[dcb]

I have the deep cycle battery from wally world in my saturn, was like $60 and took a little "finesse" to get it to fit. It is manageable, but the voltmeter (or some other state of charge indication) is a great idea so you know when it is time to spin the alternator.

I had one in my metro too and disabled the DRLs and put low consumption LEDs on the corners, never, ever had a problem there.

But I can also bump start all of these cars, by hand if it comes to it, so with a stick shift and a smallish car I don't lose much sleep over it.

The other genuine plus of the deep cycle is longevity. I have run them down completely dead several times (sometimes EOC coast into the garage and forget to turn the car off) and they are still in service, though one needed water recently. The typical starter battery never lets me get away with that.