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

[BlueFoot]

1997 Nissan Sentra - $1300 (Phoenix)
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/4992840589.html

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I check CL constantly so my heap will not fall apart, knowing that it's replacement is a mouse click away .

regards
mech

The best time to buy a car is when you don't need one. Pre-shopping means you have several in the bush, as it were.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

I never have my place in the background, it's not that nice! Curb appeal is always important, even when you are selling cheap stuff

Ha! I do this. I advertised the Civic this week, and took all the pics at my parents' place. I showed it there too. First comment: "nice house!"

---

2003 Prius! $1200. The drought is over!



EPA city/hwy: 42/41 mpg

This one meets the "no photos might be a good sign" guideline ...

For Sale By Owner
Year 2003
Make Toyota
Model Prius
Kilometers 225000 (140k miles)

225000km. Has issue with exhaust. Also needs rear wheel bearing. Battery has 1/2 life. Selling for $1200. In good shape.

2003 Toyota Prius | used cars & trucks | Ottawa | Kijiji

Just posted last night, and I'm going to look at this one if it's still available. At that price it'll get snapped up today or tomorrow if it's not bad.

[user removed]

I guess the the battery is radioactive with that "half-life"?

regards
mech

[MetroMPG]

In that case, I shall wear my tinfoil hat. (That's good enough right?)

I talked to the owner's brother. It's sitting at said brother's local Toyota dealer because it stalled on him when he was visiting, and the exhaust is falling off, and he was afraid to drive it after that, even though it re-started OK.

He says the dealer inspected the car, gave him a quote for exhaust repairs & rear bearing and told him the hybrid battery still has 50% life -- I've never heard of a dealer being able to check/say this about the battery though (Edit/correction: aparently Toyota's scanner can give a high voltage battery status printout).

The dealer also low-balled him on a trade-in for a used Yaris. Thus the private ad.

I'm going to go look at it this evening if it's still available.

[mwilliamshs]

1972 Honda For Sale

I dunno what its EPA ratings are but c'mon...for $1,400 that's pretty sweet and I bet it'd bust 35mpg no problem

[OBD1Kenobi]

Originally Posted by mwilliamshs

I dunno what its EPA ratings are but c'mon...for $1,400 that's pretty sweet and I bet it'd bust 35mpg no problem

I think the MPG rating was higher than the HP rating on those cars. If I remember right, they have around 36 HP and get 40 MPG. The best part is that they are so small you can wash the whole car while standing in one spot!

[BlueFoot]

If it's rated the same as the N600, and I'm pretty sure it is, it was rated at 32.8 MPG.
Personally, I prefer the look of the N600 but they seem to be more rare and more expensive. Honda N360 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Z

[War_Wagon]

Man that thing is cool, I have always wanted one of those! Pretty sure that "sunroof" is a bubble window out of a '70s boogie van though.

[mwilliamshs]

Originally Posted by BlueFoot

If it's rated the same as the N600, and I'm pretty sure it is, it was rated at 32.8 MPG.
Personally, I prefer the look of the N600 but they seem to be more rare and more expensive...
Honda Z - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes the Z coupe is a variant of the N sedan but the Z is the rarer model, behind the LN wagon, the rarest. In 72 the Z got the water cooled engine of its successor, the Life. Not sure if the one in the ad is air or water cooled, as 72 was a transitional year and while no water cooled Z600s were officially sold in the US, 40 years is a long time for one to get imported or converted. (I'm nearly certain it's air, but I can dream till I wake)

Here's another look at the one on CL and in this shot you can just make out the moonroof hinges.