I've owned about 35 cars. Many were crap. I maintained them all myself. Last year none of my crappy cars were running and i didn' have any cash so i financed a Honda Civic Hybrid. I put 35,000 miles on it in a year.

Now I am addicted to good MPG but I can't stand the payments. So what can i buy with cash that will be good on fuel and pleasant to be in for under $3K (closer to $2K) ?

I love volvos but i understand their diesels suck. TDI Jetta's are pretty beat at that price point.

THe MB Diesel seems like a good candidate.

From the Buy/Avoid sticky, which of those models get the best MPG?

I don't care at all about performance. I just want to cruise at 75+.

Which models are the best value for basic transporation?

Dave Silva