Thank you so much for all of the great information. You've brought up some things that I never would have known or thought of. I didn't know that the short commute is hard on the engine (especially a diesel). It makes sense though since in the winter my engine is just getting warm as I pull into the parking garage.

I'm going to narrow my search to some of the cars you've suggested and look closely at the condition. I'm not concerned with color, anything is fine as long as the car looks and drives great.

I'll be checking in to see what I can learn from everyone's posts and thanks again for the help!!

Melanie