# Best small, economical cars? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818 "2007-05-28T20:13:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/21 "2007-05-29T03:25:26Z")
I love my Focus. I have a 2003 ZX3 2.3L, gets about 32 mpg highway and coasts up Sepulveda pass in fifth with no complaint. I drive about 200 miles a day and haven’t had a problem yet. And it’s fun as hell in the corners - makes me miss my canyon commute. Fold down seats for a bit of cargo space. And the turning radius is God. I would like to have gotten a Civic but they’re both too big now for me and too expensive - the resale on them is ridiculous. I about crapped my pants when I saw how much dealers want for a Civic with 100k miles. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/22 "2007-05-29T13:44:50Z")
[My usual input on this type of thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=239017) 67000 miles and still going strong. Couldn’t be happier. ---
**Author:** ![wasson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4da419/32.png) [@wasson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wasson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/23 "2007-05-29T14:07:55Z")
[QUOTE=MacTech] Toyota, Nissan, Honda, VW all make nice small cars, VW’s TDI Diesels are especially nice, 45-50 MPG, and diesel engines last forever, no fussy electronics and unproven Hybrid technology, Diesels are simple, durable, and reliable, when i finally drive the wheels off my '02 Neon (great little car, reliable, fun to drive, acceptable mileage), my next vehicle will be a diesel (probably a VW Golf series) [/QUOTE] Seconded. My '06 VW Jetta TDI was about $19,000 (used), and consistently gets 55 mpg on the highway. Less in the city, but still over 40. I love everything about my little Jetta. My only complaints is no Bluetooth, no iPod connector, and no GPS. Other than that, this little guy has everything I’ve ever wanted in a car and more. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/24 "2007-05-29T14:19:45Z")
What do you guys think of the Mazda 3? I’m eyeballing that for my next car whenever my car now, a '98 Mazda Protege, gives out, which I hope is not for at least another few years. It’s treated me very well so far. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/25 "2007-05-29T14:42:08Z")
The small cars getting the best reviews from the various car mags these days: Honda Civic Honda Fit Toyota Yaris Mazda 3 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/26 "2007-05-29T14:46:52Z")
[QUOTE=Arien] What do you guys think of the Mazda 3? I’m eyeballing that for my next car whenever my car now, a '98 Mazda Protege, gives out, which I hope is not for at least another few years. It’s treated me very well so far. [/QUOTE] I think they are very [sharp looking](http://www.velocityjournal.com/images/stk/2007/mz2007mazda3sedan18110424m.jpg) and I am definately checking them out when I retire my 97’ Corolla. I don’t like the new Corollas even though I like Toyotas. I prefer the Civics. But I will definately be checking out the Mazda 3. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/27 "2007-05-29T14:50:46Z")
I got a Yaris in January of 2001. My brother, who had a nice piggy at the time (Mom doesn’t drink his money, reserving those vampiric tendencies for mine), checked out loan rates and announced that he’d rather give me a no-interest loan himself. The way he saw it was: “if the maximum a bank offers me is 4% and the least they’re asking for on car loans is a 7%, the family considered as a whole unit is much better off if we go for a no-interest internal loan.” We put both our names on the car’s title; I was paying him a certain amount every month, but when it started looking like I’d be moving to another country for an undefined amount of time, I got to paying off half the car and stopped there. He has it now, still with both our names on the title. The replacement when I came back from abroad? After running a market study again… another Yaris. It had the highest starter price for a car its size, but once you added “must have a/c and a second airbag” it was actually the cheapest. It’s got one of the highest EU safety ratings, great mileage and comes with five black holes. One of the black holes is inside, letting you carry stuff other people would consider impossible to fit into “that little thing” and our 6’5" friend drive comfortably so long as the person sitting behind him isn’t 6’5" as well 🙂 The other holes are placed outside, at each corner, letting you move into and out of parking spots with very little manouvering. As my brother says every time we get out of an ultra-tight spot in a single movement, “it ain’t a car, it’s a Yaris!” We’re completely besotted 😃 ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/28 "2007-05-29T14:57:57Z")
[QUOTE=Arien] What do you guys think of the Mazda 3? I’m eyeballing that for my next car whenever my car now, a '98 Mazda Protege, gives out, which I hope is not for at least another few years. It’s treated me very well so far. [/QUOTE] I love mine. Mine is an '04 5-door. Currently has 34,000 miles on it and going strong. It’s zippy, handles great, fun to drive. Probably not the best mileage out there - mine is usually in the 24-28 mpg range, but I’m sure part of that is how I drive. It’s a really nice car for the price - a good value. Be warned that it is small, though. If you need to lug a lot of stuff around, particularly larger stuff, you’d be better off with something like a Fit. We have an old minivan we use for Home Depot trips and hauling the dogs around, so cargo capacity wasn’t much of an issue for me. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/29 "2007-05-29T15:11:48Z")
I had a Scion xA. I loved it right up until [I totaled it in January](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=406577&highlight=scion). ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/30 "2007-05-29T15:42:17Z")
No love for the [Smart Car](http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/)? We’re looking for something green (and, if possible, fun) for short trips to the grocery, local shopping, etc. One thing that appealed to me was that while it’s mpg may not be above and beyond that of other small vehicles, it would give me back 1/2 of a garage bay. That I like. ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/31 "2007-05-29T15:44:53Z")
[QUOTE=No Me Ayudes Compadre] If you go with a used Focus, check where it’s built. The Focus built in Hermosillo until 2005 was notoriously bad. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the advice. How would I know where it was built? Is there a listing of VINs, or were certain years made there? ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/32 "2007-05-29T16:15:26Z")
I’ll second the thumbs-up for the Mazda 3. My wife and I fight over who gets to drive it. It handles like it’s glued to the road and even though I have the base model with the 2.0 engine I’ve never felt like I didn’t have enough power on the highway. I get great gas mileage, too - about 28 mpg with a mix of city and highway, and I don’t go particularly easy on it either. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/33 "2007-05-29T16:49:17Z")
[QUOTE=MacTech] Avoid ford. Toyota, Nissan, Honda, VW all make nice small cars, VW’s TDI Diesels are especially nice, 45-50 MPG, and diesel engines last forever, no fussy electronics and unproven Hybrid technology, Diesels are simple, durable, and reliable, when i finally drive the wheels off my '02 Neon (great little car, reliable, fun to drive, acceptable mileage), my next vehicle will be a diesel (probably a VW Golf series) [/QUOTE] Yeah, and the newest Consumer Reports all but states that VW makes the least reliable cars right now. Yes, worse than Ford. The Mazda 3 is well reviewed, and seems quite nice, although it is still a cheap car, so you might want to upgrade the package a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/34 "2007-05-29T17:33:28Z")
Oh yeah, you might want to check out [cartalk.com](http://cartalk.com) as they have a section on the site where people discuss their cars and give recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/35 "2007-05-29T20:43:56Z")
May I glom onto the thread and ask about pricing? My father was with me when I bought my current Civic and I would be getting the next one on my own. My local dealer doesn’t really haggle since they know they will sell the cars, but I don’t want to pay full price since you aren’t really expected to, right? I heard they will take dealer’s cost plus $500 or something??? But how do I find out the range I should be shooting for? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/36 "2007-05-29T20:53:26Z")
Does [this](http://www.kbb.com/KBB/NewCars/PricingReport.aspx?VehicleId=NS8zMS8yMDA3fDQ0NDU1&PCFVehicles=&ManufacturerId=18&VehicleClass=NewCar&ModelId=123&YearId=2007) answer my question? I should try for “what consumers are really paying for this vehicle”? ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/37 "2007-05-29T21:39:43Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] No love for the [Smart Car](http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/)? We’re looking for something green (and, if possible, fun) for short trips to the grocery, local shopping, etc. [/QUOTE] The Smart only seats two, has about as much trunk space as my motorcycle, and will cost half again as much as most vehicles named in this thread. My neighbour has a Fit, and she likes it – I’ve got a Matrix, which is just a Corolla with a different body. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/38 "2007-05-29T22:26:57Z")
And the Smart Car won’t be available in the US until next year, and then probably only from a few dealers. I’d rather buy something that’s sold widely, so that I’ll be able to get it repaired whereever I am in the country. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/39 "2007-05-30T00:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=Ultraviolet] Thanks for the advice. How would I know where it was built? Is there a listing of VINs, or were certain years made there? [/QUOTE] It ought to indicate the place of assembly and/or manufacture on the doorplate. ---
**Author:** ![Miscue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Miscue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miscue)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818/40 "2007-05-30T00:33:47Z")
The advice about replacing the timing belt is good, but keep in mind that it applies to _most all_ imports you’re going to find newer than 10 or so years old (though I have it on good authority that Honda is thinking about going to a timing chain in CRVs). Mechanics are welcome to correct me here, but lots of Japanese and Korean cars now have ‘interference motors’ which usually will go out if the belt goes out. I learned it a month ago, having grown up with American trucks and never worried too much about a timing belt. I am an idiot and have learnt my lesson. And I’m an idiot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-small-economical-cars/405818.md?page=3)