Advice on what car

[veloman]

Thanks for the input.
I think I was lucky with my 97 Civic. When I bought it, had 112k miles and my brother who was a mechanic did all the major tune up work at once (serpentine belt, spark plugs, wires, and some other stuff). The only money I put into it was new batteries, new exhaust pipes (they rust out fast!), and regular maintenance. I sold it for $1200 less than what I paid, and having put 70k miles on it. A seriously good deal, I know. My wife has an 07 Focus and that thing seems to need a $500 repair job twice a year. I could not handle that, mentally. The quality on Ford seems quite lacking. Lots of little stuff breaking.

The 5th wheel electric drive is interesting, I could probably rig one of my scooter hubs to do it, but it will have so many issues. Just now I've been reading about the Civic hybrid's - they seem to do a good job at managing fuel consumption. Not being able to fold down the rear seats would limit my cargo carrying though.