After my car died last week, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that we need a new car or at least a newer car. We are thinking about getting something in the $16,000 range. Does anyone have any recommendations?
My wife is definitely pushing for something Japanese. I’m not so sure, but I don’t think I want a Ford. My last car was a Ford and it was problematic to say the least.
We are looking for a four door automatic. Two doors just isn’t going to work for us anymore. Reliability is the biggest factor for us. Any horror stories about economy bars and manufacturors is more than welcome.
Honda Civic is probably the best economy car on the market. You can probably get a new one or, at the least, a slightly used one for 16000, as long as you don’t want it “loaded”. I bought one four years ago for about 14000. Never had a single problem with it. My wife has a Corolla and it was slightly cheaper. Also a good car, plus it just went through a redesign which was greatly needed.
The best car source is probably Consumer Reports. Check the web sight or the Buying Guide.
I bought a 2002 Hyundai Elantra GLS in August of that year, and while I wasn’t expecting much at the time I’ve been extremely happy with it.
I haven’t had a single component need replacing early other than tires and bodywork (which a deer was responsible for).
It handles surprisingly well- better than a Corolla, although the old Civic’s double wishbone setup was a little more to my taste. (I haven’t driven the new Civic)
For the money neither the Civic nor the Corolla can compete in performance terms; the Elantra provides a 2.0 for the price of Toyota and Hondas’ 1.6.
Also, there are literally hundreds of them around my area now; I see at least one other one every time I drive.
I do have a few complaints- fuel efficiency hasn’t been quite up to Hyundai’s claims, but my driving style seems to have this effect on any car. The standard AM/FM radio/cassette player was lousy; I yanked it for a Sony CD unit. Also, the factory-fit tires (Michelin Energy P195/60s) squealed horribly around tight corners; I thought it was just that they were skinny, but now that I’m onto a new set of (Dayton) tires it appears it was the specific tread pattern.
My previous vehicles were a 1996 Honda Accord (which I put 150k miles on) and a 2001 Nissan Altima, so I’ve had reliable predecessors to compare this one to. I can honestly say it feels just as solid, and its more comfortable to drive long distances in than either. Not as quick as the Accord though.
You can afford the new top of the line Honda Civic LX for around $16,000. This is the link to the Honda Webpage. Remember, you NEVER pay the asking price for a new car. This is just for reference. I think you both will be very happy with it. Please post with your decision.
Try looking at Edmund’s or Vehix. Or even type new car in a search to see what you can afford. This is one of the fun things about buying a car. Also use those tips you see before you go to the dealership.
I’m sorry, I gave you the link for the coup. This is the sedan 4 door which you can afford. Also remember, different models are just more options on the same car. You don’t have to order them.
I love, love, love my Toyota Echo. We were going to buy the four door but wound up with the 2 door. It’s roomy for a small car, fairly nimble (under my definition, that is, I can zip in and out of traffic), and has some pretty good pickup (I can swing into the passing lane, floor it, zoom past the car, and settle back into the right lane). It’s one of the few cars I’ve been able to road trip in without stopping every few hours to get out and stretch. It’s an odd looking little car, but everyone that I’ve let drive it winds up saying, “Damn! I gotta get me one of those!” I have a 2001, I think, so I’m not sure on the newest models, but if they’re anything like mine, they rawk.
Totally understand, Mr2001. The reason we stopped to look at it in the first place was we were driving along and I said, “Ha ha! Let’s look at that goofy little car! It looks like it got hit in the nose with a shovel!” But then we test drove it and lurved it. I loved all the room it has. Room is a big thing for me, especially headroom, and I’d spent the previous week banging my head on the frame of the rental Cavalier. I’d also stay away from Neons, my friend’s got one of em, and the interior is cramped, cramped, cramped.
From the other side, my mom drives a Corolla and hates it. I have to pry her out of my car when I go visit.
Totally understand, Mr2001. The reason we stopped to look at it in the first place was we were driving along and I said, “Ha ha! Let’s look at that goofy little car! It looks like it got hit in the nose with a shovel!” But then we test drove it and lurved it. I loved all the room it has. Room is a big thing for me, especially headroom, and I’d spent the previous week banging my head on the frame of the rental Cavalier. I’d also stay away from Neons, my friend’s got one of em, and the interior is cramped, cramped, cramped.
Take a look at the Suzuki Aerio. I bought one and liked it so much that we bought one for Mrs. R, too. Plenty of power, lots of interior room, kick-ass standard stereo (Clarion six-disc changer), fun to drive. There’s a chat group, SuzukiAerioForum.com; a few minutes there should give you an idea of the pros and cons of the car.
Make sure you check out the new Mazda 3. The Protege had been considered best in class for a while and the 3 is its successor – should be even better.
The Elantra is also a good deal though. You certainly get a lot more for your money with the Elantra compared to the Civic or Corolla. With the Civic/Corolla, you just get the reassurance that its a Honda/Toyota.
Hondas and Toyotas are the obvious choices here, with the Mazda 3/Protoge being a strong up and comer (I’d buy one of these if I were in the market). Another practical choice is the Saturn Ion (I own a 96 SW2 I bought used a year ago). My sister bought a Quad Coupe a couple months ago. You get coupe looks with sedan room and practicality. Saturns are practical and affordable and are worth a lok in this price range. She owned a 96 SC and this one has much more room.
I just bought an Elantra and have noticed the same things. Good tip about the tires! Over all though, I’ve been quite happy with my pick. I originally looked at Corollas, but after several harrowing ordeals with car salesmen who refused to negotiate with me, I started looking at Hyundai.
I walked in, got a car with power everything in the color I wanted, and paid about $3000 less than the asking price of a Corolla with no options.
I too found Edmunds to be a great resource for comparing cars and figuring out a fair price to aim for.
Cool, thanks everybody for the replies. Some cars mentioned here, that I hadn’t really thought of.
Does anyone know anything about the Nissan Sentra? We had an old one for a while and the engine was pretty reliable on it.
GMRyujin, My wife and I have considered the Echo, it is a little odd looking, but I guess it would grow on you. I’m about 6ft.2, so would it have enought head room for me?
Does anyone have any horror stories about any particular car? Those usually help as well.
Just make sure you do one thing first. Test drive a Jetta or a Golf TDI Manual transmission. If you don’t like it at the beginning then you never will, but if you do like it, it’ll be the best deciscion you made in a while. I have one and I absolutely LOVE it more than any car I’ve ever had. Once you’ve had a car that gets 50 MPG without being a hybrid, then you’ll forget the price of gas for weeks.
My wife and I have a 1992 Saturn…and it just won’t die. While it has no true resale value any longer, I have a problem with driving a perfectly functional car to the junkyard. My worst complaint? The motor on the electronic seatbelt has permanently died and you have to attach both the lap & shoulder belt manually. Still, that’s nothing you should worry about. Saturn fixed that design flaw in 1994.
So my advice is buy a Saturn: no haggling on price, the price is in your range, and you’ll still have it to give to your kids by the time they’re moving into their dorms.
Every time I see ads for the Saturn Ion, I think of the Car and Driver review. Here are a couple pieces of it:
“now we can level with our core readership: This is probably the most disappointing all-new American car in a decade. Not only were all our editors put off by its numerous missteps of form and function, but even our Gen-Y road warriors and their friends found little to love in the Ion.[snip]
The dissonant design theme continues inside, where materials with varying colors, textures, and surface sheens collide. Different typefaces are used on instrument numbering and various other controls, and plastic molding flash lines are visible everywhere. Particularly egregious examples include the lines around the inner and outer rim of the steering wheel, along the inside door handle, and on the gearshift lever — all of which assault the hands repeatedly.”
In fact, the Ion has received such a tepid response, that I also found this news item:
"Saturn will halt production of its slow-selling Ion small car for two extra weeks to draw down dealer inventories, Reuters reported.
Saturn will idle the Ion line at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant for the weeks of June 23 and July 14, before and after the industry’s traditional two-week shutdown, in early July."
If you want nearly guaranteed reliability – meaning you won’t ever have to wonder whether the car’s going to break down – for the first 150,000 miles or so with regular maintenance, buy a Honda Civic. There are plenty of other cars in the same price range that are nearly as reliable, but for any of them there’s at least a slightly higher risk (or in some cases, a much higher risk). The Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prism, Mazda Protege, etc. are all excellent cars, and the odds are very good that you’ll get years of reliable operation from any of them, but there’s at least a little bit better chance of problem with them than the Honda. The downside to Mazda is that they’re as much Ford as Mazda these days, since Ford owns a controlling interest in Mazda and has pushed for standard platforms and components over the last several years. Hyundai has reportedly vastly improved the reliability of their cars over the last several years, and the 100K mile warranty gives you some protection if you decide you’re willing to live with slightly greater risk in exchange for getting more car for the money, but at least in my case, I prefer to have my car be simple, basic, and small with a near zero likelihood that it won’t work when I need it to; warranties are all very well and good and protect your wallet, but they don’t do much to alleviate the frustration of having to have the car in the shop frequently, even if the manufacturer is paying.
…Now if you’d said Consumer Reports, that would be one thing. But ‘Car & Driver’ and ‘Road & Track’ get their ad revenue from the same people that they review, so I don’t consider their reviews ‘Independent’. I will put up a link to a site where people were free to complain or praise the car as they chose, listing their own experiances. Lets see what they have to say.
I’m about 6 feet even and have plenty of headroom. My cousin’s friend is about 6’5", rode in the backseat, and was amazed to find he had decent head and legroom.