I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. I don't really want to sink anymore money into my current GTP. It has 177k miles on the original motor, trans and s/c, every single body panel has a sizable dent/rust on it (neither front door opens all the way because they're catching the fenders), and the driver side rocker panel has COMPLETELY rusted through (which was the kiss of death for me). Needless to say, I feel dumping any amount of money to keep this thing going (and it currently needs a lot of things to be reliable/safe, including a COMPLETE suspension overhaul) is throwing money down the drain at this point. SO, I desperately need another car, BUT.....I just got laid off my job of 17 years.......AGAIN.....so funds are very limited. That's why I applied, and luckily got approved for a Citi Dividends card with $0 annual fee, 0% interest for 18 months and a $6k limit, so my goal is to put the purchase of the new car on the card if possible (dealer should be easy, obviously harder with a private seller unless they're willing to take PayPal). This way, I have 18 months of interest free payments, during which time, I can hopefully land a decent paying job. So I'm shopping for another car, but am having some trouble finding one that fits all my current needs. My budget is $5kish (might go a bit higher for the right car, but don't want to max out a brand new card right away). I need something that is:
A. At least an '01, or newer (would prefer my new car not be older than the car it's replacing)
B. Has some room inside (either a midsized+ with trunk space, or a wagon/hatch) because I will be doing a lot of junkyarding with it.
C. Gets as good MPG or better than the GTP (for the same reason as above).
D. Reliable (I understand this will be an older car, and things will break, but the less often they're known for doing so, the better).
E. Relatively cheap/easy to fix/find parts for.
F. At least SOMEWHAT decent looking. I know you can't get all the above into a jaw-dropping body style, but I at least want something I don't mind looking at everyday.
I know, I know. It's a pretty tall order to cram all this into one car, let alone one that's around $5k, but there's got to be SOMETHING out there that will work. Of course, my first preference is another '01 GTP Special Ed, but they're hard to come by period, let alone in clean condition and low mileage. So I thought about an '03/'04 Pontiac Vibe (yes, I kinda don't mind how they look), but from what I've found, they're a bit more expensive for the year than I anticipated. Otherwise, everything else fit the bill. I've been tossing around the idea of possibly an '04/'05 Saab 9-3 or 9-5. Found a few nearby that are priced pretty damn cheap for the year/miles, but I'm just worried about cost of maintenance/parts with those. The top contender at the moment is the Mazda Protege5. I will most likely be taking a look at this one shortly:
2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 AUTOMATIC LEATHER NO RUST CLEAN IN AND OUT
I was hoping for under 100k miles, but we'll see what condition it's in. I don't know too terribly much about Mazdas of this era. I know there were some crank walk issues for certain years of a certain Mazda motor, but I don't recall which. Having talked to a few people about them already, they're supposed to be pretty reliable.
Anyway, any input on that car, or any other suggestions are more than welcome and appreciated.
Originally Posted by sLpGPGT
Doesn't list anything about the Focus.
tell her go big or go home aka EVO 
