In defense of saving money by finding a more gas-effecient car, some of us drive to the tune of 700+ mi per week so the savings is significantly more than you'd think. Though we do have to think about longevity vs. fuel mileage as 150-200k miles is a breaking point for a lot of domestic cars (and nowdays - quite a few imports) and maintenance costs can sneak up to kick you right square in the arse while you're busy saving all that money on gas.
I agree with 68mustang though, I don't think I'll ever buy another new car again.
Right now, I'm finding it hard to be anything but a fanboy of used Toyotas (and Lexuses). I don't know that I can drive a Prius, but when it comes to putting 350k miles on your car (to justify the purchase), and you want a balance of fuel economy and low-maintenance costs, there are few choices out there with Toyota rising to the top many times.
Back when Domestic cars were a lot cheaper to work on yourself (or even take somewhere - hell the dealerships were cheaper than import dealerships), I could justify the maintenance costs, but nowdays - I'm finding that that last two domestic cars I bought new are steadily sucking money from my wallet by way of failing parts more so than with bad fuel economy.
I bought the Jeep used and its been a good vehicle, but just isn't practical for our growing family, so it will probably be the last domestic vehicle I owned that had a good reputation the entire time I owned it.
