[Gasoline Fumes]

The '93-'97 Corolla/Prizm with either the 1.6L (4A-FE) or 1.8L (7A-FE) engine would be my first choice. The older '88-'92 didn't drive as nice in my opinion, but are just as reliable. The '98 and later with the 1ZZ-FE engine had some oil burning issues, but are still good cars. I have experience with all of the above and I really liked (and miss) the '97 Corolla the most. 40-50 MPG shouldn't be a problem with a manual Corolla, I occasionally got that in an automatic.