I just graduated from university and need to purchase a first car to get to and from work. I have been looking for a car for about 2 months now and haven't found any that don't need a lot of repairs or have rust issues.
I am looking for a hatchback with good fuel economy as well as enough room to fit a bike or snowboard when you fold the seats down. Also it must have a manual transmission.
I have been looking almost exclusively at the Mazda3 Sport (2007-2009) because they are cheap to run and have lots of good features (heated seats, side airbags and an aux input), but they seem to have rust issues.
I have also considered the Subaru Impreza (2008+) and Audi A3, as other contenders, but they are a bit pricier and I am not sure about the reliability of the A3 (I am looking to spend around $12000).
So questions are, is it worth it to pay more for a car that has less issues? Or are all used cars a gamble most of the time? Beyond seems to have a pretty good sense of what is a good buy! Also if anyone has any other recommendations that I haven't considered I would love to hear them!