On used cars | By Umbra Fisk | Grist | Ask Umbra

On used cars

03 Oct 2005

Got questions about the environment? Ask Umbra.

Dear Umbra,

With rising -- OK, skyrocketing -- gas prices, I would like to invest in a car that gets good mileage and is reliable. However, I can't afford a new Toyota Prius. Do you have any suggestions for environmentally friendly used cars that those of us on a budget might be able to invest in? Living in Wyoming, I have to travel long distances on a frequent basis, and public transportation is a joke here, so any suggestions would be appreciated!

Lindy Johnson
Sheridan, Wyo.

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Dearest Lindy,

Until today, I thought general guidelines were all the car-purchase advice I was qualified to give. Car experts are people with grease under their fingernails, not papercuts on their fingertips. Then I remembered that I have years of experience buying, owning, repairing, and hearing friends talk about cars. I'm actually very opinionated. So here goes.

Older and wiser.

Photo: Wieck Media.

First, let me simply regurgitate the basic steps: Figure out the smallest type of car you could use. Look on Consumer Reports' list of most reliable used cars or the Car Talk guys' site to pick three or four that you could afford and enjoy driving. Visit Environmental Defense's Tailpipe Tally and the feds' fuel-economy guide to get an estimate of their spewments. Eliminate any stinkers, and start shopping.

Now, I gotta be me, and me has two words for you: Honda Civic.

From my experience, and that of friends and family, I would buy a Honda Civic (or maybe an Accord) if I were looking for a fuel-efficient, affordable, reliable, used, gas-powered car. They're small, they're cheap, they come in nice colors, and they last forever.

Toyotas are also notoriously reliable, but "retain value" on the used market (aka, "cost more"). Anytime you ask a Toyota fanatic about their brand loyalty, they'll say 100k is just the engine getting broken in. And a friend of mine just traded in a Subaru with over 200k on it, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a Subaru with similar fuel economy to a Civic. I won't mention other names, as I am polite, and if you ask me to talk about American cars, Volkswagens, or Saabs, I will speak about the weather.

Ha! An actual opinion of cars. And I bet you'll have an opinion about my opinion.

Here's another resource, besides me, the web, and your own self-reflection: mechanics. They fix cars. Next time you're near your mechanic, or any mechanic, saunter in and ask what their top lemons and best picks are. If you've already chosen a range of models and model years to consider -- say, a '98-'02 Honda Civic -- ask the mechanic if one of those years is a clunker.

Most of all, trust your instincts.

Jedi-ly (and not Jetta-ly),
Umbra

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Please send Umbra any nagging question pertaining to the environment -- but first check out her FAQs!

The claims made in this column may not reflect the views of this magazine. Neither the magazine nor the author guarantees that any advice contained in this column is wise or safe. Please use this column at your own risk.

Umbra Fisk is Grist Research Associate II, Hardcover and Periodicals Unit, floors 2B-4B.

Comments: (16 comments)

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How about a Honda Jazz instead?

http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/hybrids-vs-the-honda-jazz-001503.php

http://www.sustainabilityzone.com

by dreadsword at 12:51 PM on 03 Oct 2005

Civics Lesson

I have nothing against the Honda Civic. My wife has a '96 with manual transmission and gets about 32-34 mpg. But even better is the Saturn SL. I had a '96 with a manual tranny (until someone T-boned me) and now have a '02 Saturn SL with a manual. They both get about 38-40 mpg on the highway. They hold their value and are pretty reliable. My wife's civic has a bit more pick-up, but I win the conservation race.

by vegbakpaker at 12:51 PM on 03 Oct 2005

Civic's Lesson

Though I drove a '77 Toyota longbed five speed for 25 years with few repairs, I finally sold it when I had a chance to buy a '90 Honda Civic Wagon, five speed from an older woman who was tired of shifting gears.

Though the Civic has 160,000 miles, it runs beautifully and uses no oil. I love the car because of its great economy and the way it still drives like it is hardly broken in. I prefer the shifting on the old Toyota, but the Civic is practical, economical, and comfortable. My only regret is that Honda no longer makes a Civic wagon. And I do wonder why.

I don't plan to buy a new car since my Civic Wagon is very cherry. It is so much more useful than the Morris but is fun to drive.

I know we are supposed to believe in progress, but the '90 Civic Wagon is a classic.

by JPatrick at 1:46 PM on 03 Oct 2005

the merits of a Civic

After driving an older 4 WD Nissan pickup for 5 years and burning a big hole in my bank account, I finally jumped at the chance to buy a 1999 Honda Civic this past spring from a good friend of mine who needed to unload it since she was joining the Peace Corps. Even though it had 110,000 miles on it, I knew the car had been wonderfully maintained. I've not regretted it at all. And gas mileage? Hang on to your gas pumps. I recently took it on an extended vacation and averaged 41 mpg, with one tank producing a whopping 51, driving 75 mph with a/c. I'm not kidding! I never get less than 33 in the city. Plus, the car is an LEV (low emissions vehichle). The only modification I've done to the car is install an electronic cruise control unit, which I think helped tremendously on the open road. Yep, they are one fine automobile!

by tdwagner at 2:23 PM on 03 Oct 2005

Prism

Civics and Saturns are great. Just to add another option to the list, consider the Geo Prism (later models are Chevy Prisms). These are built on the same frame with the same engine as the Toyota Corolla. We have a 1994 and a 2002. The older one has 160,000 miles and is still running great and has an EPA rating of 34 mpg on the highway (I think we have generally done better than that). The 2002 gets around 40 mpg on the highway (they are both manual transmissions). We've been big fans of these cars.

by dmsw at 3:12 PM on 03 Oct 2005

Chevys, Hondas & Toyotas

Why go with the Prism, when you could own the most popular car in the world, the Toyota Corolla?
That's the argument I used to put my wife in a Corolla anyway.

I drive a Honda Insight automatic and can't imagine that I would ever do as badly as 40 something miles per gallon. Of course the manual transmission Insight drivers would probably scoff at my 50 plus miles per gallon.

by baad at 3:53 PM on 03 Oct 2005
[ Parent ]

Civic responsibility

The Civic is perhaps the best eco-car to pre-date the hybrids. For maximum reliability go for a year just before a redesign...

That means '95, '00, and '04. Still you're talking about one of the most reliable and fuel efficient cars out there.

Lance Funston

by lfunston at 4:38 PM on 03 Oct 2005

Saturn SC2

I bought a used 1999 Saturn SC2 when my old Volvo finally gave up the ghost, and I was astounded by the better gas mileage. My average summer mileage is 40 or better, and in the winter I have never had it drop below 36. I haven't had any problems with the car other than a bad O2 sensor. Plus, the third door is quite possibly the greatest thing ever.

by wallrock at 8:22 AM on 04 Oct 2005

little cars

Recently our Escort wagon died and we replaced it with a used 03 Toyota Echo. It gets between 36 and 40mpg in mixed driving. Significantly better than the Escort while being more peppy.
The ultimate gas miser may be not the Civic, but the Geo Prism.
Somehow Honda has gained a rep for eco-heroism that I think is based more on marketing than reality

Pessimism is only the name that men of weak nerves give to wisdom -Mark Twain

by marc at 1:30 PM on 04 Oct 2005

Go CNG

I am a hardcore CNG advocate. Used ones are wonderful bargains, esp. from the federal gov't. I have a 2001 Cavalier that is CNG/gas and a 2000 Contour with the same set up. They can run on gas if CNG is not available. When I did the smog check on the Cavalier it was almost nil on most parts. In addition, I pay only 1.34 for a gasoline gallon equivalent! When I bought it from the GSA at auction, I paid only half of what an ordinary Cavalier sold for and it only had 21,000 miles on it! Check out their webpage at: http://www.autoauctions.gsa.gov/auctionsearch.cfm
I have owned a total of 4 cng cars and will never go back (I gave the other 2 to my nephew who loves them too).

by 2349 at 8:02 PM on 04 Oct 2005

mileage

May I suggest the 1990 Subaru Loyale wagon, which was absolutely the best most reliable and loveable auto I ever owned?
Nothing bad ever happened.
You could even roll the windows up and down without a key.
35 miles to the gallon on the highway.
What has happened to Subaru? I feel lost and confused.
At a loss in Albuquerque.....

by Gladys at 8:18 PM on 04 Oct 2005

Older Civics are Better

I prefer the Older Civics (The Fourth Generation EF cahssis, and the Fifth Generation EG Chasis).
Most people are leary of buying a 88-91 EF or a 92-95 Civic, but those are my favorites; cheaper, lighter, the EFs have the 4-wheel Double wishbone suspension too.
A EG Civic HB VX will get you around 50mpg, and those can usually be had for around $2000 here in the midwest. An EF Hatchback can net you 40+mpg, while costing around $1000.
Only problems on these older ones is rust...but that's a stage one weight reduction!!! :)

by TheSSG at 12:53 PM on 05 Oct 2005

Umbra's Honda Civic

I had a used Honda Civic, about 1991 model. The engine blew up at 53,000, with my teenage daughter driving. Letters to Honda and the Honda dealer where I purchased the vehicle were ignored.

I would NEVER buy another Honda.

by dianectaylor at 8:43 PM on 08 Oct 2005

One of the Best, All Around

IMO, if someone only got 50k miles from a Civic, that car was abused or allowed to overheat, perhaps by its previous owner.

I bought a Honda Civic HB, DX in 1988. It now has more than 360,000 miles on it. Over 40 mpg regularly, 47 on long highway trips (at 75 mph, with a/c in use).

Head gasket is starting to leak; mpg down to about 37, consumes coolant. Maybe replace the motor, far cheaper than I thought.

In 17 years, it broke down once (faulty ignitor, was replaced at factory expense). CV joints wore out; other things consumed but no excessive repairs ever. Best car investment I ever made.

Stylish car, sporty, fun to drive, good hauling capacity (with seats down), RELIABLE and great fuel economy... other models may exceed one, but no car that I know of can surpass this car in all categories.

A friend is a service manager at Honda. He regularly sees 88-91 era Civics with 300k + miles, several have 400k or more. Even the newer Civics can't match that.

by Harry Spider at 12:16 PM on 24 Oct 2005

Remodel your old Honda

Although there were a lot of new editions of cars in the market we could also make our old cars looks brand new with some creativity and lots of patience. What I did to my Honda is a totally old style of redressing a car. I just painted it anew. I put emphasis on its body since its the one more exposed to the external environment...I also added a new Honda auxiliary fan switch since it needs replacement...Well anyway, here is also a review about Honda's new editions. Maybe this could give some better idea...

The new, 2007 Honda CR-V is more powerful, more stylish and more comfortable than the previous-generation 2006 models. Its new suspension geometry delivers an improved ride and better, more responsive handling.
Buyers choose from three models, the LX, the EX and the EX-L. The latter comes trimmed in leather and can be fitted with an optional navigation system that incorporates a rearview video camera for safe and easy backing. All have four doors and seat five.
The engine, still an inline four cylinder, employs variable intake valve timing to optimize horsepower and torque for acceleration and cruising speeds. The transmission is a new, five-speed automatic. Real Time all-wheel drive is offered on all three models. The U.S. EPA rates the front-wheel drive CR-V at 23/30 city/highway miles per gallon and the all-wheel drive at 22/28.
Thus, buyers looking for peppy performance, snazzy styling and easier financing have better choices. But for Honda loyalists looking for something better than their current CR-V or an SUV to step up into from their Civic, the '07 is the logical way to go.

by Hodbrid at 10:22 PM on 16 Aug 2007

best car is not

No car has ever beaten my experiences with the Honda Insight. Best gas mileage, fun to drive and pretty quiet. Of course they stopped making them.
Now I have discovered my favorite way of transport the Honda Helix scooter. Top speed 70 mph and 60+ mpg. Fun to ride! Very dependable and easy to ride- automatic, electric start, comfortable seating posture and good wind protection from the fairings and windshield.

by bailsout at 12:29 PM on 13 Feb 2008

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