I worked as a valet before, the owners of these cars always complained. No they don't give great mileage for a car its size, it is listed around 29 in the city and 35 on the highway.... this is not great, and these listings are always more than what the car actually gives because they are based on VERY IDEAL conditions. And no they don't run smooth, it is as basic as a car gets, how could you possibly expect it to run smooth? Anyways, if I was you for almost the same price, I would go for the corolla, you can't go wrong with a corolla, IF your looking for an economical car, and it does not lose its value a lot like other cars. A corolla is listed as 26/35, which is about the same mileage, expect an average of 26, but again that all depends on whether your mom drives without braking and accelerating a whole lot, and that she doesn't accelerate too fast as it will drive up your RPM and kill you gas, and also she changes the oil and filter. All these things and more factor in on the mileage. Also the Corolla is bigger in size, and again its almost the same price. Go to a Longo dealership if you can, it is the biggest toyota dealership. AND the corolla has about 30+ more horsepower, meaning it wont DIE when your going up a hill... GOOD LUCK...
