Starting off Car discussions for the Motorheads... my 06 VW GTI.

[98Pro]

Get a nice loaded late 90's lincoln town car. Most comfortable car you'll ever find lol well for $4000 that is. Either that or a civic/jetta/etc other smallish car with great MPG that was taken care of and lowish miles for it's year. 2000 Cabrio's can be had for under 4K all day and get great gas mileage. But of course you may like something else.

[Pump Scout]

That's the catch - I drive a bunch on a regular basis, and an absurd amount occassionally. My job takes me all over the state, so mileage is critical. 4 cylinder, stick if possible, not blindingly expensive to maintain/repair. I'll probably wind up with a Golf, Jetta, or some other such VW product. Domestic is a possibility, too, but those are getting hard to find in a stick.

[Nobody]

repairs with a VW can be expensive with a modern VW(interference engine). you're right about the stick and domestic applications. i hate to say, but i would look more towards a Honda or Toyota(but i don't know how many modern Yotas have sticks anymore), though i would look for a diesel before gas. which is the opposite of expense range, but right there for your mileage. though a Jeep Liberty CRD would suit you, but good luck finding one.

without know what other applications that you need i can't really suggest anything.

i personally would love to see the Domestics(if you can call them that anymore) come out with smaller diesels for the cars and trucks. i would think that instead of the F250 Super Duty Powerstroke that Ford could even have a bigger seller with a 4 cyl. or a V6 diesel in a F150. most people don't need a 1 ton truck, but a lot can use a more smaller more manageable diesel. imagine a Focus or Fusion with a diesel. 50mpg or 60mpg would be conceivable. but when have car companies ever actually listened to the public.

[Fred]

I'm trying to get a solid release date on the Fiesta ST... Might try for a focus.

[pbjosh]

I was so disappointed in the Fiesta - But the Focus is a great car for the price. Helped a GF buy a Focus SVT and it was quite an amazing car to drive. 6spd, 170hp, lightweight. The regular Focus hatchback is solid and cheap to run.

I love the Golf TDI, I picked it up for driving the 140+ miles a day on my commute when I worked in Seattle. The gas savings over my 22mpg Legend made it almost free to drive and buy. Total cost for payments plus gas was less then just gas on the Legend.

For good cars for the $: older Japanese Luxury class are solid. Lexus/Infinity/Acura go forever, get good mileage (not fantastic) and are really nice to drive.

[98Pro]

Oh yeah TDI's sipppp that diesel.

[Pump Scout]

Looks like there's a new production Fiesta for the 2014 model year. I'll be getting a look at it in Chicago in a couple weeks.

Speaking of TDI VW's, do they really require a special/specific sort of oil change? I'd heard something about that somewhere. Problem with me and a TDI is that any I find in my price range are over 250k miles. Yikes.

[Pump Scout]

Couldn't edit the above post for some reason...

The Focus is kind of on my short list of cars I wouldn't mind. Strangely, the ideal one would be a Focus wagon with a 5-speed. Lots of room for paintball and other outings, but still good efficiency.

[98Pro]

Look for early 2000 late 90's 4cyl Golf or even GTI and remove the back seats and belts. It's like a small truck then.

[pbjosh]

The 5 door Focus is nearly the same space as the Wagon. Huge. And easy to load 5 people in. My favorite is the RWD version with a 5.0ltr. Lambo fast, with eco insurance.

The TDI needs a special synthetic diesel oil, a thinner version of what a Semi needs. It is expensive, but you change the oil once every 10,000 miles. Yes, every 10,000 miles. And it is very roomy. We had a Pacifica and the Golf was almost as roomy.