While it's probably a bit premature to be looking at cars, I've been looking through Goo-Net and CarSensor to see what sort of vehicles might be available for a decent price. I'm quite interested in having a bright yellow car made within the last decade for Ayumi and I to travel around in, and these sites allow people to filter on these important elements. Even when limiting results to these criteria, there are quite a number of possible options.
Option 1: Honda Fit
The Fit is a good-sized car with decent mileage. The back seats can be folded down to give Ayumi a lot of space to walk around in if we travel somewhere far. Prices are a bit higher than I am comfortable with, but deals can often be found for cars that have more than 100,000km on them.
Option 2: Honda N-Box
This is another Honda, but one with a much smaller engine. The N-Box is a Kei car, meaning it's powered by a 3-cylinder 660cc engine that puts out a maximum of 58 horsepower. While this may not sound like a lot, it's more than adequate for one human and one dog. Prices are more inline with expectations and, because it's a smaller vehicle, insurance may be a little cheaper at the same time.
Option 3: Daihatsu Mira e:S
Daihatsu makes some pretty reasonable Kei cars and, because they are affiliated with Toyota, replacement parts are generally available anywhere in the country. Bruce Willis used to be in the silly TV commercials promoting this car, too. What stands out about the Mira e:S, though, is the shade of yellow. It's not just yellow, but bright yellow. There would be no mistaking this vehicle in a parking lot for something else. Honda has a nice yellow, but it's a bit darker than what Daihatsu offers.
A five year old Mira is very reasonably priced and often comes with some decent features like a backup camera and sensors that warn you when too close to something. Given that I've not driven a car for quite some time, this could come in handy while getting reacquainted with the roads. Just like the N-Box, the rear seats can be folded down to give Ayumi a bunch of space to walk around while we're driving, too, which should help with her desire to not be in a little case while travelling. I'm sure she'd enjoy looking out the large windows, too.
There are a number of used car dealerships in the area so, if the weather is not too hot this weekend, the puppy and I may enjoy a longer-than-usual walk while considering the size and colours of vehicles.