I have a 1.6l NA VW Jetta, and although it runs great & pulls 46-48mpg, the car itself is a pc of crap with 210,000-ish miles on it.
I want to DD a Jeep, that way I have to insure & maintain only one vehicle which can be my daily transportation, winter wheeler, & summer topless cruiser. However, I can't afford to drive to work a vehicle that only gets 15-18 mpg (any money you spend to get to work equals a pay cut IMHO)
Sooooooo, I got to thinking - what about a soft top Sami? I don't know what fuel mileage a Sami gets, but I can't imagine its more than 25-28-ish mpg which just won't be enough.
However, I found this kit & since I already got the donor car maybe this is the way to go with a spring over, possibly Toy axles, 4-ish:1 t-case gears, & 31's on aluminum wheels (for light weight)?
http://www.acmeadapters.com/faq.php
Pro's - con's, Sami opinions?
How much mpg will I lose from adding power steering?
Will the VW motor pull better or about the same as the 1.3? (I know either or both won't be doing any tire speed hill climbs )