The best ecomoding cars.

[cowmeat]

For the price of one of those, I could buy a fleet Festivas with enough money left over for a lifetime supply of gas!

If you're going for the most bang for your ecomodding buck, the humble Festiva can't be beat

I rest MY case, lol!

[backpacker3]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

Agreed. But repairs on G1 insights outweigh the fuel saving costs unless your willing to do all your own work. If not, this is my personal opinion.

G1 Honda insight.
92-95 Honda civic VX.
96-98 Honda HX.
Saturn SL1? I think it's the SL1 and the older ones at that, pre 2000.


I will never buy anything else then a VX and a HX. When my HX dies I'm just going to rebuild it, parts are extremely cheap, and readily available. When the parts start to become rare, I will simply upgrade to something newer, a civic maybe. I had considered started hoarding parts in my back yard in a shed so I can get 800k-1.2M miles worth of repairs.

True but the OP didn't say the cheapest car but the best for Ecomodding. With the insight you have a awesome platform that gets excellent fuel economy to start with then you still have plent of potential for modifications. Kill switch, wheel covers, bellypan, tire spats, full boat tail, WAI, more instrumentation, you name it and then as several members here have done, you can get 100 mpg or more. I haven't seen very many other cars that have hit that mark.

[TheManVan]

Okay the poll is up!
Thanks again guys and gals!

[shorebreeze]

Seeing as the Sonic isn't in the poll, at least for now, I voted VW TDI and Fiesta Ecoboost, as I think current automotive technology should be in the mix. No matter how good a 1990s Honda HX or VX is, it doesn't meet current crash and safety standards and would be tough to recreate. The original Insight is closer to current standards and corrosion-resistant and important to include because it's the only hybrid on the list and should in any case be brought back into production, but everyone is going to vote for that anyway!

I would still say some attention should be paid the Sonic Turbo given the widespread availability and easy modifications of that 1.4 liter power train but at least the Fiesta is a good proxy, and representative of where the gas engine market is going.

[fusion210]

I picked the Matrix (and Vibe!) because of it's outstanding (compared to almost the whole list) crash test scores, available manual transmission and cargo room.

[shorebreeze]

Originally Posted by fusion210

I picked the Matrix (and Vibe!) because of it's outstanding (compared to almost the whole list) crash test scores, available manual transmission and cargo room.

And also if you're going to wean people off SUVs, a Matrix or Vibe-type vehicle would be a good place to start!

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by backpacker3

True but the OP didn't say the cheapest car but the best for Ecomodding. With the insight you have a awesome platform that gets excellent fuel economy to start with then you still have plent of potential for modifications. Kill switch, wheel covers, bellypan, tire spats, full boat tail, WAI, more instrumentation, you name it and then as several members here have done, you can get 100 mpg or more. I haven't seen very many other cars that have hit that mark.

True, with that in mind I would definitely go with a G1 insight. Hands down.

[CargoBoatTails]

Subaru Justy ftw!!!!

[dirtydave]

any car you can get for $500 and get 40+ MPG from.

[elhigh]

I went with the 3x5 Metro. It can't hit the raw mileage of the GenI Insight but isn't saddled with the added mass and complexity of the IMA system. Gently driven unmodded Metros have posted some great numbers here.