I was thinking Toyota Corolla. Their cheapest is like 21k with tax.

The Toyota Corolla is an excellent choice. Look at the hatchback which is quite sporty looking.

Don't get the corolla.

Get a Camry. It's only a couple thousands more and looks way better, inside and out.

Hyundai Accent 18k 36mpg. 100k warranty

It's too bad Nissan's entry level cars don't last. I forget the names but they're cheap. If you think you'll have the car less than 100K miles those might be the way to go. Otherwise you're basically stuck with a Corolla or Camry if you want to buy new. Not sure how much an Accord is going for these days, but I think a couple of the last few years have had less reliability than usual, so it's more of a gamble than it used to be. You should consider used, OP. On average they've gone down like $2K in the last 3 months and there's every reason to think that pace will continue for months, so if you can hold out you'll be better off.