re: car stuff
@Draekos I would teach you manual if I was nearby. :(
The Civic is great. New model is out this year which might make used ones of the old body style cheaper. The Fit is smaller/cheaper and also well-regarded.
The small Subarus are great options, too. The small Toyota hatchback I found to be uncomfortable, but YMMV. Hyundais are Fine. Kias are probably good, but dealerships are often terrible. I'd avoid the Ford hatchbacks because of issues with the automatic transmissions, though they're otherwise good.