Help me decide on a used car (>$10k)

[ripdog]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm looking to get a car in the near future, and I need some suggestions as to what makes/models I should look at. I want something that is decently nice - nothing fancy, but not a piece of crap. I want a manual transmission 4-door sedan. I live in Seattle, and will be buying the car here, then driving it to Chicago for school in September. I'm willing to spend up to $10k on it, but I wouldn't mind spending less than that. Here is a list of the makes/models that I have considered:

Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Suburu Legacy
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Mazda Mazda3

Which of those will be the best value, or what else should I look at? What about brands like Hyundai or Kia? What about Saturn? Lower insurance rates would be nice, as would higher gas mileage for the roadtrip.

I'm definately open to any suggestions. Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've been out of the car repair business for 5 years and am not up to date on what's good and what's junk anymore. From what I recall I would stay away from Mazda, especially their low end models. The Altima seemed like a decent car and will probably be less expensive than the Maxima. You can't go wrong with Honda IMO. I worked on a lot of Outbacks and they were nice enough. Looks like you've got a pretty good list there. I hear rumours that Hyundai has turned the ship around and is producing decent cars now, but that's hearsay. Happy hunting.