TD/LR: I dislike cars and don't know much about them. I am looking for the best bang-for-buck commuter I can find. Reliability, low ownership costs and good mileage are my priorities. What should I buy?
All right guys, it is with no joy in my heart whatsoever that I come to ask for advice about buying a second car. For some background, I am a 28 year-old lawyer from Canada, and I have started living the mustachian dream about a year ago. I have been using 100% public transportation to commute to my present job, but have recently accepted a partnership offer from a firm less centrally located, which means public transportation is out of the question unless I want to dedicate more than 2 hours to it each way (which I really am not). Also, I easily cover 3-4 courthouses around the city, which makes not owning a car of my own a real PITA at times.
I presently share a leased (I know...) 2016 Kia Soul with my partner that we got before I saw the mustachian light. It is a decent car, but my partner has to use it AT LEAST 2-3x per week for work (she is also a lawyer working half from home, half from a firm that she can only get to by car). We will most likely carpool whenever we can since my new office is located close to hers, but the fact that we could be stuck in long trials outside the city means I can't really depend on that.
I am therefore looking for car recommendations. I have about 40 km to do to get there, mostly highway, but we'll be moving closer to our firms at the end of this summer, cutting this commute at least in half. I don't particularly enjoy driving and see it as a huge waste of time - and cars are a huge waste of money to me - so I really don't mind a "boring" car. I would like to get good mileage on it since fuel has become quite expensive, and would like something very reliable that won't dry my emergency fund with repairs and the likes. Since this new partnership has a largely eat-what-you-kill type of compensation scheme, I am being (very) conservative basing my budget on my present income, which is around 4K$ a month net (80K$/year gross).
I have been looking at 3rd gen Prii liftbacks (2010+), but find it hard to believe how expensive they are (16K$+). Another option is a 2010+ Matrix, which also seems like a decent buy. My only requirement is that being a rather large fella (6'1, 185 lbs), I feel very cramped in small hatchbacks (Fit, Imprezas, Prius C, etc.) For reference, the Soul is a great fit for me. How many km/miles should I go for on a used car? I plan on keeping it for at least 5 years if possible.
Thanks a lot guys, looking forward to hear your advice.
Cheers,
-M