Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, or VW Rabbit???

okay, so yes. VW is more expensive to maintain, but the drive is the best, and they're reliable asl ong as you keep up with the maintenance. Not to mention they keep amazing resale value.

I think its down to the VW Rabbit and the Honda civic. The sentra has sloppy steering and the corolla is soulless to drive.

it all comes down to your preference- a car with a bit more upscale engine (rabbit) or the economy car that'll get you through the recession (civic)

Out of these four I would rate:

1 - Civic

2 - Corolla

3 - Sentra

4 - Rabbit

Too bad about the Rabbit - maybe the best driver of the four and has the nicest interior, but you are right about it being more expensive to maintain, and it also has the worst mileage of these four.

If the versatility of the hatchback appeals to you, consider a Scion xB. It might be ugly, but it's very functional, and well within your budget, with Toyota reliability. A bit bigger and not as good on gas though. It depends what your needs are.

Other good hatches - Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Corolla Matrix (and it's Pontiac Vibe twin)

That's a matter of personal opinion. Have you driven these? I would recommend all but the Rabbit. You may use the following websites to further guide your decision:

www.fueleconomy.gov

www.crashtest.com

As for your final decision, test drive each and see which feels best behind the wheel and is most appealing to you. All three are great cars.

I love Corollas but i got a new Chevy Malibu for same as the Corolla. It gets 26 mpg and works great. The fun part is that it has the radio controls on the steering wheel..

Sentra because it's different and everyone has Civics and Corollas...Rabbit has bad reliability. I read somewhere that VW was the worst in reliability and customer satisfaction in 2006.

VW sucks.

Sentra, Civic, Corolla

Civic or Corolla. They're both good and different, so I would test drive both, which should make your choice clear.

The Rabbit might be attractive if you could get your hands on (ie, wait for) one like this:

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/03/revealed-volksw...

all good cars except for the vw rabbit, i would go with the honda civic by far the most reliable and best resale value period

civic. if you're willing to buy a used car, which you should be, get a 2006 or 2007 civic si. they're faster, and are worth the money. you can get used ones with like 20,000 miles for $20,000 or less. get a stick shift though

all are good cars except for the vw rabbit.I would go with the toyota corolla by far the most reliable and best resale value period.