6-7 grand is around 2002-2004 for a good make/model. Civics and Corollas are obvious but once you do your research, you'll find that some models from Mitsubishis and and Mazdas aren't bad alternatives either. ;) My 10 year old ride is still pulling 27s (and 28s) on street and 31s on highways. that's still pretty decent compared to modern compacts. Maintaining the car is the number one rule for determining gas mileage. This. Repair and fuel costs are highly dependent on how the car was maintained over the years, even new cars can give way if neglected off the lot, and car can run over 300k miles with the right owner. I'd suggest an early 90s Honda civic personally, it's cheap, gives superior gas mileage and will probably be less costly to repair due to the age of the vehicle. Older vehicles are less complex and will usually cost less in labor charges. Just make sure you find one that hasn't been abused by some kid/boy racer. Watch for past or present overheating problems as well, the iron block doesn't get along with the aluminum heads, they like to warp. Either way, you've got up to 3 grand in your pocket in case anything goes wrong, and lower insurance costs to boot. also, please don't get a Sunfire.... Cavilers/Sunfires have lots of lower end engine problems from what I've experienced doing mechanic work from time to time.