Looking at a passanger car, any help?

[97ranger4x4]

Well thanks everyone for the huge amount of replys. Here is a little bit more info on my needs/wants. So my girl friend has a subaru outback. It runs great and has a good 100k more in it. currently has about 140 and its an 02. All highway miles from her mom. So AWD or 4wd is not needed. I cant even afford to take my truck to the mountains because its more comfortable and economical to take up her subaru. she has heated seats...

Also I am not looking for a fast car. The girlfriend and I are expecting to get married in 2 years which means kids are on the way shortly after. I am not allowed to drive like a dumb ass any more...

I plan on keeping the car for well over 10-15 years so what i would loose in depreciation i would make up in knowing how the car has been maintained, especially in the critical breakin period.

the car has to be 4 doors, 4 cyl, and a manual. Gas mileage is pretty crucial to me, and it will defenatly outweight the sportyness of the car.

like i said earlier i want to keep my truck as well, but since I wont own a house for several years i probably wont keep it. I will probably sell it for the car downpayment and after i buy a house ill pickup a used 2wd ranger that i can use for working on the house. Because no doubt my first house will be quite the fixer upper. Not to mention if you knew my gf you would know it wouldnt stay the way it was for very long. Good news is, its a great excuse to invest in tools...

I will keep on looking at some of the other comparable cars out there, but until my broken foot heals, i cant do any test drives

 

[maitee1]

I have a 2000 camry and it is nice. Still gets great gas mileage. It is a 4cyl and still has/had plenty of pep enough to impress my step-father to purchase one. Nothing major has happened to it in 8 years and 115k miles.

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

buy preowned and let somone else pay the taxes

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

well i got a kid you cant drive like an idoit with them in the car but u can when its just you
my z24 was perfect it was fuel efficient and had tones of balls and a 5 spd

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2367620
take a look

 

[One Sick Puppy]

How about a cheap little Hyundai Accent? Apparently they're pretty reliable and you could probably get a souped up one. They look like the older Honda Civic.

 

[Ranger Dave (B25)]

I've had a Honda Accord, MANY VWs and 2 Toyotas.

Of the three, in order of preference:

1. Toyota ('95 Camry's currently gone 200k and is dead-nuts reliable. Bulletproof even when you ignore maintenance. '07 CorollaS has 12k on it and is a blast to drive.)

2. VW (fun driving, good economy, but go with a 4th-gen Jetta or Golf, the 5th gen cars are way too bloated and the Passats are too spendy, I had 2 Jettas go over 200k and 300k respectively and still get 30mpg)

3. Honda (rear suspension fell apart at 60k after being babied it's whole life)