I Need An Affordable And Fuel Efficent Commuter Car! What Should I Buy?

Jack lives in Oregon and is about really rack up the miles with a long commute to work and to the university. His aging Chevy Trailblazer with 200,000 miles is getting to the end of its life and is very thirsty. He has a budget up to $15,000 and wants something good for highway cruising that will also return some respectable MPG. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario.

Im about to have a pretty long commute to work, and an even longer commute in the other direction to go to university, and my current daily isnt going to cut it. Its an 07 Chevrolet Trailblazer thats loaded with problems, has over 200k, and is terrible when it comes to fuel economy. Im looking for something good on gas, good for highway cruising, and maybe a little fun. Im gonna keep the blazer in case i need to haul anything or do anything that requires cargo room, so cargo space isnt a big issue.

Overall I am looking for –

Good fuel economy

Good on the highway

Perferably manual

Maybe a little fun if available, not a priority

But I don’t have a lot to spend and I want to stay under $15k.

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $15,000

Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Good fuel economy, comfort for highway cruising, maybe a little fun

Doesn’t want: Something with bad MPG

Normally for these articles, I try my best to only give one suggestion. However, in this case it really depends on what your situation is. If you have access to reliable vehicle charging at your home or university, an EV could be the solution you are seeking. There are tons of low-mile electrics sub- $15,000 and you would likely qualify for the used EV tax credit that is still in play until September. Something like a Chevy Bolt has an effective range of well over 200 miles, and minimal maintenance costs. These are both fun to drive and comfortable on the highway.

If charging a car isn’t in the cards, how about a Mazda3 hatchback? It’s a good balance of sporty and comfort while returning a respectable 30 MPG on the highway. These don’t carry the price premium like similar Hondas and Toyotas, but still provide reliable transport. I commuted for years in something very similar to this 2011 3s hatchback and found it to be a fantastic car.

Man, this is a tough one. It’s definitely possible to find fuel-efficient cars with manual transmissions in the Portland area that also fit your budget, but most of what I found didn’t seem like anything you’d want to drive as part of a long commute. I mean, I love the Fiat 500, but even I don’t know if I’d enjoy a long commute in an Abarth. People also tend to get scared by Mini’s past reliability issues, and most of the Minis I found in your price range were old enough that’s probably a valid fear.

That said, if you can negotiate or find a way to stretch your budget just a tad, I think I’ve found a car that will be (almost) exactly what you’re looking for. What you need is a BMW 3 Series hybrid. Specifically, you need this 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance in Tigard. It has 76,802miles on the odometer and is currently listed at $17,406 if you include their ridiculous accessory charge. I don’t know how much flexibility you have budget-wise, but as long as you can plug it in regularly, it’s rated at 71 MPGe, so it’ll definitely beat your Trailblazer in the fuel economy department.

And while it doesn’t have a manual transmission, it’s still a 3 Series, so it should be far more fun to drive than the Trailblazer, while also being comfortable enough to at least make your new commute tolerable. Parts will be more expensive than they are on an old Chevrolet, but isn’t that why you commute? To earn money at your job to afford parts for your BMW?

I considered a few different cars for you, like plug-in-hybrid Volvos and BMWs, but you said you want something at least a little fun, so enter the second-generation Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid. It pairs a supercharged (!) V6 engine with an electric motor and battery pack for a combined 416 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque. Car and Driver got one to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds, so it’s definitely quick, and it’s still a Porsche, so it’s definitely sporty enough, but it’ll surely be comfortable, too. You also get 14 miles of EV range, which isn’t bad for the mid-2010s, and the EPA rated these at 47 MPGe (or 22 mpg combined sans electrification).

There are a bunch of Cayenne E-Hybrids within or just above your price range, but I picked this one as its spec is very good. It’s a little far away from you in Oregon, but it’s just an example. You can never go wrong with a nice blue over brown, and it seems well-optioned. I don’t think I’d be that concerned with the mileage, but there are others out there with under 100,000 miles, too. I know you said you’d be keeping the Trailblazer so cargo space isn’t a concern, but these Cayennes are also quite spacious and practical. Maybe ditch the Blazer and find yourself an even nicer Cayenne than this one. You deserve it for putting up with such long commutes.

This one’s easy, Jack. You’re keeping the practical car around, and you want something with some fun and a manual gearbox paired to its fuel economy. I could recommend you a Honda CR-Z, the rare manual hybrid, but I think there’s something else on your mind. I think you want a Miata, and I’m here to support that choice.Miatas get good fuel economy, with their light weights and four-cylinder engines. Even this NA, with its popup headlights, surely beats out your old Trailblazer for gas mileage — as I’m sure nearly anything would. This isn’t a hard question, Jack, but it’s a question you asked Jalopnik specifically. That means you don’t want the easy answers, the hybrids and EVs, you want something that’s fun first and fuel efficient second. It’s a good line of thinking, and I encourage you to pursue it.This Miata looks great, save for the easily-repaired tear in the seat, and the post-crash misaligned hood, but these are just justifications to get a PPI — not to go buy a CT200H or something. Or, of course, to grab any of the thousands of Miatas around for your budget. The world is your oyster, and you deserve a top-down two-seat fun-to-drive pearl at the center. Jack, get a Miata. You’ll have fun with it. Isn’t that what life is really all about?