My dad's 2000 Explorer XLT is about to hit 170K miles. He has done no drivetrain work or any mechanical work besides a clogged IAC. The Taurus is upto 110K miles and the Contour is upto 56K. None have had any major mechanical work. The Taurus had a leaky coolant tank and the heater does not work very well, but the drivetrains are great.
Honestly, a Civic hybrid is a waste of money. Buy a regular Civic. Honda's hybrid system is much more wasterful than Toyota's. But I think 32 MPG is very impressive for my V-6 automatic, don't you? Considering I paid only $6K for a car with 38,000 miles allowed me to set aside a lot of money for repairs, none of which I have had to do anyway. Do you think I made a bad decision?
If you really want something, go find a late model 626 4-cylinder with a 5-speed. Just got one not too ago for my girlfriend and it's a great car. It has 131K miles and it drives like it's nearly brand new.
