People are driving old cars from the 80's to get better gas mileage

MARCOPOLO4

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i had two decent (mgp) cars in the 80s a toyota starlet and a honda civic both with a straight stick and the toyota even had a manuel choke. they were both little boxes on wheels but got decent milage.
 

Love-it

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At 24, you might not remember the Volkswagen "Rabbit". I don't remember its MPG but there were diesel models later in its life-cycle. There was even a "Rabbit MPG" which was tuned for high mileage. Don't even think about asking what its 0-to-60 was!

Our neighbors in Montana, circa 1977, bought a new VW diesel Rabbit, it got 56-62 miles to the gallon. Of course we didn't have "city" driving.

I need four wheel drive and its hard to find fuel efficient vehicles that I can afford. My 1982/86 Toyota Tercel 4wd appears to be beyond help, it got 28-30mpg on good days. now I am stuck with a 1986 Isuzu Trooper that tops out at about 24mpg. Subaru's get better mileage but I can't even afford a "newer" one from the 90's. I need a new clutch which may help the mileage a bit.
 

whatireallywant

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Another small 80s car was the Chevy Sprint a.k.a. Geo Metro with a 1.0L 3-cylinder engine! Built by Suzuki or jointly by Suzuki and GM, some variants of it got mileage in the 50s.

I used to have one of those! I hated that it had no trunk space!

I was pulled over for speeding once in it, and the next day my co-workers razzed me about that ("I didn't know that tiny car could go that fast"! :biggrin1:)
 

transformer_99

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i had two decent (mgp) cars in the 80s a toyota starlet and a honda civic both with a straight stick and the toyota even had a manuel choke. they were both little boxes on wheels but got decent milage.

Now that I research these cars on-line, amazing 40+ city and 50+ highway, but those were the most fuel efficient models, around 65 hp. I recall a 1985 Colt DL I drove had the 1.5L 5 speed, 68 hp, never was even close to what those others were able to achieve for fuel economy, even for the most fuel efficient model:

1985 COLT Gas Mileage - Fuel Economy Database

As I recall, 12.5 gallons of fuel for the econobox, under $ 15 filled it up, right up until Bush came into power, a 15.5 gallon Ranger could be filled for around $ 22. Today, at $ 3.75 gallon, the Colt fillup from bone dry would be $ 46.88 and the Ranger $ 58.13. My 21.1 gallon Nissan is $ 79.13 to fill. Over 7 days, $ 65 or so fills it with about 18 gallons
 

transformer_99

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The more I think about it, $ 47 for 12.5 gallons for an 80's econobox ? Absurd, more than triple what I recall paying in the early 90's before selling. For some reason right around $ 1/gallon sticks in my head for fuel price of cheap gas for the early 90's ?
 

JustAsking

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There is some truth to this notion. I commuted 45 miles each day on the highway in a 1981 Honda Civic Sedan. It was rated at 44 MPG and I definitely got that kind of mileage.

It had a 5 speed transmission with 5th gear being so tall that at 65 mph, it was ticking over in the low 2000 rpms. At that point it had very little acceleration, but that was what 4th gear was for. The first four gears had about the same ratios as the 4-speed they offered, with the fifth gear being a kind of highway overdrive gear.

I drove that thing for 8 years to about 200,000 miles and then went back for another one. Much to my chagrin, by 1989, they had retooled the transmission so the 5-speed ratios fit into about the same ratio range as the 4-speed they were offering. What had happened was that gas prices had stabilized and the American public forgot about fuel economy. So the good marketing folks at Honda (and every other mfg) targeted their designs for performance rather than economy. So the point of the 5-speed in 1989 was snappier performance rather than economy.

The question is, could Honda reissue a 45 mpg Civic if the public were buying? I am not so sure they could with the same engine they had in 1981. I believe the CCVC engine was phased out after 1981 because it wasn't very clean and emission standards were going up all the time.

Could Honda or someone else put out a car with a conventional engine that gets 45 mpg? I bet they could, but keep in mind that my 1981 Civic was the cheapest model they had. Their smart money is in putting out very high mileage expensive hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

The Japanese will dod that with really well designed small cars like the Prius which will get very high mileage and be very popular. The Americans will put their hybrid engines in big behemoth vehicles such as the Ford Escape Hybrid which will pander to the SUV set and still get reasonable mileage. The Escape gets around 30 mph. I think that is a travesty, but that is the free market for you.

I am waiting for the plug-in hybrid version of the Prius or something like it.
 

transformer_99

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I commuted 45 miles each day on the highway in a 1981 Honda Civic Sedan. It was rated at 44 MPG and I definitely got that kind of mileage.

The question is, could Honda reissue a 45 mpg Civic if the public were buying? I am not so sure they could with the same engine they had in 1981. I believe the CCVC engine was phased out after 1981 because it wasn't very clean and emission standards were going up all the time.

Could Honda or someone else put out a car with a conventional engine that gets 45 mpg? I bet they could, but keep in mind that my 1981 Civic was the cheapest model they had. Their smart money is in putting out very high mileage expensive hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

You're right about the hybrids being their goal, but Honda is virtually already offering a 45 mpg Civic. Their gasoline only Civic gets 40 mpg highway.

2007 Honda Civic Review - Edmunds.com

That's the 2007:

"The gasoline-fueled 1.8-liter engine delivers above-average fuel economy for the small car class; EPA ratings are 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway. The 2007 Civic Hybrid, meanwhile, uses a gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain to maximize fuel economy. Its 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine is paired to the latest version of Honda's IMA technology and a continuously variable transmission to deliver 110 hp and 49/51 mpg ratings."

What is funny, the hybrid gets 49/51 and the gas 30/40 for 2007, they seemed to have gotten less fuel efficient for 2008 as fuel prices have climbed.

2008 Honda Civic Review and Specs

"The gasoline-fueled 1.8-liter engine delivers above-average fuel economy for the small car class; 2008 EPA estimates are 24 mpg city and 36 mpg highway for an automatic-equipped Civic. The GX posts 24/36 numbers. The Hybrid, meanwhile, uses a gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain to maximize fuel economy. Its 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine is paired to the latest version of Honda's IMA technology and a continuously variable transmission to deliver 110 hp and 40/45 mpg ratings."

Either the 2007 or 2008 numbers are bogus, because the hp ratings are virtually unchanged ?
 

LambHair McNeil

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The Ford Escape is hardly a "behemoth" SUV. Compare its dimensions to a Suburban, Yukon XL, discontinued Ford Excursion, or Expedition L sometime and see what the results are.

I know hybrid technology can return the most dramatic results in small cars when paired with 4 cyl engines. Just because that's where the "oohs" and "ahhs" might be for fuel economy applauders, I'd not frown on using it in other applications (like SUV's, performance-oriented cars, trucks, etc).

The meat of the market is trucks and SUV's. There might be more people driving trucks and SUV's than strictly should, but there are also more people gorging themselves on containers of Ben & Jerry's each day than strictly should. If a B&J gorger happens to also own a truck, for example, hybrid technology can be added to these people's vehicles & we can lessen the fuel consumption impact of their driving to Kroger 2* a day to refill their freezer at home. Certainly a good thing, no?
 

prickleyguy

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Another small 80s car was the Chevy Sprint a.k.a. Geo Metro with a 1.0L 3-cylinder engine! Built by Suzuki or jointly by Suzuki and GM, some variants of it got mileage in the 50s.

My Mother still drives one of these cars, It is on it's second engine, but she regularly gets 50 MPG, at 78 she still tootles around the countryside in her good ole Sprint.
 

SteveHd

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Prickley, your mother's Sprint must be an automatic, right?

I'm 51 and when my back is bothering me, I don't think I could handle a stickshift.
 

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People have mentioned the Honda Civic, but I remember the Honda Civic CRX HF got great gas mileage. 41 MPG city, 50 MPG highway (*by the new 2008 way to estimate). I remember they used to say 55 MPG highway I think, but it was only a 2-seater with hatchback. Other small cars were in the 30-40 MPG range.

Gas Mileage of 1989 Honda Civic CRX HF

Didn't the EPA just retool their mpg estimates to reflect more realistic driving?
You are correct. The newer estimates take into account:
  • Faster Speeds & Acceleration
  • Air Conditioner Use
  • Colder Outside Temperatures
2008 Fuel Economy Tests
 

JustAsking

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People have mentioned the Honda Civic, but I remember the Honda Civic CRX HF got great gas mileage. 41 MPG city, 50 MPG highway (*by the new 2008 way to estimate). I remember they used to say 55 MPG highway I think, but it was only a 2-seater with hatchback. Other small cars were in the 30-40 MPG range.

Yes, I might have posted this here already, but I had an 81 Honda Civic Sedan that I commuted in for about 8 years. It did get about 45 mpg when driving in 5th gear on the highway.
 

hot-rod

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I see people are Driving old cars from the 80's to get 40 to 60 mpg. Everyone drove a small cars back then to save money on gas.
We're still driving our 1986 F-150 Ford truck. Still runs and looks good. Has about the same MPG or better than a new truck, and without spending $400.00 a month on a new one. We figure we can spend a little on it ever once in a while for things and STAY OUT OF DEBT. You won't be able to give away these new vehicles pretty soon.
 

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Yes, I might have posted this here already, but I had an 81 Honda Civic Sedan that I commuted in for about 8 years. It did get about 45 mpg when driving in 5th gear on the highway.
Yes, you did mention it previously.

I had a friend that had a 70's diesel VW rabbit that got 50+ MPG also.

The cars I've had all got 25+ MPG. I can't imagine driving a car that only got 15-20 MPG. I knew a someone in high school that suped-up an older car and only got 4 MPG. It was fast, but at $1.00 per gallon it was still expensive to drive back then working part-time for minimum wage. I guess kids don't do this as much anymore because of the price of gas.

I agree hot-rod, I'd rather drive an older car and save my money for gas or other things. It helps if you can do some repairs yourself.
 

SpeedoMike

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MPG isn't everything. Cost to operate is more important. Driving a Prius, for example, sounds great and gets "good" mileage. However, it costs thousands of dollars more than a conventionally engined model. Figure the cost of the car, maintenance, fuel, etc. and determine how much it costs to drive a mile.

No one mentions that the hybrid batteries do not last forever. Replacement cost is in the thousands of $$$. Resale value of a hybrid is going to drop the closer the car gets to needing a battery replacement.

As for me, I'm very happy with my 98 Pontiac Sunfire (sister to the Cavalier) which now has 65k miles. I don't drive much! I could buy a car getting better mileage, but my overall cost per mile would explode with car payments.
 

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My first car was an '87 Honda Civic, and I got an average of 40 miles per gallon driving on rural routes at an average speed of about 40 mph.

My current car is a 2005 Honda Civic, and I'm getting between 33-38 miles per gallon, depending on things like weather (temperature). I got 40 mph once, and I have no idea what caused it, but I never did quite so well again. From what I've heard, the newer Civics are better.