Poll: How much did you pay for your most fuel efficient car?
 

This may have been posted before, but I was just curious. I included all the cars I've owned (in order of ownership and buying price only, not money put in afterward), plus my memory's recollection of the best/worst FE in each. I'm not out to prove a point, but this poll can show that a $20k+ '07 hybrid isn't necessarily a better deal than a sub-$2k 80's Hatchback, provided you can overlook creature comfort advances in the last 20 years, and for some of us, rust and fugliness. Enjoy!

1. '95 Dodge Dakota Sport 2.5L 4cyl 5-sp = $3,000 ~ 20-ish mpg but I didn't keep track back then
2. '81 Datsun 280zx GL 2.8L 6cyl 5-sp = $500 ~ hi/28mpg, low/20mpg - I still miss that car :(
3. '72 Datsun 240z 2.4L 6cyl 3-sp auto = $1,500 ~ teens mpg if I was lucky, she was never meant to be driven slowly
4. '85 Honda CRX Si 1.5L 4yl 5-sp = $1,400 ~ hi/47mpg, low/35mpg - she's still rollin' daily @ 226k miles
5. '89 Honda CRX HF 1.5L 4cyl 5-sp = $800 ~ ? mpg b/c she's only been driven once and during that time she tried to commit hara-kiri, stalled out twice, and in general was a deathtrap...currently being built w/ a D15Z1 engine and other mods

Mak

I paid $1550 for my Civic that I currently drive, and it is currently the best FE vehicle I've owned. I paid $2800 for my VX, but drove it like a banshee and then swapped it, so it wasn't my most FE friendly vehicle.

91 civic std 72k $1500

$825 for my VX

$600 for my CRX but sold it for the VX.

I paid $12,196. (w/o state tax) for my 5 speed Yaris Hatchback. My three month average is 42.5 mpg, nearly all local driving to and from work. My three month average later in 2007 should be 44 mpg. I have been very happy with the gas mileage. Also, it is a ULEV II, Ultra Low Emission Vehicle.

2k even for my rex.

1988 CRX DX 92K $1100

Unfortunately it is DPFI automatic.

Civic DX
 

1997 Honda Civic DX Coupe: New at $12,500

30-35 mpg avg. without trying.

No power steering, no A/C, no power windows/locks, 106hp, 5-speed. Pure driving economy. Loved it. And it handled like mad.

RH77

My first sprint was $1500 from a lot. I've had plenty of two wheelers that went way faster and still got better mileage than ANY of my cars, and I rarely paid more than $500 for one of them.

I didn't pay anything for my honda cb125... it was a trade for a yamaha rd350 (9,000 miles and had the engine rebuilt 3 or more times... I wanted it gone!) and a handfull of cash... the cb125 gets 65+mpg, it was a gread deal.
my '92 vx was $1,900 with 204,000 miles,
'83 civic dx was $325 + $158 for the new tranny,
'85 hf was $700 with around 140,000 miles,
'84 civic dx (42.2mpg life time average) was $800,