I REALLY hate to say this, but the AMC Pacer.
Yes they were butt ugly, but they were among the first American made cars with economy in mind that actually had many of the features that the big three hadn’t discovered yet.
The way the doors and hinges and windows worked together and sealed put the Pintos and Vegas to shame. And they where smart enough to understand a little bigger engine is usually better than a small one. Ive often seen bigger engines have better economy simply because they’ve got enough power to get the job done without needing to run hi RPMs like the little 4 bangers.
No, I never had one. First wife had a 74 Hornet with a straight 6, same as the Pacer. It wasn’t a performance car like my big block Monte Carlo, but it ran cheap and it was dependable.
The. Vegas and Pintos took a couple years to become dependable. Them little Ramblers got it right the first time.
7mm

"Preserving the Constitution, fighting off the nibblers and chippers, even nibblers and chippers with good intentions, was once regarded by conservatives as the first duty of the citizen. It still is." � Wesley Pruden