

Ask YC: cheap, fuel efficient cars I can buy right now. - siculars

Hey Gang, I'm in the market for a cheap (&#60;$15k), fuel efficient (&#62;20mpg) car that I can buy right now in the US (NYC area).<p>What is the current wisdom of this crowd related to this issue? TIA!
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aggieben
I bought a 1996 Ford Ranger (4 cyl, no extras) that had been totaled due to
flood damage for $1600. Runs great, gets ~22-25 mpg.

It's an aluminum frame, two cloth seats, a powertrain, wheels, and a bed for
loading crap. Most modern feature is power steering. Radio tends to fall out
of dash.

Exactly what a car ought to be (although I'd like to strip it down and replace
the engine/powertrain with batteries and this:
<http://www.pmlflightlink.com/motors/hipa_drive.html>).

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msg
My 2000 Corolla LE gets at least 30 mpg, averaged between fillups every
300-350 miles. We bought it five years ago for $8400 (not including
tax/title/blah blah blah). It was a fleet vehicle returned after lease
expiration at a Saturn dealer. We haven't noticed any shenanigans, just your
run-of-the-mill maintenance.

Don't buy a new car. Owning the depreciation is stupid. You might try the
rental companies if you want to avoid the uncertainty of the for-sale-by-owner
market.

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noodle
<http://www.toyota.com/yaris/>

<http://www.smartusa.com/smart-car-fortwo.aspx>

edited to add: most of the older smaller cars, like a used civic, get really
good gas mileage. if you want to buy used, those are good choices. you're just
sacrificing safety and some of the modern features

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siculars
thanks, i was looking at the yaris, very good mileage.

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alaskamiller
An used 2 door Civic hatchback (2k) or a Geo Metro (1k) or a new Smart Car
(14k out the door with TTL).

Now, here's my question for Hacker News: I'm trying to decide between
electronic toothbrushes. Which one should I get? Sonicare for the sonic waves
or Oral-B because most dentists recommend it? Can someone also suggest to me a
place for lunch? Quiznos or Subways?

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siculars
thanks, i would say go with what dentists recommend for the brush and quiznos
for the lunch. mmmm toasty.

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Alex3917
I want to buy a new desk. What types of wood should I be considering?

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siculars
I would say ikea. they are cheap as hell and very configurable.

...also, keep the asshat comments under the brim.

