Thanks, Onkel, I believe that is pretty sound advice.

A few years back, a friend of mine who is much shrewder and more pragmatic than I, had to find himself a car. His first choice was the Mazda5, second, the Toyota Matrix/Vibe. He had to settle for his third choice, which was a 2-year old '07 Ford Focus Wagon. It had most of the high trim options - A/C, leather, etc., for the price.

Purchase price would be an important consideration for me too, so would have to keep that in mind. Will, shop around via the net for BMW-5 and Golf/Jetta, but will depend on condition, price and availability.

As you say, and I've also read, the reliability of the Caliber is mainly in the "nickel and dime" stuff - well, brakes, axles and suspensions. I have changed the front strut on my Volvo - even swapped the coil spring, and done the brakes, so could even tackle the ball joints & lower arms. Better heavy-duty parts?

As we have been discussing in previous posts, the FWD killer comes when serious engine work is involved, like manifold, timing belt, clutch, which may involve pulling out the whole drive assembly.

Must still try to get my 744 back on the road, if only to prove a point.
-Omar