# What is the lightest doner car?



## speff (Feb 8, 2008)

Looking for the lightest smallest 2 door street legal car. I am not going to overload car with batteries, will setup for very short trips. 

Can buy a 99 geo metro with bad 5 speed, I wish motor was bad instead.


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

What are your requirements for the EV? Geo Metros are extremely light and so are VW Beetles and Honda Civics.


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## speff (Feb 8, 2008)

Looking for 10-20 mile range, 40-45 mph


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## desiv (May 20, 2008)

speff said:


> Looking for 10-20 mile range, 40-45 mph


You've got a lot of options.

Classic Beetles, Civics, Rabbits, Metros, and the small 2 seat sports cars; fiero, 914, miata, etc..

They will all do that fairly easily with Lead Acid.

desiv


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## akumabito (Jun 23, 2008)

I vote for the classic Beetle and not just because I think it's the best looking of the bunch. 

I think the Metro and the Beetle will be about on par on weight. The Beetle may be a little lighter. If you want to shed some weight, nearly all body panels of the Beetle could be replaced with fiberglass panels. You could even fit a baja style kit which would be quite a bit lighter than the stock parts. The beetle is also very easy to work with..


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## manic_monkey (Jun 24, 2008)

vw polo mk2 = 700-800kg (they do a saloon version too called a vs derby'
peugeot 205 = 750-850kg
citreon ax = 680kg
vw golf mk1 800-900kg
vw golf mk2 900-1000kg

basically, any car from the 80's is probably gonna weight a load less than a modern car, especially if you get a base model, without PAS, AC, airbags, side impact bars, etc

stay away from fiats though...... horrible little things


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## speff (Feb 8, 2008)

Thanks for all those #s I'll patiently hunt down one of these suggested cars. Yes these newer cars are to weighted down with stuff I don't want.


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## etischer (Jun 16, 2008)

My vote would be the 914. There is a ton of trunk space in the front and the back for batteries. Just check for rust. Make sure the doors open and close with and without someone sitting in the passenger seat. I've converted a 914 (6 cyl. subaru gas engine) and its a great car. I'm doing my electric conversion on a 2001 passat though, I want something more refined this go around.


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## akumabito (Jun 23, 2008)

The Citroen AX is a fantastic little car. Pretty good aerodynamics too, even though it looks like a brick! I assumed the topic started was in the US though. I don't think you'll find any over there..


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## manic_monkey (Jun 24, 2008)

akumabito said:


> The Citroen AX is a fantastic little car. Pretty good aerodynamics too, even though it looks like a brick! I assumed the topic started was in the US though. I don't think you'll find any over there..


yeah, i realised that he was in the US after i posted, but still, thought it might be usefull as a guide of what is possible for a small car.

I agree about the citreon AX. the drag coefficient on them is low, and the weight is really good too. they would make a perfect EV.....BUT..... their just so damn ugly! having said that, the GT model wasnt too bad. i think i might have to take another look!


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## speff (Feb 8, 2008)

The ford festiva seems very light also, could careless about looks, Nobody will want to borrow it. I also like the 914 idea.


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## madderscience (Jun 28, 2008)

One car model that IS common in the US, assuming there haven't been enough other good suggestion yet is the 1985-1989 toyota MR2 sports car. an early year base model has a curb weight of about 2200lbs, or 1000kg. Aerodynamics are also extremely good for a car in that age and price range. CdA is about 0.53m^2.

It can hold lots of batteries but they will need to be spread out into several compartments, but if not as much range or performance is required as the OP specified it may not be as big of a deal.

Here is my conversion of said car: (with enough batteries for 50 miles of range)

http://www.evalbum.com/1244


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## Mastiff (Jan 11, 2008)

Another small 2-door lightweight car is the Dodge Neon.

The 90's version 2-door is very lightweight and has decent aerodynamics at .33 drag coefficient.

Plus you can find one with everything manual, including the windows.

The only thing automatic on my father's Neon is the Blinkers and the Windshield wipers.


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## ReeSpeed (Jun 30, 2008)

What about a Honda CRX or Del Sol? Those are pretty light weight


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## Rolls Kinardly (May 30, 2008)

Honda Insight - 1850 lb, Cd. .26. But you probably won't find one for a reasonable price.

madderscience, are those Honda hub caps on your Toyota? ;-)


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## madderscience (Jun 28, 2008)

I was reading a hypermiler forum a while ago and a few of them are starting to claim to be able to find high-mileage honda insights for a couple thousand. Very light, (aluminum frame, I believe) and very aerodynamic. I believe the honda crx was suggested already, it is an excellent conversion choice, especially the HF model.

And yes, those are 1991 honda CRX alloys on my Toyota MR2. They are the only 5" wide alloy I could find that fit my car, and they have a smooth outside surface.


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## Rolls Kinardly (May 30, 2008)

There are scams going around, particularly on Craigslist, regarding high FE and exotic cars. Any Insight for around $2,000 is highly suspect. An early (2000), high mileage (200,000+ mi) needing a new battery pack will sell for 3 times that on Ebay. Hell, you could probably recycle the aluminum and get more than $2,000.

I know of 1 guy who found a rebuildable salvage Insight at a local junk yard that he has put back on the road for very little money. But with only about 13,500 sold in the USA, 18,000 worldwide, the odds are not good.


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## paker (Jun 20, 2008)

madderscience said:


> One car model that IS common in the US, assuming there haven't been enough other good suggestion yet is the 1985-1989 toyota MR2 sports car. an early year base model has a curb weight of about 2200lbs, or 1000kg. Aerodynamics are also extremely good for a car in that age and price range. CdA is about 0.53m^2.
> 
> It can hold lots of batteries but they will need to be spread out into several compartments, but if not as much range or performance is required as the OP specified it may not be as big of a deal.
> 
> ...


How easy is it to find parts for a 1985 Toyota MR2? I've found 2 locally for a nice price.


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