[masraum]

It's not a primary factor, and it depends upon the car. When we bought the boxster, it wasn't a factor at all. If we were buying a second vehicle (like my wife's Outback) it would be a minor factor.

I've never bought a vehicle for the fuel economy numbers. If I was comparing several vehicles that were all very similar/close in other factors (functionality, expected reliability, aesthetics, driving dynamics, etc...), but one got much better fuel economy than the rest, that would probably give that one the edge over the others. If I was comparing a few vehicles and trying to decide which I preferred and they were all very close in all factors, but one got much worse fuel economy than the rest, then I would probably rule that one out.

But for me, expected reliability, driving dynamics, and how much I like the car aesthetically are probably bigger factors than fuel economy. If I was comparing 2 vehicles and one was expected to get 30mpg but the other was expected to get 35mpg, it probably wouldn't make a difference. If the difference was 20mpg vs 35mpg that would probably make a difference (unless the one getting 20mpg was twice as fun).