Consider your needs: - Sedan or SUV / pickup? - Four doors (helpful with kids, generally safer because of the door post) or two doors / hatchback (style and sportiness)? - What are the most important attributes to you? Economy of operation / gas mileage? Low price? Size and carrying / towing capability? Style? (Hey, it's 'most important' to some.) Low cost to insure / safety rating? - Start to put together a list of 'most important' to 'least important' attributes to you, so that you have a way to rate / rank competing vehicles. Otherwise the selection process becomes little more than a popularity contest, and you'll eventually break down and buy the last vehicle you look at, even though it may not be what you really want.

I have one of these in Black and i love it....I bought it used with 23,000 miles for 17,000 dollars. 14 city and 20+ highway but I drive a little fast average 75mph. I usually get 400 miles to a 22 gallon tank highway. City i can get about 300 plus to the tank. http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2004-ford-explorer-sport-trac-4.htm

You can't beat the Honda Civic for all around good car. http://www.driverside.com/car/honda-civic-2004-4190-9065-0 Good gas mileage, reliable, nice looking, affordible. Nobody will call you lame unless you put 21 inch wheels on it and install an underbody neon kit. You can also check out Ford's Focus, Subaru's Impreza, and the Pontiac Vibe. Plug them into driverside.com to get the feeling for how much to pay, what they'll be worth down the road, and how to maintain them! Good luck!

Toyota. VERY dependable + reasonably safe + not terrible on the environment and very classy.

Any Japanese car is good, look for Toyota for 100% reliability , if you get a good one. ( No secret to this buy of a dealer and ask to see service record) Mazda.......A Mazda is a no frills car but everything on it works..........its also 60% owned by ford who use it as a test bed for thier own cars. Nissan.......very very very good cars...again no bells and buzzers but good no nonsense cars. Mitsibushi......I had one once, a big old shogan a good car but cost the earth when it went wrong. Honda.......my least favorite Japanese car...to many bits to go wrong, and far to expensive when they do. Most Japanese cars are just so good. They sell more cars than anyone else and there has to be a reason for it. STAY AWAY FROM PRIVATE SALES......YOU WILL HAVE NO COMEBACK IF THINGS GO WRONG. most people that sell privately are only doing so cos dealer wont take car of em......There is a reason for this. Remember a dealer will shaft you so really stand up for yourself.......walk away and give the guy your card........say ring me when you wanna talk sense. Believe me he will ring you. He wants to sell, times are hard.........he will ring. By luck or by judgement you have picked a good time to buy a car........good luck

Personally, the best car I have ever owned was a Honda. The second was a Lexus, which, in reality, is just a fancy Toyota. The reason I loved my Honda was because it never had a major issue, and the cost to maintain it was the least of any car I've ever owned. Saying that, all the scheduled maintenance was done at the dealers. I put 300,000 miles on the car, sold it last year, and the "new" owners have had no issue. Other than personal feelings, look for a car you like, with the lowest mileage, and the best verifiable service record. Check the blue book value before you buy, to make sure you're not paying too much, and check out the car-fax report. You don't want an automobile that's been damaged, if you can keep from it. I'll agree with the other posters about cars from Japan having a better tract record. That said, check out the safety rating on any car you're interested in. While reliable is great, you also want something that will protect you in case of an accident. Good Luck and happy car shopping!

I've bought my last vehicle at http://www.easyexport.us/?a_aid=49e6f684c12b9. It is 2003 BMW red. I've got it for quiet reasonable price with clean title.

You cannot go wrong with a Toyota or a Honda. they both will give you dependable and reliable transportation for many years. I would only buy one from a car dealer on their used car lot. ask to see the paperwork on an interested vehicle and call the previous owner and ask questions about the car. check the manual for updated maintenance on the car. pull the oil dipstick and make sure the oil is smooth and clean, not gritty with metal flakes. this is a bad sign. Test drive the car and ask that if a friend mechanic of yours can look over the vehicle for you. a dealer should not object to this at all. Those are the two best vehicle brands on the market and i love my Toyota with 232,000 miles on it.