Okay, I have finally decided to cave. I have been driving a Hummer H3 since 2005–the absolute favorite of all of the cars that I have ever owned. I really would be perfectly content driving this vehicle forever as it is perfect for me.
That said, I have been working a job 70 miles round trip from home and the gas is killing me. I am really worried about the price increasing to 4.00 in the next few months as they have been saying and have decided that it is time to trade my buddy in and be more practical. Also, I am closing in on 50k miles and am looking at expensive repairs/tire replacement in the near future as I am racking up miles like crazy with this commute.
I have a few more payments left and hate to take on another payment but the savings in gas will more than make up for that.
I have no brand loyalty and am open to anything. I really like flashy comfortable interior, high tech with lots of cool features on the dash. I definitely want a hatchback 5-door, has to get at least 30 mpg as I am getting 17 now. I have taken a look-see at the Ford Fiesta and that is the way that I am leaning now. There is so much information out there on small cars that it would take forever to wade through it. That is why I thought that I would post here. Has anyone here purchased a new, small car lately and can you tell me about it–if you are happy, approximate out the door cost, features that you particularly like, things that you are unhappy with etc. I am looking to be out the door at right around 20k if possible.
I thank you all very much in advance for your kind advice. I am not one to post on message boards very often but I have posted here a few times and have gotten great counsel for which I thank you again. I am posting this quickly so I may have left out some parameters that are important to me but I will be watching to add info as necessary.
Suzuki is making small cars that receive rave reviews from major media outlets/mags. Don’t ignore them in your search. You can get sporty/stylish/economical in their small-car lineup and not feel like a chump because they’ve earned a decent reputation.
I bought a Fiesta hatchback about six months ago, and I’m very happy with it. It’s great fun to drive and pretty comfortable in the front seats – just did a 2000 mile holiday road trip in it with my fiancee. Also has great fuel economy – I get around 36 miles per gallon on my mostly-highway 60 mile commute. Interior is pretty nice for a car this cheap, though it’s nothing amazing. You can get the Sync system if you want it, basically a bluetooth connection plus voice commands for your cell phone and ipod. There are other useful little addons; right now I’m glad that I splurged on the heated mirrors and seats. For 20K you can get all the bells and whistles. Expect to pay MSRP, which is fair since the invoice price is only a few hundred less.
A few caveats: The back seats are very tight; only smaller people will be comfortable back there for any amount of time. It doesn’t have a lot of useful cargo space, since the rear seats don’t fold flat and you’ll never get large furniture in through the small back hatch. If you want to comfortably seat four and haul around lots of stuff, I think the Honda Fit would be a better choice.
If you’re not in a hurry you might want to wait for the 2012 Focus to come out.
US News has a useful car review ranking which compiles car reviews (Metacritic style). Here’s their page on small cars.
The new Fiesta is an awesome car. (Disclaimer: I have a slight bias that may be indicated by my current “Location” setting.)
I’m 6’2", and I fit into the thing great. I’ve so far only driven them at my 7300+ foot elevation, and even so, they’re quick off the line (I can’t wait to try one back home in Michigan). The automatic model actually gets better mileage than the standard (it’s a six-speed, dual-clutch automatic vs. the five-speed manual). They range from stripped down to fully loaded. And boy, they’re fun to drive.
I’ve posted on other threads that my current daily driver is an Expedition Max (EL in the USA) as a daily driver, and that also my next new car is likely to be Fiesta as well. I think I’ve said that this Expedition is the best car that I’ve ever, ever had the pleasure of driving, and that I’ll be sad to give it up, so you and I are both kind of heading in the same direction here.
My friend has a Mazda 3 hatchback and really likes it. His is a few years old, I don’t know much about the new model year, but the 2010 was praised – and it’s pretty snazzy on the inside.
I would stay away from Volkswagon anything; while the TDI models get good mileage, Volkswagon has been near the bottom of most quality ratings for a while now. A car can’t save you money if it is in the shop all the time. And price-wise, the diesel Jetta cost about as much as a Prius (checking cars.com, you can get a new Prius for less than a new diesel Jetta), which gets better city and highway mileage, while using cheaper gasoline. Of course, the Jetta will be much more fun to drive.
Another car you should take a look at is the Honda Insight. They get excellent mileage - 40 city, 43 hiway, and the outgoing 2010 models can be picked up for well within your budget.
If commuting is the prime issue, why not keep the H3 and get a car specifically for commuting? My mother gets 80 mpg on her VW Bluemotion, and it’s been incredibly reliable. It’s not gone wrong once.
This TN site says it will do 71 mpg, which reflects that U.K. gallons are larger than yours.
Seconded. Due to an ice “issue” with my VW here in PDX, I should be getting one of these this weekend. All of the reviews are excellent for the Mazda3.
We have a '09 Honda Fit and like it a lot. The interior is very well designed and roomy; the rear seat folds down flat, and very easily too. The onboard computer says it’s getting 39 mpg average (though I think it reads a bit high). I do wish the visibility was better, but other small hatchbacks I looked at all had the same issue. (Especially rear visibility, and how much of the windshield is obscured by the rearview mirror).
But there are more options available now than when I bought this car. The Fiesta and the VW Golf TDI weren’t available then. And the Fiat 500 is coming to the US soon, I believe.
I have an 07 Honda Fit and I really think it’s great. Very spacious for a small car and great on gas. I get 38 to 41 mpg when I’m doing strictly highway driving. I do recommend the sport package though because I’ve never been a fan of 14 inch tires.
May I suggest you consider a smart fortwo? If for no other reason, just to learn about the car. If there is a dealer nearby, go for a test drive. My commute is 40 miles each way and I get 40+ mpg. You’ll be amazed at how roomy and comfortable it is inside.
I would agree with trying out a VW. Yeah, they’re not at the top of the heap reliability-wise, but they are vastly more interesting cars in terms of how they look, feel, and drive than most of the dull econo-boxes out there. Their reliabilty issues were never really that bad even during the worst years of the 1990’s and earlier 2000’s (IMHO not so bad as to rule them out entirely) and by most indications they’ve sorted them out now. I would still be cautious buying one used, but a new one should be fine.
The 3 and the Fiesta strike me as the other car makers finally starting to catch up with VW in term of making interesting economy cars. From your OP, I don’t think you’d be happy in the Honda or Toyota snooze-fests, even if they are the best cars for the job on paper.
as far as the Focus goes, I’d really recommend waiting for the 2012 which I think should hit the dealers in March or April. It’s far and away much nicer than the current U.S. Focus.
