Car Buying Advice (NGC)

[Irn]

My wife and I are down to one car, and its about time we found something new.  We live in San Francisco, no longer commute to work, and drive less then 3k mile/year unless we head out on a road trip.  For long road trips we are just as likely to rent as we have been able to get decent rentals for under $175/week, hardly makes sense to put long miles on your own ride.  We are Prius owners, but not interested in owing another, time for a change but very happy ownership experience.   Criteria for a car is, small but comfortable enough to take on 2-3 hour trips, decent gas mileage, hatch, seats 4, and dependable.  My short list is Ford Fiesta, VW Golf, Honda Fit, might break the hybrid rule and look at a plug in C-max.  Would like to keep it under 25k?  Really like the VW Golf TSI, given our mileage and fuel cost difference the TDI makes little sense, however all things internet have scared me silly about any VW.  Both of our Prius 2004 and 2001 are/were flawless, and boring.  Advice?  Thanks

[drlapo]

used Mazda MX5= have some fun!
my 01 Ford Focus was a very good driver and gave me no problems

[segesta]

I drive a perfectly boring, and perfectly perfect, Mazda 3 sedan. I put few miles on it, so I lease it at a very low rate (costs less than my cell phone bill). Comfortable, quiet, great gas mileage with the SkyActiv engine.

Anyway, it's worth checking out.

[bad Chad]

I like my Mazda 3 hatch back, with a stick I wouldn't call it boring, it's kind of fun for what it is.  80k on it and with very little trouble.  I did have both front wheel bearing go bad, not sure why, but other than that faultless.

[Irn]

I like the reviews and specs on the Mazda 3, but the snout seemed very long and not wild about the grill?  How low as the cost of your low mileage lease and down?  Never leased before since we tend to drive our cars for 10-12 years, boring I know. 

[rocker59]

Why are you worried about fuel economy for a car that will see less than 3,000 miles per year?

I'd buy something fun, powerful, roomy, and possibly convertible...

You have LOTS of choices for something under $25,000.  The used market is full of great cars, trucks, and Jeeps.

[Irn]

I like the reviews and specs on the Mazda 3, but the snout seemed very long and not wild about the grill?  How low as the cost of your low mileage lease and down?  Never leased before since we tend to drive our cars for 10-12 years, boring I know. 

[boatdetective]

I've rented the Mazda 3 and it is a fine little vehicle. Surprisingly tight steering and certainly does feel sporty.

My ex GF has a Honda Fit and there is a very good reason why it crushes the competition in the ratings- it is a fantastic design. Perfectly good driving experience (for its size and weight, mind you). Very, very clever cargo design. Absolutely shocking what you can fit in there if you fold things down or up as need be. Mileage is decent in the city- over 30 as I recall.  I would recommend getting the S model.

[steven c]

 New Mustang ,300hp, 30 mpg highway, not a hatch but a lot of fun for the coin! Or a Honda Fit.

[AMGeneral]

Just had to do a bit of car shopping myself. My old red 1998 Ford Escort Zx2 decided that 280,000 miles was far enough and needs wheel bearings. I hear you guys saying just replace the bearings. Not that easy, the entire car has 280,000 miles and is starting to show it. Clutch, engine, suspension, everything has high mileage and can fail at any time.

So I went shopping for a hatchback. Looked online at every nearby dealer and brand I could, Had a budget I wanted and I narrowed the list down to four cars. Went to look at these cars and two of them had already been sold, so I had to decide between a '08 Toyota Yaris with 77k for about $7 or a '13 Chevrolet Sonic with 8k for $12,500.

I went with the Sonic and love it. I have the LS which is the base model and a 5 spd manual. Just checked first tank and dash est. MPG was 36+, actual odometer and gallons check was also 36+. So no complaints here.

They also have the LT and the LTZ version. The LTZ adds turbo and a buddy of mine has one and says it's a hoot to drive.

[Rotten Ralph]

If economy is a consideration why buy new? We buy 1-2 year old cars with low mileage (15000 or less).

The new car owner takes the big hit and you get about a 30 percent discount on a car that's still under warranty. ;-T ;-T

That could get you a $25,000 car for about $18-19000. :BEER:

[guzziboy66]

I've rented the Mazda 3 and it is a fine little vehicle. Surprisingly tight steering and certainly does feel sporty.

My ex GF has a Honda Fit and there is a very good reason why it crushes the competition in the ratings- it is a fantastic design. Perfectly good driving experience (for its size and weight, mind you). Very, very clever cargo design. Absolutely shocking what you can fit in there if you fold things down or up as need be. Mileage is decent in the city- over 30 as I recall.  I would recommend getting the S model.

I'm looking for a small car too.  The FIT seems great but I've read that the seats are not very comfortable at all.  What's your experience as far as comfort?  I have to drive an hour each way to/from work.

Eric

[AMGeneral]

Rotten Ralph nailed it. That's why I picked the '13. Someone else had already taken the hit on the new car price and it still has remainder of factory warrantee. Got some other service programs with it and I won't have to worry about this car for 5 yrs. But with the mileage I put on a car. easy 100 miles a day, I wanted all the protection I could get. Besides it is my first "new" car. It is technically used, but it's as new as I could get without the new car price.

[not-fishing]

Why are you worried about fuel economy for a car that will see less than 3,000 miles per year?

I'd buy something fun, powerful, roomy, and possibly convertible...

You have LOTS of choices for something under $25,000.  The used market is full of great cars, trucks, and Jeeps. 

I love my '05 CTS-V and it beats a Prius in mpg at any speed between 95 and 165 mph and has averaged 20 mpg over the last 100,000+ miles

Of course it is a bit of Griso

[Tobit]

Go to carcomplaints.com before buying anything.  Would have saved my neighbor about 3k on the used but pristine Jetta wagon he bought for the family.  

Three months in the transmission started "not going."  I offered to check the ATF and see if he was just low but there wasn't a dipstick.  Curious I hit Google and quickly found that the tranny's are 100,000mile throw-aways and the procedure for checking or changing ATF is grossly overcomplicated.

YMMV

[jbell]

Never leased before since we tend to drive our cars for 10-12 years, boring I know. 

As an ex-car salesman, I would recommend against a lease for you.  You sound like me, buy a car, pay it off and not have a car payment for 10-12 years.  With a lease, you ALWAYS have a car payment.  With your low yearly mileage, I like rocker59's advice, buy something fun, heck buy a classic that will go up in value.  Also, considering your low mileage, don't be afraid of VW, from my experience, they don't start developing problems till about 70K miles.

[keuka4884]

Personally, I can't help you. I drive a 1997 Cadillac Seville STS I got used in 2009 with 40,000 mi for $5000. I put less than 8000 mi on it per year. Awesome, awesome car. One of the finest Caddys ever made.
However, my wife drives a 2014 Chevy Cruze and loves it. Very comfortable, gets close to 38mpg and can handle a 5 hour drive just fine. You can get a used one with all the extras for well under $20,000. I'd buy used too. A lot more car for the money.

[pebra]

As the Peugeot 308 is unavailable to you I'd suggest its Teutonic clone, the VW Golf, preferably the GTI!
Roomy, compact, tested, versatile, economical, you shouldn't ask for more.
And the GTI would be fun, fun, fun......

[LongRanger]

Go to carcomplaints.com before buying anything.

Wish I had known about this website before buying a new car last year!

[bad Chad]

Reading back over your status, I have to agree with Rock head Rocker.  If your only putting 3k a year on, how much inpact does milage have on things anyway?   There are some very fun machines you could get, expecially if you go used, for well under 25k, and have one hell of a fun ride. 

Of course if your other half is big into the green movement you may have a hard time selling her on 300 plus hp and 16mph!   

[Mark West]

If I was in your position, I'd take a look at the Fiat 500 electric. They're getting great revues and Fiat has some major incentives on them because they have to sell so many in order to keep doing business in CA. After rebates, I think it's less than 20 grand and they also have a cheap lease offer.

[boatdetective]

I would always look to inside industry advice- thx jbell.  I also agree with the VW input. I had a Golf and it was great....for the first 60K miles.

Personally, i'm very conservative about my cars and mostly look for reliability. Boring is just fine with me, thank you very much.  Guzziboy- the Honda Fit seats are, well, Honda seats. They aren't Acura seats (and you aren't paying for Acura seats). At the same time, you don't have luxo door insulation- so I'm sure road noise would be obtrusive on long commutes.  Personally- I don't see one hour as a big deal. Seat wise, I don't especially care either. However, some folks really want plush leather etc. You won't find it in that car or in a Civic or in a Mazda, or Toyota, or anything in that price range).  When I'm on the road- it's not unusual to log 2-5 hours one way. Plus, I'm on the phone doing business- so quiet makes a difference for me.

It's all about what you need and what you are willing to put up with.  For ME, the Fit doesn't work.  However, it's still a great car.

[azccj]

If I was going to buy a new car I think I would go with the Nissan Versa. We rented one last month during our trip to WA. It comes in hatchback or a trunk. We had the trunk version which was big for a small car. The car was comfortable, drove nice and got 40+ mpg. When we got home I looked up what Nissan wanted for one. Very inexpensive, $14,000 for the sedan model with the CVT transmission like the one we rented.

[Arizona Wayne]

If I want to know reliability of any car model I go to the library and read the owner's survey on all the car models in Consumer's Reports that comes out once a year.  I have found it to be very reliable/factual for decades.  ;-T

[Irn]

Lots of good ideas thanks.  Have rented Chevy Cruize a few times, impressed but not a hatch.  As far as a muscle car or something fun, happy to be down to one car, so have to work with my wife.  She likes the idea of small hatch easy to park and get around our crowded landscape.  Fiat 500 electric drove it, very impressed but as our only car not practicle given range limitations.  Thanks will now also consider the hatch version of the Nissan Versa.  Still like the golf on paper, but so much VW noise about expensive repairs.  Not adverse to finding used, but my Craiglist hunts show 2 or 3 year old cars with 50k plus miles.   Thanks again for the posts.

[charlie b]

Go out and rent ones you are thinking of buying.  Rent for a weekend where you want to drive for a bit.  Cheap way to find out if you like it or not.

Toyota dealers used to offer just that service.  Go in and look.  Find something you might like and do a week rental.  Don't know if they do that anymore.

FYI, auto trannies.  My Toyota Tundra had one of those 'sealed' transmissions.  It worked fine, but, I sold it at 90k miles so don't know if it was trashed or not.

I'd also go the sports car route, but, if you want a sedan then go for it.  I'd look at the Fiats too.  If not doing longish road trips I'd definitely look at a plug in electric.

[Kev m]

If you're buying new, and only putting 3k on a year, any car sold in the US is going to be reliable for YEARS...

Late-model VWs should go 50-100k AT LEAST without something major.

If you like the Golf.... Get a Golf.

[rbm]

Have you anaylzed the total cost of ownership and compared the number to something like a Zipcar?  If I was in your position, I'd understand everything -- insurance, gas, residual value at the end of the car's life, how often you upgrade, etc.  You might be surprised that the Zipcar becomes as or more economical, and much more flexible for the lifesytle you enjoy and location you live.

[andrewdonald1]

Have you anaylzed the total cost of ownership and compared the number to something like a Zipcar?  If I was in your position, I'd understand everything -- insurance, gas, residual value at the end of the car's life, how often you upgrade, etc.  You might be surprised that the Zipcar becomes as or more economical, and much more flexible for the lifesytle you enjoy and location you live.

I kinda do the same thing now except when I need a truck.
I used to have a 99.5 Ford F350 Powerstroke.. Didn't use it much over the last 5 years.
Decided to sell it and rent a truck for the 2 or 3 times a year I need one now.
I just go to Home Depot and rent it for $100 or something less..

Saves big time.. in time & money overall.

[rocker59]

I love my '05 CTS-V and it beats a Prius in mpg at any speed between 95 and 165 mph and has averaged 20 mpg over the last 100,000+ miles

Of course it is a bit of Griso

 ;-T