Short Haul

Have you considered the Nissan Altima or Sentra? Great car. I've had many Nissans and never a disappointment. Always reliable. Consider buying South of the border. Look in Pennsylvania, Allentown, Hershey etc. One large dealer of a number of makes is Rockroth. I bought a new Nissan there 4 years ago 1/2 the price of same car in Canada.
If you can, find one 6 months old and Nissan will allow transfer of warranty to Canada.

The Focus could be reliable--they're fairly good in our stats except for the 2012, and even it's not bad.

Cruze is iffier.

With Nissans I wonder about the durability of the transmission. But you drive so little this likely won't be an issue. Mazda3 should have great mechanical reliability, but have they fixed their traditional rust problem? The Kia Forte is certainly worth a look. I like it better than the Elantra, and it also costs a little less. Well-finished, a lot of features for the price, quiet. I recently compared the Sentra to the Forte in a review of the former (will be in the "more about" for the Sentra).

Go out and drive a few, and if you can report back on what you liked and disliked with each.

Hello, I can't speak on the automatic transmission because all 9 Nissans I have owned were Manual shift. Severla people have told me then did not like the CVT but couldn't give a specific reason. You make a good point in stating that he should take a few out for testing. Also, do your research on this site.