Cars

K

keli400

Cathlete
Hi, I am looking and doing my homework to buy a new car. I currently drive a Saturn with over 100,000 miles on it and well, it's days are numbered. So...I am considering the following: Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Prius, Mazda 3, Suzuki SX4, Hyundai Elantra and the Subaru Impreza. I've done the test drives and my favorites are the Impreza, followed by the SX4 and the civic. I think financing-wise they are all about the same, except I think the Prius is out of my league--I am trying to keep the price under 18,000. Any thoughts out there?

Keli
 
We are a Toyota family, so my vote would be for the Corolla. Toyotas and Hondas has a much higher resale value, so that is something to consider also.
 
I drive a Civic; my best friend drives a Corolla. We've both been very happy with these cars. They're reliable, get great mileage, and retain value. Don't know much about the Impreza, but I don't think you can go wrong with either of these cars, so I would say test drive them all and see which one feels better to you.

[font face="heather" font color=black size=+2]~Cathy[/font]

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I also drive a Civic. Mine is a 4DR Sedan VP in blue. It's an 04 from a corporate fleet. My best friend drives a Camry and another drives a Rav4. All of the cars you mentioned are good.
Consumer Reports on MSN autos are a good source of info..
 
<<I also drive a Civic. Mine is a 4DR Sedan VP in blue.>>

That's so funny - that's the exact car my husband just bought about 3 weeks ago! He loves it. Most especially, he loves the gas mileage he's getting.
:D
Bernadette
 
Mine is a 2004, what year is yours? What colour of interior do you have? Mine is the Ivory/Beige.
The 04 Civic in automatic is est at 38 mpg highway, I average between 40-42 mpg highway. No rough stops or starts though.
 
Sounds like the same exact car. It's a 2004 (we bought "Honda Certified" used), VP package (DH decided to give up on the power windows & locks because we've had awful luck with both in the past), tan interior, VERY blue exterior, automatic. He traded in a Nissan Pathfinder, so he is now getting about double the gas mileage he used to get. He drives very cautiously, no sudden stops or starts for him either, and he's getting great gas mileage so far.
Bernadette
 
Subaru's are all wheel drive. If you live in an area where the roads get slick in winter, it can be a life-saver.

I love my current Subaru Outback. My last car was the Subaru Forester. I haven't had mechanical issues with either one of them (the Forester had 90,000 miles on it when it was totalled). Another nice thing about Subaru is that so many features come standard (Love my heated seats!!!).

I don't have personal experience with any of the other cars mentioned. But I'd certainly go with a Toyota or Honda over a Suzuki or Hyundai. Better track records and resale values.
 
My DH just bought a Honda Civic. He really likes the great gas mileage.
We live in a snowy area and he finds it not the best in snow. I'm not sure if it's because it is so lite. He was use to a heavy buick.

I have a 2000 outback. It is my second Subaru. My first finally died
after owning it for 13 years. I have not had many problems with my Subaru and it is great in the snow.

My husband will still take my car to run errands, instead of his new Honda.:)

If I was to replace my Subaru I would probably get another Subaru.

When all was said and done my husband paid about 19,000 for his Civic.
 
Keli, I could have written your post 4 years ago. We had a Saturn with over 150,000 miles and it was just done. We seriously looked at the Civic, Corolla, Mazda 3, and Impreza. Also, we just went to the Auto Show last night, so I have some thoughts on these cars :D

After the auto show last night, I was in love with the Impreza. It is so cute!! The gas mileage is worse than the other cars above, but it is AWD, so if you live in a place with yucky winter weather I would totally get this car.

Civic - DH and I decided to buy this car in 2004. It's very practical and cute and is a fine car. Like others have said, both Civics and Corollas will hold their value well. I am not sure if you drive on highways much, but I find the road noise inside the Civic to be pretty loud (at least compared to our Passat). I'm not sure if it's just my car or if that has changed over the last 4 years.

Mazda 3 - DH and I test drove one of these and I didn't like it at all. It had some weird blind spots going on and I thought it cost more than it was worth. Not too thrilled with it, but could definitely be someone else's cup o' tea.

Elantra - I had never thought much about Hyudai before, but I saw it last night and it is really cute. I haven't driven one though.

Let us know what you decide!
 
I have a 2004 Civic EX and LOVE IT! :D I've been extremely happy with this car and am glad I decided to buy it. It gets fantastic fuel economy (I average about 36-38 mpg, depending on the weather - it's lower in the cold months). It's the perfect-sized car for me (I'm 5'3"), but DH has a hard time in it because he's 6'4" - it's uncomfortable for him to drive for long distances. My only real complaint about my Civic (and they may have addressed this issue in later model years) is the road noise. Other than that, I've got no complaints and I'd buy this car again in a heartbeat. HTH! :)
 
I just bought a Subaru Forester after lots of Subaru recommendations. Now, I know why. What a super car and the price was great. $20,000 out the door with 0% financing. How can you beat that? And I agree the car is really nicely equipped and feels like it's glued to the road. It's the nicest car I've ever owned. With the slowdown in car sales, you just might be able to get a Forester instead of the Impreza in your price range. I wish that I had been able to wait a few months, because prices are just coming down.Good luck with whatever you decide. There are lots of terrific cars out there to choose from.
 
Thanks everyone! I think I am going to hold off until summer to make my purchase (just hope my car is willing to do this) but I really appreciate your advice. I have looked at consumer reports, as someone suggested, and would you believe the Hyundai is rated the highest for a small sedan? Yes, but it is followed closely by the Honda Civic and the Mazda 3. In my test driving experience--I have the hardest time telling which is better because they are all so much better than my current car! Oh well, I will mull it over. I live in the Bay area in California so I don't have to worry about the winter driving, but I do have to worry about the ability to accelerate and brake on the freeway!

Fun times!
Keli
 
Can't comment on most the the models you're talking about, but I did recently test drive the Elantra, it was a nice car and alot of room for the size of vehicle, but then I drove the Sonata, which is the next size up, and it has a much smoother ride and is quieter. I bought the Sonata. My previous car was a Hyundai as well, and no major issues with it. The Sonata gets about 30 mpg, but I sit in stop and go traffic alot, which is more stop than go, and I'm still average 30mpg so not too bad. Was out the door for $19k for 0%. Not too bad. Also, Civics are very expensive to insure, they are stolen a lot. Toyota's have really good resale value. Not sure about the Mazda's. Some of the Toyota and Hyundai dealers around here are throwing in lifetime bumper to bumper for free (above and beyond the manufactures warranty) and see if you can get them to toss in lifetime oil changes for free as well.

I also don't want a car that every one else has, seems every other car is a Toyota. I'd like to be a little different. Plus, I have a hard time remembering where I'm parked, so if the car is different, its easier!!

Nan
 
Hi Keli! I'm a bit south of you - 6 miles up Hwy 17 from Los Gatos. I have to deal with mountain roads everyday, so that's why I suggested Subaru. This winter, my son got stranded at a friend's house in the snow - they couldn't drive out in their 2-whl drive cars. But I got through to retrieve him.

Also, since you're driving the crazy freeways around here, please check the car's safety records. The Forrester I mentioned that was totalled - I was hit broadside at 40mph when a car ran a red light on the expressway. The Forrester was spun around and flipped on it's side, but I walked away without a scratch.

I never paid attention to safety records prior to that, but I sure do now.

Diane
 
My husband works for Nissan, so we're a Nissan family. He drives a Sentra that gets amazing gas mileage and is really fun to drive. They have a new car out called the Rogue that's also good on gas mileage and is extra economical. (I had to get a plug in and make him proud :) )
 
I am a student who has to drive an hour to and from school M-F. So my selling points were gas mileage, and a car that was not going to nickle and dime me in repairs being in the shop all the time. I need my car to get to class and clincals and my grade suffers even if I miss a day. I also needed something that was affordable. So I kicked my Chevy to the curb and bought a Honda Civic. I love it!
 
I just retired my 1999 Mazda Millenia with 165,000 miles on it. I sold it private party, and the new owner is loving it still. It's got lots of miles left in it. I love Mazda!
 
My Husband also works for Nissan! He is a Sales Manager out here in Northern ,Ca.I drive a 2008 Altima which I love,love , love! The Sentra and Rogue are both great recommendations . Aynyway ,just had to throw out a "hey" to fellow Nissan family member ;-)
 
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