Efficient, cheap beaters! Used car ads: 35 mpg highway or more for $1500 or less

[Xist]

I do not think that I had a cell phone for very long before I grew tired of people trying to reach me late at night. I try to turn off my ringer at night, at Church, at work, on dates...

Then again, for all we know, they work days!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Xist

I do not think that I had a cell phone for very long before I grew tired of people trying to reach me late at night. I try to turn off my ringer at night, at Church, at work, on dates...

Then again, for all we know, they work days!

Always when on dates; sometimes when at church.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Thought about getting a super cheap (and easy 40+ MPG) beater for pizza delivery and saving the Insight for more normal driving. Or should I say, save the battery. The constant stop-n-go is hard on the battery; I get forced regen quite often. I'll hopefully have the clutch mod done though so really the only bad thing is ruining my MPG from non-hypermiling on delivery runs, even though my MPG is only 10% worse doing deliveries in the Insight (64 MPG vs. ~71 MPG, 30F-40F temps).

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...32277600683046

2001 Echo, 228k miles, newer tires, headlights, battery, spark plugs, bearing, and stereo. Needs struts and another bearing. Manual, of course. Asking $1000 but I'd try to get it for $500-$700. Bone stock could probably wring 40 MPG on delivery and 45 or so with mods, about 10% better than the Civic. 60 MPG normal driving possibly but I'd only be using the Echo for deliveries.



Not ACTUALLY; I leave for college in a week and a half, and as said before the mods on the Insight will make deliveries more "conscience friendly" but it'd be fun to get a beater car , strip it, and ecomod the hell outta it and see what kinda MPG I could get, not caring about reversability at all. I know someone did that with Trollecho or Echotroll before.

Ok, ok, I'll stop now. A bit far to drive for a beater car anyway. And I don't need double insurance. Not actually even seriously considering it; I can't be cheating on my Insight like that. But I want to baby my dream car and I can't really do that while doing pizza delivery.

Look what happens when I'm stuck waiting for ecomod stuffs to arrive in the mail! smh

[Xist]

According to OfferUp, the silver HX from https://ecomodder.com/forum/587404-post569.html sold.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

I have an Insight but I still like looking for them.

2002 blue manual, 300k miles, gorgeous blue (blue was the best color IMO), dead hybrid battery, asking $800 in New Hampshire: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...71586770037103

A Gen 1 in Livingston, California for $1000. Says IMA light on but literally no other information except that the car is silver: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...85138421999787

Silver '01 in Florida for $1000. Says hybrid battery works but needs new window regulator: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...50753231855206

Silver '00 in Virginia with 190k miles, IMA light on, $1500: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...28392078103965

I have a whole page of saved Insights, but not all of them are $1500 or under. Anybody looking for an Insight?

[19bonestock88]

Definitely if something happens with my Saturn I’ll be looking you up...

[mpg_numbers_guy]

That $800 one probably just needs a grid charge - the ad says it worked fine 8 months ago and now won't start due to being dead.

Open battery case, disable hybrid battery, unplug the BCM, start it off the 12V, drive it away, and grid charge it at home. Wrong wheel on the driver's left, and a messier interior, but.....$600 as of today!

$600 for an Insight, manual transmission, and BLUE. Somebody needs to pick this up!

This is the cheapest Insight I've seen outside the faded red $400 one in Texas with IMA light and engine knock.

[Xist]

At first this sounded like a parts car, but then I saw the parts... Hopefully the drivetrain, AC, and other internal components perform within specified parameters, but there is no way they are receiving anywhere near $1,500 for this Accord!

It does not go here, but I just wanted to share: https://offerup.com/item/detail/606949629/

MECHANIC SPECIAL
Bought the car two years ago with a restored salvaged title
Found out a few months ago that the car is many parts of different accords
Was in an accident in August no damage but the air bags deployed so those need to be replaced, driver and passenger seat belts, check engine light is on because it needs an oil change (getting that done this weekend) motor mounts need to be replaced also...
There are some dings on the inside door area from me having to break into the car after locking my keys in
Ac and heat work, car runs like a champ I use it daily

I am sure the second part is normal with the first. In fact, my Accord has parts from different Accords, but how do you get in an accident severe enough to deploy the airbags, without damaging the car?

It sounds more like they were able to replace the bumper or whatever.

Check engine light from needing an oil change? There is a maintenance light, but that is different. Is it so low on oil he has a CEL? I did that with my Civic. I do not have any idea why I have low compression!

Wait, what about the driver and passenger seatbelts?

They need to be replaced because of that accident that did not cause any damage?

Were the motor mounts damaged, but not replaced, after that original accident, or some subsequent one?

My driver's door is slightly dinged from breaking in after locking in my keys, but then I got a spare!

Then I lost my keys...

My life is a roller coaster...

USAA paid AAA to let me into my car and it took the guy five minutes. I wonder how long it would have taken had I not said "Why don't you roll down the window?"

Apparently you cannot unlock the doors with the key in the ignition.

Have you guys seen the equipment they use?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=MMuhKZRWdz0

It was almost like they used a blood pressure cuff, complete with the squeeze ball pump. They slide it in the corner of the door, between it and the frame, squeeze it enough to create a gap, slide in the rod, and unlock the door.

Yeah, keep a spare, and don't lock yourself in!

[freebeard]

When i was on a Grand Jury I got to see a lot of cases. The car thefts were mostly Honda Civics, because you can walk up to them and grab the upper corner of the door window by the windshield header and pull it out far enough to jimmy the lock.

Then a shaved key that works in many/most ignition locks.

Of course, those were the thieves that were being indicted.

[Xist]

Is that what Shouty said? I saw the thumbnail, but tried to be a responsible adult:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3FLKOyBfgE

I keep chipping away at the ice in front of our house and I shoveled the sidewalk in front of two more houses today. Including Mom's, I have cleared five sidewalks.

Another ten houses and my brother and I do not need to take our evening stroll in the street.

Oh, I also cleared a path to our shed. Now that I have a proper bed I want to build a desk, but the plywood is in the outbuilding.