Hey all! I've done a fair amount of research on what I want, but I still want more opinions on my situation to make sure my decisions make sense. This will be the first real car I buy. I've provided a lot of info on my situation and thought process; please let me know what you think I should do!

I'm young, married, and my wife and I have up to $25,000 to buy a car. I have good credit and could finance if needed, but with current rates it doesn't seem worth it. We want to buy one and keep it for a long time, and I plan to keep up on maintenance religiously to make that happen, now that I know a lot more about autos.

We're pretty much only considering Toyotas and Hondas, because it seems like they have the reputation of being far more reliable long-term than other manufacturers, especially with proper maintenance. New Corollas are within our price range, and new Civics bumping up along the edge. Slightly used and potentially certified vehicles may be a better choice, but we're not sure.

While right now I drive very little monthly, since we plan to keep it long term, a hybrid is also something we've considered. It would be more expensive up front and perhaps take longer to break even than usual because of my low mileage, so I'm not totally sold on it. If I drove considerably more than I currently do I'd almost certainly want a hybrid, but I don't think it's right for me right now.

My car (2017 Chevy Sonic LS) just hit 100k and needs the timing belt replaced, in addition to being moderately unreliable because it's been in an accident and I and the previous owner did not keep up with maintenance. I don't anticipate being able to sell it for much, and I'm not sure if it's worth it to get the repair done before selling if I'm buying soon.

As far as timing of when I should buy, I've seen that with dealership incentives and whatnot it may make more sense to wait until closer to the end of the year, because salesmen may be more willing to go low to get another sale, but I don't know. If you guys have any particular insight on that side of things, I'd love to hear it!

Thank you for reading; please give me your honest opinion on what I should do! Specifically, I'm looking for opinions on if I should get the timing belt replaced on my current car, when I should aim to buy the car, and if it should be new or slightly used, or even something else! Thank you for your time!