Yet another MPG question

i hate driving my 4 door an hour to work and an hour back every day, and the 250 sucks eggs at 70 mph. Dang you grand marquis!!! get your butt back on the road! i miss the 25 mpg (yes i did just mention that)

bottom line is, mavericks arnt for gas milage

 

hey my 4 door is my daily driver. it gets better mpg then my truck so i was ok with it.

 

A stock 302 car should get 20 hwy, my comet gets 17 w/ a b303 cammed 302 and a too rich Holley 600. My 200/3spd car gets 25. And I drive over a mountain to work.
I think you're on the right track with your proposed mods for improved mpgs, except you don't need the 4v. But I would reccomend a good dual exhaust system. Headers and big pipes aren't needed with a stock motor, just dual 2" pipes will be fine. Keep it in tune. Air up your tires to 35-38 psi. Don't use a wider tire than you need. Don't drive like a speed racer.
Are you a car guy? Can you work on cars? If not, then you really don't need to consider a 36 y/o car for daily driving. But if you CAN do simple maintance a Maverick can make as good of a daily driver as any '90s econo crap(they break too). True you won't get 35 mpg, but at least you'll look better doing it.
I drive my Maverick 92 miles round trip every time I go to work(being a regional driver I get home 1-3 nights a week), however it is a seasonal driver. I may drive it for a solid month or two and then it may sit for that long or more. I've had it over 4 years (I think)and have only had to take off the carb, flip it over and tighten the screws back up (6 cyl 1 barrels are famous for the base to body screws working loose)since I've had it. Not counting oil/filter changes of course. This is my 200 car, but I drove the 302 Comet much the same way and it was pretty much trouble free too.
Having extolled all the virtues of driving an old car, I will tell you that my '94 Escort wagon has been a great 35 mpg $1200 car. And it gets used alot in the winter. And with the rear seats flipped down it hauls more parts home than the Maverick ever could. But the Mav is just so much more fun to drive. You make your call....

 

Yes, I'm a car guy - frankly a little more of a Chevy man than a Ford, but I did work in the Mustang world for several years (marketing director for Dallas Mustang) so I'm at least aware of the differences. And for that matter, let's hear it for the genius who decided to put the distributor at the FRONT of the engine!!!

Actually your point is very well made. As a "car guy" I'm actually much more comfortable with the overall simplicity and parts availability of an older domestic car than a newer foreign econobox or any car with electronics and such.

 

I have to ask, with all of the changes, upgrades, etc., why can't we get better gas mileage?

OK, never mind. I just checked Mustangs MPG for a 302 and it hits 16 city and 23 highway. So I guess that a Maverick 302 getting 15 is about right.

 

a properly sized autolite 4100 will give better milage

 

Wooodoggies...them Autolite 4100's are exPENsive!!!

 

I drove my '72 from Atlanta, GA to Detriot, MI and back last week and averaged 28 mpg. But that's with a 6 cylinder with a tiny carb and overdrive trans..

 

They can be but I've seen some resonalbe that just needs a kit

 

That's better than I get with my 2010 F150.

 

Go ahead & get a small Focus, Geo or an older Ford Aspire like I got. Picked it up for $500 & it gets 33 mpg & has a/c too. Save the Mav for weekend cruises or the likes...

 

My 302 CAN get 20mpg IF I can keep the rpm down and drive REALLY smooth. Traffic, hills, all that stuff knocks me back to 16mpg. Now if I had an OD trans, 20 would be no problem. I've got a 600cfm carb, 1 5/8" headers, and a 2.79 rear with a C4. Thruway driving at 75mph puts me around 3000rpm or so and kills the mpg.

 

is there any overdrive transmission that will "bolt in" to our cars?

 

I'm not positive, but I think the easiest is an older AOD with a throttle pressure cable. It is pre-electronic controlled. There will be other mods like crossmember, but that one should be easiest.

 

BULL****.
I drive my Comet EVERY DAY. It has a 200 6 cylinder and the 2:79 /1 rear gear. I get @ 23 mpg. It is a very dependable car. Well maintained. Road trips up and down the state, California is a big state.. THe 302's can get similar milage if you keep the rpm's down, and the engine is built for low torque and NOT peak high HP. And a handy mechanic can fix things easily, unlike those front wheel drive nightmare emasculating neuter wagons afore mentioned..

wow I never thought I'd have to argure the daily drivability of a Comet/MAv here sheesh.