I am in the market for a budget priced car with lowest miles possible.Currently, $4200 is about my maximum budget (plus tax, even on private party sales, title fee, registration, etc) but I am looking to save up more in the next several months so I won't be on as tight of a budget as I am right now.

Initially I was browsing Craigslist for 03-08 Toyota Corollas which has some of the best non-hybrid MPGs available for the price (as well as Civic). Then when I discovered the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe with it's 30-31 hwy with a hatchback, with the same engine and transmission as the Corolla. It's great for economical hauling which I tend to do often, so I was considering that.

But now I am considering the Civic or Civic Hybrid as well. The price seems to be a bit lower than Corolla sedan (in some cases), as well as the miles put on them. The hybrids are also very value priced on the used market with 125k or less, often. The low end price spectrum without having a blown engine or transmission at 120k (lack of service!!) seems to be in the neighborhood of $4000-5000.

I mostly do city driving, but I also like to take long road trips, so upper 20s for city and low top mid 30s hwy is ideal for me. Hybrid miles are even better, of course; assuming the battery pack doesn't have bad cells.

I have done a small bit of research and from what I can gather, the Civic Hybrid is a slightly smaller engine that is capable of starting, running and driving the car unlike Ford and Toyota's hybrid systems. My source of this info is from: Can an older Hybrid run without its battery after it dies? - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums

I am handy enough mechanically and electrically, I'd be able to safely service the battery pack myself when/should it ever need it, but I also would like a hybrid that won't be crippled by a weak battery in case I don't have a few hundred dollars to buy new cells right away. I realize it won't get the same hybrid MPG. I also don't mind it being a weaker engine vs the standard Civic. My last daily driver car was a 1.0 3cyl Geo Metro and I drove it over 4500 miles last summer over a 2 week period, with a blown head gasket. So yeah, I don't demand big HP or anything fancy. But that car became too big of a money pit in the end, plus I had another vehicle I was losing money on in storage, which I sold yesterday. So now I'm car-free at the moment.

My current vehicle is an 1988 Honda Elite 250 scooter.. haha. As well as a fairly decent city bus system, at least in the daylight hours during weekdays and Saturdays. I'm on disability (non-physical in case anyone wonders how I can ride a scooter) so I don't need a true "daily" driver. I drive a car a few times a week at most when I have one and the typical drive is 100% city. A couple times a month I do highway driving but that's all.. unless I go on a longer trip of course. I might sell the scooter though, especially if I get a hybrid. Sure it gets 10-20 better than a Civic Hybrid in proper working condition but it's a seasonal vehicle. I got it after I sold my Geo and pulled the very low mpg camper van I just sold out of storage, which I drive once a week typically to keep it from getting ticketed (curb parked).

On the one hand, the regular Civic means less to go wrong (hybrid system) with MPG similar to a Corolla sedan.

On the other hand, if it's still derivable without the hybrid system working properly and still gets respectable MPG, I think the Hybrid might be a better choice for me since I would be capable of testing and replacing individual cells myself. When the hybrid system is working, it means much higher MPG.

Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?