Any pony cars with better gas mileage?

[Sam C.]

Hi there. I'm thinking of getting a car in the near future.

I started looking for a smallish model with good gas mileage, but the design of recent cars feels so bland. I've always loved the pony car style; unfortunately, they aren't much for fuel economy.

Which cars of this type are the most fuel efficient? I've been looking at some second generation Mustangs, but I haven't been able to find mile-per-gallon averages anywhere, so I can't be sure if they're the best choice. Any suggestions or links? Power is not a top priority.

Thanks!

[harrymay]

im pretty sure a n/a 5.0l mustang gets close to 25mpg highway, but dont quote me there.

[Hofmeister]

Check out this site for fuel economy figures but it only goes back to 1985.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

You mentioned second gen. Mustang. Are you referring to the 1974-78 Mustang II generation? What about an 84-86 Mustang SVO? The Turbocharged 4-cylinder gets decent fuel economy and it's quicker than GT's of the same vintage. That said, I'm sure they are difficult to find and likely more money.

[Sam C.]

You mentioned second gen. Mustang. Are you referring to the 1974-78 Mustang II generation?

Yes, they're more compact and the only ones I've actually heard referred to as being more efficient. Thanks for the tip.

[ponchonutty]

Well, for the most part it's gonna be hard to find ANY Mustang that's older and hasn't been messed with. My brother in law's '78 Mustang only gets about 5mpg but then again it can run 10.80's in the quarter.

What I would do is look for something else if you are looking for MPG. I mean you could get a '90 LX 5.0 5speed that'll do about 25mpg on the highway and about 18 city. The problem with these cars is everyone loves to rip on them. In that case,you won't get good milage with it or anything.

[Sam C.]

I'm not looking at Mustangs specifically; I'm open to any suggestions. It's just so hard to find info on MPG for anything before 1980/85! There's gotta be a few that aren't guzzlers...

[Hofmeister]

I'd bet Mustang II's are still inefficient compared with a mid 90's GT. I own a 1980 Pontiac Grand Prix with a 301ci V8 and for its day it was very fuel efficient. But with a 3-speed auto, and aerodynamics that match that of a barn, it can't hold a match to any modern V8 engine in terms of fuel economy.

This site states a 1975 Mustang II got about 23mpg city/24mpg highway. That's with a 2.3L 102hp 4-cylinder.

http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclec...istory-2.shtml