We have a 2011 Fit Sport and a Chevy Silverado long bed pickup. I'm looking for a daily driver used car to reduce the unnecessary use of the pickup. Parameters I'm looking for include:
Reliable
30+ mpg highway
Happy with 87 octane
Hatchback or small wagon
At least moderately fun to drive; a GE Fit qualifies (I've never driven a GD) but my wife's old '97 DX Civic did not.
$11k or less, less much preferred

Cars I'm considering: EP3 Honda Civic Si (the 2002 - 2005 version), Mazda 3 5-door, Acura RSX (non-"S"), GD Honda Fit and Scion tC The Scion and Mazda3 are marginal on mileage. Alternative ideas? Is there a specific model you want to argue for or against?

 

Hey, I am willing to part with my 1990 Toyota Corolla All-Trac Wagon for a very reasonable price. You would need to be willing to have some body work done due to rust, but it runs great and needs very little. It's the best winter car I have ever had. I live close to you, but just over the border in NH. It has low miles for it's year and another bonus is that you wouldn't need to worry about scratching the finish. Let me know if you are interested.

 

you may also want to consider a mazda protegé5 wagon. great handling even in stock form, 28-34mpg combined, and fairly quick (along the lines of an ek civic with an LS engine). i've driven a manual, tiptronic-auto, and base auto: manual yielding the most fun to drive, the tiptronic-auto a far second, and the base auto felt like a rental car. gears were somewhat tight in the manual and reminded me of the fit's gear changes.

protegé5 was a really underrated car. if i had test driven one before my gd3 i would have bought it instead. in SoCAL a low mileage (70k-100k mile range) protegé5 was in the $6,000-$7,500 range

 

How about a Toyota Matrix? Hatchback, it's a Toyota so it'll be reliable, looks aren't too bad. The XRS versions have decent oomph although the gas mileage is about 29 I believe and not quite 30. The lower level versions do much better but not really sporty. I think it's a least worth some consideration.

 

honda prelude, hands down the best car ive ever owned

 

A 2009 base Fit might qualify if you search hard enough. Not sure if you need A/T or not. If you do then $11K price point might be tough to find. When I was shopping used Fits even found a couple '09's with salvage/rebuilt titles for under $8K. Weren't in the condition I wanted and not Sport models, but for a daily driver would have been fine.

_

 

Good luck finding an XRS at that price. Damn things are way over priced to start with..

Other than what you listed though I can't think of anything that falls in those parameters. If you do get an RSX though I would suggest getting the S. The performance is amazing and you can still get about 29-32 mpg with it.

 

Me too so far. I was sad that I traded my prelude in for the Fit. Don't get me wrong, the Fit is a great car but the prelude was a dream even with my auto w/ tiptronic. It had tranny issues though so I had to dump it but oh man what a car.

Fast - Check
Sporty - Check
Handled Well - Check
Style - Check
Storage Room - Big UN-Check, lol

Why not go with the Acura RSX Non Type-S?

 

I didn't say it had to be a current-gen Matrix. The 1st-gen Matrix XRSs are in his budget.

 

I have to second this- I had a 1992 Corolla All Trac Wagon--definitely the best winter car, even better than my Subaru. Much better on gas as well.
When it was totaled in an accident , I looked everywhere for a replacement - they are hard to find and will run forever! :)

 

+2! you also better of been talking about the BB1 :D lol.

 

Note that if you're considering a Matrix, a Pontiac Vibe would be worth a look as well, as it's basically the same car.

 

I got a 92 k1500. Just put $11,000 in a gas fund.

 

Thanks everyone for the additional ideas. Maine has an auto inspection law which makes anything rusty problematic. It is possible to find someone who will pass a car with issues for extra money or future incurred reciprocal favors but I'd rather not go there. Cutting out and replacing rusty rocker panels is beyond my skills and equipment set.

Did the '92 - '96 Prelude have a hatchback? All the Preludes I remember had conventional trunks.

 

Nope. all preludes had Trunks. My BB5 Si 2.0 was a FUN car. Cornered like it was on rails, especially after I added 89 Integra Wheels.

I'd love to get my hands on a Prelude again. I just plain miss that car.

~SB

 

x10 on the prelude. Great driving car....bad family hauler! =)

Sorry to be off topic...

The Mazda3 is a great hatch that handles really well.

 

get the regular rsx I believe the type S uses premium gas.