>I'd recommend that your friend also consider a plain old DX
>2.0 liter Camry with a 5 speed manual transmission if you can find one.
>They'll get 35-40 mpg on the highway on regular unleaded gasoline and the
>engines are nearly bullet-proof.  I've had two with 200+ thousand miles on
>them.  The most recent, an 89', turned 282,000 miles and, other than regular
>oil changes with Castrol, required only 4 sets of new tires, 3 mufflers, and
>one starter.  That's it - I never even changed the timing belt (as I
>understand, it's a non-interference engine - if the timing belt breaks,  it
>just stops and doesn't trash your valves like a Honda).  While the Camrys
>don't have personalities nor are they as fun to drive as a Golf or a Westy -
>they sure are reliable.

Better yet, go for a manual diesel 2.0 Camry (avoid a turbodiesel). Oops,
you don't get diesel Toyotas there... too bad.

From my own experience (QSR31 Skyline), that of a friend (Cefiro/Maxima
3.0) and taxi owners (Bluebird 2.0 gas & diesel), Nissans lack long-term
reliability...electrical faults, engine wear, transmission problems). Most
Toyotas are rock-solid.

Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin, New Zealand
ph   64 (3) 473-8863
fax 64 (3) 479-7527
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
www.goingplatinum.com/member/vw1
www.highyieldcrusaders.ws/ref.html?ref=vw
www.aciimoney.com/index.shtml?vw1
VW & Toyota vans, Toyota diesels and Macintoshes rule