Looking to cut my fuel bill in half maybe 2/3s

black_cobra_95

black_cobra_95

Club Member
After short thought about ways to increase my savings. I am looking to replace my everyday car with something that gets anywhere from 35 to 40 plus miles to a gallon. I know for a late model car the Prius is pretty much the bench mark but wanted to know more about those 80s and 90s cars that got incredibly high MPGs. My only requirement is that any cars suggested are somewhat reliable, parts are pretty easy to find, and easy maintenance. I don't think I will be able find something that satisfies all 3 but 2 out of 3 is fine by me.
 
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A 5 Ssp 1995-99 neon sohc with the 3.27 final gear I belive. The dohc ones have a 3.91 gear ratio at 70 are over 3200 rpm. Parts are dirt cheap and super easy to work on. You can put a cheap ass 3.0l cold air intake on it and do pretty dn good. In the 30s on the high way.
 
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2.2L 5 speed Cobalt 2 door or G5. I had one and the worst I ever got with it was the upper 20s in 45-0-45 rinse repeat every quarter mile for 6 miles.
 
Catapult.... landing could be rough.... be pennies in operating costs..

:D

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VW TDI, Civic, or 4 cylinder Accord or Camry. I also had a 2000 Acura TL that got right around 30 highway and prob 24 city. Very nice ride, full of options, and it had a 225 hp v6. I would get another one of those as a DD again in a heartbeat.
 
97-01 saturn (only because the replacement windshield glass is cheaper than the early models)

I have a SL1 and drive it 45miles one way every day. it has never dipped under 34mpg even when treating it like a whore........ super cheap to get..........only thing wrong with them is they use oil when the mileage goes above 100k

mine has 205k on it and it used a quart every thousand miles.

and it has a TIMING CHAIN. we have a parking lot full of em' at GE because they are so cheap.... (mine has the dent in the hood LOL!)

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I second the S-series Saturn. My 93 SC2 never got less than 30 in mixed driving. Like them all, it burned some oil. I'd drive another.

Dennis
 
i DD a '02 chevy prizm that gets ~32 average with me driving it like it's a go-kart. paid $500 for it :) it's got the toyota 1.8l, it burns about 1qt a month of oil but other than that it's been a great car for me.
 
I've done 41 and change in my '02 Civic Si (just hit 160k miles, too). Any Honda or Toyota with 4 cylinders and 3 pedals will get you nearly there. You also won't have to sink a ton of cash into it. Resale also beats anything domestic.
 
Here are my thought on the vehicles that get good mpg's, I drive nearly 200 miles everyday to and from work and when I first started doing it I wanted a car that gets high mpg's like you. I ended up with a 2002 Honda Civic 5 speed with the 1.7 litre, car was averaging about 35-37 mpg's but seating and ride was very uncomfortable for that long haul, get to work or home and my back would be sore and just feel cramped. Now my drive is 90 miles one way nearly 99% highway, I found that a comfortable ride that gets about 25mpgs was best for me so I guess it depends on your commute and driving style.
 
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