[jeff88]

Although a TDI (golf or jetta) would be nice, you also have to remember about being a diesel. Would your mom be ok with a diesel? If OK, then no issue there. The FE of a TDI would be great considering it's ~20MPG better than the Camry. But do the math for your Mom's driving totals and see if it makes sense for the price you find.

For your friend, maybe a manumatic, since she has just learned the "stick" it might be an easier transition to a manual later. I don't know about price though.

For you and your fiance, I would say the same as your Mom, with the TDI issue/non-issue. Between the base FE and some MODs you can do from EM, you can have a really super high mileage vehicle if you get the TDI. Have you considered an SUV? Maybe an Escape Hybrid? You can find them for cheaper than a leaf, but still get some pretty decent mileage (depending on how much city driving- if for errands and grocery shopping and the such, might be useful) and it has a nice amount of stowage space (again useful for errands). You can also look into converting it into a Plug-in, which cost-wise, the Escape and conversion will still be waaaaaaay cheaper than the Leaf. If you're still interested about the leaf, what about the Volt? Price-wise not much better, but still worth looking into.

Just FYI, if in your search you find a decent 8th generation Corolla (1998-2002), make sure it is not burning oil. Check the tailpipe to see if it is black. These engines are notorious for having too small and too few oil return holes and it messes up the whole thing. There are fixes, like replacing the pistons with an update from Toyota, which has bigger and more oil return holes, but that is obviously a lot of work and not something you want to do with a "new" car.

Just my thoughts, I'll probably have more later!...