Comments on: Super Cheap High MPG Cars: 1978-1981

By: Herman Peeler

Herman Peeler — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:51:09 +0000

I will tell you that I owned a 1987 Lincoln Mark VII which weighs around 3700 pounds and it got 26 miles to the gallon. I could drive from Baton Rouge to Atlanta George on a tank and have 1/4 tank left. The distance is around 500 miles.

By: Polaris Kyo

Polaris Kyo — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:01:21 +0000

Very informative! I wish this list also covered many more of the European automobiles of the time. Kudos to VW, Renault, & Audi making the list! Peugeot? Volvo? Saab? Does anyone know of that link or list? +_+

By: MattRMagnum

MattRMagnum — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:11:25 +0000

Thank you for this list! I figure that, given the age of the estimates, they’re probably inaccurate, but I’m using them as a guideline for what to buy next. Thank you a bunch for putting this together! It’s a lot easier to view things like this than hunt through webpages and try to find any lists for mpg that exist for older cars.

By: Carl

Carl — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:21:09 +0000

I owned a Plymouth TC Horizon HF, a 1980. I bought it new and it was EPA RATED for 50 MPG Highway and it really got that kind of mileage in highway driving. The HF was a special designation where it only was available with a stick and fifth gear was different than the standard version of the car. I distinctly remember reading about it in Consumer Reports who commented that this increase in highway mileage was accomplished with “the magic of gear ratios”.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:09:56 +0000

Agreed. The 70s and 80s economy cars could get away with high MPG because they were not saddled with emissions and safety gear. Legislated by our wonderful US government, mind you. If a new Corvette can get 30mpg highway, why does an Aveo get only 34? It is ridiculous.

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:36:33 +0000

I have owned a 1983 Honda accord 5spd since May 08 and routinely get 36+ MPG in mixed driving. I am not a real conservative driver, so I could probably even get a bit better if I really tried. Compared to my 1990 Chevy 2500 work truck’s 13mpg, I have saved $$$$ over the last 1.5 years. Some of these numbers may be a bit inflated, but driving habits play a huge role in actual mileage. Just read some of the comments from peoples actual #s.
Recently we bought a 76 Datsun 620 pickup for my son. It is a 2.0L automatic and still needs some work before it is road worthy. Do you have any idea what kind of mileage #s we could expect once its tuned up and ready to go?

By: mpg-o-editor

mpg-o-editor — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:09:41 +0000

@Lance – Were you driving VW diesels or conventional gassers? The diesel-powered cars delivered much higher numbers than the conventional gas-powered versions.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:09:06 +0000

The mileage is way too optimistic for the Dodge DeTomaso. I bought a 1980 new and drove it over 150,000 miles for over 21 years. 35 mpg was the absolute highest it was capable on the highway and it could not do that consistently.

By: Lance Jones

Lance Jones — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:38:50 +0000

I don’t know what the folks who put together the MPG table have been smoking, but the mpg claims are fantastically silly.

I have had considerable experience with VWs of that era, having owned a 1978 Rabbit four-door, a 1980 Scirocco, a 1981 Rabbit two-door, and a 1982 Rabbit convertible. My day-in, day-out driving, when I was commuting 250 miles a week to and from work, was about 50-50 highway and suburban. I consistently got 27 mpg. In straight highway driving my mpg was in the low 30s. Both of those figures are consistent with the EPA ratings. I had several friends who also owned Rabbits. None of them ever claimed to get anywhere near 40 mpg. I also had friends who owned Omnis and Horizons. The claims that those cars got 50 mpg on the highway are just as silly (unless you’re talking about driving a steady 40 mph) – their mpg was comparable to what I got with my VWs.

By: SandMan0069

SandMan0069 — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:21:48 +0000

The guy in Huntsville AL did make a Caddy get way high gas mileage by putting a stainless steel screen on the fuel line going into the carb and I know of ppl who have done this and got about 20+ more MPG. But you have to adjust a lot of things perfectly like airflow and other stuff and lose a little HP but not really noticed unless your a speed demon. And for what I was told Ford bought his patent and locked it up for future use 30 years ago. I lived in Huntsville at the time. Others have done other carb mods and got some big bucks from oil and car companies since. But I don’t think there’s anything left you can do without patent infringement.