I bought my 2005 Mustang in 2007 and it is the best car I've ever owned. I recommend getting one that's not a GT; it's 6-cylinder rather than the Mustang's usual 8, so it's better on gas but good grief is it still an awesome car to drive.

The Mustang is a long and skinny car, so you'd probably have plenty of leg room. You should test drive one to figure out if you fit in it well.

I only drive about 3 or 4 miles most days, with a weekly trip down to my mom's (about 40 miles) being most of the mileage on my car. Even with that, I fill up the tank about twice a month.

I paid less than 15K for it when it was two years old. AutoTrader.com is your friend.

This recent thread may help. . . .

We have an '08 Focus and I'd definitely recommend it for your needs.

I think the main thing you need to decide is whether your priority is for your car to feel sexy and fun, or whether it's a priority to get good mileage and have it meet your needs. Those are the two distinct car camps, pragmatic and emotional, and your choice totally depends on which domain is the more important to you right now.

If you Google "how to choose a car" you'll get lots of online apps that will winnow down your choice. The main things they'll ask are how many people you plan to transport regularly, whether any are children, how far you drive to work, how far you drive for fun, how much you're willing to pay per month, maybe your preferences on size and body type, and whether you care about gas mileage.

I'm sorry you've had bad experiences with used cars, or I'd recommend them. You get about $5K savings right off the bat going with a 2- or 3-year-old car with no maintenance issues for many years to come. There's a huge difference between a recent model, well-maintained car bought at a dealer that's been through an inspection and a hand-me-down or fly-by-night cash sale car. I've never bought a new car and would never consider it; the price premium for no added value, to me, is just insane.

I rented a Hyundai Sonata recently and was very impressed.

But, yeah, it's kinda nuts to buy a new car. A 2-3 year old "certified" used car purchased from a dealer who sells that same brand of new cars is almost exactly like buying a brand new car. You pay a premium for that comfort, but it's still better than buying brand new.

pragmatic and emotional
Well, we have applied a bit of both in our recent and ongoing search for a new car. We started off narrowing down in a purely pragmatic way and ended up with a list of about 10 cars that were possibilities. From there, sexiness and how attractive the car is on a visceral level took over as the deciding factors. It's pretty easy to narrow to that point if you set down purely practical parameters and stick to them. Then you can have fun deciding which of the short list meets your more personal needs.

It's pretty easy to narrow to that point if you set down purely practical parameters and stick to them. Then you can have fun deciding which of the short list meets your more personal need

True, excellent way of describing my actual approach. I guess the salient question is whether you start narrowing with pragmatic or with emotional.

I'm 6'6" and I drive a Focus C-Max. It's a car that's quite a bit higher. Which means I can sit up straight like a normal person. Quite roomy.
It seems that specific car is EU only at the moment (until 2011 it seems). But if room for tall people is important to you you should check out that type of model from another brand.
Of course the car is not sexy at all. So if that's what you're looking for get something else.

I guess the salient question is whether you start narrowing with pragmatic or with emotional.
True. I think, though, that if you start with a list of cars that are going to meet your needs, then work out which of those best fits your wants, you have a better chance of long-term happiness with your choice. Kind of like relationships, really ...

You should buy my truck.

Then I'd have no choice but to buy one of those '80s diesel Mercedes I've been daydreaming about. Biodiesel conversion, here I come.