I'd go for Subaru. My boyfriend has had two Subaru Station Wagons and he loves them (not the Outback type, though). You can definately get a lot of miles out of them. And definately a lot more reliable than Taurus. And I love the look of the Outback, too.
BTW, all Subaru cars are four-wheel drive, in case you ever get to live in the north....
[This message has been edited by Ling Wu (edited May 10, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Ling Wu (edited May 10, 2001).]