If you want to talk about SHOCKING fuel economy.....i have just bought the missus a new car, a NZ New 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C. This was to replace her older 1997 STi Tye RA.
Anyway, no matter how you drive it, a 50L fill of 98 Octane fuel (with Octane booster) will return 300km's!!!! Now thats bad economy.
But, we didn't buy that car for that reason, hence why some of the posts here i agree with. If you're a petrol head (and one imagines you are if you post on here) you buy a vehicle because it makes you feel good.
I tried so hard to get her a economical swift of mazda 3, but she wouldn't have a bar of it. Thats the problem when the benchmark is already a factory Group N spec car
I think i have also found the secret to 'owning' the car of your dreams without it getting knocked about and generally decaying over time.....its simple.....you buy it for the missus, who cleans it every weekend and doesn't go over 4000 rpm in it. Then when its my turn for a fang, i've got a great, clean and wonderfully presented car.
I mean seriously, we have had the 97 model for about 8 years. In that time we/she have put just 30k on the clock. That car is actually in better nick than when we bought it. Hence why we are keeping both 'Scoobies - the new one only has 13k on the clock and i know that when they become old and rare, they may be worth something. The other trick is to always buy un-modified cars, which in the case of subarus is near impossible. But we found two of them, and already we have been offered 5k more than what we paid for the 97 model 8 years ago.
Sorry for going a bit off topic here, but i though this was valid