Cheap, highway MPG Monsters out there?

[civic94]

i'm looking for a cheap japanese car that gets 50mpg highway, costs around 1000, and reliable. I used to have a 94 civic stick that got 47 mpg highway, and now im low on money, and need a car that saves me gas. i need it for a year or so, then hopefully i can sell it without loosing much money.

so far, from what i know, a 88-91 crx hf can get 60mpg?
a 92-95 civic vx 55? but the price would be high
a regular 92-95 civic cx/dx hatch that can get 50?


I'm considering corollas but they cant get up as high mpg in the earlier years of the 90's

a toyota tercel?

[IndyFetch]

I like the Japanese econoboxes, but you have to remember that reliability will probably diminish with the age and # of miles on the vehicle. I'm a Honda guy, and I will admit that it is tough to find a good used one for that price unless it is really used. I was really lucky and found a rust-free VX for $1,300, but it needed an input shaft bearing. My wife and I drove it for 40,000 miles and sold it for $3,000.

I'd look at 125,000-mile mid-90s Cavaliers and Saturns. Several people on this forum have achieved up to 40 mpg with the Cavaliers and into the mid 40s with SOHC and DOHC Saturns. They are inexpensive to own, too, if you find a well-maintained one.

Of course, if you happen to find a good used Civic or Corolla 5-speed for $1,000, I'd be all over it.

[kit352]

im all about the cheap saturns. very easy to fix, great mileage and they always look new with all the plastic covering them. try to get a 95 or above sohc for the best mileage. should be around 45mpg if driven nicely.

[DRW]

Wasn't the Corrolla a twin of the Geo Metro? I've seen 1996-1999 Metro's on Craigslist selling in your price range. They seem to be cheaper than their Toyota counterpart.

[theholycow]

I think it was the Prism that was a badge-engineered Corolla.

[DRW]

Yup you're right, Corolla is a twin of the Prizm, not the Metro. It's been a while since I searched craigslist for a cheap car with good FE.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/1969496575.html

[civic94]

i'm just looking for a cheap car that i can resell in a year or so, while driving mostly highway miles.

I also thought about a 90+ integra might work...

[theholycow]

There is a link in my sig to a "hypermile sleepers" thread which may have some useful suggestions.

[GasSavers_Erik]

Originally Posted by civic94

I also thought about a 90+ integra might work...

I had an 87 Integra with a 1.6 and 5 speed that did pretty well. It got around 36-37mpg on the interstate at 70mph. It could have done much better, but the Integra transmissions are geared for performance, so it was running about 3500 rpms at 70mph.