My total beater of an '89 CRX is still getting ~42 mpg. That was the best $700 I ever spent on a car--I bought it as a stopgap when my Miata was stolen. And it had the added bonus of enough space to fit my bike inside of it after taking the front wheel off...because I *definitely* can't fit my bike in the Miata.

Now that I have the Miata back, and I don't have to drive much for work, I just let my ex use it for daily commuting.