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not meaning to insult the OP. can you even afford to insure, maintenance & gas up your car? Leave a good budget for these things.
When he's looking for a long lasting cheap used car for around $1000 i doubt he's had much experience with vehicle ownership.. My recommendation for our op is to take the bus for a few more years.
If you buy a new car like Honda civic is it easy to transfer the contract to someone else? I wish I could buy a long lasting cheap used car around $1000 but I need a at quick a don't have the money and it's hard to save that money.
What would be better deal, Hyundai Elantra or Honda Civic?
Maybe you should save your money and try finding a clue.
I think that the situation is being approached backwards. Much like relocation threads where people ask what type and price range of house that they can buy/rent for a budget in whatever city, it would help if the OP could post what they want/need in a car and a reasonable budget. That would give people a starting point to recommend various vehicles that may be available in the OP's local marketplace. CL is one source, and sometimes not the best, but there are other ways to seek out a specific car, such as from a repair facility that specializes in a particular make, etc.
If I were looking for a good, inexpensive tank, I would actually look to older Volvos. You are going to have an issue with the RWD in winter, so you will need snow tires; however, the old 240-series are tanks, that are generally easy to repair. Parts availability should not be too much of a problem, although you might talk to a Volvo specialist, such as one out on 7 Mile Road where someone I know from the Detriot area took their Volvo. You should find some Volvos around Ann Arbor, as the demographics are right, and you may find one that has been owned by one family, though perhaps not one driver. The FWD Volvos can have a few more issues, especially in the early years, when the 850 was released. Not all are problematic, however, especially if they have been maintained, with timing belt changes, fuel pumps, etc. You need to look slowly, and deliberately at these vehicles, and watch for rust on the 240s. The early XC models were problematic, especially the AWD components, whereas the FWD counterparts had better reliability. The S80 was very bad when introduced, hence why there are cheap examples for sale.
Other vehicles that would be good bets, overall, again not without problems, but generally few known issues would be the Pontiac Bonneville/Buick Park Avenue/Oldsmobile LS -- avoid the supercharged engine in these vehicles. Lincoln Town Cars/Mercury Grand Marquis/Ford Crown Victoria can also be reliable, but need snow tires because of RWD -- no fleet service or former police cars, instead try to find one from a retiree.
When looking at a lower price range, it is false economy to look only at economy cars because of the cost of fuel. A vehicle that needs more frequent repair, or one that needs immediate repair, is more expensive, overall, than a "guzzler" of a tank that uses a bit more gas. And, you can mitigate the gas expense by driving responsibly, too, as you can get mid-20s on the highway with a Town Car, and around 16 around town without too much fuss, just drive slow and easy. Insurance cost will also be less on a large vehicle that has fewer losses when compared with smaller cars that may lack advanced safety features.
It's very hard to look at an ad and recommend a car, but easier when people can direct you as to what to look for with specific vehicles. There's nothing as expensive as an impulse buy of a cheap car.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I wouldn't put either in the category of "cheap new car". The base model two-door Civic coupe with no options has an invoice price of over $16K. The Elantra starts at about the same (though the base model Elantra is a four-door sedan).
Cars like the Spark, Yaris and Aveo that start around $12K.
Both Honda and Hyundai have lower priced models and consider the Civic and Elantra a step up.
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