VX on craigslist: Is 60 mpg an unrealistic MPG claim?

[cannondale1974]

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/car/664634092.html

I've run into a couple guys recently with VX's and they both are super anal about getting good gas mileage. Both have said realistically they get mid 40's max. What your take on this ad? Also, I don't see anyone paying $4900 for anything with 195K on it. Maybe I'm wrong though..

[civic94]

isnt that car like 10k when brand new?

and yes 4900 is way too much, unless gas is 10 a gallon and the vx is even more rare

[McPatrick]

Well, obviously there is a difference between being able to get it and drive that as an average. Looking at garage entries on this site for VX owners there are definately people that get a 50 mpg or higher 90 day average.
An average consisting of a mix of city and highway. if we are talking highway only then yes 60 mpg is doable. I just started hypermiling myself last year and had a hard time doing 55 mph, but I do remember a trip where I'd say my average speed was maybe 58 or 59 and after having driven 440 miles I calculated 59 mpg, so it will get 60 mpg if you really do 55 mph.

I remember a member from Florida, panamacolin, saying he gets 48-51 mpg going between 68 and 74 mph with the AC turned on full time. (He has a very clean white VX).

Anyways, highway cruising is what these machines do best!

And as to the price; you can have an opinion one way or the other but in the end it is the market that will set the price

[monroe74]

"Is 60 mpg an unrealistic MPG claim?"

If you think that claim is questionable, check out this ad: "70 Miles per gallon Honda Civic VX 3dr hatch 12k miles - $9500"

I think the 60 mpg claim is a little excessive, but only a little. There are many VX gaslogs on this site. They show that most owners can achieve 50 mpg without much trouble. Some owners beat 60 or even 70, but I think that takes very skillful driving.

There's some VX-hysteria going on, but I think it's happening for a reason. As far as I can tell, it's the highest-mileage car ever sold in the US, with the exception of hybrids, diesels, and the 3-cylinder Geo Metro XFI. At least since the EPA started measuring MPG. This is aside from the fact that Civics, in general, are very popular, for all sorts of good reasons.

"Both have said realistically they get mid 40's max"

That's too low. I think there's something wrong with the car and/or the driver. Here's a hunch: they're driving with bad O2 sensors. The VX uses a special kind. $200-$400.

"isnt that car like 10k when brand new?"

MSRP was $11,890. But I don't think that's the right benchmark.

But I think $4900 is high, given that the car has 195k, and is probably not rust-free, since it's in Ohio. And fixing the A/C is going to cost a lot more than $50.

[monroe74]

Actually, looking again at the gaslogs, I see that a lot of VX owners have an average in the mid-40s, so maybe that's a more realistic expectation. But these same people also very commonly report at least some tanks over 50 mpg, so it seems very attainable. As the saying goes: YMMV.

[palemelanesian]

I don't think 60 in a VX is unrealistic.

But for an average driver, probably. I think 50 would be a good advertising point, or just use the EPA rating.

[jadziasman]

I have owned two VX's and both have been around 45 mpg average year round. If I lived in a decent climate without the cold and snow I think I could have averaged 48 mpg.

IMHO, to get 60 mpg on average you'd have to stay at 50 to 55 mph, do some p&g, and avoid accelerating any quicker than a Tata Nano. And after all that, maybe 60 mpg.

Hey, McPatrick, that 95 teal VX at the start of this thread looks like your new car !!!!!

[McPatrick]

@jadziasman: it is I wondered when anyone would notice. I really don't want to sell it, but was just curious if I'd get any interest with that price. I will tell how it ends I'm sure I'll just end up driving it myself, which is fine with me. I see panamacolin say all the time that he'd sell his car for $5900 which made me curious if the market is ready for that yet.

It's funny how this set off a thread. And about the 60 mpg..again, no one is talking about averages here, but of a highway speed that you can get at max. If I could do 59 mpg at 58 mph then I can do 60 mpg at 55 mph.

If I were someone that cannot spend time regularly to search the internet for a VX it would still be worth it. Just trying to find a clean bubble hatch is already hard and if you can find a very clean one they go for at least $3000 around here and then you have a DX. I see people on here that consider that and then do a VX swap, but how much does that cost in the end? And then you still don't have the lighter version or the upshift indicator.

Anyways, putting an ad on CL is free and I figured it would be interesting to try. I've got a used AC compressor on it's way so I'll be busy getting the AC up and running. Met one guy who said it wasn't worth it for 'an old car', so I was like 'are you kidding? this is a VX!'

[jadziasman]

Funny you should ask. There's someone in metro Detroit who's looking for a 92-95 VX with under 200K miles, 5 spd and willing to pay $3K for a car in good mechanical condition. My VX qualifies but I don't want to sell mine even though the $3000 is tempting. I enjoy mine too much and will drive it until the VX or I expire - hopefully the VX will be the first to go!!

[Danronian]

I don't think mid 40s for a VX is terrible. It is around the new EPA for the car and is around what I've been getting with my well tuned-up VX for over a year now.

I do think 60-70 is a stretch but possible for short periods of time.