I found an early version of a shmart car in my price range, needless to say I'm pleased to have transport that probably can do a round trip from where I work to Redding and back on less than 6 gallons of gas.... I haven't checked that out entirely yet, but it seems that the trip down hill is easier (one wonders why [NOT!]) on gas than the trip up hill... From Redding to where I work 3400 feet difference in elevation (give or take a few) So a long climb up lots of hills, or a long drive down the same hills.
Of course since the car is super light, and only has a 990 + or - cc engine, hills at all are problematic... Like some grades are 3rd gear! So that will slow me down some, not that it will be enough should Yogi bear of his cousins decide to cross the road too close in front of me...! I saw one that got hit by a freight truck just outside of Lake Head city... I thought, you know, I ought to slow down... Well top speed for my shmart car is about 70 miles per hour, down hill with a wind at my back....
Oh its a mid nineties Geo Metro, so not hybrid or anything like that, just a 3 cylinder engine that is supposed to be one liter, but I think it may be a tad smaller than that...
After I paid the graft to Kalifornication to get the car from Orecant I still have an emergency fund in place! Whoopee!