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

[JSH]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I have a theory. My theory that belongs to me is as follows:

They took those pics of the car on the very corner where it broke down. Thus the odd positioning in the street, the hood not shut, the owner's manual out for troubleshooting.


Also: these cars are troublesome to do some brake work (ABS). EG: bleeding fluid is a pain due to the design of the blended hydraulic/regen system.


If you have to bike more than 10 minutes to see this car, I'd not bother.

That is a strong theory.

Car breaks down.
They leave in on the side of the road
Someone comes overnight and cuts the cat out
The owner is super pissed and takes pictures to sell the car.

I can't image the cat got stolen while parked behind the gate in the first picture.

[MetroMPG]

I like your cat theft theory.

Also: the windshield looks clean in the on-street photo. Dusty in the parked photos.

So they didn't just roll it out to the street to take that photo.

[Xist]

Add stolen cats to the list of Prius dealbreakers. Are $114 catalytic converters adequate? I don't know. It seems doubtful. My $86 Evan Fischer CC seems to be performing within specified parameters after almost two and a half years, but it has the government-mandated 30-month warranty.

It is also out-of-stock everywhere, except eBay for $225.

The $114 eBay cat that I found somehow has a one-year warranty. I cannot really find reviews of it and eBay isn't cooperative. That is a sponsored listing. When I told it to sort by price and shipping it only showed theft-deterring cat shields.

I keep finding theft-deterring cat shields!

I couldn't find any Evan Fischer cats for a Prius. Are they still in business?!

The only name brand that I saw on Amazon was Walker.

They are decent, right?

With tax it would be $310.

There isn't anything significantly cheaper at RockAuto, just slower shipping.

But wait! There's more!

One thing to keep in mind is that it’s not just a converter replacement you’ll need. The rear oxygen sensor lives in the converter and has been stolen along with the converter on every car we’ve seen. As you can see in the converter estimate above, there are also other parts needed, like exhaust hangers, which are frequently cut instead of removed, and exhaust gaskets which are surprisingly expensive.

The same shop modified and welded in an aftermarket CC on a gen 1 Prius, but it failed after 3 years and 53,000 miles. However, this was in California, and they passed a law that you can only use OEM cats.

How much do you think that it would cost for a sensor, hangers, and everything else?

How much does a converter cost?

[JSH]

Considering an OEM Prius Catalytic converter is $1700 I really doubt the eBay version actually works. The eBay version I saw was $200 but the description says that it isn't legal in California or New York. That is super questionable considering 13 states use CARB emission standards so there are no 48 state legal parts.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13116948651...4aAhX8EALw_wcB

You would likely need the wiring / connectors too. I'm sure the wire harness got clipped not unplugged.

EDIT: California laws says shops have to install a new catalytic converter not that it has to be OEM.

[Xist]

Plus D.C.!

When I looked around I saw 46-state in one place and 47-state somewhere else, but when I just looked I saw posts from 2009 and 2019 talking about 13 states [and one territory].

So, in 2009 13 states said "I want to be cool like California!" and in 2019 #45 said "You can't make your own decisions!"?

Come on! Do you really expect the Chinese to understand the nuances of the U.S.'s environmental laws?!

The description from your link is a mess, but it says

This is made with U.S.
and Canadian parts. Not China made!

That is exactly what the China would say!

It claims "This will take care of your P0420 check engine light at an affordable price," but mostly seems to say that they will refund your purchase price if you can prove that you still have the original cat on you car, and mail it in.

1. Sounds like a core charge.
2. Clearly a bad Toyota CC is worth more than a new aftermarket one.
3. Even if we are to believe the seller isn't China [squints suspiciously], he should know that it isn't 48-state legal.

I didn't remember that, but I am not selling catalytic converters! I live on one of the other fortythirty-something states!

I cannot find any mention of the warranty or manufacturer, although it is stamped "Fischer."

Carparts.com shows an Eastern for $441 that looks like it connects to your exhaust manifold or downpipe, a Magnaflow that is just 2 cats for $463, a Walker for $341, and then a bunch of generic ones that need to be welded in.

All of those say "46-state legal."

Well, it is closer...

The $285 Walker on Amazon says "Not legal for sale or use in California & Colorado. Legal in New York & Maine on EPA Federal Emission Equipped Vehicles only."

Amazon Basics sells jacks and jack stands!

Amazon Basics sells hand tools!

They only have a one-year limited warranty!

Forget Amazon Basics!

RockAuto charges less than $50 more for the one that goes all of the way to the exhaust manifold\downpipe. That sounds much better than trying to make it fit where it was cut off unceremoniously.

This is the cat shield, $160 direct from the manufacturer. They mention that it may make your car more aerodynamic.

Statistical noise!


This is the $114 one, which seems wholly inadequate: Catalytic Converter For 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Toyota Prius 1.5L

Anyway, let's see if I can still make any grad school application deadlines!

[Xist]

Facebook told me the Focus owner messaged me, which is weird. If she wrote "You are a loser" it would say "Lisa:
'You are a loser.'"

She sold the car.

Why didn't it just say so?!

Facebook hasn't notified me of anything lately and I didn't see anything when I checked. That dealership may have sold something interesting, but I don't have much confidence in them and their cars.

They are currently selling a low-mileage 2014 Focus for less than I would have expected.

It has 156,000 miles!

It is probably less than 7 years old, so it averaged over 22,000 miles a year!

[freebeard]

Tell me why you use Facebook?

I have friends who live upriver who're the only people I know that watch TV news and believe it all. They let me stack firewood for them, which is my favorite form of light exercise. But they can't talk for five minutes without pushing an anti-Qanon stance, while I avoid the subject and choose my words carefully.

They last conversation started with him saying "Why do you try to provoke me" and degenerated to "Go post your [words?] on Facebook!" The thought I'd offered was "What do you think of the new Press Secretary?" Maybe it was the opinion that she looks like Mark Zuckerberg in a red wig?

DARPA Lifelog/Facebook offers no net benefit to society or the individual. It's possible to live without it, but it may not be possible to walk away. You could at least try?

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Originally Posted by Xist

They are currently selling a low-mileage 2014 Focus for less than I would have expected.

And no surprise - those were some of the trashiest, most unreliable vehicles made. Electrical problems and transmission problems galore. Students with these on campus are having problems with them all the time.

[Xist]

Obviously your students don't take care of them like Dad did on his four Foci which he sold with 200,000 to 250,000 miles each.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

What year were they?

Even CarComplaints.com rates it as a horrible car for that gen - hundreds and hundreds of transmission complaints.