Manuals generally get much better mileage than automatics, on the order of 25% better, and they usually cost less than automatics, roughly $800-$1200 less depending on the car. Add a high performance air filter like a K&N Filtercharger (cost about $50 including the cleaning kit) and you can increase the mileage by another 5-10% (and reduce waste because they are reusable).
Hybrids are city commuter vehicles. Much of their efficiency comes from regenerative braking dumping charge back into the batteries. Their actual performance drops if most of your driving is highway driving. YMMV -- literally :).
Personally, I do not see depreciation as a reason to go used instead of new. A used car will depreciate just as much as a new one. Sure, you'll save a few thousand dollars on the purchase price. For that savings you will have critical questions that probably cannot be answered: did the previous owner keep up with the maintenance schedule? Did he use premium parts and consumables or budget parts and consumables? What were his driving habits? Hard or gentle acceleration and stops? Highway or city driving? What kind of gas did he put in the tank, and did he use additives like Gumout or Marvel's Mystery Oil? How often? All of these can affect the life of a vehicle and do not show up on the dealer sticker. Buying new means you know the car's history. Whether or not that is worth the extra cost of buying new is a choice you have to make for yourself. Me? I won't buy a used car just to save a few bucks -- I'll probably buy a less expensive car instead.
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Hybrids are city commuter vehicles. Much of their efficiency comes from regenerative braking dumping charge back into the batteries. Their actual performance drops if most of your driving is highway driving. YMMV -- literally :).
Personally, I do not see depreciation as a reason to go used instead of new. A used car will depreciate just as much as a new one. Sure, you'll save a few thousand dollars on the purchase price. For that savings you will have critical questions that probably cannot be answered: did the previous owner keep up with the maintenance schedule? Did he use premium parts and consumables or budget parts and consumables? What were his driving habits? Hard or gentle acceleration and stops? Highway or city driving? What kind of gas did he put in the tank, and did he use additives like Gumout or Marvel's Mystery Oil? How often? All of these can affect the life of a vehicle and do not show up on the dealer sticker. Buying new means you know the car's history. Whether or not that is worth the extra cost of buying new is a choice you have to make for yourself. Me? I won't buy a used car just to save a few bucks -- I'll probably buy a less expensive car instead.
Just my two cents for what they're worth.