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I think maybe I need to read Consumer Reports some more? (I used to read them a lot years ago and was pretty well versed on what brands/models tended to be reliable.)
Yes I'm still looking around for a Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix. I also have looked at small SUVs like the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox etc, typically I find they are priced higher than small cars (no surprise). My wife wants a minivan or a small SUV if we can't get a Vibe/Matrix (otherwise I figured we'd "settle" for a Civic/Corolla). Today I came across someone wanting $3500 (KBB says $3000 even) for a 2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor with 150,000 miles, all works except they sealed the sunroof shut on it. I haven't looked at it yet. It has front-wheel drive vs all-wheel drive, which I actually prefer as I don't do any off-roading and I figure simpler means less complexity and thus better reliability and lower costs when you do have to repair.
I had forgotten about Mitsubishi, previously I used to read that they tended to score well in tests and tended to be rather reliable much like a Toyota/Honda/Nissan, if not quite as much so, still they were much better than the US made models most times. (They used to make small cars/trucks for Chrysler and they tended to test out well and get good reliability scores.) I had a friend in college who had a Mitsubishi Galant and it actually compared favorably to the Toyota Camry/Honda Accord at the time, they tend to be one of the ones somewhat forgotten about compared to Toyota/Honda/Nissan (Subara/Mazda sometimes seem to be forgotten about as well).
That was years ago, however. Is that still somewhat the case? If it is I figure this could be something of a bargain (to get a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV-4 or even a Ford Escape for that much you typically have to get something like a 2001 and with 250,000 miles on it). They do have a presence here, I do see Mitsubishi models in passing fairly often and there is a dealership which sells them, so I could get parts OK I figured.
As a side note, sometimes I see people selling Chrysler minivans for low but my experience with them is that they are absolute nightmares in terms of having to be repaired all the time, someone I know used to buy them and every single one they got had issues, they now have a 2002 or 2003 Chevrolet Ventura and while I wouldn't regard that as being as good as a Toyota Corolla/Honda Civic, it has sure done a lot better than their Chrysler models did.
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