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Seven feet tall!?! Dang. Consider a pick up or a no frills minivan. If you stay away from the 4-wheel drives and sport models they can be very affordable and economical. The only draw back is that all of your friends will want you to help them to move.
Avoid vehicles with sun roofs. They rob you of 1 to 3 inches of head room. My wife drives an Honda Accord and when I put the seat all the way back I can't touch the pedals. And I'm 6 ft tall. Unfortunately I rub my head on the sunroof rails whenever I drive it. Might be a posible fit without the sun roof, just stay away from the performance suspension package unless you like doing brake rebuilds.
Lets see...Chryslers have no head room except for their minivans or Jeep Wranglers, but they leak oil like a sieve. Old VW bugs have lots of head room but no leg room. Maybe the redesigned Saturn ION's now that they got rid of the ugly first series grill and basketball textured dash. Lots of room for a small car and cool, contra opening back doors. Then there is also the Saturn no haggle pricing and low pressure sales policy. When I bought my first Saturn, I had to go find the salesman. None of that rushing out to chat you up before you've even gotten out of the car. Reminds me of a shark smelling blood in the water. Seriously, good luck. It is very hard to buy a car and not come away with buyer's remorse. And remember-how do you know a used car dealer is lying to you? His lips are moving.

Get a Corolla!

ok ok, well I just wanted to second what Janna said about Toyotas being very reliable. I've only owned Toyotas. My first (a Corolla) was alrady 15 years old when I bought it, and I got a good few years out of it still. It was followed by a Starlet, another Corolla snd a Camry. Ok, the Starlet might be a bit of a squeeze, but how about a Camry?

Keep in mind that Marc is like 7' tall, Janna.

My brother is 6'5" and he can barely fit into my Ford Taurus, which is bigger than your average Toyota.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I'd really recommend you get a Toyota. My dad recently got a new car, since his other one was too old. It is more than 16 years old and still runs fine. There haven't been any expensive engine redos or anything. Sure, it looks like crap compared to modern styling, but it is as reliable as you're ever going to find. Just a thought

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

If there's something you like the look of BP, ask around. Either someone that owns that particular vehicle or knows of someone that has had one and maybe let you know if they're a good car, expensive and or hard to find parts for can be a real problem.

We bought a car(2nd hand) recently and doing the rounds of the car yards was scarey!
The car salesmen were your typical "I'll throw in my mother if it'll help make you buy this car" sort of people, I felt like I needed a shower after every new car yard
Tell the salesmen to go away (nicely of course) and YOU take a look around yourself first and then if you find something you want to know more about you can "summon" the salesman and he'll be all over you like a rash

If you've got a friend that knows alot about cars, take them along with you on your search, they will know what to look for that you may not even think of like rust spots, oil leaks under the car and bonnet.

Take your time and don't rush into it BP, good luck and I hope you find a good one

Great list Dolf - Two more things - each car manufacturer has different original warranties, some up to 10 years. If you consider this as well, some repairs will be covered for a longer period as the warranty is usually transferrable. So ask about that. Also once you get the vehicle, be sure to have the recommended maintenance performed when it's needed to extend the life of the vehicle.

First, do your finacial research. Find out exactly how much you can spend. Don't forget to figure in tax, tags and insurance. Stick to your budget. One of the first things a salesman is going to pump you for is how much you are willing to spend. They will then try to steer you to a slightly more expensive model in hopes of getting you to finance more because that is where they make the money.
Next, do your automotive research. Go sit in some new cars to see what fits. Unless the model has been greatly redesigned, it will fit about the same as a model a couple years older. You get more leg room in big sedans, pick-ups and odly enough, small 2-doors (their seats usually go back further). Headroom is another matter.
To determine value and dependability go to the magazine rack or the web. Consumer Reports is good, so is Carfax for determining reliabilityand value for price. Don't depend only on referals. Just because I have had good luck with Saturns doesn't mean you will. Find at least 3 cars/trucks that fit you and your budget and then prepare to enter the snake den, er, I mean the car dealership. Here are some rules to help you survive the experience and not wind up with buyer's remorse.
Rule #1: Never bargain down from the sticker price. ALWAYS bargain up from invoice on new cars or base Bluebook price or price guide value for a used car. Dealers mark up cars from 10% for a family sedan to 40% for a minivan or sportscar.
Rule #2: Do not buy based on payments. "You can drive away today for $X down and $X amonth!" You will pay way more than what its worth. Get a firm price first, then if you need, discuss payments.
Rule #3: Cut out the dealer add-ons. Charges for things like dealer profit, weather proofing treatments, inspections and dealer prep or reconditioning should all be covered in the base price of the car. As Consumer Reports will tell you, these things are assumed in the base price the dealer sets. That is why they charge more than a private seller.
Rule #4: Dont buy the first one that fits. Even if it is perfect, use it as a tool. "Well, its OK, but I want to compare it to 'X'" The dealer will talk down "X" or offer to drop the price of his car. Or both. Use his talking down points when you talk to the dealer that has "X".
Rule #5: NEVER sign anything until you are ready to buy. Many dealers will try to get you to sign an intent to buy letter before letting you go for a test drive. Wrong! All they need is a copy of your driver's license.
Rule#6: Dont fall for the old "I'll have to ask the sales manager" trick. They are just trying to soften you up for more profit. Any good salesman knows exactly what every car on the lot is worth and what they need to get for it to make a profit.
Rule #7: Take a friend, preferably one who has a nice car. Dress well. Not coat and tie, but a button down shirt, slacks and nice shoes. It lets the dealer know you are serious.
Rule #8: Above all, DON'T BE AFFRAID TO WALK AWAY! I can't tell you how many I've walked out on because of bait and switch or financing run-around. I hope this helps.
In case you are wondering, I recruited for the ARMY and my wife is a bank sales VP. We've seen sales from both sides of the equation.

A couple of things to look for. Look at the odometer, if the mileage doesn't match the year the car was made, check out the pedals. If the pedals appear worn, yet the odometer only reads 20,000 or so....it may have been rolled back. If the pedals look brand new, I would question that as well. You can find out how much the engine is really worn by getting a compression test. Also, on the body. If their are no records of collision, yet you have your doubts, take a magnet(and a cloth to keep from scratching the paint), and run it over the body. Anyplace that the magnet doesn't stick has been repaired(unless it's a Saturn).

If the car is an automatic, shift the gear into drive and listen for any noise(like a thump), then do the same in reverse. Any noticeable banging could mean transmission problems(expensive). Check all tires for dry-rot(inside wall as well as outside wall of tire); and make sure the tread is even on all tires(check brand name if you're really picky). Check the shocks, make sure the car doesn't bounce with little effort.

Remove the oil dipstick(engine AND transmission), make sure there is no water in the oil, or metal shavings on the dipstick(sign of bad engine wear). Make sure the engine idles correctly(around 100 RPM, give or take).

When you take it for a test drive(if it is a stick-shift), have someone follow you and watch the exhaust. If excess black smoke comes out every time you shift, you could have bad seals, and oil is mixing with the fuel.

Ask for a service record. Take the car to get inspected INDEPENDENTLY.....do not let the dealer(or his recommendation)do the inspection. Lastly, look up any recalls on the vehicle, and make sure repairs have been done. Look up the resale value in the Kelly Blue Book.

And don't buy a Neon, they're only good for 5 years before the head gasket goes(expensive).

-Keith

http://www.ozarkgames.com

your best value is always going to be a 2-3 year old car with 20-40K miles on it (um, 30-60K km's? ) there aren't going to be many cars you can fit into that also get good mileage, but you might want to check out toyota or nissan pickups, which will most likely fit your size and budget

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

The problem is that even if you get a car that is 4 or 5 years old, in 8 years it will be 12 . I have bought 2 five year old cars and with both the maintenance costs were high, remember the parts will start to wear out as the car gets older. Check you prices, the more sporty looking cars usually cost more second hand. It would be worth it to spend a couple of hundred dollars when you decide on a car, to have it put on the computer to do a systems check and have a body shop look at it for damage (ei accidents) before you buy it.

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If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.