We’re pretty happy with the Yaris we bought this summer. It’s just cheap, reliable transportation, mind you, but that’s what we wanted.
Sailboat
My sister had a Jetta wagon TDI and it’s a very nice car. Smooth and quiet inside, and reasonably economocal on (diesel) fuel.
I would’ve loved to get a diesel VW (most likely the Golf), but they were just outside my price range, sadly, why does no one make an inexpensive small diesel car for U.S. consumption, I want a cheap diesel commuter, and diesel VW’s hold their value too well on the used market…
hopefully I can break the mythical 35+MPG City barrier and the 200,000+ miles barrier in the Ion, I plan to drive the wheels off it…
Oh, also I should mention that a manual transmission is practically a requirement, and I will pay more for it if I have to. I have never had an automatic other than a Suzuki Sidekick that I owned for a few months. I’ll never own one again, if I can help it.
Brendon Small
I have a previous generation (1998-2002) Corolla, automatic though. It’s been dead-reliable, and it’s easy to work on. The interior is comfortable in a cushy sort of way. To me the interior looks somehow like a shrunken version of a family car rather than a small car. The Corolla has a soft suspension which gives it a nice ride for a small car. The engine is decent.
With that kind of commute, you want to make sure you get a car that drives well at high speed on the highway. My Corolla has a floaty feel and light steering that makes it seem a little unstable. It isn’t really fun to drive at more than about 75 mph. You want something that is good and stable on the highway, and also it should have decent sound insulation so the drive is pleasant.
CR doesn’t care for the Yaris, and CR generally loooove any Toyota products. :dubious: Plus, you get the fun of being butfucked by a Toyota salesman. :rolleyes: 
Toyota has slipped in reliability recently, (per CR) but they are still very good there. Just not the design of the Yaris.
New, cheap and reliable means the Honda Fit (as per **ShadowFacts **and DoctorJ) , and maybe the Saturn Astra, although that one’s pretty new. I personally don’t like the Ion, even though I have been a Saturn fan in the past. That center mounted console… 
VW’s are no longer reliable.
They don’t allow many diesel cars in the US due to the sulphur problem. This may change in a year or two. Note I said *CARS. *Not trucks. CARS.
Hyundai has acceptable reliabilty and an excellent warrenty. However, I have heard it is very hard to get the cheaper models.
Pretty new? I’m pretty sure it hasn’t even started selling yet, and when it does, it won’t be for under $10k.
Of course, I guess since it’s a completely brand new model on a completely brand new platform, probably with an entirely new engine, and made by GM, it must be very reliable. :dubious:
No offense to the OP, but if your current car has been in 3 accidents already, ignore all the imported subcompacts and buy a domestic mid-sized car. You’re just not going to get a good deal on small Japanese cars, that high resale value works against you if you’re buying used. Any of the later model GM W-platform cars should be OK, as long as you go with a 3800 Series II V6 engine. These engines have a nasty reputation for leaking coolant into the intake because of a defective intake manifold, and their resale value is in the gutter. This is good for the informed used car buyer, because the problem is actually quite easy to fix as long as it hasn’t already occurred, for a few hundred dollars, by replacing the manifold with an improved after market piece. Otherwise, they are quite reliable and much more comfortable and better appointed than what you can get for the same money in a Japanese car. Parts are cheap at any junkyard since there’s a gazillion of them floating around. Just make sure to avoid the 3.2 and 3.4l V6s, as these have even more reliability problems.
If you MUST get a small car, go for the Dodge/Plymouth Neon or a late model Ford Focus. Both are tired old designed that date from 10 years ago, and have no real problems with reliability that haven’t already been solved. Both are also some of the best handling small cars on the market, and again, the cliff-face depreciation on these works in your favour as a used car buyer.
I’m not so sure about either the Focus or Neon for a fellow Snowbelt driver, I’ve never had good luck with ford, so at least for me, that rules out the Focus, and the Neon, well, lets just say my long-term impressions of it were documented in my “My car is starting to piss me off” thread a few weeks back
Cliffs Notes version;
due to a combination of two years in Vermont (and their heavily-salted winter roads), incompetent mechanic, and an uncaring dealership/chrysler corp. my Neon’s “Subframe” had basically rotted out from under me
the cause was a combination of winter road salt exposure, and a poorly designed air conditioner condensation drain hose, the drain hose drained right onto the Subframe, continuously exposing it to water, and yes, I had the undercarriage of the car washed regularly during Vermont winters
If you’re considering a Neon, make sure to keep this flaw in mind, you need to get the underbody washed during winter religiously, and see if you can get the A/C drain hose rerouted