I'm proposing this as a question to all of you guys/gals. I'm afraid that my current vehicle, which I paid $2300 for 7 years ago and gets 40 mpg, may be on the fritz. It's burning about a quart of oil every month, it smokes, it's rusting in several different areas, and I have reason to believe that one of the cylinders may be losing compression. I plan on running it until it becomes inoperable or uneconomical - which may be anytime now.
So - this is a question for you guys. What is the most economical car that you can own in the long run? Specifically, I'm looking for cars that have:
1.)Low maintenance costs/will run forever (I do my own maintenance, so it has to be easy for a person to work on)
2.)High fuel efficiency.
3.)Low initial capital costs.
4.)Seats at least 4 people, preferably 5.
My ERE date is still 7 years out
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif)
, so I need it to last at least that long. I drive about 50 miles everyday to get to and from work, mostly highway, and the public transportation is non-existent, so riding a bicycle is not an option for me. I simply don't have that kind of stamina.
So - what do you think is the most economical car in the long run? What do you currently drive, and why? What kind of fuel mileage/maintenance costs do you have?
The current used car market is...interesting, which is why I'm bringing this up.