What is the best MPG and longest lasting and cheapest to keep car??

[Piotrsko]

I would think that the selection criteria of appearance is mostly adequate for determining whether or not a particular long lasting reputation vehicle should be considered.

Little old ladies keeping a maintained pristine low mileage vehicle in their garage for 20 years.......

Buying a vehicle from my sister, not so much.

[freebeard]

My Superbeetle, when I bought it, had [reportedly] been in storage for 14 years. With covers over the tires so cats wouldn't pee on them.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

I would think that the selection criteria of appearance is mostly adequate for determining whether or not a particular long lasting reputation vehicle should be considered.

I have already seen slightly beaten cars with a perfect engine, while others with a makeup intended to sell faster had the engine totally messed up.

[Piotrsko]

Ummm I said considered, not mandated

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Ummm I said considered, not mandated

Of course. But you know, some folks who are not so mechanically-inclined may be easier to fool into buying a lemon... How do I know that? Having been called to take a look at cars that someone else was willing to buy and didn't want to shoot in the dark... Once I went with a guy to 2 used car dealers to check on 2 Kia Sportages, and at the first place we went the one I saw had some minor signs of normal wear, while at the other place the very same model underwent a sell-faster half-assed makeup but its engine was a POS. Both had turbodiesel engine, and while the first one had a quite clean exhaust the other was stinky and is still among the vehicles pouring the biggest amount of particulate matter that I've ever seen.

[Ecky]

The number of early 90's Civics that have rolled over their 6 digit odometers is surprising. Aerocivic's original engine was still chugging along after 500k, supposedly. Parts are cheap. They're easy to work on. Only issue at this point is that their reputation has destroyed most of them.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Only issue at this point is that their reputation has destroyed most of them.

Once in a while I still see a sedan, but the hatchback and the coupé have been way harder to spot in my hometown, yet there is a black coupé in a borough near mine. That might be the last unmolested (and definitely un-riced) of that generation here...

[Tahoe_Hybrid]

Originally Posted by racprops

What is the best MPG and longest lasting and cheapest to keep car??

So here is a deep question.

My old first choice was the Lowly Classic VW Bugs: Fair MPG, simple drive train, low cost parts, so simple many people can do repairs themselves.

Second choice was the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant with the great Slant 6 with a three speed stick shift transmission.

Currently I have a 03 Ford Crown Vic and 03 Ford Explorer, because of the 4.6’s rep of 300K plus life, plus how fairly simple and reliable drive chain and how many were made and are cheap to keep thanks to so many in junk yards. The Explorer has not as good rep for its drive train..and a poor second for the above reasons, but as it has a poor rep it is/was cheap to get and fair to keep, but I love it.

But the MPGs for these cars are not good they both can barely do 20MPH at highway speeds and barely do 15+ city.

Next on my list was a Toyota's, BUT after seeing personally three Japanese Cars over the past decades having so many problems with their plastic parts failing it seems to be they make great engines and transmissions but at 15 to 20 years all the plastic and rubber parts are doomed. Good MPG but they can fail at any time…insane parts that I have never seen fail in a American made car.

I cannot for the life of me, cannot find or figure of any car other than these older cars.

It seems all newer cars are being made SO complex and so cheaply that you cannot figure of a good MPG, low reasonable price for it and easy and seasonable costs to repair.

So let’s talk about such cars.

a ford model T they been on the road for quite a while

[freebeard]

1906 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

A total of 7874 Silver Ghost cars were produced from 1907 to 1926, including 1701 from the American Springfield factory. The documented chassis price listed for the 1921 American version was US$11,750 ($178,508 in 2021 dollars [10]).[4][2] Many of them still run today.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Tahoe_Hybrid

a ford model T they been on the road for quite a while

Last year, talking with a guy who owns a bar, I told him the best way to find out if I'm drunk is when I start to say how wonderful a flathead engine is... But it would be cool trying to modernize a Ford Model T engine, while keeping it quite simple.