get a civic coupe, der small and girls look cute in em, besides its reliable and great gas mileage!

Look at a Saturn. They are made in the US and great on gas. They are cheap to insure and reliable.

get a corolla or a civic there small get good mileage and affordable if your looking for a car wich uses less gas i suggest a prius

I recommend a Toyota Corolla. It’s nice looking, it has zip, and it will run forever…

also 38 miles per gallon

Dependable: Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic,
Little: Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit,
Not Expensive: Yaris, Fit, Civic
Safe: All above cars have standard airbags, and standard ABS, but you must be aware that no matter how safe they may be, it is not guaranteed in a collision with say a Hummer or a big Benz, you just can’t deny the laws of physics. Good luck on your new car!

I would truly invest in a Saturn (well, to be honest, I have invested in a saturn!) They are extremely safe, the Ion I have came standard with side curtain airbags as well as both passenger and driver airbags. They are very affordable (Only paid 15 grand for mine brand new), and very cute as well. Before I got the Saturn I have now, I drove a saturn L-Series wagon. I was involved in an accident, t-boned a guy going about 40 mph (it was his fault, he ran a red light!), and I suffered nothing but a big case of the willies and some sore muscles!!! Good luck on your search, I’m glad you are bringing your dad with you.

Hi, Stay with a Honda or a Toyota you can’t go wrong with those 2 picks.
poppy1

stay away from the imports the repair bills are outragous

If you’re gonna keep it for a long time, I’d stick w/ japanese brands. Theyre a lot more reliable than any domestic cars.
Too bad you’re not specific w/ the budget, but since you consider an 05/06 I assume yo want something in the $15k range. Here are some choices:
Scion tC is exactly what I’d get. looks pretty good, great reliability (it’s made by toyota), safe and solid. It’s quite cheap as Toyota create this brand for younger buyers (around $16k new, ‘06 cost around 10-12k). The only downside I can think of is its acceleration is a bit slow.
Honda Fit is the new hotness on my campus, girls just love the cute looks. It’s amazingly roomy, decent safety feats, and as far as I know it gets 30mpg in city driving. It’s practically a brand new model (’07), but it cost just about $15k new, so I think you can get a used one for about $12-13k. However I dont recommend it if you’re planning to drive long distance a lot, as its small size makes it hard to handle at the interstates.
Honda Civic, it has great reliability record. Handling and safety are also tops. The real downside is they cost much more than other brands, and it’s not a good car for the very tall or short. Good for those in the 5″3-5″10 range imo.
Toyota corolla is a different story. If you’re tall I suggest you to avoid it, since the seats cushions are too short even for me (I’m 5″7). Quality and reliability comparable to Civic, price is slightly cheaper. You can negotiate a good deal since this model is due for replacement soon.
One more alternative is Mazda 3. Good quality, cheaper than both Corolla and Civic, and decently dependable. Also very popular on my campus. a slight minus: the engine is noisier and drinks a bit more fuel than the others.

Stay off the american cars, period. Forget what others say about how cheaper it is to maintain. Reliability and resale value are so bad you’ll lose more $$$ in the end . European imports aren’t recommended either, due to its poor reliability and really expensive maintenance.

Hope this helps. Goodluck on your search w/ your dad. Good thing to do so you can leave the tough job negotiating price up to him