2007 Camry

My personal experience with Toyotas is that my fuel economy is at or better than the EPA numbers. If you want a more economical car than the Camry, take a look at the Corolla LE, which has most of the Camry's bells and whistles in a slightly smaller size. If you're looking for room, stick with the Camry.

CARMAX is selling 2007 Camry LEs (I4 engine) for just over $20K. If you want smaller, more fuel efficient but just as reliable consider the new Honda Civic. The Civic LX with automatic should cost about $17.5K (according to Edmunds.com). The Civic will hold its value as well as the Camry and probably better than the Elantra.

Want cheap? With an all new version on the way Nissan is dumping all their current stock of Sentras. Great deals to be had; $10K will nearly cover it if you can live with a manual trans.

Thanks for the advice, Ray.

My lady friend drives a 2003 Corolla LE. A nice, fuel-efficient, relatively safe reliable car with all the features you would want except the side air-bags. It's just a bit small for me. I'm a big guy, I drive a lot and carry lots of cargo/junk/passengers at times.

If gas prices keep going up and up, I (and lotsa other folks) might have to re-assess our transportation/automotive needs, but for now I'm hoping to get a mid-size for my next car.

The smallest model I'm semi-seriously looking at is the '07 Hyundai Elantra, which will supposedly be much roomier inside than the current Elantra, Civic, Corolla, Sentra, etc. It will be classified as a "mid-size" by EPA, I've heard. In spite of that, the fuel economy will supposedly be better than the current Elantra, which is not good for its class. I'm sure the new Elantra will still lag behind Civic and Corolla on gas mileage, though.

Of course that car is not yet in the showroom so there's not much to go on so far. The '07 Camry, OTOH, is already on the streets, but I've been surprised by the relative absence of "buzz" about it. Camry's been around so long and built such a good reputation and loyal following that there's no need to raise much fuss, I guess....

Regards, Eric M

Thanks for the tip on the Sentra, but as noted I really want to get a mid-size unless gas prices soar totally out of sight. My only experience with the Sentra is riding in a late-'80s model a friend of mine owned several years ago. Not too inspiring, but I'm sure more recent models are much improved. (Almost all "entry-level" cars have gone wway up in quality the past 15-20 years, it seems. Whether that's true for the larger, pricier models---as the automakers would have us believe, is more debatable.)

Still, if you are serious about $10K "almost covering" a brand-new Nissan with full new-car warranty, I just might sniff around a bit to see what the deals are like in my neigborhood....

Regards, Eric M

Thanks for the tip on the Sentra, but as noted I really want to get a mid-size unless gas prices soar totally out of sight. My only experience with the Sentra is riding in a late-'80s model a friend of mine owned several years ago. Not too inspiring, but I'm sure more recent models are much improved. (Almost all "entry-level" cars have gone way up in quality the past 15-20 years, it seems. Whether that's true for the larger, pricier models---as the automakers would have us believe, is more debatable.)

Still, if you are serious about $10K "almost covering" a brand-new Nissan with full new-car warranty, I just might sniff around a bit to see what the deals are like in my neigborhood....

Regards, Eric M

Another car to check out is the Scion xA and xB. A friend has an xA and his

6'2" son has no trouble fitting in it and the xB looks even roomier. Fuel mileage is even better than the Corolla.

I rode in a 2001 Sentra not too long ago. Good performance, but the seats were very uncomfortable. Also, the current Sentra hasn't been as reliable as previous versions.

Unfortunately that's Murphy's law, as sales go up more of the not so good ones start to show up.

mike