You don't want to hear the kind of noises a car makes at -40! Anyway, that -40 was a couple of years ago, but you get the idea.
I recently saw a 2006 MINI for $8,900, but that left me a bit sceptical. I also really like the Mk5 Golf, but unfortunately they suffer from the same lack of depreciation as the MINIs. One of my friends at school just got a Audi A4, quite new actually, but I don't know what he paid for it. W8 Passats have come down in price recently, and they seem quite attractive due to that very interesting engine (and I came really close to buying a Passat last year). Also, in the range of BMW, I've found loads of great cars at great prices. I've found a nice Bimmer to fit any price range, so that is high on my list.