Welcome!
Not much I can add, that hasn't been well said already.
Your best friend isn't your dog. It's the search function here
Everything you're curious about has been discussed again and again, over time.
Probably the best suggestion I've read on your thread is to get down to a dealer and drive the different options. There's no substitute for this. Don't buy on impulse. Think about resale. A dealer may offer you a great deal on a gold coloured car, with a one off interior. But only because nobody wants it. A regular feature here are the oddball cars that come up for sale and endlessly amusing they are too.
With a few exceptions, it's a buyers market. Haggle like a Colombian drug dealer. If that's not your thang, take someone with you who has no shame
What you might save, could pay your first year costs of ownership.
Your commute may be exceptionally short, but I guarantee that you'll be wanting to add a few miles to it, just to spend more time with your car, listening to the glorious sounds made by the engine.
I've tended to be lucky with cars. Apart from a few early disasters in my teenage years, which were my fault and not the car's. My 2008 auto has been the most reliable car I've owned and it just loves to rev. Boy, does it Love to rev.
Just about everything you need to make your ownership of one of these beauties a pleasant one, is right here.
Care for it like your first born and drive it like you stole it! Otherwise, what's the point
