If not a Prius, then what car for great MPG?

My daily commute is about an hour, each way, 64 miles round trip. I'm debating changing out my existing car for something that is less expensive to operate at the pump and all around.

I test drove a 2004 & 2007 Prius yesterday. The 2004 seemed to have more leg room, though neither would have what I call a lot of leg room for the driver. I'm 6'5" with shoes on and have a 34" inseam. To be comfortable for long periods of driving I need my thighs to be supported, which means my feet need to be away from the seat. For the brief period of time I was in those Prius' yesterday, neither had enough room past the peddles to let my leg straighten out so that my left leg is comfortable. It felt to me that the 2007 model had less room than the 2004 model.

I was playing around in my current car (2002 Benz C320) on the drive home from test driving the Prius' and found that I could straighten out my left leg, if I put my toes in right spot. Not a chance I could do that in the Prius, that I could find/see. Its funny the specs on a 04-06 Prius vs my current car list nearly identical leg room. No idea where those measurements are being taken, but I disagree.

I was tossing around the idea of having the drivers seat moved back in the cabin, but then that would screw with the seat belts, and other safety features. I looked behind the drivers seat in the 2004 when the seat was all the way back, and there was a lot of room between the back of the seat and the front of the rear seat. I was thinking to myself, ah, Toyota engineers why did you leave that space unused?

Assuming I'm right and that I don't fit in a Prius, does anyone have other suggestions for a good commuter car, being reliable and good MPG? Either hybrid, diesel, or gas. I've put together a spreadsheet and the numbers I see say that a 36 MPG diesel is about the same as a 32 MPG gasser. (Though neither beat a Prius.) I suspect that a VW Jetta diesel that averages about 45MPG, would save me about $527/year, while a Prius would save me $678/year compared to what I'm driving now.

I'm also limited by the cash I have available to purchase, about $7,000, as I don't borrow money.

 

Awesome! Now to find a car with it installed so I can sit/drive a little. I agree from what I know now, nothing else comes close to the fuel savings of a Prius.

 

Being a newbie I couldn't post a link, or even a quote with a link, so thank you usnavystgc. I found those same ones with a quick search. If I get a Prius I'll be getting those for sure.

 

As for a manual Civic, I've thought about that. I've nixed the idea of a manual transmission because my commute has me driving on highways (820 & 183 in DFW) that many times are more parking lots than roadways. It was years ago when I last drove a stick, but I remember not liking them at all for stop/go driving. Since my commute can consist of that, then miles of cruise at 70mph, then back to stop/go, I don't think I'd enjoy a stick for too long.

At this point in my financial life, I'm willing to drive higher mileage cars in return for no car payments! A couple of months ago I moved up from a $3500 dollar car to a $6500 car. I don't have as much cash at this point to move up significantly with a Prius. I'm not in a panic so I can take my time.

I'd done it before, enough to be comfortable, this time I tried to see if I could get my left knee locked, and I could. Most cars I can tell fairly soon after getting in, if I'll be comfortable in the seat or not. Usually power seats are required, so that the front part can raise up and support my thighs.

 

Thank you.

I'm starting thin that maybe I should wait until I'm ready to spend about $10K on a car and then get a Prius. For example I found the same guy (wholesale dealer) selling a 2007 with 240K miles asking $6,000 while a 2007 with 79K miles asking $10,000. The first being too many miles for my taste, while the 2nd is nice mileage wise but more than my budget can handle right now.

 

Mainly commuter car, but also my primary, as in I will use it on weekends, etc. Our other car is a 2006 Toyota Sienna (60K miles), which when the 4 of us go anywhere is the vehicle we take. More due to size and car seats are in it and switching them is well a pia. Though I bet if we had a Prius and we were going far we'd opt for the Prius if we could.

About 2 minutes ago I got a text alert from my traffic app, delay of 17 minutes for my route home, time 61 minutes, with avg speed of 31.2mph. Makes me want a Prius.

 

I haven't looked at loan rates in 5 years or more. I agree mathematically it appears to be better to borrow $10k for say 36 months at 2.19% which would cost about $455 in interest over the life of the loan, while I'd save $600 plus per year in gas, less the interest paid on the loan. The problem with the math formula is that it does not take risk into account. Something could happen over the life of the loan and jam me up

I can not describe the peace that came into my life when I bought my house with cash! I still have some other debt but that will be gone soon.

 

I think I'll be happier in the long run if I wait and save up $10k and then look for a good 2007 or newer Prius with low miles and then install seat extenders.

 

Thank you so much!! That picture along with your stats is very helpful. I suspect the seat extenders will make the difference I need.