I know what you mean. My very first car was totaled by the insurance company. When I went to pick up my stuff from it at the wrecking yard, I broke down crying.
Recommendations: most of my cars have been Subarus. If you don't want a mini-SUV like a Forester, the Legacy wagons are nice. Do some research, though- some of their wagons (like the Outback), at least in some model years, require/do much better on premium gas.
Something a bit more affordable would be a Ford Focus wagon. Lots of space in those.
ETA- re hybrids: do some research here, too. I've heard some troubling things about the batteries not lasting too long...
Also, unless you *like* dealing with used car salesfolk, I recommend CarMax. My current car and the one before it came from them, also monsteralice's current car. We've had a good experience with them all three times. Sure, you may not get the best price, but for us, the simplicity and lack of used-car-salesfolk behavior was worth it.
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I know what you mean. My very first car was totaled by the insurance company. When I went to pick up my stuff from it at the wrecking yard, I broke down crying.
Recommendations: most of my cars have been Subarus. If you don't want a mini-SUV like a Forester, the Legacy wagons are nice. Do some research, though- some of their wagons (like the Outback), at least in some model years, require/do much better on premium gas.
Something a bit more affordable would be a Ford Focus wagon. Lots of space in those.
ETA- re hybrids: do some research here, too. I've heard some troubling things about the batteries not lasting too long...
Also, unless you *like* dealing with used car salesfolk, I recommend CarMax. My current car and the one before it came from them, also monsteralice's current car. We've had a good experience with them all three times. Sure, you may not get the best price, but for us, the simplicity and lack of used-car-salesfolk behavior was worth it.