I am wondering if anyone can help me with some advice on which used car is best to purchase. Money is limited so I would like the best bang for my buck. Option one is a 2011 Hyundai Sonata with 47,624 miles and sunroof for $13,000 with a remaining factory warranty. Option 2 is an 2009 Mazda 6 iTouring with 44,361 miles and comes with sunroof, leather heated seats, bose premium audio for $11,000. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
IMHO, they are both good models to consider.
If I was going to choose, I would go with the one that comes with complete maintenance records that I could compare (at my leisure) to the mfr’s maintenance schedule. No matter how well a car was designed, lax maintenance can greatly reduce future reliability, and will inevitably lead to expensive repairs for the second or third owner of the car.
For example, both of those cars should have had the transmission fluid changed at least once already. If you can verify that this was done, it is a pretty good indicator of an owner who took good care of the car. However, you also want to verify that oil changes were done on schedule, and that the brake fluid has been changed. The Mazda should also have had its coolant changed by this time, so there are several maintenance items that you should verify before buying.
And then there is the issue of a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic of your own choosing. He can spot collision damage that might not be noticeable to you, and can likely spot some developing mechanical issues with a car.
So…choose the one that has been maintained better and which gets a clean bill of health from your mechanic. And, that could be either one, as these are both reliable models IF they have been maintained properly.
Check how the Hyudai warranty works. The long term coverage is only for the original purchaser, I think.
If everything else is equal, I’d go with the Sonata.
The next poster will probably disagree.
Both prices are probably negotiable. Having them inspected by a professional is always a good idea.
I don’t think you can go wrong either way. Drive both and see what you like better.
Both are great cars, I agree with the maintenance records, but for the cars with about 40k miles it is unlikely that anything was done except the oil changes and the 30k mile service which Is often just an oil change with a little bit more rigorous inspection, you can check the service schedules for both models online and see what it includes.
Drive both, and see what you like. Mazda is a bit more fun to drive though, if it matters to you 
All other things being equal, go for the Hyundai; it has probably been driven more consrvatively as well.
You guys are awesome! Thank you for all your responses. I will go ahead and test drive both and check out their maintenance records as mentioned.