New member with questions

[Jabberwalk]

I'm a new member, but have been lurking for a while. *Here's my situation and a couple questions:

I'm currently driving a '94 Geo Prizm that wasn't well maintained before I got it. *It gets mid-30's mileage without any fancy driving, but is nearing its last legs. *So I'm in the market for a used car to replace the Prizm within the next year. *Price range is $4,000 or less. *My mechanical skills are nil, but I'd like that to change, and I'd love to make some ecomods, starting with aerodynamics.

In the winter I commute about 25 miles per day round trip, two miles of it on a rough, steep dirt road and the rest on the highway. *Every spring I pack all my backpacking gear, climbing gear, some clothes, a couple musical instruments, *some books, tools, and maybe a kayak into/onto the car for transport from the coastal winter quarters to the summer job in the Sierras. *The job involves weekly trips over Tioga Pass (Yosemite NP, super steep, elevation 9940 ft) for supplies, and the Prizm handles it fine. I occasionally drive up I-5 to visit the family in Oregon. *It's pretty rare that I have more than one passenger.

I've been lurking this forum for a bit, and there seem to be several popular cars that are commonly discussed that are in my price range: Honda CRX (ideally HF), Honda Civic VX or Cx hatchbacks, Toyota Yaris, and Toyota Tercel (both the 4WD '80s hatchbacks and the '90s 2 door sedans).

So my questions are:
1) Are any of these cars burly enough to handle driving up steep mountain roads at high elevations with a bunch of gear? *Or will I be going 15 mph in 2nd gear the whole time? *How about potholed dirt roads? *What will the situation be if I swap out the top gear for lower cruising RPM? *

2) Are any of these particularly good for a beginner to maintain/modify? i.e. are they *simple, complex, finniky, parts hard to find, etc?

3) I really like the idea of a full boat tail mod. *Can this be done on a sedan? *The aerocivic.com mobile is a hatchback.

4) Anything else I should know? *Such as a different make/model to consider? *I don't expect to buy within the next 6 months, and would like to shop around for the right car, not just the most convenient one to buy.

Thanks a bunch, guys/girls. *I'm really looking foreward to hearing your thoughts!

[zonker]

i think a 99-02 mazda protege5 would fit the bill well.