I'm looking to buy a car; any suggestions?

Perhaps 2000 to 2003’ish VW Jetta. You might be able to pickup one around that price. I have also found VW’s are pretty well built, I had a 2002 Jetta a couple years ago which never had a hiccup.

My girlfriend just got a 2001 VW Jetta. She got it for 3800 (which was retardedly cheap considering its only got 68k miles and looks brand new) but im sure there are others in/ around that range. The car is fucking awesome though.

The latest report I saw said the best buy is a used Toyota Corella or Honda Civic.

I am in a similar position, although I do not have to buy for the next few months. Personally, I cannot go past the Ford Fiesta (WP or WQ).

@Nullo what are your preferences, what are your current needs? Do you have kids? pets? Do you have to deal with much snow, mountains, stop-and-go traffic? How many miles do you average in a year? All of these things might help give better answers.

@gorillapaws Environmentally, we have snow, ice, and hills in the winter; that’s generally dealt with via technique. Traffic varies, but I won’t have a ton of it if I stay local.

I’ll be the only one in it for most of the time. I do not have much in the way of cargo requirements. Right now, I spend 20–30 minutes per day driving. Depending on how things go, this may go up to 40–50 per day.

A simple commutermobile ought to serve me well enough.

Check http://www.consumerreports.org for complete listings of recommended used cars by year and model, including reliability statistics and practical recommendations on the best way to purchase a used car.

@Nullo I’ve also heard very good things about VW Jettas.

Actually, the older (around 2000-ish) Jettas may not do so well, depending on the actual conditions. I know that in the snowy, icy winters in hilly NH, they were only adequate. And if you ever hit a dirt road during mud season then forget it; you’ll be fucked hard without lube. Trust me, I had bad experiences with an ‘02 Jetta in stuff that I handled just fine n many other vehicles.

I am partial to Toyota after owning a couple of Corollas and watching my stepfather’s Celica turn 350K. If all you need is a basic car that will get you where you need to go no matter what the roads are like or how long it’s been since you last changed the oil, or even if all of the wheels are firmly attached, the Corolla is unbeatable. I used my ‘87 Corolla as a snow plow, barreled up hills that left 4WD trucks with tire chains spinning their wheels futilely, and the handling was probably the most neutral and predictable of any car I ever owned.

Given what my stepdad has done in his ‘95 Celica I am inclined to believe that that sort of uber-competence, reliability, and longevity is not limited to the AE82/4A-C combination of chassis and engine, or to mid/late-80s cars, but rather is an inherent quality of Toyota. As for Honda Civic, I lost two of them to snapped timing belts so I am a little wary of them,

Partial to Subarus in that price range. I’ve driven some that have reached half a million miles on two motors, and go off road like nobody’s business. I had fun looking for it for you – here’s a 2000 model, AWD sedan in your price range.

@zenele Subis are decent, but not great on reliability and quite pricey to fix. They tend to be less than stellar for MPG as well.
And while my ‘94 Legacy was capable off-road (or at least capable on what NH considers “road” in some places), I’m pretty sure that a stock A2 Golf would look at any stock Subi (aside from the WRX and STi), kick it in the groin, and drink it’s milkshake. See, Subis tend to be heavy, and that much weight means a lot of inertia and momentum, neither of which are really good on ice. Yeah, the AWD is good to get you un-stuck, but I prefer not to get stuck in the first place.

That said, Subaru is #2 on my personal list behind Toyota and ahead of Honda. I’ve seen and heard some pretty ratty Subis, but the damn beasts were still running despite sounding like old VW Beetles and having more rust than body panels. As far as longevity goes, it’s the difference between a zombie and a PCP addict, and I prefer zombies since they are more likely to still be moving after being shot in the face. (I beat nine flavors of dog-shit out of that ‘87 Corolla and it not only survived but begged for more!)

I learned so many euphemisms from that – thanks.