VIDEO: Reporter Beth Hatcher recently bought a new, fuel efficient car, but saying goodbye was hard. View a video tribute to her old car.

So we all know that gas prices are soaring. On a recent week in the Cary area, according to my informal survey, area pump prices hovered at around $3.25 for a gallon of regular gas.

It’s not just here. Those numbers are common around the country. And if national trends continue those prices aren’t going down, in fact they might even continue to go up.

And higher prices at the pump aren’t just affecting how people drive, but what they drive.

These days fuel economy is one of the biggest factors people consider when buying a new car, said Garry Rawlins, a car salesman at Autopark Honda in Cary.

“They’re trading in a lot of SUVs now,” Rawlins said.

To keep pace with rising fuel costs, a host of hybrid cars such as the well-known Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius have hit car lots in the last several years.

However these cars, even if they are fuel efficient, aren’t for everyone — yet.

“I think hybrids are a good idea but they’re all hideous,” said 18-year-old Damien Lacar, a waiter at la Dolce Vita PIzzeria in Holly Springs.

But if the teen could afford a new car — he drives a 1995 Ford Escort — he would like a vehicle that got at least 28-30 miles a gallon.

That was also my requirement when I was recently looking for a new car, when my beloved 11-year-old Toyota Corolla, “Sonny,”— yes, I name all my cars — began having some serious health problems.

Like Lacar, I wasn’t interested in a hybrid, not because I think they’re hideous but because I don’t think they get enough extra miles yet to warrant the extra cost.

But I did want something that would drive a long way on a gallon, looks fairly decent and carries all my stuff. I decided on a Honda Fit, which I purchased at Autopark Honda in Cary. New to the American market, the little five-door hatchback has been sold in foreign markets since the early 2000s.

I’ve read that Honda decided to bring the Fit to America precisely because high fuel prices were making SUV-obsessed Americans take a second look at small cars.

I couldn’t be happier with my Fit. Vivid blue and slightly futuristic looking, it gets on average well over 30 miles to the gallon.

The only drawback is that the engine — four-cylinder, 109-horsepower — isn’t quite as peppy as I would like it to be. But then that’s how I get the great gas mileage.

I think more and more people will start opting for good fuel economy over race-car power, at least those close to my income bracket.

People like Luther Van Deusen.

The owner of a downtown Apex fitness center caught a glimpse of the Fit while I was cruising through the Peak City last week.

“What is that?” Van Deusen asked, as he studied the bright blue car.

Van Deusen seemed excited when I told him what great fuel economy I got.

Van Deusen — who owns a Chrysler LeBaron that gets about 25 miles to the gallon — said if gas prices continue to go up he might get a new vehicle.

What kind of vehicle?

A motorcycle, he laughed.