Beater high mpg second car?

lol not at all and totally understand what you mean, I currently have a little suzuki that is getting up there in miles and I've been needing to do the valve clearance, ignition switch is failing, and I have two new tires sitting in the garage waiting for me to get my knuckles bruised with some tire spoons. But they are fun as heck

 

Like I stated earlier, Honda ruckus. Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap on gas. My wife and I have both been riding our two ruck’s for 9 months in every kind of weather and have a combined 8k in miles on them with nothing more than oil changes and the mods that I’ve done to them just because. Sure it’s a scooter but if the op’s goal is to buy something cheap that can get you from a to b, you can’t beat a ruck!

 

in some states 49cc moped/scooters even have discounts on registration. NC is one state, almost made me want to buy one while living there.

 

The only downside to 49cc’s is it tops out at 41mph on flat ground. But you can’t beat combined our two scooters were $80 for the year to register and $150 for the year to insure. That’s Washington, pretty sure their registration fees are higher than a lot.

 

I had a 95 mile round-trip commute when I lived in MD, drove my wife's old SUV for a while to get better mpgs and keep miles off my truck. But, I hated driving it. As much as I liked keeping miles off my truck, I'd rather drive the vehicle I love and pay a little more for gas than hate what I'm driving.

 

Yep. Motorcycle is the way to go. Additional cool points for a Ruckus.

 

This is why I considered getting a 4banger 1st gen as a town runner. Then I realized I would make that a turbo'd shopping cart in no time, and I decided against a second money pit.

 

If you live closer than say 8 miles to work...ride your bike to work! Pick yourself up a cheap road or short travel mountain bike and go to town. No registration or gas to offset, Maintenance is pretty easy and pretty cheap, and you get some exercise, which statistically, like 80% of us need more of.

Or go all out and commute on your uber-bike then shred with it on the weekends!

 

Even better idea!

 

You live in a great area to ride! I wanna go back to the Oly Peninsula so bad.

 

I biked my commute for the first year I lived here, then last spring the wife got a ruckus. I rode it once and went back to the same dealer and picked one up for myself. That was the death of me biking to and from work. Haha

 

Those Ruckus' are pretty cool. I'd be tempted to get a Grom though after seeing what a few people on here have done to theirs.

 

A grom would be great! I don’t have a motorcycle endorsement, which is what kept me from getting anything over 49cc.

 

I daily a 2014 CRV and wheel my SAS 1995. It is the best of both worlds.

 

Neither do I, but I have had my eye on a KLR650 long enough I may just sack up and get mine. Feel dumb because when I lived in WA, I was right next to a tech school that taught a moto class basically every weekend. I always said I was gonna do it, and then I moved.

 

I drive about 92 miles a day. All highway. I only bought a beater to Keep miles off my Tacoma. Found a super clean 96 civic hatch 5 speed that gets about 38mpg for $2k. And now the Tacoma is a weekend truck/adventure mobile . Best decision ever.

 

I’ve been meaning to sign up for a class as well. The KLR is nice. There’s a guy who rides the ferry to Seattle with me who’s got one. I’ve been eyeing the Africa Twin myself, just need to sign up for a class now.

 

*Bike pictured costs more than most beater cars

 

*bike pictured costs more than a nice 1st gen these days. Then there's the other 2...

 

I'm right there with you, this is bike 1 of 4.