It's official, the Banbury's are currently looking to buy their first new (and when I say new, I mean slightly used) car! Our top cars of choice are...
A) The Mazda 3 Hatchback 2006 or 2007- in Black, Dark Gray, or Silver

And B) The Subaru Outback 2005, 2006, or 2007 - in Black, Dark Gray, or Green

We are planning for the future, since we will be going to med school and won't have much cash flow coming in. We thought now is the best time to get a car(since we're both working)that will last us through med school and residency. So of course we want one in top condition with low mileage. Oh and it needs to last us awhile without too many problems. We also are looking for a more roomy car where we could fit a few kiddies...and no I'm not pregnant for anyone wondering!..but I am planning on having a kid or two within the next 8 years. With those factors in mind, we've been leaning towards the Outback. But as far as looks go, I LOVE the Mazda 3 Hatchback. More sporty, but less practical in my opinion. It would be hard to fit car seats in there. But they are a little cheaper, but who knows how long it would last. We've heard lots of good things about Subarus.
On Sunday, we went for a little drive to check out what the local used car dealerships had, and we happened upon this little beauty...

She is a 2007 Subaru Outback 2.5I 5 Door Wagon. It was love at first sight! We tested the handle to the door and to our delight, she was open! We checked out the inside, it totally looked and smelled like a brand new car! We looked at the mileage, only 13,000! And we were surprised at how much we liked the silver! We got excited and planned to come back on Monday (yesterday) to test drive it.
We came back on Monday for FHE to gave her a spin. She rides great, especially compared to old Buela! For anyone who doesn't know, Buela is our current car, a '96 Pontiac Grand Am. She's been so great to us, but she's beginning to get arthritis and we don't know how much longer she will be with us. We figure we can trade her in to help with the down payment.
So anyway, this is totally new to both of us and a wee bit scary. We've never spent this kind of money on anything before! The dealership gave us an offer which is within our price range and they said the offer would be on the table for a few days. So we're thinking about it right now. We asked about the history of the car, just to make sure it was clean. Apparently the lady that traded it in only traded it in because she had to. She had another kid and couldn't fit everyone in the car anymore, so she traded the Subaru for a mini van. Hence why it's in such good condition and the mileage is so low.
So what do you think??? This is our first car purchase so any advice from you more experienced car buyers would be great!