WHAT MPG DOES YOUR CLASSIC GET?

[MarkV]

What are your MPG's? How much do you drive them? what is the cost to fill up your classic in your area?

here are mine:

1921 Chevy: sips gas uses about 4 gallons per month and I drive it around town quite a bit believe it or not!$14 to fill

1941 Dodge: 20MPG town $50 to fill

1948 Lincoln: 15MPG town about $65 to fill with premium

1966 Mustang: 20+ MPG town 25 HWY w/air cond.

1978 Lincoln Mark V: 12-15 MPG town 17HWY w/air about $60 to fill

[Guest ken bogren]

I just bought a 63 Falcon convertible with a 170 - 6 and automatic tranny.

The car came with 24 years worth of notes indicating every bit of service and gas purchase. The notes indicate that this car habitually has run around 15 - 16 mpg for all those years. And it still is.

I expected more, but....

I bought this car to be my summertime fair weather daily driver. The mpg is better than my 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, not as good as my 2008 Dodge Calibre, and a LOT better than my 460 powered 61 Ford F100 unibody pickup.

The Falcon holds something like 14 gallons of gas, so filling it up is not gonna break the bank, even at $4 - 5.00 per gallon if it comes to that.

The falcon is stock as far as I can tell, other than a couple of add on speakers on the kick panels and an after market, under dash radio.

[Dave@Moon]

I had a 144 cu. in. 1960 automatic Falcon for 3 years as my daily driver in the 1980s. I <span style="text-decoration: underline">never</span> got less than 18 mpg city, and would rarely break 20 mpg. Highway mileage was all over the map, anywhere from 32 to 20 mpg, literally depending on which way the wind blew. (The front end of that Falcon was like an ideally designed catcher's mitt for air.)

===================

Currently the only car I have running is a 1975 TR6, which gets a reliable 22 mpg city. I'll find out it's highway mileage in a few weeks but they're not know for it (another aerodynamic brick!). My 1960 Buick (just sold) had a optional low compression/regular gas engine. It got 12-14 mpg city, 17 mpg highway.

[Guest rbl2]

My 26 Chevy gets 12 mpg. I don't measure mileage by how much money I spend on gas each month. That may be a variable. I measure it by dividing gallons into miles driven.

It has an 8 gallon tank. I fill it up when it's about half gone and it cost about $14-15 for those 4 gallons.

[Argyll]

Our Chevy has a 350 small-block fitted and returns about 15-16 mpg (Imperial gallon) on our wee bendy roads.

To fill the tank costs about $125 due to Scotland's outrageous gas prices.

[Guest Moepar]

I just returned from a round trip from Marion, NC to Richmond, VA in my '76 Oldsmobile with the stock Olds 350/auto trans. Got on average 18.6/hwy. Most I had to pay on a 15 gal. fill up was $60.

Our '70 Chrysler 300 with a 440 gets on average 20+/hwy, while the '71 300 with a detuned 440 (only difference in engine between 1970 & 1971) & that gets at best around 17. Both have around a 25 gal gas tank, but haven't recently filled either of the 300's.

[old gto]

<span style="color: #3333FF">The car we run the most is the 1969 Grand Prix. 455, mild cam & headers. Sucks about 4 gallons per mile. Haven`t filled it up in a very long time, just splash in $40 or $50 at a time for the local cruise night! </span>

[Guest Skyking]

I never thought my lawnmower would cost as much as my cars used to. That said, I get between 35 & 40 with the Metropolitans and about 12 city with the Buick. Yesterday I put $20.00 in the new Met for the first time. It gave me 1/2 tank of gas for a 10-1/2 gallon tank. Needless to say which cars I'll be using most this summer.

[The Old Guy]

I installed overdrive trannies in my 72 GS and 69 Sport Wagon ,and get 17 and 20 MPG respectively on the road.

[Barry Wolk]

My '56 Continental got 14.5mpg on a cross-Michigan run last year. Not bad for a 5300# brick. I have no idea what the '55 Porsche gets as I just fixed the fuel gauge.

[Guest ACD34]

<span style="font-weight: bold">'34 Auburn Phaeton Straight 8</span>: about 14 mpg around town the one time I actually checked

It does better on the highway because it has a 3:1 gear ratio in the high range of the two-speed rear end and can loaf along at 60 mph turning about 1500 rpm, but I don't drive it at sustained highways speeds very often. I could probably milk out close to 18-20 mpg if I put on radial tires, kept it in high range and used free wheeling, but anyone who has driven a 30's era car with free wheeling in traffic will know how scary that can be. Not exactly your ideal commute car though.

<span style="font-weight: bold">'77 450sl Mercedes</span> (if you can call this a classic): about 14 mpg also

Hard to drive this car conservatively for fuel efficiency, but since it takes premium fuel, at the current prices I may find out.

[MarkV]

Well, the problem with my '21 is that the mileage gauge does not work, so, I just figure it out by how many hills I have driven and I do a rough estimate. But, it gets good mileage, because, unlike your '26 I think mine has more wood and is lighter. Also, I have to keep it filled because there is not a fuel pump so, if I try and go up hills, it will stall.

[Guest rbl2]

You'rs probably does have more wood but it also probably has more metal. Mine is a roadster and not large at all.

Mine also doesn't have a fuel pump. Instead it has a vacuum tank. Going up hill has yet to present a problem. Should there ever be one all it takes to fil the vacumm tank is to take your foot off the gas pedal for 2-3 seconds. That tank has enough fuel in it to go 7 miles up a steep hill, so I'm told.

Like I said, I have yet to have a problem going up any hills. Admittedly, we don't have any steep or really long inclines here.

[Bill Stoneberg]

Baton Rouge with big hills,thats funny... maybe over the Mississippi bridge on I 10.

I drove my 64 Riviera 5275 miles last summer to Seattle and back to Houston.

I averaged 12 mpg over the length of the trip. Worst I got was in Nebraska where I was bored and the road was long and flat. Opened up the secondaries and let it run for a tank or two of premium. After 350 miles in about 4 hours I ended up with slightly more then 7 mpg.

[Buick69GS400]

I get 9 mpg on the highway in my 69 GS 400(4.11:1 gears)!!

22 gallon tank, $4.48 for super= $98.56 to fill!!

I'm looking for 3.20:1 or 3.42:1 gears for it.

[Fred Zwicker]

1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible - 12 mpg so far (city 30% and country 70%). Hoping that a tuneup will bring it up a bit.

Fred

[1935Packard]

My 1935 Packard 12 gets about 7 mpg. I guess no one bought such cars for the fuel economy. . .

[Guest rbl2]

Ooops, I forgot to update my profile. I bought a lil place about 150 miles away from Baton Rouge and moved about 2 months ago.

But you're right about the bridge on I-10 being the biggest hill in that area. The next biggest would be a fire ant hill.

I never did take my 26 over that bridge although I wanted to. About the only safe time would have been on a Sunday morning. No way to get to it except on the interstate and most times it was packed full. Accidents on that bridge are not uncommon.

Where I'm at now has some soft rolling hills, nothing to brag or worry about. So far my old car has handled them well and I don't expect that to change.

The fuel tank on it needs to be cleaned and because of the mild rust that was in the tank the carb may need to be reworked. Because of that and the fact that I do not know anyone here I have been hesitent to drive too far from the house. That will change in time.

[mattg]

1937 Dodge MD15 3/4 ton about 16MPG

1963 MG Midget 37mpg

1983 Riviera convertable 14mpg

[The Old Guy]

Bill

That is why I put in the overdive in the 69. I averaged 20+MPG from Flint to Seattle. I set the cruise at 80 turned on the AC ,and let it run.

[Dandy Dave]

Not MPH but, I have a 30D Massy Ferguson back hoe that has a 3 cylinder perkins diesel in it. I can work it hard all day long on about 5 gallons of Diesel Fuel. I often wondered how it would do in a small car??? A friend has a slightly larger Ford 655A Back Hoe that is a real fuel pig and uses 3 to 4 times that in a day. Why is it that the Brits can build their diesels to be more economical than us??? Dave!

[Paul Dobbin]

Our 1934 Ford V8 gets a reliable 16 MPG with 4 people

in it. We're off to the Sentimental Tour in NC next

week and expected to spend about $40.00 a day for the

10 gallons needed daily. To get there we drive a old Airstream diesel pusher that gets 11 MPG. When I add

the 7.2 MPG in hotel savings to the 11 MPG it = 18.2 MPG

on a house. When I subtract maintenance and insurance

it get about 5 MPG's worth.

But at least we're still out there playing with our old

cars.

A neighbor asked how I was going to afford the fuel? So I told her we'd practice the fill up and drive off method.

[R W Burgess]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So I told her we'd practice the fill up and drive off method </div></div>

Darn Paul, I was looking forward to meeting you. Now, I'll have to visit you in a North Carolina pokey.

Wayne

[Amphicar BUYER]

My Amphicars get about 35 on the road and use about 1.5 Gal/per hour (or less) on the water unless you're on a river then you can go for a looooong time idling in gear fast enough to keep it between the banks. She holds 12.5 gallons. By the time I finish this sentence the gas price will go up. So I don't know what it takes to fill it at this hour.

I have not figured out the mileage for the '59 Skyliner yet. It still is being broken in. I would guess in the 10-12 MPG range. I don't know what it would get on the water! Not much I'll bet. Took $55 with a 1/4 tank already showing.

[Phils38cpe]

My 38 Packard 8 coupe gets about 10 MPG (4:24 read end) but then my every day driver 4 cyl Fiero gets 38 highway

[Phils38cpe]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skyking</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I never thought my lawnmower would cost as much as my cars used to. That said, I get between 35 & 40 with the Metropolitans and about 12 city with the Buick. Yesterday I put $20.00 in the new Met for the first time. It gave me 1/2 tank of gas for a 10-1/2 gallon tank. Needless to say which cars I'll be using most this summer.

</div></div>

Saw your Metro parked behind a stump at the Johnston show yesterday - nice looking buggy- I had the yellow Packard coupe in A class

[Steve Braverman]

How come economy cars from 50 years ago can do better than 40mpg, but my 2005 Suzuki wagon rarely breaks 30? Yes, I do drive it much faster than a Met could ever hope to go, but still, where has 50 years of technological advancement brought us? My 1984 BMW 325e consistently got 34mpg, and it performed great. Too bad I can't seem to find another one that isn't thrashed. It would be a nice modern "classic."

[Barry Wolk]

My wife has an '88 BMW 325iX as her winter driver. It doesn't get much more than 25 mpg on a good day. Could be that it's full-time 4wd.

[Steve Braverman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barry Wolk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My wife has an '88 BMW 325iX as her winter driver. It doesn't get much more than 25 mpg on a good day. Could be that it's full-time 4wd. </div></div>

No, it's that there is a big difference between a 325e and a 325i. The 325e has a 2.41:1 rear, the 325i has I believe a 3.55:1. There are other differences with the engine as well, the 325e has a 4,800 rpm redline, the 325i will rev past 6,000 rpm. After I sold the 325e, I bought an '89 325i, it was much quicker, but never did much better than 25mpg. If I can find a nice low-mileage 325e, I'm going to grab it.

[Barry Wolk]

If you can find an iX you'll really appreciate what a Bimmer should drive like in the snow. We were convince when the owner of the dealership took a 325ix on the trans-Canada race. Our 325e took about 200# of sand in the trunk to keep it on the road.

I had a 528e and hated it. Those eta engines are dog meat. I replaced it with a 533i, which I loved.

We still have the '88 325iX and the '88 750iL I got to drive on the Autobahn.

[Guest AntarcticDave]

My 47 Cadillac has the 346 flathead and the hydramatic transmission. On a 600 mile trip last year I averaged 12 mpg.

Dave

[Guest 1926pack]

My 26 Packard with the 6 cylinder engine gets between 14 and 17 mpg.

[Steve Braverman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barry Wolk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you can find an iX you'll really appreciate what a Bimmer should drive like in the snow. We were convince when the owner of the dealership took a 325ix on the trans-Canada race. Our 325e took about 200# of sand in the trunk to keep it on the road.

I had a 528e and hated it. Those eta engines are dog meat. I replaced it with a 533i, which I loved.

We still have the '88 325iX and the '88 750iL I got to drive on the Autobahn. </div></div>

I disagree with you about the eta engines. Mine ran sweet. Yes, it makes less horsepower than the later engines, but the low-end torque is great, and the economy is better than anything else in its class. I've driven a 528e with an automatic, and it was a bit sluggish. I feel that the 325e with a manual trans is very nicely balanced, and performs well. Everything is a compromise you know. Mine was fine in the snow, once I fitted some real snow tires.

I'm afraid we've hijacked this thread with BMW chatter.

[Paul Dobbin]

Steve Braverman had a good question about why some older economy cars still get better mileage than the new ones.

Our 1966 VW Bug with 50 HP gets 30 MPG. But, we do without

1. Automatic Transmission

2. Air Conditioning

3. Power accessories like power windows, power door locks,

power seats, wrap around sound, air bags, 0 to 60 in

less than 20 seconds, power brakes, pwer steering,etc,

etc.

4. All that stuff in #3 adds weight! At 1700 lbs my VW

uses gearing to get it moving and to slow it down.

All thqat stuff in #3 above steals power, so they have

to increase fuel consumption to generate that power.

We'll flat tow our VW to the Founders Tour in November and

fill the 10 gallon tank for $50 or $60 and enjoy the road

the way the VW was designed to do at 30 MPG.

It's too bad thad GREED has driven to cost of filling the

tank from $2.90 in 1966 to $38.90 today. (oil speculators)

Factoid: Today I filled our RV at a LOVE station in south Gerogia and the pump cut me off 3 times at a $75.00 max

credit card purchase! I was glad I wasn't even close to empty.

One of these days we'll see Mini Car Shows gain in popularity and I'll with i still had my Subaru 360 and it's

50 MPG.

[stock_steve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Paul Dobbin</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Our 1966 VW Bug with 50 HP gets 30 MPG.</div></div>

I also get a pretty reliable 30 mpg's in my '68 VW Bug (mostly highway commuting--and mostly well within the speed limit...another factor why I think I get such relatively crummy gas mileage in my modern '96 VW Passat, in which I more or less drive the "prevailing speed" on the highway...).

[Guest ACD34]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Paul Dobbin</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

It's too bad thad GREED has driven to cost of filling the

tank from $2.90 in 1966 to $38.90 today. (oil speculators)</div></div>

Speculation in oil futures may have a short-term effect on prices but not in the long-term. That increase is due to:

1. Simple supply-demand economics over a long time frame.

2. (Ironically) the distortion of supply-demand through price-fixing by OPEC with excess profits flowing to oil producers— mostly countries, but also corporations with oil reserves like Exxon have benefitted. It's those corporations that are seeing record profits.

3. Higher cost of refining and transportation due to environmental and regulatory rules.

4. The continuous disruption of production in places like Nigeria, Iraq, Venezuela, and Indonesia due to political instability, vandalism and corruption.

Have you ever wondered why, if you put those countries most vocally anti-American on one list and the countries with the largest oil reserves on another list, it's pretty much the same list?

[Matt Harwood]

I wish our 1930 Model A roadster was better on gas, especially since it is ostensibly an "economy" car. We get about 16 just tooling around. I doubt highway would be better since it would be working pretty hard.

I'll bet that the Buick won't do much better than The Big Red Dodge at about 10 MPG. Going WOT on those two Strombergs will probably make the gas gauge move visibly.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barry Wolk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you can find an iX you'll really appreciate what a Bimmer should drive like in the snow. </div></div>

If you want to play in the snow, it's Audi for me. Julia's TT quattro roadster is like a superhero in the snow and still gets ~30 MPG if she stays out of the boost (tiny turbocharged 1.8L 4-cylinder + 6-speed manual). I find this to be our best bang-for-the-buck "toy" car. It's invincible in the snow, the top goes down, the styling is unique, the suspension grips well and the engine sips gas.

And for fun in the snow, don't get me started on der UberWagon (two turbos, 300 horsepower, 370 pounds of torque, AWD and an acceptable 23 MPG).

I actually look forward to real wrath-of-God type snow storms just to go out and play.

[Pontiac59]

I had a little '84 Buick Skylark with a 2.8 for a winter car in 2005. It was underpowered and slow and had like a dead spot in the computer controlled carb on it.... still got around 20 MPG on the highway... but in the snow was the best thing I've ever had. I ran over something one Sunday night about 5:00 and trying to change the ruined tire one of the lugnuts rounded off - and I couldn't get anyone to help me short of an expensive tow truck call.

So finally tired and ticked off I just drove it on home on three wheels - and it went along just fine, a good 10 miles, up hills, down... it made the hot light come on once and I stopped for a bit, but that may even have been because the fan wire had been unplugged for some reason (I forget when I found that and fixed it). The roads all had a good coat of snow on them and I know for instance the 2WD 2500 Suburban I picked up last fall, would have been completely useless in the same conditions with one flat rear tire (it has an open differential, on muddy ground it's useless with all 4 tires inflated).

[Barry Wolk]

Got 26.3 mg on the Porsche on this weekend's trip to Cincinnati. Kept it at a pretty steady 55-60 mph.

[Paul Dobbin]

On the 2008 Sentimental Tour we drove 587 miles with 4 people in the 1934 Ford Fordor V8 and got an honest overall 16.23 MPG. There was no visable use of oil on the dip stick. I'm happy with that for a 74 year old car.

With the weeks before and after the organized tour we put another 800 miles on it and the oil still look pretty clean.

I hope I'm that ready to go touring when I'm 74.