Used Cars: used car purchase, honda civics, vw jetta

Question
QUESTION: OK, maybe this is a stupid question. I am planning to trade in my '94 Nissan Pathfinder with 153k miles. It is a good car, runs great but I use 4wd about once a year and I want something fuel efficient. I start a new job in a couple weeks and I need a good commuting car - 30mpg.

So far I have test drove a couple Ford Focus and Honda Civics. I am looking for something younger than 2000 with less than 75k miles or so, and less than $10k.

I guess my problem is that I have spent so much time looking at cars online that I have confused myself. I don't know if I want a Honda Civic, VW Jetta, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus...my mind is turning into mush.

So my question is do you have any thoughts or recommendations? Year 2000 or greater, <75k miles, <$10k, 30mpg, what is the best bet?

Thanks in advance.

Mike

ANSWER: Well you are definetly headed in the right direction.  The Hondas and Toyotas are the over all best bang for the buck.  The VW's are good cars, but you pay for the name, and you could get more value purchasing a honda or toyota.  The Focus' are ok, but they are not even close to a Honda or Toyota.  If you could find a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla within your guidelines, you will be doing just fine.  As with any purchase I recommend you have the car checked out by a reputable mechanic, and run a carfax report on it before purchasing it.  Once you narrow your choices and do all of the above, just go with your gut feeling about a car, because one thing is for sure, if you dont like it, dont buy it.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks. That's about what I was thinking but it's good to hear another opinion. What about Hyundai, Kia etc. Do you have any opinion on these cars. I saw something online that said Hyundai was a good reliable car. But I am somewhat dubious...

Answer
Believe it or not, they really havent been that bad of cars.  They usually do pretty good gas mileage, and are decent on the reliable end of things.  Now, they have yet to achieve the status and reputation of a Honda or Toyota, they just aint built as well.  You can generally tell the difference in the material ie: seats, dash, windows and such.  They will have a little more road noise, wind noise and the ride will not be as good as a Honda or Toyota.  Kinda the ol rule of thumb, you get what you pay for, and I would definetly pay more for the Honda or Toyota.