Here's How To Wipe Off A Prius Driver's Smug Smile

"Aaron Vick Starnes" (aaronstarnes)
09/11/2015 at 17:50 • Filed to: Ford, Hot Hatch, economy, Fiesta Friday

A favorite pass time of mine is to peruse the local Craigslist searching for cars I don’t need at obscenely low prices. This week I found a Mk1 Ford Fiesta and fell in love. Here’s why...

A ‘78 Ford Fiesta with pristine interior for only 400 bucks! The boxy ready-to-go looks sold me immediately. I began dreaming of building a little rally inspired, tough-looking commuter car; maybe some amber fog lamps on the front bumper, BBS rims and some mud flaps.

I never saw one before so I did a little research and found that these German imports claimed 46 mpg on the on the highway. The 2015 Toyota Prius only gets 48 mpg. Among the gems I uncovered was this commercial:

To put it in perspective this car came to America only five short years after the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . During a time when American cars lumbered around with massive cast iron V8s and appalling efficiency numbers the price of oil per barrel tripled. Incidentally, this is what led to laws mandating better fuel economy. With the memories of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and waiting to get to the pump in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! fresh in their minds, folks were looking for something cheap to own and operate.

Enter the first generation Ford Fiesta. The U.S. version of this little gas sipper came with and came with a carbureted 1.5 liter four cylinder backed by a four speed manual. The simplicity of this set up means that if you find one today you could service it with a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! s and a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

They even made a snazzy hot hatch version of these things called the XR2. Which beats the Prius from 0 to 60 mph and, in my opinion, looks great doing it.

Am I really suggesting we all run out and find a car which is old, noisy and likely unreliable? No, but it is facinating to me that you can still get a lot of mpgs without financing something brand new. If the technology to make something this efficient existed 40 years ago, why didn’t it work itself under the hoods of more cars available in the states?

2 years ago Aaron Vick Starnes quit his well paying bank job to pursue inevitable poverty as an automotive writer. He has !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in automotive restoration, and works at a shop restoring and customizing cars. Follow him on Twitter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and check out his !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

DISCUSSION (14)

bob and john > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 18:20

it wasnt so much the technology to make it availble, but the LACK of it. no air bags, no traction controls, no AC and what not all lead to very light cars that got good mileage. the down side was not only were you going to die in a crash, these things where shit slow. which americans didnt want. “BUT MUH V8 AND MUH POWER” predominated a lot of car choices.

Amoore100 > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 18:21

“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” - H. L. Mencken. This quote literally explains most of the American car buying public: all the stupid people who think they’re saving polar bears by driving a Prius, all the idiots who want an SUV that can’t actually off-road, and everyone else who doesn’t maintain their vehicle and wonders why it breaks down...this is the American public that I hate with all my passion. Btw, I’m American.

M54B30 > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 18:24

Lets talk about what you don’t get though:

- a comfortable ride

- crumple zones

- electronic safety features (ABS/Traction/Stability, et al)

- A/C or effective heat

- airbags

- decent stereo

-a quiet interior

The list goes on and on. These old shitboxes got good mileage because they weighed about 175 lbs and had like 12 horsepower. You’ll be beating the living crap out of it day in and day out to keep up with traffic and won’t see 40+mpg ever

Aaron Vick Starnes > bob and john
09/11/2015 at 18:25

I’m not being a contrarian but the US version had a/c. You’re point about airbags and other safety junk is a good one though. These things had to sound like a tin can full of gravel inside.

Aaron Vick Starnes > M54B30
09/11/2015 at 18:28

They had a/c and crumple zones... but I see your point. Believe it or not I know something about driving old cars .

Berang > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 19:20

Did you buy it? We need a review of what it’s like in modern traffic.

Berang > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 19:30

I have the november 1979 issue of Car and Driver, and it has a comparison of several economy cars to see which gets the best mileage. At a steady 60mph, a Volkswagen Rabbit diesel returned - 47mpg. A Honda Civic CVCC - 38mpg. Dodge Colt - 37mpg.

I had a 1982 Toyota tercel which would get between 40 and 45mpg if you cruised along at 50-55mph. But it was pretty gutless, I remember once getting stuck in a storm, going up a mountain pass - flooring it in 2nd and barely being able to maintain 25mph with the wind and grade. On a nice day it would scoot at about 50 up the same road.

ly2v8-Brian > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 20:05

BS in that lead image. Prius owners don't own such bitchin Lederhosen.

sdwarf36 > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 20:14

Fun fact: the front and rear bumper are interchangable.

touring the brook - now with ZHP! > Aaron Vick Starnes
09/11/2015 at 22:53

The 24 Hours of LeMons Aroma is strong here.

-this space for rent- > Aaron Vick Starnes
12/10/2015 at 09:11

Or find a CRX HF and not have a colossal piece of garbage.

heyheauxs > Aaron Vick Starnes
12/10/2015 at 09:25

Kinja'd!!!

Is that David Spade?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Aaron Vick Starnes
12/10/2015 at 09:52

I’m going to buy a Chevette for $300 later this year when it comes available.

phreaddy > Aaron Vick Starnes
12/17/2015 at 13:44

My mother bought two of these — a ‘78 and an ‘80, after the first was totalled. AC might have been an option, but so was the radio, cigarette lighter, and, unbelievably, the door on the glove box! She only optioned the radio. And yes, they got great mileage, but as already mentioned, it was because, by today’s standards, they are incredibly light and unsafe and have no electronic anything. I’d love to have one again!