Car buying advice help

So I was hoping everyone could give me a little direction advice in my search for a car.

I will be commuting 20 miles roundtrip for work and average about 125 miles a week, or about 6,000 miles a year. Call it 10,000 based on any vacations or trips that come up.

I have a budget for about $15,000 loan (about $300/month) and have between $3,000-$4,000 for a down payment.

My question is what kind of car should I be looking at? I have a 2003 Camry right now which is being given back to the person who owns it that I have been driving. Works great for me and I like the size so staying something similar is ideal. I like that everything is visible in that car as opposed to some cars where you feel like you have tunnel vision. I also like a small car for driving into a city.

I was looking at new kia's, Hyundai’s and Toyotas as well as some of the other comparable brands in this car class. I have no reservations about Hyundai’s or Kias, I know they are much better than in the past these days.

I know everyone on here says to buy a used car usually for value, but I have not seen much in my area (Southern MA) for any decent deals on used cars. Most things like a 2008 or 2009 Camry come out to be $15,000 listed online at around 30k-50k miles.

I guess I am just confused at which direction to head and wanted some sort of guidance / advice. I have checked out bluebook, and looked up a lot about invoice pricing at dealerships. I would qualify for the little extra college cash back bonuses some makers are giving. I also did not want something with a lot of maintenance and unexpected costs.

Thoughts? Thanks guys sorry for making this long but wanted to give all the information.