Fuel Economy..?

Realistically you are looking at 20 mpg in town with a very good state of tune. There are factors that would improve upon this such as overdrive manual trans or a lockup auto trans.

Using a dollar figure as a comparison in fuel ecomony just plain doesn't work, unless you always buy fuel for the exact same price. I would not expect a 3.7 liter inline six with a carb to beat a 2.5l ranger that has better gearing, ignition, fuel control, and head design.

The best mpg highway I have ever heard from a reliable source for a slant was 27. Most claimed mpg from drivers is suspect. I have driven cars for customers for mpg complaints many times and I can usually beat the sticker figure. Read up on "hypermiling" those people are nuts but it shows just how much a driver can affect mpg numbers and why it is impossible to say just what mpg you will get.