<p>I would rule out any car without every available airbag. When I shopped for a second car for my daughter, the Yaris didn’t come with standard side airbags - I think the new model does, however. The Accent did not have great safety ratings - even with the side airbags, if my recollection is correct. I think front was just Average and side was Poor. </p>
<p>We chose a used Mazda 3 that had side and curtain airbags and anti lock brakes. It also is a hatchback so has lots of room. The Fit has good safety ratings. The Civic has really good safely ratings - if I could find one with fairly low mileage, that would likely be my choice.</p>
<p>My s also considered buying a mazda 3i that had been used as a rental car. He didn’t buy it, as he got such a great deal on the new '09 that also had more features (he got the touring value model, not the base sedan), but the one that had been a rental was a great deal. FYI, they had a slight design change in the middle of '08, putting the trunk release on the key fob and some other very minor things. However, owners say they really like the trunk release on the key fob. So, if you look at the '08 Mazdas, try to find what is called an '08.5 </p>
<p>I agree with cartera too about the Honda civics. Both my H and I used to drive them. Great cars. They hold their value, so it might be harder to find a great deal onone.</p>
<p>We have an Impreza. We are very pleased overall. The only complaint that I have is that front bumper sits low to the ground and tends to get scratched. I took it to an autobody shop and they told me not to bother to try to get rid of the small scratches because within 2 weeks I will see the same scratches on the bottom of the front bumper. I think the Impreza might cost more than the cars listed by the OP, but we bought it for its safety ratings. I feel as comfortable as I can feel allowing my children to drive this car. I believe at the time I looked at safety issues, this car and one of the Toyotas (do not recall which one) seemed to handle better in snow than some other cars. This was another reason for our selection. We eliminated the Mazda 3 because there is not a convenient dealer to us, so we did not even look at it. They do look nice though. Airbags and antilock breaks and safety ratings were very important when making our decision. In fact we did pay for an extra (don’t recall what) for safety. Otherwise the car is pretty basic/no extras.</p>
<p>I am not a car person either, but out Impreza seems to have plenty of pick up for highway driving and I am not hearing complaints from the male drivers in my family.</p>
<p>I just bought my first car and looked at many of the models you are considering.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Toyota Yaris - the car is <em>tiny</em> and sounded like a go-cart when I drove it. I wasn’t looking for a sports car, but couldn’t handle the constant whirr of the engine at 55+mph. Great gas mileage, however. Still, I took it off the list.</p></li>
<li><p>Honda Fit - I much preferred the styling of the previous generation of the Fit, but gave the new 09 a good look around. I enjoyed the ride, it had a lot of neat features (especially those magic seats!), was noisier than I would have expected at all speeds but still fun and sporty. Couldn’t get past the fact that it looked like a mini-minivan and none of the dealers were willing to give me a good deal (and this was several weeks ago). Off the list.</p></li>
<li><p>Honda Civic - all around great car, can’t really go wrong, but I really wanted a hatchback and was bored by the Civic. Also didn’t like the digital speedometer. Stayed on the list.</p></li>
<li><p>Scion xD - neat car, decent gas mileage, nice drive, slightly more elevated/higher than your average sedan (great for shorter people like me!). Fixed/nonnegotiable price made it less of a deal in this economy.</p></li>
<li><p>Toyota Matrix - good size, all the seats fold completely flat (great for moving!), pretty good gas mileage, smooth and quiet ride. The Matrix was restyled for the 2009 model year and is now sportier (think Mazda3 hatch) and has less of the station wagon look. Biggest downside are rear blind spots due to a large D column, but with blind spot mirrors the problem can be easily fixed.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I ended up narrowing my choices down to the Civic and the Matrix and ultimately went with the Matrix because I wanted a hatchback and loved that the seats folded down completely flat if/when I need to move (which I think is inevitable for a recent college grad!). Toyota is running a $1000 cash back “special” if you purchase by 2/2/09. I ended up getting the car for around $2000 below invoice before tax, title, and fees. I love it and am getting better than expected gas mileage (just filled the tank for the first time!). </p>
<p>I don’t know if this had any bearing on my purchase, but I was treated very differently at the Honda dealerships than at Toyota. I don’t know if the Honda dealers didn’t know what to do with me - I am both a recent college grad and woman, and I almost think they expected me to be dumber than a doorknob and were surprised when I knew what I was talking about. In any case, the majority of the salespeople at all 3 Honda dealers I visited were rude, abrasive, and acted as if I was a bother to them. </p>
<p>Needless to say, when I walked into the Toyota dealership at the end of the day and was greeted with a friendly smile and a no-hassle salesperson I felt much more inclined to purchase the Toyota.</p>
<p>Congrats on your Matrix! That was the other car that we were looking at. We had it down to the Impreza or the Matrix on paper. When we purchased the Impreza was less expensive so we chose it, but also DH was more comfortable in the Impreza. I think that Toyota Matrix will probably be retain its value more, but for us that was not a consideration.</p>
<p>sticky and northeast did either of you consider the Pontiac Vibe? It is the same car as the Matrix but I bet you can get it for a significant discount because it is a Pontiac not a Toyota. My 94 is a Geo Prism which is really the Toyota Corolla I purchased it for a significantly lower price than I could the 94 Corolla. If I ever wanted to trade it in I would have received less of a trade in value than a Corolla but since I drive cars forever I do not condsider trade in or resale value. All my cars are given away when I am done. The goal is over 12 years and as close to 200,000 miles as I can get it.</p>
<p>I like the Matrix too and the reason I didn’t go for it was because I was looking at used models and it was really difficult to find one with low mileage and all the airbags. </p>
<p>I was told that the Pontiac Vibe is identical to the Pontiac Vibe mechanically and made in the same plant. So you could save a bit with the Vibe.</p>
<p>Good Vibes were hard to come by when we were shopping for cars. The one that had all of the desirable features was some horrible color, so we ended up buying a steel-colored Matrix. Otherwise, the Vibe is the Matrix’s twin separated at birth.</p>
<p>ro51092, my H has an STI and he loves it. He’s a car nut and he is very impressed with Subaru. This is his third one, he’s also had a Legacy Spec B and the previous WRX STI (he likes the current one better). Subaru makes a great car.</p>
<p>I did not look at the Vibe (well new ones at least) mostly because I really didn’t like the styling of the back window. Silly, I know. But if I’m going to hold onto the car until it dies (the plan) I wanted to like all aspects of my car.</p>
<p>Also, even though the Vibe is essentially the same car I know how well Toyotas retain their value (also, my family is composed of Toyota lovers and if I broke that mold I might be disowned :-O).</p>
<p>I do have respect for your husband. I dig those cars.</p>
<p>That said, I’m more of a German car nut. I’m a huge Porschephile/BMWphile. I have respect for Audi, though (hell, I directed my parents towards an A4 2.0T quattro).</p>
<p>I get my first car soon (a year to go), and I’m considering a 1990 BMW 325is (E30), or a 1991 Audi 90 quattro 20V. Like your husband, I’m a manual transmission advocate.</p>
<p>The Mazda, the Ford Focus and the Volvo S40 are all, I believe, built on the same chassis, and may have some interchangeable parts. Consumer Reports April (auto) issue used to tell all this stuff. It also has great tables comparing many features on cars, reliability rating, good and bad used cars, etc.</p>
<p>Yes, you should be able to save on the Vibe. Actually, we almost bought it. I forgot about that. We had a deal on the car. This was just prior to our economy tanking. Then the dealer had second thoughts about that deal and wanted more money. He refused to sell us the car for the negotiated price. They wanted another $400 for window etching…errr…no. He lost the deal and we bought the Impreza. When they did not here back from us they called us back. Too late…we had the Impreza in our driveway. Oh, and that dealer… he’s now out of business!</p>
<p>ro51092, I think you and my H would get along very well. His current summer car is an M5 that is outfitted with all the Dinan ‘stuff’. He’s had a few Porsches - both 911s and Boxsters. A few others he’s had that you might also have enjoyed - the old 6 series BMW coupe, an Audi Allroad, a Mini Cooper S, those are the ones I can think of offhand. He loves cars and he rewards his hard work in this way. He doesn’t usually keep them more than a few years, but he sure does enjoy his cars. And yes, he prefers a manual. I’m the boring one who drives the automatic SUV.</p>
<p>I just realized my post screw up below. I meant to say that the Toyota Matrix is identical to the Pontiac Vibe - I guess some of you knew what I meant.</p>
<p>Unless you need four wheel drive…that Impreza’s mileage will be pathetic compared to other small cars. We are looking at the Hyundai Elantra for our next car purchase.</p>
His current summer car is an M5 that is outfitted with all the Dinan ‘stuff’. He’s had a few Porsches - both 911s and Boxsters. A few others he’s had that you might also have enjoyed - the old 6 series BMW coupe, an Audi Allroad, a Mini Cooper S, those are the ones I can think of offhand. He loves cars and he rewards his hard work in this way. He doesn’t usually keep them more than a few years, but he sure does enjoy his cars. And yes, he prefers a manual. I’m the boring one who drives the automatic SUV.</p>