[Honda100]

I personally work for Chevrolet and I’ve (hand on heart) seen some really good things with the Cruzes, at least with high mileage examples, even though they are only 2-3 years old at the most. The biggest problem I’ve seen is with the PCV valve clogging up and the battery cables corroding, but other than that, most of the cars that have hit 100,000 miles (usually Ecos), have been solid in terms of drivetrain. Very comfortable too, I love the way the Cruze rides and feels inside, albeit, it is a little bland after a while.

That having been said though, I’m also familiar with the Skyactiv cars too, and while I wouldn’t say they’ve been unreliable at all, I wouldn’t trust it anymore than what I’ve seen with the Chevys because it’s only really be out for again…2-3 years. Then again, I’d be really surprised if you scored a 2012 Skyactiv car (which I’ve been told by Mazda guys, isn’t such a hot car. All the fun is zapped out of it and it’s a dog is what they say). The new 2013 cars are great looking, but 14k, good luck. Non Skyactiv cars are relatively poor on fuel. My next door neighbor had a 2.5 Mazda3 and see said if she saw 30 mpg, she was lucky.

Diesels too, at least here, good luck.

I personally have a 2011 Civic now, and that thing BARELY tops 30 on a good day, and pure freeway driving only manages 33, so I say that’s not a contender for a 40 mpg car. In terms of maintenance though, it’s a total breeze to keep it up to date. Oil changes and trans oil changes are super super easy, so really, I think that does count for something too.

Sorry, all over the place, my recommendation if you want to start with low mileage and load it up, I’d go Nissan Versa sedan route. Brand new it’s around 14k OTD, and while it’s not a nice car, it will do the 40 mpg and last a long time. Better than spending 10-12k on a car with 50-80k miles or so that only begins to fall apart after 2 or 3 years with the mileage you’d be putting on it.