GasSavers Hall of shame / Rogues gallery
 

I thought I'd start this thread for fun so GasSavers participants could publicly vent their consciences, Oprah-style, and seek forgiveness. (You'll have to use your imagination to hear our collective gasps, applause, and empathetic "awwwww"s however.)

This isn't meant to be a guzzler gallery exclusively. Any part of your automotive history, other than your current car, is welcome. Post just for kicks.

Pictures required! (OK, not strictly required - but if you don't have one, I bet Google images does ;) )

I wasn't born with an interest in fuel economy, as you will see from my very first car...

I've vented enough in the thread below this one. I could vent some more, I got plenty left.

My first car: 1964 Pontiac Catalina hardtop sedan
389 V8, 2 bbl, 4-speed Hydramatic

I got this when I was 15 and restored it. There's a certain symmetry in my automotive history, since I started with Pontiac, and have gone full-circle and ended up back at Pontiac :)

https://www.gmphotostore.com/images/53218747_pr.jpg

I remember finding a mileage log in the glove compartment after I bought it. The previous owner had busted through the 20 MPG (US) mark on one occasion and slapped a bunch of exlamation marks after it. Most of the ratings were low-mid teens though. I never tracked my mileage in this beast.

Let's make this thread for cars OTHER than our current ones. No need to vent more about the Altima in this one.

My first car was a 1989 Dodge Ram 50. I don't know much about this car, except that it was assembled using other cars. The cab was two colors (by design) and the bed was black. The tailgate was blue, but a different blue than the front of the car.

I paid WAY too much for it.

I drove it every day from our house in Yorba Linda, CA to college at Cal Poly Pomona, CA. I then drove to work 5 days a week in Anaheim Hills, CA.

Overall I somehow managed to get 15mpg on a 4 cylinder engine.

This is the best picture I could find thanks to google image. I have a snapshot of my actual car here somewhere. I'll try tofind it and scan it in.

https://www.autoaubaine.com/auto-pics/15588/2.jpg

I filled up every other day. If I ever drove in 5th gear I could actually watch the gas gauge go down. It was kind of freaky. Luckily gas was only around $1/gallon back then.

I ended up selling it to the state of CA for $1000 because it wouldn't pass smog.

Oh, BTW... under the hood is a sticker that said, "Made by Mitsubishi for Dodge."

I was never into FE until I bought the Metro and not into fixing cars until a few years ago...I didn't know what I was missing.

Anyway, when I first got my license my Dad owned a 1980 Chev Malibu with a 267 ci V8 and 3-speed automatic, plus a 1980 Pontiac LeMans with the exact same configuration (but it was geared differently or had more torque output...it was more "peppy" than the Malibu).

Both cars actually managed 25-28 mpg US on the hwy when driven carefully (probably low 20s most of the time). I remember my Dad pulling our 1-ton tent trailer with the LeMans summer after summer and still getting 20+ mpg US (I'm converting his Imperial mpg numbers). Not bad for a baby-eight with a big load.

https://www3.telus.net/metro/malibu.jpg

The Malibu was mine for a number of years, but I never recorded mpg figures. This picture is of an '83 Malibu. Mine was identical except for the front grill and twin headlamps.

https://www.toyota-corolla.net/galler...lla_453150.jpg

My first car was a 1989 Toyota Corolla DX 3 speed automatic. It got totalled when a guy hit and ran me. It stood in the garage for 3 months wrecked and we ended up giving it to a charity. I didn't have collision on it, only comprehensive. Insurance didn't want anything to do with me. Basically I got screwed.

It was okay on fuel, it got like 26mpg in the city, ROFL I downgraded on the fuel economy. My parents gave it to me and paid for insurance and gas. The gas was like $30 a month and insurance was $16 a month.

Now I'm paying $98 for insurance and $100 for gas a month in a gas guzzler.

https://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6227/rambler1rc.jpg

My first car was a 1968 Rambler American 2 Door (baby blue). 199 CID Inline Six worth 128 HP. The tranny was a three-on-the-tree.:D Later I dropped in a 401 CID V8 with a 3 Speed Chrysler 727 and a Chrysler 8 3/4" rear end with 3.55 FD. Nice Royal Blue metallic paint job. I was 16-17 at the time. FE with the stock six cyl was 25 Max. After the swap it was around 10.

https://img332.imageshack.us/img332/2...aird6409ge.jpg

Second car was a 1970 AMX, 390 CID worth 325 HP, four-on-the-floor, white paint job. Rebuilt that engine lots of times including bent valves from putting the timing chain on wrong. I was 18-20 at that time. FE was 8-10 depending on my mood.:D

My first vehicel was a red 1975 Toyota pickup work truck that was passed down from my 2 older brothers who learned to drive in before I got my hands on it. :eek:There was not a panel that was not dented on it. The R2000(?) engine was bullet proof. I don't think the oil was ever changed but once a year and it just ran and ran. I remember that the muffler had a hole in it and with the standard I could make it backfire at will. I don't remember what happened to that truck but I drove it for 2 years with no problems. I bought a 280 ZX after that and took much better care of it. But I still have found memories of the old bullet proof Toyota.:) This is a google pic. I can remember gas for .50 a gallon. Everybody date them selves and list what you remember buying gas for.

https://www.velocityjournal.com/image...76truck01t.jpg

https://images.securedwebform.com/sto...05/4pu-4-l.jpg

My other ride (mostly a lawn ornament now)

https://www.mazspeed.com/Reg-Pass.jpg

My first ride 1983 mazda RX-7. And to date myself I remember buying gas for 67.9 a gallon. And you could get the 109 octane airplane fuel for $1.15 a gallon.