Civics are like disposable razors. You don't want one, you just count on them to get you by. Buying a Civic brand new is dumb, since you can get an older one for 5-8K that will easily last you another 100K miles on top of what it has. Yes, Hondas have proven reliability, as well, but that fucking SI, even at 20K, is a decent deal, but a bad choice, since Hondas are always better off bought used. For 20-26K you can get a god damned Supra (best car ever, BTW) that will run just as long with Toyota reliability.

Gotta agree with Frankie, though, can't beat an old Chevy. Keeping it simple is the way to go.