zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Wrenching
/
Here Are Ten Of The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars On eBay For Less Than $5000
Here Are Ten Of The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars On eBay For Less Than $5000-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:44

Last week, , and you delivered, albeit a bit slower because I assume hypermiling was involved. Here are the best gas-saving cars on eBay, for less than the price of your average new car's down payment.

Here's a car that takes the reliable and not-at-all unpredictable handling of a Reliant Robin, the impeccable quality control of Chinese manufacturing, the sheer speed of an early all-electric drivetrain, and the timeless good looks of tiger stripes on the exterior and interior. .

(Suggested by )

9. 1988 Subaru Justy

Before Subaru made rally stage destroying, all-wheel-drive powerhouses, it made small, fuel efficient hatchbacks to make ends meet. The Justy was one of these cars. Honest, cheap, dependable, with a party trick - nearly 40 miles per gallon, more than a decade before the Prius came to the party. .

(Suggested by )

8. 1995 Saturn SL1/SL2

Saturns, in general, were revolutionary in their day. . A good friend of mine had an early SL1, with the single overhead cam 1.9 liter four cylinder engine throughout college. Although it was a super-dependable mode of transportation, the manufacturer had the audacity to put a "performance" switch on an 85-horsepower car. At least it was great on gas.

(Suggested by )

7. 1988 Cagiva Tamanaco 125cc

Sometimes the most . I'll let explain:

The most efficient way to travel is in a straight line, A to B directly. The ideal transportation makes this feasible. . You do not need to make turns or even substantially alter your rate of travel. You find your bearing, apply throttle, and you'll get to your destination. Seriously, in terms of any obstacles you are thinking of, what does your little subdivision have that, say, Africa does not? Paris-Dakar, bitches. This bike has it. It's also really cute and the engine sounds like it can make the grade and probably out-mpg a Prius.

(Suggested by )

6. 2003 Toyota Prius

. Although it is somewhat synonymous with the most disconnected driving experience one can have, it has the running costs of a manual pencil sharpener and will run forever if taken care of properly. It can out-mileage nearly any gas-powered car to this day, and for this price, that's no small feat.

(Suggested by )

5. 1997 Honda Civic CX

No dependability/reliability/fuel-mileageability challenge would be complete without at least a nod to the ubiquitous Honda Civic CX. This barebones hatchback is what the Eastern bloc wanted to make during the Cold War but couldn't, because capitalism just does everything better. . A great buy for anyone looking for a cheap running means of transport.

4. 2000 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

. If you ever drive one, you'll understand that this just makes sense and you'll wonder why all cars don't run on small diesel engines. This Jetta looks like it's been murdered out on a budget, with rare non-options such as roll-up windows and cloth interior installed, with the added benefit of nearly 50 mpg. It's easy to work on and actually not much of a slouch in the performance department. A solid deal for anyone that wants to run on used vegetable grease.

(Suggested by , )

3. 1994 Geo Metro 3-cylinder

This car does not play games, and it doesn't pretend that it's something it's obviously not. There aren't any textured panels simulating carbon fiber or leather. It's nothing but molded plastic, rubber, and cloth on the inside of this car. It can fit 5, but only just. . It's like a frugal honeybadger - it's cheap and it just doesn't care.

(Suggested by , , )

2. 1990 Honda CRX HF

The Honda CRX HF is the car manufacturer's best attempt at making a car that runs on nothing. This car was rated by the EPA at 55 mpg, but with hypermiling techniques and a little homemade aero, you could bump the savings up nearly 100 percent. I'm confident that if you put a big enough fuel tank on the inside, it could make it across the country without refueling once. .

(Suggested by , )

1. 2002 Honda Insight

. It has aero covers on the rear wheels, has a hybrid gas-electric drivetrain, and despite being 12 years old, it looks futuristic enough to be driven by Tom Cruise in his latest sci-fi flick. How many MPG? Up to 100, with hypermiling techniques. That's absolutely insane, and you still get the same Honda reliability, just for much, much less money. If no one buys this, I just might.

(Suggested by , , , )

For more awesome eBay challenges, check these out:

Last week I asked you penny-pinching lot to step into the way-back machine and find the cars you

Last week I posed a challenge to you frugal speed freaks to find the cars on eBay - under $15,000 -

is the founder of and writes about on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest , a , and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.

There's a difference between being cheap and treasuring value per dollar spent. One is knowing…

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Wrenching
This Restomod 1956 Hyster Forklift Is Certified Fresh
This Restomod 1956 Hyster Forklift Is Certified Fresh
It’s one thing for you to be forklift certified, but it’s quite another thing for your forklift to be certified badass. Most of the forklifts I’ve used at jobs have been unreliable, smelly monstrosities that have been repaired by . This restomod Hyster is definitely not like that. What’s...
May 3, 2025
I Ordered A Carbon-Fiber Roof For My Porsche 996 Turbo And I Might Throw Up A Little
I Ordered A Carbon-Fiber Roof For My Porsche 996 Turbo And I Might Throw Up A Little
I bought maybe the cheapest Porsche 996 Turbo—that’s right, —on the market a year ago, and I’ve mostly been happily stacking miles on the odometer since then. I have been working on making the car my own with a period-correct set of wheels, some extra carbon trim, and a...
May 3, 2025
Crappy Jack Stands Can Kill You, But Which Ones Are Safe?
Crappy Jack Stands Can Kill You, But Which Ones Are Safe?
Everyone who has worked on their own car has likely heard approximately one million times that you should and that it’s only safe once that vehicle is resting securely on jack stands. ? Given how relatively simple jack stands are and the fact that they have to do one job...
May 3, 2025
Feast Your Tired Eyes On Some Unrelenting Car Repair Horrors
Feast Your Tired Eyes On Some Unrelenting Car Repair Horrors
It’s the end of the day on a Friday. Whether we’re at work or not, your brain is probably elsewhere. So, rather than stare at your inbox, or a spreadsheet or whatever, why not stare into the abyss of this Just Rolled In video, where a guy with an...
May 3, 2025
Update: I'm Still Burning Money
Update: I'm Still Burning Money
When I I’d just picked it up from having Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 front and rear subframes grafted into its crumbling body. When the car came back to me in May, the clock started ticking. I had until mid-September to get the engine and transmission mounted in the car, clean...
May 3, 2025
Can You Solve The Mystery Of A Chevy Silverado HD That Kept Blowing Fuse Blocks?
Can You Solve The Mystery Of A Chevy Silverado HD That Kept Blowing Fuse Blocks?
Owners of old are to getting stranded and having to wait for a tow, but drift car driver was caught off-guard when the that tows his mysteriously broke down. The pickup refused to start when and his family were at a drift competition in Englishtown, New Jersey, and their...
May 3, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved