I'm basically being forced into buying a new car... My current one is on it's last leg and I need to seriously consider something soon... By budget is no more than 12,000... I'm a teacher that drives an hour round trip everyday so gas is a factor too... Any suggestions of good used makes and models to look for? And does anyone know if any car companies offer a discount On new car to teachers? If so I might consider bumping up my budget for a good deal... Thanks!

2006-07 Toyota Corolla. Will fit right into your budget. Very reliable car. Try and find a LE model.

Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission. Follow these maintenance suggestions and you will go 300,000 miles:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563.html#post219991

Have the car completely inspected, by a qualified mechanic, before buying. After purchase, have all of the fluids changed; i.e. engine oil & filter, transmission fluid, coolant, brake fluid, clutch fluid, and power steering fluid. Start a Maintenance Log--Date, Mileage, Work Performed.

This should also help:

Making your car last, pick a car for the long run (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/tires/making-your-car-last-10-07/pick-a-car-for-the-long-run/200k-long.htm)

Whatever car you buy, if you know nothing about them, take someone along who does ! If the garage offers a warranty, ask for a copy first and read it. Some warranties are amlst worthless. If the dealer tries to sell you an extended warranty, you may be able to buy a better/cheaper warranty from an independent source?

As for the actual car, look here:-
Used car reviews from Consumer Reports (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/index.htm)

I hope this helps.

As said above... anything Toyota... those cars are near impossible to blow up, trust me, we have tried! :D

We have a Toyota Starlet at the moment, it's so economical and it's getting on in years and still runs like a dream.

I was also going to recommend a Toyota Corolla. If you're into a manual transmission, go for it! They're a lot of fun to drive too.

Oh yeah!! Add that to my Corolla recommendation. 25143

I use this site when looking at vehicles I am not familiar with. Car Reviews (http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews.html) Just type in the model and year.

Your title says "Girl" looking for first car. There are a lot of guys that aren't mechanically inclined also.