I'd say get a honda. I've been impressed by them. Better yet, get a used 2004 or 2005 civic, from before they screwed up the way it looks. My Mom owns a 1999 or 2000 civic and has been waiting for it to die because she wants something else, and it just won't quit. We killed a starter motor and we resigned ourself to a dirty several hour job pulling and replacing the starter, but to our suprise we found that Honda made the starter accessable from the top and we only had to pull the airbox (2 screws) and remove 3 bolts to remove it. The whole job took maybe 30 min without a manual, including time spent looking around the garage for the right size tools, etc.
For reliable and safe little cars, I really liked the older civics. The new civics are supposedly just as good mechanically but I personally think they look like a doorstop wedge. A nice certified used civic still under factory warranty might be the perfect thing if you like the car. I found the civic handling to be crisper overall than most other small cars, and even the small engine models aren't too irritating either.
Test drive first...
