Buying first car, have ideas but want a little help

[phoenixosu]

I'm about to buy my first car soon, I live in Boise ID and would like something that can get me to and from work, carry stuff every now and then (tho some 2 door sporty cars are appealing as well), something that can handle the occasional snowfall.

I also would like to keep to these:
2000 year or newer
under 100k miles (tho for the 2000-2003 this could be hard)
front or 4 wheel drive
Decent millage, 20mpg or better.

[syrne]

Need a price range, there are lots of cars that fit that criteria, but they range from a Ford Ranger pickup to a WRX STi...

[phoenixosu]

Around $8k

[youngkia1]

Check this site, you will find a lot of cars that can suits your budget. Hope this will help you.

http://cars.oodle.com/

[akboss1]

1) Mazda3 hatchback (or older Protege5)
2) Subaru Impreza hatch
3) Pontiac Vibe / Toyota Matrix
4) Hyundai Tucson - 4 cylinder if you can drive stick, V6 if you need auto.

[phoenixosu]

I've narrowed it down after looking at price, appearance, millage, drive train, age, and popularity (obscure cars can be spendy to fix). The Mazda3 does sound like a great car! I was thinking of the Chevy Cobalt as well but it is rear wheel drive I believe and I don't want to mess with that come snow season.

These are the ones that seem to be the best
Chevrolet Aveo 2005-2008
Mazda MAZDA3 2004
Volkswagen Jetta 2004-2005
Ford Focus 2004-2007
Kia Rio 2004-2008

This could be cool, but also overkill in some ways
Mazda MAZDA6 2004

These are more like fall-backs, but also seem perfectly serviceable, I don't know as much about them.
Hyundai Accent 2005-2007
Hyundai Elantra 2004-2006
Saturn Ion 2006-2007
Chevrolet Malibu 2005
Chevrolet Classic 2005

If anyone has any suggestions on these it would be helpful. Here are my criteria.

I'd like to keep it under $10k
I'd like to stay under 100k miles (14k per year puts the 2003s at over 100k miles so nothing older than 2004 for me).
I want front wheel drive if it doesn't have 4 wheel drive, I don't think any of these I picked are rear wheel drive or at least that's what the KBB thing said.
Something that has a good track record and doesn't have a huge cost of ownership, I've eliminated some of the gas guzzlers from my original list.

My main source of info has been KBB and Edumnds thus far in addition to a few peoples comments.

[akboss1]

This is a great site for used car reviews - this magazine tallies up frequently used services like Consumer Reports, they cite user forums for info on common problems/issues, and give an overall prediction on used cars - I've found it useful, you might too:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/usedcars

Of your favourites list, quoted from your prev. post:

These are the ones that seem to be the best

Chevrolet Aveo 2005-2008 - Cheap but slow, low-rent interior and not as safe as the others.

Mazda MAZDA3 2004 - Great buy, good performance, solid reliability, sporty handling/ride and especially versatile as a hatchback.

Volkswagen Jetta 2004-2005 - Also a great car to drive but electronics can be finicky, problems with electronics system and window regulators (power windows) is common, as well as auto tranny issues in older models. If you're shopping for a Jetta, get the TDI or the 1.8T, the naturally-aspirated 2.0 was a dog. Look for one that has been treated well - look for good good paint on the front hood/bumpers, as lots of stone chips and markings can reveal a car that has driven many miles. This would be the most fun of the choices, but potentially the most expensive to maintain.

Ford Focus 2004-2007 - Can't say much, probably reliable and better than an Aveo, but doesn't offer the interior quality of the Mazda or the VW. At least it has OK power and interior is large.

Kia Rio 2004-2008 - Super cheap and good reliability but safety is a concern, as is overall performance. Even if you have to settle for an older car get a Mazda3 or VW, it's not worth it for the Rio. Hyundai is getting better and better, but I wouldn't buy an older one.

[phoenixosu]

Thanks that helps confirm what I was thinking. I'm going for a mazda3 or a cobalt, what have you guys heard on the cobalt? It seems that a cobalt will be easier tp find and the mazda3 is hard to work on from what I was told by someone who has one, not a big deal tho, I've heard the mazda3 is more fun. The mazda6 could work too since it seems to be just a bigger version of the 3 right?

[Jamesfranklin]

The information provided in this post has helped me in analyzing a car on various criteria. This approach will help me in buying a better car in my budget.