I roll in a 2013 Chevy Cruze ECO, stock save for a tune (can't leave anything alone :baby
. Has 60k miles on it now, can't say the nicest things about the build quality of the interior, but the powertrain is decent. Wouldn't buy the new one, they are butt ugly.
Don't forget to turn off the air conditioning, that's good for about 10 HP at the light...:rofl:
That's why I stick a tune on my car. Makes up the HP and then some, and now I don't have to turn off the A/C!
If you really want to save money on your daily commute, buy something super cheap and junk, and spend the $20k you just saved on fuel. At 15 MPG vs. say 40 for a new car, and $5/gallon, the break even point is 96,000 miles. If gas stays at or below $3/gallon, the break even point moves out to 160,000 miles.
Edit: to run these calcs for arbitrary values, use this formula:
Miles to break even = {cost savings over new car} * {new car MPG} * {junk car MPG} / {cost of gas} / ({new car MPG} - {junk car MPG})
example:
Miles to break even = $20000 * 40 * 15 / $5 / (40 - 15) = 96,000 miles