Looking for a $1000-$2000 commuter car

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occupant

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Apr 30, 2005
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Columbus, OH
I have SCOURED and SCRUBBED the local CL and AutoTrader listings and came up with around 30 vehicles that fit our parameters:

priced at $2000 or less
automatic transmission
better than 25mpg combined (from fueleconomy.gov, 80% hwy)
4-door sedan, 4-door hatchback, or 4-door wagon

I have this all set up in a spreadsheet and I sorted them by fuel mileage to come up with a top ten. This top ten includes:

93 Civic LX sedan, 107K, $1988
99 Saturn SL1, 113K, $1940
99 Saturn SL1, 144K, $1590
00 Escort sedan, 147K, $1595 (seller claims only M1 used)
98 Escort sedan, 131K, $1650
98 Escort sedan, 96K, $1200
01 Focus SE sedan, 122K, $1800
98 Prizm sedan, 148K, $1995
97 Saturn SL1, 135K, $1300
04 Elantra GLS sedan, miles unkn, $2000

It seems the automatic Escorts and Saturns do quite well on the EPA cycle. I'm also considering buying two vehicles, at which point the budget goes to $3000 and I'd get two of the same, either two Escorts or two Saturns I guess, and make one stick and one automatic.

With Saturn gone and known as oil burners and the Escort history of spotty reliability, where is the happy medium?
 
If you get a Saturn, get the SL2. The SL1 tends to have head problems.

As for reliability? I think it's a hit/miss. Mine has been a real lemon. I think I had to rebuild at least half of the car before 110k.
 
Saturn and Prism are both very good. Pay up to 30% more for a car with documented maintenance history vs. one with unknown maint. history. Watch the oil level on the Saturns. Ignore the rest of the cars on the list. Give priority to maint. history over mileage (unless it is way, way more miles). Have had about 4 prisms and maybe 20 or so saturns. Have had stuck valves and oil starvation on a couple saturns. Both were likely due to poor maint. be previous owners. Prisms are very basic and hard to kill even if poorly maintained.
 
I had one 96 SL2 engine failure at 76k miles due to oil starvation. I have had around 15 of the SL1's and never had problems really even over 200k miles so I think sl1 is more reliable but that is based on the 20 total samples I have owned only.
 
Originally Posted By: saaber1
I had one 96 SL2 engine failure at 76k miles due to oil starvation. I have had around 15 of the SL1's and never had problems really even over 200k miles so I think sl1 is more reliable but that is based on the 20 total samples I have owned only.

The engine has never given me any serious problems. The rest of the car though, is an entirely different story. Here are the things that have failed:

Alternator
Starter
PCV Breather Hose
Radiator
Radiator Cap
Thermostat
Valve Cover Gasket Kit
Upper Motor Mount
Trunk Wiring Harness
Serpentine Belt Tensioner
Front Strut Mounts
Sway Bar End Links
Engine Coolant Temp Sensor
Pre-Cat Oxygen Sensor
Heater Core
Transmission Top Cover Gasket

With 140k on the clock, now I am due for a master cylinder, two lower control arms, possibly a rack and pinion, another upper motor mount, lower transmission mount and a new cruise control unit.
 
Top engine mounts are a 30K service item on the saturns. very easy to change yourself 18mm 1/2 deep socket, a jack and a 2x4. 10 minute job. Valvebody cover gaskets are a problem and easy to change. You will need a gasket and some 518 Loctite gasket sealer, InLB torque wrench. The top harness is torqued to 8inlbs. I worked for saturn from 1996 to 2000 before going to Ford diesel school.

Both twin and single cam do sometimes have valve cover gasket leaks but again Very easy and cheap to fix. Don't use dexcool in them, that is the problem with cooling systems on them.

Critic you must be 4 wheelin that saturn. The suspension is very good on them and not prone to issues.

Get the goodyear tensioner. The saturn tensions are only good for about 100k.
 
Originally Posted By: DieselTech
Top engine mounts are a 30K service item on the saturns. very easy to change yourself 18mm 1/2 deep socket, a jack and a 2x4. 10 minute job. Valvebody cover gaskets are a problem and easy to change. You will need a gasket and some 518 Loctite gasket sealer, InLB torque wrench. The top harness is torqued to 8inlbs. I worked for saturn from 1996 to 2000 before going to Ford diesel school.


Yeah, I can replace one in 10 minutes now. It's still no excuse though.

Originally Posted By: DieselTech
Both twin and single cam do sometimes have valve cover gasket leaks but again Very easy and cheap to fix. Don't use dexcool in them, that is the problem with cooling systems on them.


I haven't had any Dexcool related issues. The failed radiator was spotless inside. All of my cooling system has been replaced except for the water pump.

Originally Posted By: DieselTech
Critic you must be 4 wheelin that saturn. The suspension is very good on them and not prone to issues.


Well, the struts have probably been shot since 50k, but I finally replaced them 20k ago with some KYB GR-2s. Lately, the steering has been having a little more play than I like yet the tie-rod ends and ball joints don't have any play.

Originally Posted By: DieselTech
Get the goodyear tensioner. The saturn tensions are only good for about 100k.



The original one lasted me 89k. I have the Dayco one on there right now with a Gatorback belt.
 
1)04 Elantra GLS sedan, miles unkn, $2000
2)98 Prizm sedan, 148K, $1995

As long as the Hyundai does not have outrageours miles,like over 110k.

The Elanta will not have great NVH(Noise,Vibration,and Harshness)but hey neither will high mileage Escorts,Saturns or Toyogms.

The Civic is just too old. This is when AC system or break master cyl starts to break down.
 
Sounds like the Saturns have as many or more problems than the 2.0 Split Port Escorts.

That Prizm is an ex-note lot car so it's out. The only other Prizms I'm finding are the ones with 3-speed automatics and those are pretty silly to get when an LSi with overdrive does better. But the only LSI models I can find are old...93-94...I had two 96-97 Corollas on the list but their ads got deleted (from selling I assume) and they come and go quickly. And most of the 98+ models are above $2000.

I wish I could find a 95-97 Sentra for this sort of coin.
 
At this price range, the condition of the individual vehicle will be the determining factor. There will be real gems, and real turds. Don't go on mileage - go on overall condition.
 
A lot of the issues critic has had arn't the norm for Saturn, especially the suspension and cooling system issues
 
Originally Posted By: occupant
Sounds like the Saturns have as many or more problems than the 2.0 Split Port Escorts.

That Prizm is an ex-note lot car so it's out. The only other Prizms I'm finding are the ones with 3-speed automatics and those are pretty silly to get when an LSi with overdrive does better. But the only LSI models I can find are old...93-94...I had two 96-97 Corollas on the list but their ads got deleted (from selling I assume) and they come and go quickly. And most of the 98+ models are above $2000.

I wish I could find a 95-97 Sentra for this sort of coin.


If you decide to checkout the saturns PM me and I'll give you a list of what to look at and how to tell if an item is on it's way out.
 
The Prizm sedan has my vote. Get a compression (& leakdown) test done on it, and if it passes muster, you've found a terrific, highly reliable and economical new car.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic

The engine has never given me any serious problems. The rest of the car though, is an entirely different story. Here are the things that have failed:

Alternator
Starter
PCV Breather Hose
Radiator
Radiator Cap
Thermostat
Valve Cover Gasket Kit
Upper Motor Mount
Trunk Wiring Harness
Serpentine Belt Tensioner
Front Strut Mounts
Sway Bar End Links
Engine Coolant Temp Sensor
Pre-Cat Oxygen Sensor
Heater Core
Transmission Top Cover Gasket

With 140k on the clock, now I am due for a master cylinder, two lower control arms, possibly a rack and pinion, another upper motor mount, lower transmission mount and a new cruise control unit.


Not to hijack the thread but MAN, are you just keeping it alive because you're in this deep already or what? Get out while you can unless you're emotionally tied to it due to the amount of work you've done on it.

I'd take the Civic but that's just the Honda in me speaking.
 
Well I looked up Carsoup in your area and came up with very few extra options, there isn't much in that price range down there.

http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.asp?v...mludnR5cGVpZD0y




As far as what you have, I would stay away from the focus, I just looked it up on carcomplaints.com, and there is a huge amounts of complaints for it, and many of them are "engine failure on 2.0SOHC"

The 2000 Escort looks like it might be a good choice, and the Elantra is the newest of them.
 
I'd buy whichever car was in the best condition. At this point with 11-17 year old cars, brand means less than maintenance.
 
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