I'll take heat for this but I don't really care: the primary thing I would say is to not follow this forum's obsession with MPG and buying the smallest vehicle possible for your needs/wants for owning a vehicle. The cost of a slightly less fuel efficient vehicle is nominal at best, and I've enjoyed having more space to haul stuff around in my Honda CR-V.
Just to provide numbers to this, I used to drive a 2008 Ford Focus that averaged 31 MPG. I drive about 10,000 miles per year, so 10,000 miles / 31 MPG = 322.6 gallons. Multiply that by $2.56 (the current price for a gallon of gas) and my yearly fuel expense was $825 per year.
Now I drive a Honda CR-V that averages 26.5 MPG. 10,000 miles / 26.5 MPG = 377.4 gallons. Multiply that by $2.56 and my fuel cost is $966 per year.
Basically, now I have a much bigger and more convenient vehicle for about $12 more per month. Well, well worth it.
So my advice would maybe be to expand your horizon a bit. If you're going to drive even less miles than I would, then your fuel cost will be even more marginal.