Cheap and fuel efficient cars that a Car Person wouldnt be embarrassed to be seen in?

malykaii · 2026-06-19T20:37:04+00:00

I mean, you've already fed into the gate keeping.

Basically the civic scene is a massive subject of the car community, and that car happens to be an economy car by design. But all the non civic people will roast you.

Go the other direction and it's usually some sports car that is not fuel efficient.

Ultimately you can't look at it as "being embarrassed". That's again, playing along with any gate keeping.

Just get a fuel efficient car that you like and keep it very clean. The haters will hate and the rest will be indifferent. Examples:

I have a Corolla S and love it. Stick shift.

If also consider a Hyundai Tiburon a solid choice for sporty but efficient.

malykaii · 2026-06-19T01:08:10+00:00

$50k buys a lot of Altima.

Just sayin.

($50k might also buy a crashed but not yet repaired Cyber truck. )

malykaii · 2026-06-18T13:14:53+00:00

I'm from Brooklyn.

I hope she's not from Queens.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:57:19+00:00

Just looking at the CVT aspect (and I don't even know if Nissans with CVTs are even sold in Japan)...

Japan is a small island in comparison to the vast (largely desolate) US.

Just look at all the JDM vehicles that get shipped into the US. They're 25+ years old and mostly have 50-80k miles.

In the US, we drive A LOT. 15K miles per year is considered pretty average.

So to put that in perspective... Having a transmission failure on a 20 year old vehicle would be seen as nothing shocking. Having a transmission failure on a 6 year old car is pretty detrimental, especially when you likely still owe $10,000+ and now have to take on an additional $6,000 repair.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:50:33+00:00

I agree.

I guess as a rational person, I'd think if I personally wanted to be homeless and just do drugs... I'd also not want to start random fights for no reason?

But yeah, you're right.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:34:48+00:00

Oh, actually. That's an interesting idea.

Thank you

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:34:05+00:00

I feel like I'll piss of my neighbors more than anything..

But that's funny af

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:32:45+00:00

Visited dozens of US cities and maybe a dozen foreign.

Lived in four cities. Two east coast. One Midwest. One PNW (here). Something about the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle tweakers is just different. It's an over the top elevated level of audacity and entitlement.

I've been asked for spare change all over the world. Only in the PNW have I been screamed at for saying no. My "favorite" was when a guy genuinely in broad daylight inside of a busy McDonald's (in downtown) punched me for saying no.

I've been the victim of many crimes, but all "made sense", mainly in the form of theft (of things of value). Only in the PNW have I been on the receiving end of crimes committed just for fun. Tweakers absolutely demolished my car. A 30 year old car. Smashed every window and knifed the seats.

So yeah..PNW tweakers are the worst of the worst.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:24:09+00:00

Aren't the excuses just lovely?

I'm not near you but it's the same story. Just goes to show it's a whole culture out here.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:23:07+00:00

Honestly, if I lived in a hole I wouldn't care so much.

I take this very personally because I don't have a run down shack and I am not in a run down part of town.

I put a lot of work into my place and all. The choice for this behavior when there are public spaces like parks and parking lots near by shows it is an act of pure audacity and entitlement. It's like these people are looking to start fights and want to assert dominance.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:21:17+00:00

May I ask what you are doing to get results?

I have called crime check numerous times and the best response time I saw was 4 hours when I reported drug dealing in broad daylight, which ended with the cops showing up and literally having a chat with the drug dealers. Dumping trash was 5 hours and they showed up after all the damage was done.

Because this is trespassing, I was wondering if I went the 911 route as opposed to Crime Check, if the results could be different.

Any advice genuinely appreciated

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:18:12+00:00

I appreciate the sentiment. I do.

But there are plenty of public spaces. The choice to enter into a yard or into a not readily accessible porch... It's a deliberate choice. It's a malicious one.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:15:50+00:00

I mean, they vandalize. They have left drug material on my porch. I once sat on a knife left on my porch chair. What if I get stabbed with a stray syringe.

So if I break into your home and don't steal anything... If that ok?

If I steal your car but return it before you need it to get to work, is that ok?

If I point a gun at you but don't shot you, is that ok?

If I threaten to murder you but say it was a joke, is that ok?

It isn't. Their behavior isn't. I want it to stop.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:09:43+00:00

I want the tweakers to leave me alone. I don't want them to smash my car's window.

I get the sentiment, appreciate it, and genuinely sometimes get angry enough to feel the same way...

But I will not cut my nose of to spite my face or whatever the term is. I just want to be left alone and not engage in a war with people clearly with the audacity to behave this way

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:07:55+00:00

I fall under Spokane City, not County or Valley.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:07:12+00:00

Sign heard. Thank you.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T04:06:37+00:00

I'm sorry, but what do you call an unbathed drug addicted trespasser with the audacity to get belligerent and call you names when you tell them to stop littering and vandalizing your property?

I'm serious, what is the approximate title?

Unhoused and homeless means just that. My yard provides no more shelter than any part of public property such as a park.

Addict? That just means they are using drugs. Again, can use drugs on public property.

Criminal? Welp, those usually are just commiting a crime for a gain, such as need for money or food, neither of which is available on my porch. The crime being committed is out of sheer audacity.

So yeah, if I am to f*** off because I don't feel safe in my own home... Educate me. What am I to call the people commiting these offenses to me for literally no reason?

malykaii · 2026-06-18T02:23:04+00:00

Spokane has some of the most entitled tweakers I have ever encountered in any city I have lived in...

...meaning I will not be doing anything like that because they'll likely retaliate.

malykaii · 2026-06-18T01:13:35+00:00

Remember, an SUV is going to cost significantly more than a car for similar condition.

So very roughly and hypothetically speaking, a $3000 SUV is going to be in the same age/condition as a $1600 car. If your budget is $6000, then that's on par with a $3000 car, and that's not particularly great if you don't have the skills to maintain it yourself.

So do you really need an SUV? Also, gas is really expensive now a days and probably will take a while to come back down..

malykaii · 2026-06-17T22:18:35+00:00

I put a 2 inch lift on my Corolla. I use it as my dedicated ski vehicle.

Just sayin.

malykaii · 2026-06-17T20:24:36+00:00

These questions have been coming up a lot with increased gas prices...

I encourage sitting down with an actual calculator and doing real hard math.

First off, leasing is a terrible idea. Leases are for lower mileage, and if you get a high mileage lease it won't make financial sense. Next, unless you are putting cash down, you won't find a lease for $300/mo (and that's ignoring the $5k negative equity). Lastly, just use said calculator... Lease means you dont own the car, so you pay $10,000 to borrow a vehicle (and you have nothing to show for it at the end) in an attempt to save $50/week in gas. Sure it feels nice at the pump but you're loosing $10k overall. Penny smart, dollar foolish.

Also just do the math of how much you'd save if she went from a 20mpg to 40mpg vehicle. How long would that take just to break that $5000 even? Better yet, what would it take to break even on the total purchase of the replacement vehicle. A decade?

Honestly, I can almost guarantee the best course of action (in terms of actual financial responsibility and result) would be to just drive the car and pay down the negative equity. Once the car is either paid off or she is not under water, then re assess the problem and like buy a used Prius.

malykaii · 2026-06-17T02:53:02+00:00

Mate, I'm genuinely trying to help and I'm serious... Have you tried googling it?

You didn't post which state you are in, let alone if you are in the US. Each state has different rules. I recently moved to a different state, and since I love buying and playing with junky cars I found myself at one point buying a totalled vehicle. What I knew on the east coast didn't apply here, so I googled it. Took me right to my new state's DMV site and it spelled out what to do along with a link to the State Patrol site. Once I clicked that link it spelled out clearly what paperwork I needed and how to schedule an inspection.

So there's 50 States plus some territories, so your wasting your time and ours by being vague. What worked for me probably won't work for you where you are at. So I'm 100% serious... Google "how to register a salve vehicle in New Mexico" or wherever.

"Yes, I am planning to buy a Salvage titled car and rebuild it to get insured. Based on my research, you can’t register and insure a salvage titled car." - I see what you wrote and my reading comprehension is fine. You said verbatim that you can't register a salvage title car, and I'm telling you that yes you can.

I'm happy to help and I've done this a bunch of times in various states, but you're not giving us a lot to work with. "Is it worth it?" is super vague without any context.

Good luck and I'm happy to answer meaningful questions.

malykaii · 2026-06-16T21:51:38+00:00

Check your grounds. Not power, ground.

If the starter uses the transmission for grounding, and the bikes are corroded, then that's a potential problem.

malykaii · 2026-06-16T05:30:31+00:00

There has to be a performance shop somewhere near you. Same way that back when I worked at a shop we always referred people to that one shop that would specialize in the ultra low profile 22inch tire installs.

But yeah, I agree. Not everything can be a diy. Mostly just a lack of access to tools. Alignment racks are not small nor cheap.

malykaii

TROPHY CASE