Did some quick maths on the subject for my own sake, and for fun
Car : 1000$
Estimate driving distance 1 year : 11 500 miles
EPA MPG : 35
Estimate fuel : 328 gallons
Avg price $8.20 / gallon... Yes,that's right.
Total fuel cost $2690
This number ain't fun to look at, but What if I had bought a larger, more expensive car getting 20 MPG
That's 575 gallons of fuel costing $4715 . Looking at it this way, I'm saving just over $2000 a year in gas! In six months I've basically payed off my little car. But My situation does not require a bigger car
someone else might need that bigger car though.