Mom currently drives a 200? Buick Le Sabre. She loves it, but she’s decided to trade it in so that she can cut down on costs, especially gas. She drives around 600 miles a week, and the price of gas is killing her. I’ve gotten tagged with researching, as she’s insanely busy. Trouble is, I know nothing of cars, so I’m turning to you guys.
Things that are really important to her:
[li]comfort (leather seats, nice interior, etcetera)[/li][li]gas mileage[/li][li]decent sound system[/li][li]safety[/li]
Things that matter, but can be given up:
[li]made in America (this is actually my dad’s thing, but hey)[/li][li]looks[/li][li]interior room (when it’s all five of us, it’s packed)[/li][li]engine power (V6 or better)[/li][li]automatic instead of standard[/li]
Things she doesn’t give a squat about
[li]towing[/li][li]sports packages, etc[/li][li]color, sun roof, car alarm…[/li]
While I haven’t quizzed her in depth, I’m figuring she would prefer to keep the cost of the car under $10-$15K, and used is just fine by her, though more recent is better.
Let’s try that again, and remember that preview is my friend
Things that are really important to her:
[ul]
[li]comfort (leather seats, nice interior, etcetera)[/li][li]gas mileage[/li][li]decent sound system[/li][li]safety[/li][/ul]
Things that matter, but can be given up:
[ul][li]made in America (this is actually my dad’s thing, but hey)[/li][li]looks[/li][li]interior room (when it’s all five of us, it’s packed)[/li][li]engine power (V6 or better)[/li][li]automatic instead of standard[/li][/ul]
Things she doesn’t give a squat about
[ul][li]towing[/li][li]sports packages, etc[/li][li]color, sun roof, car alarm…[/li][/ul]
Corolla with all the options except the automatic.
Comfort? Check. A real “track team special”. It’s as big inside as midsized cars used to be. The leather isn’t bad either, I think.
Gas Mileage? Check. If you get one with the manual, you start to wonder why Toyota builds so many Priuses. The EPA gets 41 MPG on the highway and you’ll beat that figure at 85 miles per hour.
Decent Sound System? Not sure. I’ve got lousy hearing and couldn’t tell the difference between a magnet, two wires, and a tin can, and a $500 high-end speaker.
-Safety? Check. I’ve seen a lot of old Corollas where the driver’s compartment stayed together pretty well in massive, 80-into-the-guardrail-then-hit-everything-else crashes. They’re built to actually withstand big wrecks, not to ace a few specific tests.
-Made In America? Check. I think they’re all made in California at the NUMMI plant.
-Looks? A big black mark. It’s quite ugly. The proportions are all wrong and there are no neat design gimmicks or touches.
-Engine Power? Check. The 1800cc engine supposedly puts out 130 horsepower - and if you’ll believe that I’ve got a nice piece of property in Brooklyn to sell you. It’s got a nice bridge… With the manual box, zero-to-sixty takes around seven seconds.
Do you mean 10 - 15k new? That rules out Volvo and BMW.
The Le Sabre is a big car – how small is she willing to go to acheive her gas mileage goal?
Is made/assembled in America OK, or does she want an American make?
Mazda6 sound right, except for the price. It’s going to be damned hard to find a new, 6 cyl, midsize car for that little. It’s a four cyl, but has good pickup.
I drive a Mazda3, and I never notice that it’s a 4 cylinder. I get 27-30 mpg manual.
ChaparralV8 I’ve gotta call for a cite on that hp figure and/or your 0-60claim. I think its physically impossible in a car the size of a Corolla.
Perhaps you are confusing the 170hp Corolla XRS 2ZZ engine (basically the same engine in the Matrix/Vibe minus the kewl VVTL-i variable valve timing), producing 170bhp with the standard Corolla 1.8l 1ZZ-FE engine which produces 130hp.
IMHO, there is no way the latter motor could propel a car of the modern Corolla’s mass to 60mph in ~7sec. Mid to high eights is a much more reasonable estimate. Both engines displace 1.8l so I can see how you made the mistake.