What are the hypermile "sleepers"

[getnpsi]

I cant afford to buy a 10k car (celica) just because it gets 5mpg better than a car I already own, but for a grand I'll buy a toy to keep myself busy. In California no one is laughing at what you drive anymore. I get offers for 1500+ for my aspire even after I tell them i bought it for much less. Guys with lifted expeditions/excursions...

Dont be scared of KIA. older kias have mazda engines. Do not group them together with hyndai. Same engine family as the ford festiva and aspire. I don't remmeber if there were many 2 door kias, so a 4 door is going to add afew hundred pounds. I'm totally happy with my 800 dollar aspire purchase that nets me a few mpg worse than a metro. I still consider myself young so I refuse to be the slowest car on the road If i dont have to. In addition I couldn't find a metro running as well for the same price. I can also engine swap the heck out of this car, double its output,and still flirt with 40mpg. It all depends on how confident you are with an old car that might have been someone else's problem.

a mazda 323 is a little heavier but has a 1.6 to pull itself around and should give good results, and the handling is nice. Lots of aftermarket options for them.

[DarbyWalters]

I had an old Subaru GLF (1974 model) that would get over 35 in town with a teenager (me)driving it. It had the horizontal 1400cc manual. I am sure some older (read "lighter") cars of the past would be good cheap finds.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by getnpsi

Dont be scared of KIA. older kias have mazda engines. Do not group them together with hyndai.

I'm pretty sure that Hyundais are actually decent. I've never owned one but I've been very impressed when test-driving them. Their owners seem quite satisfied, and their reliability is apparently much better than it was decades ago, much more in line with other modern cars.

[427v8]

You guys are forgetting the Horizom TC3 with the 1.7 liter.
I got 45 mpg on the freeway no mods what so ever and going 70 mph+

[1993CivicVX]

Originally Posted by 427v8

You guys are forgetting the Horizom TC3 with the 1.7 liter.
I got 45 mpg on the freeway no mods what so ever and going 70 mph+

I only do a couple mpg better than that in my VX. I get about 45mpg at 75-80mph

[91CavGT]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I'm pretty sure that Hyundais are actually decent. I've never owned one but I've been very impressed when test-driving them. Their owners seem quite satisfied, and their reliability is apparently much better than it was decades ago, much more in line with other modern cars.

I owned a 2002 Hyundai Accent GS model. It had a 1.6L DOHC engine along with a 5 speed transmission. I traded it in when it had 55,000 miles on it. That was a big mistake on my part. It developed it's first squeek at 50,000 miles. It had ZERO rattles and I had absolutely no problems out of that car. It got 38-40 mpg on the highway and around 28-30 in town. I also raced the car at Driver Education events (road course). I pushed the car VERY hard and it kept coming back for more.

Here's a picture of it on a road course in Oklahoma called Hallett.



I wish I still had it.

[96hb]

Originally Posted by getnpsi

Dont be scared of KIA.

Shoot, every person I have ever known that owned a Kia had nothing but problems with them, and they were all brand new cars! They have that 10 year, 100k mile warranty for a reason. You will certainly use it. I've known 4 people that had Kia's and all were different models, but they all had the same results. I would never buy a Kia or recommend one to anyone. Rediculous to have a brand new car and the thing be in the shop multiple times a year, in the first year of ownership!

[bkrell]

The newer Hyundai-based Kias shouldn't be that bad. I've known plenty of Hyundai owners who have nothing but praise. And when something DOES go wrong, pop over to the dealer and it's taken care of gratis.

[GasSavers_ColonelPanic]

No complaints here with my '06 Hyundai, it's treated me very well. I've certainly owned cars far worse than this.

The newer Hyundais aren't too bad, IMHO... Now the 80's through a lot of the 90's models, well...

[02SaturnSL]

02 Saturn SL, 40mpg highway on the sticker. I've got multiple full-tank highway 49mpg.