[JLM]

I hate to buy/sell from relatives or friends, but they might be your best clue in finding an unknown cream puff (best to hear of the car from them, but from their friend/neighbor). 

Again, used Honda and Toyota are way overpriced.  Better to pick your mechanic and hope he can give local advice.

[Mama Virtue]

Jason and I drove a 96 Infiniti I30 for a year and a half before upgrading to a Subaru Tribeca and a car payment. The Infiniti was a Chicago car, loaded with rust and 177,000 miles when we bought it for $1450. Our niece is driving it now with 194,000 miles on it. Aside from leaving rust all over Tucson, replacing the muffler, blower motor for the AC ($70 self install), starter, ($150 self install) new tires ($200 for all 4 cheapies) the car has never had any other issues. I highly recommend an infiniti for under $4000 for a first family car. Reliable, roomy, and drives amazing. Everything on ours electrical worked, including the heated seats (which we used like 2 days a year lol), even the sun roof. And in general the parts arent too expensive.

[Photon46]

I hate to buy/sell from relatives or friends, but they might be your best clue in finding an unknown cream puff (best to hear of the car from them, but from their friend/neighbor). 

Again, used Honda and Toyota are way overpriced.  Better to pick your mechanic and hope he can give local advice.

As someone who worked in the automotive business for quite a few years, I'd urge folks to remember that that there are different ways to look at whether a car is expensive. Used Hondas & Toyotas command higher prices than some other brands at purchase, but if well cared for, they likely going to give you much better residual trade in or resale value when it's time to move on. I've made the mistake of thinking a certain domestic car was a better value on initial purchase, only to be beaten up with rotten resale value a few years later. Conversely, I drove a Honda Accord for six years and 90,000 miles and got a considerably higher than average percentage of original purchase price on trade in value at the Acura dealer when I bought another car. "Value" in car purchases is a complex equation that has tangible and intangible aspects. If such things matter to you, I'd suggest looking at Kelly Blue Book online to get a sense of the depreciation curve for any car you are considering.