That's good that you're researching your options, but I would keep in mind that the test drive evaluation exercise is going to emphasize in your mind the car's handling, price, and looks. It will underemphasize long term reliability, real-world mpg, and vehicle versatility. I'm personally a fan of the Fit, which for the three test drive evaluation factors is kind of an also-ran, but it excells in the reliability and versatility departments.
That said, for the prices you're looking at, maybe the Nissan is your best bet. It's not as reliable as the Fit, but fuel economy has improved in recent years, so that is approaching Fit levels. I would just look hard at the interior space and what you need it for. If it does all you want it to do, maybe it's the best car for you. Price wise, it's about the same as a '12 or so Fit, which seems about right; you ought to get the same life out of a '12 Fit as a '15 or '16 Versa. The Versa certainly has better reliability than the domestics and probably the Koreans too.
As an alternate automotive strategy (in the vein of your thinking with the LaCrosse), your all-in automotive costs would probably be about the same if you were to drive a mid-late 00's higher milage manual Acura TSX. A $6-7k private party, 130k mile ~05 TSX would save you enough on the front end that you would be able to cover the slightly increased maintenance and gas costs over a new car (minus decreased finance/opportunity cost). Also, if you're in an expensive-collision-insurance-on-a-new-vehicle versus cheap-liability-only-insurance situation, this strategy makes even more sense. Perhapsthis isn't viable in your local (or close by) used car market, but assuming you're not in a small country somewhere, there's always a one-way flight and drive back home.
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