to me, corolla would be the best. This is the No.1 selling car in U.S., besides it has 4 cyl on it and is very cheap on gas. It can run 36 miles on the highway and 26-27 on city. If you have enough bucks, go for the latest models, price is very practical. you will get value for your money. However, if you like speed and luxury, go for solara. I have a lancer 05, Corolla 07 and Honda pilot 03, among the three I owned, i like the corolla. to compare cars you like, read reviews in
http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/corolla/review.html.