Budget <= $10K; College student seeking reliability and comfort

Having poured $3k into my old '02 CRV in the course of this last year alone (and with the car returning 5 new error codes as of this last week), I'm of a mind to cut my losses and switch to a more reliable vehicle now that I'll be leaving the workforce to seek a formal education in the fall.

Requirements:

• Reliability. Since I'll be attending college full time, I won't be able to afford dealing with a new error code every 3 months. I can keep up with a maintenance schedule, but beyond that, the odds of a major breakdown in the next 4 years needs to be kept to a minimum.
• I'll be putting 500+ miles a week into it and am 6'2", so it'd be nice to have a ride that won't have me ending every day with leg cramps.
• Since most all of the driving will be in Wisconsin, something that handles the snow well would be exceedingly nice.
• Automatic transmission. As much as I'd love to learn how to drive manual, I'd much rather wait until I've the luxury of a second car to learn it on.

Beyond that, I'm wholly flexible as far as vehichles go. My cargo needs are minimal, and I don't forsee ever needing to carry any occupants other than myself.

Thank you kindly in advance for any advice you might be able to offer!