Bang Shift Approved Economy Car?

[TheSilverBuick]

There are appliance commuter cars and there are cool commuter cars that usually come at an mpg penalty. My old '69 Firebird 400, way tame cam, 2.73 gears and a 700r4w/lock up wouldn't get any less than 25mpg on the highway, occassionally better. After the 700r4 went in I never got less than 18mpg average for a tank. That was a cool commuter car for a starving college student! It was also a ton slower than it looked.

I call my Jeep my appliance commuter, though it has cool off road appeal and now is break even on mpg's with the Skylark, but both are under 20mpg.

Aren't newer base model corvette's knocking down upper-20's mpgs? And I'm casually looking at Saturn Sky's and Pontiac Soltice's for a "commuter" car. But I need another car like I need another hole in the head.

[Stich496]

x2

The best part about a Jetta (beside they handle like they're on rails) is the money you save to build your project car

as long as your cool with being hit on by people that "taste the rainbow"

[98ciHemi]

I don't know a ton about that generation of celica except that the hood latch and hinges are suspect. I was almost taken out by one that just had a sudden failure of the hood latch and sent the hood airborne on on the shoulder of the road near where I was running. If you buy one, do pedestrians a favor and use hood pins.

[milner351]

Is your commute a steady speed highway run? If yes - then vehicles like Randal suggests are more of an MPG advantage - steep overdrive and low axle ratios with a slippery aero package and you can commute efficiently at steady highway speeds. Too bad you just sold the mark8! ;-)

[TheSilverBuick]

That Firebird had plenty of/daily LA stop and go traffic wrapped up in that 18mpg figure. I'd always get over 25mpg on open roads (like going to Vegas, empty desert road field trips, etc).

[BangShiftChad]

If the commute includes 65-80mph freeway cruising, the answer, and a cool one at that, is a C4 Corvette with an LT1 and 6 speed. Mine got 25 plus all the time, with an average including in town driving of about 20. On the highway for a long haul at 75mph it will get 30.

Otherwise, I would find myself a GEO Metro or Chevy Sprint with the little 3 banger. You can beat them like a rented mule and they don't care at all. They are not cool, but since you can beat on them it makes them worth having.

[Bob Holmes]

MINI Cooper S.

What's not to like about a 35 mpg highway car, 28 mixed, with a blower. Handles like its on rails. We've got just short of 200,000 miles on ours.

And they aren't particularly hard to work on. We just went through a head swap after my son ran it out of coolant.

Lots of speed parts available.

[Russell]

According to google maps Going to work 1.8 miles to interstate (35-45mph), 6.5 miles on I-40 / I-440 (60-65), 39.6 miles on US 264 (70mph), then 3.3 miles (45-55). Most of the time I am going 5-9 over these posted speed limits. The Mark8 I just sold got 23mpg with the cruse set on 79. I tried driving easier and it would get 24, not worth it. The mark would not run on 87 so I was putting 89 in it. In the past my 5.0 would get about 23. It has been pretty much sitting for 6 months and my first tank back it only got 19 don't know if thats due to the 5k+ RPM speed shifting ;-) or somethings not 100% Its is running much warmer than I remember, maybe time for a new radiator?

take cool out of the equation for a second is there a car that you can buy for a couple grand that will get 40 mpg @ 80mph?

Chad, the old forum would tell you when there was a new post while you are typing a reply is there anyway to add that back in?

[BangShiftChad]

Not sure on the new post thing Russell. We'll check into it.

[98ciHemi]

take cool out of the equation for a second is there a car that you can buy for a couple grand that will get 40 mpg @ 80mph?

My sister's '99 malibu with the 3.1 knocked down close to that. The '82 would do that also, but I think that's a little bit rougher of a car than you want to deal with. My '08 Focus does about 33 at 80.

[milner351]

""take cool out of the equation for a second is there a car that you can buy for a couple grand that will get 40 mpg @ 80mph?""

That's a tall order.

I think you're down to TDI VWs if that is your goal - I would think the Golf hatchback would be the most useful if you're like me and always end up hauling something. Not sure you can get one of those in your price range. The other option is any old diesel - and filtering waste oil to run it on, running one of those at 80mph won't be easy. Not sure if I'd put filtered waste oil in a TDI or not - don't know much about those injectors.

Another option of course is to move closer to work.

[TheSilverBuick]

MINI Cooper S.

What's not to like about a 35 mpg highway car, 28 mixed, with a blower. Handles like its on rails. We've got just short of 200,000 miles on ours.

And they aren't particularly hard to work on. We just went through a head swap after my son ran it out of coolant.

Lots of speed parts available.

Plus Stage1Scott(look for the distracting Avatar) on the forum here runs a Mini Cooper shop so any questions on them and he should have ALL the answers, right Scott?

[Dan Barlow]

Nissan. 240. 1995 Fish models. Fuel injected manual trans on some. Rear wheel drive. Fully independent rear end. High 20's MPG wise.

[milner351]

Can you buy a mini cooper for $2 grand? how about a diesel mercedes - I had such good luck with that idea NOT - if you buy one - get a 123 - the four round headlight version (not a '95 with an engine they only imported for a few years$$$$$)

[LORENSWIFE]