Consumer Reports frequency of repair records in the current issues don’t go back to 2004. Going to back issues for the frequency of repair record for a,12 year old car doesn’t make much sense. For instance, a particular make and model of a 2004 car may, in its first years of use, had a high frequency of repair for the transmission. In 12 years,and 231,000 . miles, the transmission may have been replaced or rebuilt with upgraded parts. The first thing I would check in a 12 year old car is undercarriage rust out. If the undercarriage isn’t rusted out, then check out the engine and transmission, etc. For vehicles less than 6 years old, the CR used car repair records.may have meaning. For a 2004 vehicle, condition is the only thing that matters.
When I commuted in a car with many hundreds of thousands of miles, I used to figure I was never farther than a 50 mile tow from home, and did that a few times. When I worked I didn’t mind trouble but being retired, I don’t want trouble, and retired folks don’t like walking or waiting in the cold for a tow. 15 miles a day is nothing and if the car checks out ok it could be a reasonable work car for a small amount of money.