Kalshane, have you looked at Consumer Reports? I tend to buy Toyotas by default at this point (the Corolla is my third Toyota in 20 years), but the 2013 Corolla we bought last year was rated very well by CR.

Also, the best price we found was at Hertz. Their price is generally lower than any dealer, and they don't haggle. (They will give you the hard sell on an extended warranty, though.)

I wish I could help with any of that, Kalshane, but I have no idea.

Lots of Dad~ma, msbelle.

In my head, I like rum. Cheap rum has a plasticky taste or aftertaste that I don't care for, and lately I have been detecting the same flavor in better rums, so maybe I don't actually like rum. IDK. It seems so appealing, somehow, it's hard for me to accept the possibility that I don't actually like the taste. Anyway, as far as flea's buying some goes, I recommend splurging on something fairly expensive because in my limited experience you can definitely taste the difference, but I have no specific recommendations. juliana needs to weigh in on this.

Election cake sounds good but also like too much work. I will stick with my Nasty Woman cocktail.

Kalshane, my DH is a car reviewer. I just emailed him. I'll let you know his answer when I get it.

I'd think a last gen Ford Fusion would be pretty good. A little older than what you'd be looking for, they made them up to 2012. It had a reputation for being reliable and they should be a lot cheaper than a used Honda or Toyota.

I've heard Hyundai Sonatas hold up pretty well too and they depreciate enough to have good used prices.

A Honda Accord or Toyota Camery are great choices, but I've found that used ones can be sorta expensive.

It was actually more expensive to buy a slightly used Civic than it was to buy a new (last one of last year's model) one when we got a new car for my wife.

This is the time to buy last year's cars for cheap, right? Or is it already too late for that? (NB: everything I know about buying and selling cars I learned from one episode of This American Life.)

I've love to replace my car with a slightly used Mazda 6 when the miles eventually catch up with it (it has 205,000 miles now), but I fear it will be hard to find one at a decent price.

This is the time to buy last year's cars for cheap, right? Or is it already too late for that?

I think the best deals come in a couple months, especially with the new model year is visually distinct from the old one.

Kalshane--here is what my charming spouse said: If they're looking for a used midsized car, you can't go wrong with Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. Boring and appliance-like, but perfect for people who don't care about "performance driving" and just want reliability and safety.

There are a million questions to ask to make a better recommendation, but that's a pretty safe answer.

everything I know about buying and selling cars I learned from one episode of This American Life

Oh, I listened to that one, I think. Buy on the last day of the month!