Small Inexpensive Wagons??

Fanny's thread about getting a compact reminded me that my poor Saturn is getting tired.. today pulling away from the bank drive up with my window down heard some pretty bad mechanical noises.. plus lately it takes 3rd gear and 4,000 rpm to make it up long steep grades at 40mph. I know I have 3 cam followers failing but now sounds like bearings maybe starting too.

What kind of mileage are we talking with those smaller GM wagons? My tired Saturn gets 36mpg highway. I'd like to get a new Focus 5dr but timing is not right for a $21,000 car.

So I'm just curious for ideas and mpg's of smaller older wagons. If my car goes I'm looking at literally $1,000 - $1,500 cars

 

A 2002-2003 Focus 5-door (ZX5) or wagon (ZXW or ZTW) would be a good start. If you can't find a 2000-2002 Saturn wagon I'd start looking at those and the Protege5, early 2000s models. I see plenty of nice ones here in Texas for $3K so a $2K one in workable shape can't be hard to find. Another good wagon that's pretty rare and hard would be the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback. They only sold them here in the US in 2004. I see them on AutoTrader for 5K to 9K or so. There is ONE wagon on the Albany Craigslist that catches MY eye...'76 Hornet X Sportabout for $1000:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/2641599241.html



And then there's some more common wagons, like this clean maroon '98 SW2 with 200K for $1650 in Latham:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/2611213187.html



Or then you have the Eurotrash. Gosh, I'd kill to find one of these down here this cheap, 01 Passat VR6/5-speed wagon in BLUE for 900 freakin bucks:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/2688881837.html



From looking at CL, methinks you should be able to find a Legacy or Impreza wagon just as easy as anything else up there.

 

I just checked all the local listings and seems there are a few options out there. I would like another Saturn BUT they all burn oil and how much depends on maintenance.. I got lucky with my one owner and it only uses 1 quart every 1,500 miles.

The thing that sucks is having to do anything with current $$ leaves me in the junker price range LOL Plus i really need 30-40mpg

The other option is to pull the motor out of my parts car and have new rings put into it.. I'm currently dealing with Lyme though and any kind of vehicle work is very hard to get done.

 

You are somewhat limiting yourself with it being a wagon. If you don't need a wagon there are more options. My DD is a 91 Ford Festiva. It's a bare bones vehicle but gets 40 mpg. The back seat folds up and there is quite a bit of room. I took 3 coworkers one day to lunch. They were surprised on how much room there was inside.

 

Thanks.. My issue is I use my cars for work/personal and need the room for my deliveries. Plus I have 3 dogs too LOL

Looking like either dropping $1,000 for a low mileage engine or playing with trading my truck are my options for now

We'll see.. going to go drive a new Focus 5dr soon and see what they would give for the truck. If its not as bad as I think maybe i'll just drive the satty till she rattles apart then trade.. if not then new engine and just keep her from falling apart another year or so

 

Why not just rebuild the engine in the Saturn? For the money you want to spend on a new unknown vehicle you should be able to do a pretty nice rebuild on the 1.9 and you know the history of the car. Do the oil holes in the oil control ring grooves in the pistons and you should be in good shape.

 

My issue is doing the work.. not really physically able to right now. I'd have to send it off to be done which is $1,300 plus I have 3 failing cam followers so would need to locate a 2000 low mileage head too since its a cross over almost "one of" head and those followers arent available. I did locate a local low mileage engine out of a car that looks to have been pampered in the 50kmi range So thats my other option and almost half of the cost of a rebuild and head.

 

I wasn't aware of any changes to the head after they went to the 9 bolt exhaust manifold design head in '99. Anyways, I would still go the rebuilt/used engine route. My guess is anything you find for $1000-$1500 will need as much or more work than your car. At least with your wagon you know what you have.

 

I'd always spring for keeping the car if at all possible too just because of knowing the history of the car. The next car might have a good engine but might need tons of work otherwise and who knows what else might go. I avoid getting rid of an old car whenever possible, because with something else I feel like I'm starting over.

You might be able to get a decent engine for less. http://www.car-part.com is a site I use sometimes. My first engine I got for $350, 130k on it, a couple hour drive to get it. It still runs great 7 years later. My other engine I scored off ebay for $50 and was only 100 miles total out of my way so almost free shipping. Jasper rebuild with 78k, still runs great too. I don't have the facilities, garage, concrete pad, even flat driveway to rebuild an engine either, but I can drop in a replacement in a weekend.

 

I looked at a one owner 1998 saturn wagon yesterday that only had 73000 miles. It was a real nice straight wagon but... There is some electrical issue related to the keyless entry that drains the battery. I have not researched the issue but the owner was told 3 hour minimum at $90 per hour to look at it. I am on my hand held and do not have the option to add photos.

It wasn't $1000 or 1500 but maybe close enough if you like Saturns.

 

Oh yeah... There is a $1200 roadmaster around here that is well worth the money if 200000 miles doesn't bother you. I am afraid to go see it (will not be able to walk away).

 

How about a nice Escort wagon. They were great cars and incredibly reliable; They were also quite popular and I bet if you looked hard enough, you'd be able to find a nice one.
Good luck.

 

I hear rumour that a Kia is up for sale

 

36 mpg is excellent, and there aren't many modern cars, especially wagons, that will touch it.

Myself, for work vehicles and general econo-beaters, I stick to the late 80s/early 90s manual trans models for the best bang for buck concerning reliability, parts availability, and mpg.

From what I can remember, my dad's '83 Escort, manual transmission, averaged around 35 mpg. He later got a new '85 diesel Escort wagon that got almost 50 mpg when new.

I currently drive a '91 Subaru Loyale wagon 4wd that averages 28 mpg, and my son's '91 Legacy AWD gets about the same. Not the best mpg when it comes to econo cars, but better than most other 4wd/Awd trucks or SUVs.

Not a wagon, but a coworker drives a '88 Toyota Tercel manual trans sedan and claims he can coax 40 mpg out of it. I assume a hatch or wagon would get similar.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the imput everyone. Like everyone I sometimes just get tired of fixing on the same car and get tempted to get something else. Of course only to begin the cycle again LOL

Decided to dig into my Saturn and really go over it with a stethoscope to pin down the noises and swap what I need to swap to keep it going awhile longer. Then when the time is right get a new Focus 5dr