in my area ( Midwest United States) is that either mileage is well into the 200k range, price is unrealistic so I won't bother trying to reason with them, the car is more of a headache than it's worth (Chevy Cruze) or there's more than one issue like transmission problem plus body damage. I could go up in price under $10k but I don't see the up side in spending that much to get better gas mileage unless the car can go at least another 5-10 years.

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[–] [S] 1 point 6 months ago (5 children)

I wouldn't mind a hybrid if it's possible to replace individual cells like you can with some Prius models or get a range upgrade like you can with earlier Nissan leaf. I also don't mind doing maintenance. We bought a Dodge Grand caravan with 180k last year and I've had to fix quite a bit on it. Fortunately parts are cheap for it and it's easy to work on. My daily driver is a Crown Victoria police interceptor with 230k on it. I'm spending about $35/week on gas at today's prices at about 20mi/gal. I'd like to find something that gets at least mid 30's on the highway.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago* (4 children)

    I can imagine hybrid cars going up for a while. Not gonna be able to get one of those under $10k with the other criteria. I think you gotta give somewhere, and yeah that sucks. Used market is the prime market right now, and lots of people don’t own their cars.

    If ur cool with the dodge caravan I’m surprised you’re not into the Hyundai. Will have a lot to work on, but cheap to repair. There is the problem of people stealing them though.

    Try auto tempest if you’re not already.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 6 months ago (3 children)

    09' - 20' Hyundai Santa Fe, Sonata Hybrid, Tucson, Elantra and Veloster and Kia Forte, Optima Hybrid, Sorento, Soul and Sportage with Theta II 2.4-liter multipoint fuel injection (MPI), 1.6-liter Gamma GDI and 2.0-liter Nu GDI had a class action for engine failures, it's pretty much a guarantee that the engine will fail. I avoided the 3.6L caravan/t&c because they can have camshaft issues. Mine has the older pushrod v6 3.3.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (2 children)

    They don’t have replacement engines with the problems fixed?

    Yeah it’s a crazy world out there. Good luck! Love keeping my old car running, but like you I’m getting worried about the mpg. In my case I want something more modern, but can’t afford anything modern enough to fit my criteria and price range.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 6 months ago (1 child)

    They did an ecu update for more sensitive knock sensing and extended the engine warranty to 15yr/150k. I heard they replaced a ton of engines under warranty, but I can't imagine that they changed much in the engine design. The problem is rod bearings failing and the engine seized. Some analysis showed that there could have still been machining debris in the engine from the factory or overall oiling issues. Lack of maintenance probably plays a factor as well. It looks like they were just poorly designed.

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