Top 3 in no particular order. Mirage hatchback, Chevy Spark, Fiat 500.
All three of these can be purchased three year old for $8000 or less. A test drive will determine my preference between Spark and Mirage. If the highway handling is very poor on the Mirage, then that puts the Spark ahead, but if it's tolerable, the Mirage would come out ahead. The Spark does not come standard with cruise and that's a near deal breaker. The Fiat has the 2 door issue and as a second car, we would prefer a 5 door hatch.