Go with the SEL of buying new, if you can. Good little car overall.
A few small changes and this car could go from just good to great. Overall the appearance of the vehicle, the drive train, the mileage is exactly what I needed as a commuter. But as a commuters a few things are more important than I thought they were like having the Apple Car Play, and hands free calling. Two things I’ve noticed in the basic SE model that aren’t there.
The hands free calling feature does not do it’s job in the SE, and AppleCarplay isn’t included in the 5 inch very limited touch screen.
Availability of the SEL was an issue so I thought the SE would be okay, but the high and low lights seem to be dimmer than expected, and the plastic rims leave a little more to be desired. Buying from a dealership you pay more and I just expected more from the SE model. Test drive both of you can and decide for yourself.