The Best used cars for mpg

[jasonl]

We all know that the Prius is green and gets 50mpg, but it's expensive as hell.

So here's my list so far from research the best used cars that get good mpg.

- Geo Metro (if you can find one) - 45 mpg 3 cylinder car. Gets up to 70mph so it's good on the interstate.

- A Used Prius - For about $15,000 you can get a nice used Prius. Battery - $3,000

- VW TDI - as a current owner, I can definitely recommend getting one. A little more expensive than a gas car but well worth it. The engine lasts forever.

- Original VW Bug - price wildly varies by condition and age. The OLDER the more expensive. An 1970 carburetor model with none of the emissions crap would probably be perfect because those were required to have full shoulder/lap seatbelts (safe) and the 1600 engine is plenty.

- Saturn SL1 - I had one of those and got 40mpg. Very good for the time and beat the Metro in size.

- The Japanese cars (Civic, Corolla, etc.) - Probably the MOST reliable cars of the bunch. May get up to 40mpg with good driving. But what fun are they?

 

[panthera]

Lots of fun

I think the Japanese cars got a rep. for being boring back in the days when American stood for GTO (pronounced: goat) and hemi-hemi cough of Mopars waking up to roar.

Compared to the sensible little plastic boxes coming from Detroit (a wholly owned subsidiary of the [email protected]) Japanese cars today are no more and no less boring.

And the plastic is better.

We blew it. Time to admit it. Those of us who protested got shat upon (remember the discussions here back around 2004? Wish those of us saying we were headed for trouble had been wrong and the all-American ra-ra we are the best! folks had been right) and it didn't matter.

I'll keep my Malibu and S-10 and run them into the ground - everything which could break (and that was pert' near everything) has, so they're basically brand new old cars.

I think the TDI was the beginning of the return to quality for VW, bullet-proof motor.

 

[sikiguya]

TDI

I love our VW Jetta TDI and it gets about 50 MPG on the average. My husband drives 60+ miles round trip to work. Got it used in 2007 and it has 96,000 miles on it (he used to drive 120+ miles a day for 9 months until we moved).
Time for a new timing belt and a good lookover. Found a good TDI mechanic on the TDI boards who is charging us half of what the dealership wanted and is also replacing the water pump! Should be good as new by the start of the new year.

 

[panthera]

Heather,

How is the family doing? Everybody well again?

 

[jasonl]

umm... ok

Does EVERY message thread here have to turn into a political or anti-whatever rant?

I was talking about CARS not the state of the country.

And I was being half-sarcastic about the Jap cars. They're fine and I DID say MORE RELIABLE too.

Nevermind. Lock the thread.

 

[sikiguya]

Keven

Today is the first day back to school for both my kids. I have had one or both out sick since 11/7. My son ended up with breathing issues but we dealth with it with lots of meds and breathing treatments. He ended up having a whole body reaction to some antibiotics that he was taking for an ear & sinus infection. Hives lasted for about 3 days.

Thanks for asking!

 

[panthera]

For heaven's sake, Jason,

what on earth did I say that set you off? That we taxpayers, through the US government bailed out Detroit and are now being screwed for it? You disagree?

Heather, I am very glad to hear that things are better!

 

[travlincub321]

The Crap-tastic Malibu that GM finally fixed at a cost of about $3,900.. Its an 05, with a Eco tech 4 banger.. To drive from SLC to Seatac washington (and some driving around in SLC), it was about 980 miles... Divide that into 28 Gallons of gas used and you get 35 mpgs... Yup 35 mpgs.. SO far this trip i am averging right on the cusp of 36.So we will see..

Do i trust this car? No
Do i think its comfie more than 6-7 hours? Not really
Do i think its well made? Ehhhhhh, the prior owner beat up the inside... The mechanics are fine now
I am living with it... Its $200 a month for 5 years...

It has been filed under the nevada lemon law and we will see the outcome..If i can make it go by bye (which they might because of the saftey and cost of repairs and the fact this may happen again) I will get a Ford.. Peroiod end of report.. Ford Ford Ford...

 

[travlincub321]

Or a Dodge Sprinter Van...

 

[sudsmaster]

A VW TDI diesel is a desirable motor here in California - because it doesn't have to be smogged every two years. The cost of the smogging goes up every year. I just had my 300M smogged for $75. It always passes with flying colors, well below max and below the "averages" as well. But the DMV for some reason thinks it's a "high emitter profile" car so have to take it to a "Test Only" station. Fortunately there's one about five blocks away and I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes or so.

A guy at the DMV/CARB even recommended that I retrofit my '79 Plymouth (Mitsubishi) pickup with a VW TDI motor of a certain vintage. Then once all the paperwork is done, it would never have to be smogged, either. It's been sitting in the shop for the past 11 years because the head keeps on cracking and burning oil... plus the exhaust manifold tends to crack as well... I have a big round toit attached to the steering wheel. Hasn't done any good.

 

[whirlcool]

And the 1970 VW Bug also has a collapsable steering column for added safety. We just put in new 3 point seat belts in ours as the original ones were dry rotting away. Our 1970 bug costs about $18.00 a month for gas.

When we are in the mood we take it anywhere. It sure does attract a lot of attention. But after a few days of driving the bug, I'll get into our Tribute and feel like I am in a Rolls. Motoring in the 70's sure was a lot more primitive than it is today!

 

[andrewinorlando]

Jason, I think of the Japanese models you mention, the Honda Civic has always been a perennial favorite. It comes in many different flavors, including the Si, if you can find one. That car is a hoot to drive, albeit a little more expensive, with a little less on the mpg side. But it's still a bulletproof platform and just more exciting than the Corolla, with more comfy seats, especially for taller/longer bodies.

My neighbor down the street has a '98 Civic with 232,000 miles on the clock now, and never a single hint of trouble with the car, except for a new clutch last year and a window motor for the front driver's window. She thinks she'll need a new A/C compressor by next summer (it's getting a little noisy), but that's to be expected after 11 years of driving in the Florida heat. Overall she has been very satisfied with her "baby", and is still getting about 34 mpg highway and 26 or so in the city.

 

[jasonl]

Suds, I always wondered about that in CA. How do y'all get away with diesels there? I guess because it's a diesel, it's a whole different ballgame.

Whirl, that's good to know about that. So for safety's sake, I'd feel better in a 70 Bug. By then you have all the safety features. A good Bug with a solid chassis can't be killed (unless you wreck it).

I remember learning the hard way not to use regular unleaded in the old Bug. Can you say valve noise? lol

 

[foraloysius]

The original VW Bug wasn't a mpg miracle anyway. I remember reading tests when I was young that it was hard to get 10 kilometers out a liter gas. That would be around 23 mpg.

 

[jasonl]

25 mpg was pretty good back then where almost everyone was driving v8's.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

A Rambler American gets better gas mileage than an old Bug, and it's a heck of a lot more car.

Mine gets me 21/30 consistantly.

Pic is not mine, but the same model

 

[jasonl]

That's why I said "Almost everyone".

And that is a nice car!

 

[jasonl]

Hypermiling

I'd like to find a good old Bug, tune it well and (SAFELY) hypermile it to see how many miles I can get out of tank of fuel. Hmmm...

 

[bobbyd32l]

I picked up a 2003 Hyundai Sonata GLS 4CYL for a decent price for me to drive for the winter (My other car will not get through any snow at all being RWD and having over 500 hp ). I am averaging 34 mpg mixed driving in the Sonata. Its a nice little car. Moonroof, leather, ABS, etc. The little 4 cyl even has decent pep to it! My brother drives a Mercury Sable with the 24Valve engine and he averages around 27 mpg and you can't go wrong with a Ford. You could even find a Civic HX, which should get around 40 mpg. They have a CVT transmission and a different motor than the other models for better gas mileage.