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Maybe somebody can also give me other ideas of what I should be looking at in used cars.
First and foremost is reliability and I think Toyotas are ahead of the pack in affordable commuter cars.
I'm looking for a car in the Corolla class (economy) with manual transmission (where this translates to better gas mileage-I know some cars actually do better on mpg with automatic, believe it or not).
I want the car to have some road clearance and height (no low-riding or sense of being too low in the seat).
And, I want a decent amount of trunk space.
The previous generation of Corollas tick off most boxes on the checklist, but I can't find a manual transmission anywhere. Maybe a Mazda 6 (also previous generation), but the mpg doesn't look so great on these.
The newer Elantras seem to have what I'm looking for, but I want to stay under $10K USD.
So, anything else with good reliability, mpg, trunk space and no low-riding?
Is there a service that can track down those elusive manual transmission Corollas?
Thanks in advance!
Maybe somebody can also give me other ideas of what I should be looking at in used cars.
Is there a service that can track down those elusive manual transmission Corollas?
Search engine filters still depend on the data being input accurately...
which still leaves you with the basic issue that fewer manuals have been built each successive year.
OK, I've found clcarz.com to do an advanced search on craigslist. You can also put in the years you're looking for in this format: "corolla (2003|2004|2005|2006|2007|2008) manual site:craigslist.org"
Take out the quotation marks and this seems to be a good way of scanning all of craigslist.
Thanks for all of your advice!
Hopefully all these tips will make a car search easier for someone else as well.
If you are not stuck on a car with a trunk, you might also consider a Pontiac Vibe or Toyota Matrix. They are the same basic cars with almost all Toyota mechanicals under the different sheetmetal, with either a Corolla (1.8L) or Camry (2.4L) motor and transmission. I've seen a few with manual transmissions, and they are usually priced cheaper because they are harder to sell. And a Vibe is usually cheaper than Matrix. It is a great little car, just like the Corolla. We have two in our family.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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I sure miss Crazedlist, as I liked to search by region and specific models. and by owner.
Some of the above searches will yield similar.
I specifically make sure to include DFW, AUS, SAT. (airport codes) Primary TX locations that is find most of my least expensive used cars w/o rust flood damage, and can get cheap airfare into these places. All sellers have picked me up, and I have never had a problem driving 'internet' purchases back home (~2200miles). I buy many vehicles off internet, but NEVER from a dealer.
First generation Scion Xb. NOT the 2nd one. You have manual, you have ton of room, and good mpg, and higher seated position.
what's your threshold for MPG? Honda CR-V is a fantastic car, huge trunk and super good AWD. 25 mpg under good driving habits.
I'd stay away from Mazdas. Also, though I have Camry Hybrid and love it, and wife has RX300, read - Toyta, I am absolutely partial to Hondas, esp 96-97 models. Reliable, excellent gas mileage.
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