What kind of car should I get? (Need answer sort of fast)

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was in an auto accident last week. My car (a 2010 Honda Fit) was totaled, but the insurance company gave me a good chunk of change.

Now I need to buy a new car.

The easiest thing to do would be to combine the insurance cash with my tax refund, which will pretty much cover a new 2017 Honda Fit.

However, I plan to retire out west in a few years. I would like then to have a car with a little more pep than the Fit. I don’t need a big, off-road worthy vehicle, I just need a little more juice for climbing steep grades. I planned to buy this car at retirement, until last week’s events.

Are there any cars that answer to this description?

Basically, commuter vehicles that are still small and get decent mileage, but have a little more pickup than full-fledged commuter cars? (Also, not too much more expensive than ordinary commuter cars - luxury brands are out of my price range).

I could do research on this myself, but since the insurance only covers the rental for a few more days (unless I want to start paying for it out of pocket), I thought I’d seek out the Dope’s knowledge.

TIA.

2

Volkswagon GTI. Nearly identical silhouette to the fit, but a lot more pop for not that much more $$$.

3

Some midsize and compact sedans also sell a sports model that comes with a more powerful engine.

I own a 2007 Hyundai sonata. Normally they have a 4 cylinder with about 160 hp and ft-lb of torque, but the sports model has a 6 cylinder and about 230 hp and torque.

The accord and camry both have a sports model with a better engine vs the regular engine.

4

I’m really liking my 2016 Mazda CX-5. I don’t know what you have to spend, so perhaps it’s out of your pay range ($23K-$30K). Handles great, lots of pep, and the Touring level and above have a “Sport” selection for the six-speed auto tranny that gives you a rocket boost for climbing twisting mountain roads.

5

Honda HR-V; a small CUV on a Fit platform. Or the Honda CR-V; a small CUV on the Civic platform. Note that about twenty percent of what Honda sells are CR-V’s so they are pretty popular. Last year they sold about 350,000 of them.

6

+1

OP can get one slightly used coming off lease for a very reasonable price.

Wonderful cars, IMO.

7

Get a 2-year-old Honda CRV. New cars are for suckers :wink:

8

Is the GTI a specific model of car in the US? I only ask because in Europe, a GTI is a version of a model - you can have a Golf GTI or a Polo GTI which are similar, but the Polo is quite a bit smaller.

9

I really like the CX-5s but the Mazda 2 & 3 are closer to the Fit. There’s also a CX-3, a small trucky looking thing.

10

Given that I drive a 2010 Honda Fit, can you tell me how much money the insurance company gave you?

11

Get a used Prius. We bought one that was 2 years old (the plug in type) from someone who was moving out of the country & you can drive it in full electric mode if you plug it in to recharge regularly & it uses NO gas. Or you can run it in hybrid mode and the gas will charge the battery when you drive it. A used one would be close to the price point of a new Honda Fit.

12

Kias have greatly improved in quality.
I own a hatchback Rio, & I love it.
Great mileage.

Or, consider a Kia Soul.
Boxy, but very popular.

13

Get a used car which will exactly fit your current needs, which you will use until retirement. At retirement buy a different car which will fit your retirement needs.

14

At least for 2017 the Golf is the only model available in the US with the GTI suffix / goodies. So folks call it a “GTI”.

Polo is not a US model.

15

Aha. That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification of the mini hijack.

16

Where are you going out west? Oregon, Washington State, and California have some of the strictest emissions control standards in the country. Cars that can pass in other states often can’t pass in these states, especially in California.

If you want to make sure that what you buy will pass in the west, buy a new car and ask in it is fitted with California emissions controls-- I don’t actually know if it’s that case anymore, but intended for sale in California sometimes had extra emissions control devices. I learned this because I once owned a car that had the warning signal for the “time to replace” for some device it didn’t have, but I still had to take it into the dealer to have them turn some key and shut the warning flag off.

Anyway, if you can’t find a new car that you like, then buy something used that fits your needs, and see if you can bank a little of the money, so you can plan on buying something else when you get out west.

On the other hand, if “west” means Arizona or Nevada, you might want to check on their emissions controls. It might be that whatever you get will pass.

Generally, the closer you are to the coasts, the stricter the standards, with the exception of Illinois, which is fairly strict (at least according to two cousins who live there, and my brother, who used to live there, and is now in CA).

In Indiana, you can drive cars missing hoods, doors, with visqueen over the rear window, with huge spiderweb cracks over the driver’s side of the windshield, with the muffler dragging, with big black clouds of smoke that obscure the vision of the driver behind them whenever the car takes off at a light, or so out of alignment, one rear wheel is crossing lanes. Or that have a log for the rear bumper. Or that you built from a kit, or cobbled together from junkyard parts, and are sitting on a piece of plywood. I’m not making that last one up.

17

One thing to remember is any servicing or parts.

Try to stick to a car or a brand that has lots of parts available (ie something fairly common)

I would be a little reluctant to get a KIA unless there is a dealership fairly close.

Also, Volkswagen doesn’t sell any diesel’s in the US anymore.

Thanks

18

I had a Suzuki coupe (SX4?) for a few years that was really fun, peppy, and absolutely reliable. Same with a Sentra and Altima (Nissans) I’ve owned. I drive impractical cars now, but I was very fond of these cars.

My friend’s Honda Civic sedan is really nice and has some kick. It’s loaded but was nicely-priced.

Sharkwife has a new Mini Cooper that is loads of fun and has some serious juice. They’re relatively expensive new, but quite reasonable two or three years’ used with low mileage.

19

Good advice which I’m considering. The downside is the time constraint I’m under.

RivkahChaya, that’s also good advice which I hadn’t considered. I’m thinking Arizona or Nevada. Or New Mexico - what are emissions standards like there?

ssgenius, yet another piece of good advice, which I’d wondered about. I’m old enough to remember when it was hard to find parts and maintenance in rural places for *any *foreign cars. You mention Kia; how hard are Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Volkswagen to maintain?

Thanks to all for the good advice!

20

Is there a Carmax near you? They carry all types of used cars & update their website within a few hours of getting new inventory.