Not a Mirage.
A rare sight today? Geo Metro
- Thread starter hank2
- Start date
Not a Mirage.
There was the short-lived Subaru Justy 3 cylinder. I think that may have been the first CVT model sold in the US. It took Subaru years and a lot of trouble to find a belt that would hold up to a small engine. I believe that they had acquired the rights from Van Dorne(sp?)
Wow, and it was an immaculate one too! Good catch.
The Justy CVTs make the Nissans look bulletproof. When going bad, slowing down to a stop they would "downshift" so abruptly that the tires would chirp and your head would almost hit the windshield.
XFI models were desired for their high mileage
I miss fuel economy specific trims
XFE, SFE, Civic HX w/VTEC-E
I miss fuel economy specific trims
XFE, SFE, Civic HX w/VTEC-E
Kia has an FE trim. Most recently in the 2020 Kia Optima.
On super great fuel mileage models of the past, I'd have to add the 80's Honda CR-X, both the regular model and the HF. I knew a young couple in the 80's that had a CR-X HF. Actually, friends of friends. They had a new HF and ran it for years. They claimed that 60 mpg was a given for them and they had seen 65 mpg. At least some of them were carbureted. They were sort of early practitioners of hypermiling and also did a lot of longer road trip traveling. You could beat up diesel Rabbit owners at cocktail parties.
I'm bemused that most of the sub compacts of the late 70's to mid 80's were 35-40 mpg vehicles. At least on highway driving. Even with carburetion and terrible band aid emissions equipment. Of course, they weighed 1800-2200 lbs. compared to the 2700+ weight of the same sized car today. Power windows, locks, seats and A/C made up most of the weight gain with way better safety equipment filling up the rest.
I'm bemused that most of the sub compacts of the late 70's to mid 80's were 35-40 mpg vehicles. At least on highway driving. Even with carburetion and terrible band aid emissions equipment. Of course, they weighed 1800-2200 lbs. compared to the 2700+ weight of the same sized car today. Power windows, locks, seats and A/C made up most of the weight gain with way better safety equipment filling up the rest.
My 25hp Subaru 360 was all those things and more but far more smiles per mile than anything you might own
Unless it’s a grey market import, a 3 wheeler or your not in the USA
only car is the Fiesta/Ecosport and that isn’t 67hp
In my state there are “street legal” Sidebysides / ATVs that are that spec.
Not exactly something you can put plates on in every area.
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My wife had a '92 3cyl/5spd with no options - not even a radio iirc. She was so tickled with 52mpg! Used to have one of those big windshield stickers that read "FEAR THIS"
Everyone always told her she would die if she crashed it.. Well, early one morning she she hit a deer that was dead on a curve in the road - caught air off it and ended up going straight.. Came down on the shoulder, slid down an embankment and rolled it. The tow company rolled it over and drove it over drove it out. We drove it home from the body shop (didn't repair it) Took out the windshield and a wing window. Replaced them and kept driving it. Sold it later and the new owner drove it for a few more years before their son killed it some how.
Everyone always told her she would die if she crashed it.. Well, early one morning she she hit a deer that was dead on a curve in the road - caught air off it and ended up going straight.. Came down on the shoulder, slid down an embankment and rolled it. The tow company rolled it over and drove it over drove it out. We drove it home from the body shop (didn't repair it) Took out the windshield and a wing window. Replaced them and kept driving it. Sold it later and the new owner drove it for a few more years before their son killed it some how.
I learned stick-shift on a 1983 Civic 1300FE. The "FE" stood for "fuel efficient" which meant it had the smallest engine equipped with the tallest gearing, in an era when many cars still came with 4-speeds. I am sure its complete lack of power options, sound deadening, insulation, armrests, radio and all other creature comforts kept its weight down too and was part of the FE package. In the days of the 55-MPH speed limit, we could easily get numbers in the 60s; the numbers I remember calculating a few times was 63 or so. It was carb'd, yes, and as such would become tricky if not impossible to start in bitter cold weather. One solution we tried on a few times was to raise the front of the car on ramps and place a BBQ grille with charcoal smoldering in it below the engine. Depending on how windy it was, sometimes that worked.
Guy I worked with loved his Metro. His commute was about the same, he NEVER got less than 40 mpg. It was still running fine when the front subframe would pass inspection
I had a 1.3L Suzuki Swift (same as a geo metro) but with an even worse engine.
I got out of a speeding ticket in it. Cop said I was Pushing 80. I immediately stated that I had my foot to the floor for the last 200 miles and the car can't do 80. The fastest I saw was 78. He laughed and stated that he did not actually claim I was going 80, only that I was pushing 80. We went on our ways.
I liked the car for what it was, it was in nice shape. Somebody at the Teterboro airport smashed it in the parking lot. A sad end to an OK car.
MPG was about 40 all the time.
I got out of a speeding ticket in it. Cop said I was Pushing 80. I immediately stated that I had my foot to the floor for the last 200 miles and the car can't do 80. The fastest I saw was 78. He laughed and stated that he did not actually claim I was going 80, only that I was pushing 80. We went on our ways.
I liked the car for what it was, it was in nice shape. Somebody at the Teterboro airport smashed it in the parking lot. A sad end to an OK car.
MPG was about 40 all the time.
Our Festiva seems to get alot of attention when we drive it. Yeah it's loud, the door frame vibrates at 70mph but it still gets 40+mpg and kinda fun to drive around town.
