<prompt> Human: I am starting a 5 year PhD program in the fall and will need a car to make the 13 mile commute tofrom my apartment. I think this commute will be the bulk of my driving. I have a 30k stipend from my program for all five years and will be spending about 900month on my apartment. I have 15k total in savings. Should I use most of my savings and buy a used car? Would a 5 year lease be a better deal? I know there are probably other options as well, so I would appreciate any advice for procurement of a car. Many thanks in advance!  <response>: Would a 5 year lease be a better deal?noI would say get a used civic . You should get a decent one for 10k.Finance it if you have good credit. Put around 3000 down and pay the rest in very small amount. From my calculations :You need a car that will last you around 45-50k miles. It will be little more in than what most people here would agree on but if you want a car to last you 5 years and 45-50k miles, i would say a 10k civic is your best bet.I can help you find them if you can post your zip code. 