My husband and I are looking for a cheap but reliable 2nd car. We've
found the resale value of VWs (our first choice) to be kinda high, so
we thought we might check out Hondas. We need to fit 2 adults, 2
dogs, and a baby potentially, so that means 4 doors.

So, first, would the Civic be sufficient (one dog is a greyhound!), or
would we need to look only at Accords?

Second: how young of whichever is recommended can we get for around
$2000 through private sale, with A/C, manual trans, dual front airbags
and 4/5 doors, that will last about a year, year and a half? If it
dies after that, it's ok, lol. But it has to be pretty reliable in
the meantime. Or is that a pipe dream? We really can't afford more,
seriously...

Anything else we should be thinking about/of?

Thanks for any info!

Kristen