I am taking a new job that will have me driving about 30 miles one way. With gas prices like they are, I'm trying to think of a cheap car I can buy to get me to and from work with little gas. One of the cars I've pondered is a first gen water cooled VW like a rabbit, GTI, Scirocco, etc.

Here's my questions:

I'm not looking for HP, I'm looking for gas mileage. What kind of mileage could I expect from a well tuned first gen?

How reliable are these cars? I would like to make it to work pretty regularly

I want a car with A/C. How is the A/C system in these cars?