New small car advice

I checked out a Mazda 2 at the auto show. Looks great. MUCH better ergonomics and dash than its Ford counterpart. If I were in the market for a new car, it would definitely be on my short list.

I like the Hyundai's now. I used to think they were POS and didn't offer that much, but when you consider there cheaper then what the Japanese have to offer and Domestic brands (which are now built in Mexico and Canada), the Hyundai is built in America and has a 10 year warranty. Im seeing people using these cars everyday for years with no problems, its the new Toyota...

For the sake of comparison shopping, at first glance the Fiesta has 20% more HP, better fuel economy, and a much better tech package (which is important to me as a commuter) all at the same price as the Mazda 2.

I would prefer a Mazda to a Ford, but those numbers cannot be ignored.

I just bought a VW Golf TDI. It'll probably be less reliable than a Yaris or Fit, but the driving experience is a lot nicer. Depending on how much you are willing to spend, it might be an option. Purely on price and practicality, there are better options (like the Fit), but enjoyment has to have some value, too.

Consider a Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid. These are a little more expensive than some of the cars on your list, and the Prius is the better of the two, but if you get one of the more basic models, which really aren't all that "basic" in a comparative sense, you'll have a comfortable mid-sized car that gets better mileage than any of the cars on the list, and $4+ gas is likely to be a permanent component of life in the years ahead.

Good point. The list was pretty loosely brainstormed. I really do want something three or five door.

For a straight, subcompact commuter car, the Fiesta, Yaris, or Fit will offer similar or better fuel economy as the Prius for half the price. Neither the Civic nor Prius are considered subcompact.

You might want to add the Nissan Versa hatchback to it. Anything without flat folding rear seats or if won't fit a bicycle should be deleted.

I’ve spent the past month or so going through the whole small car thing and always ended up back to the Fiesta. Not too cheap, not too expensive and with a pretty broad market there’s always the backup there if you need it.

Did a have a very close look at the Mazda 2’s. The Mazda and Ford actually share very few common parts, the drive trains are completely different and Ford have seemed to have done a little more work and that’s what swayed me over to the Fiesta.

So going to order a diesel Fiesta, give the KLR a bit of a break and keep the 640 adventure for the rough stuff.

Jeff

I bought one last October. I haven't seen anything near 40, but then it's been winter. I'm getting about 35 with the summer tires.

Sweet missile launcher.

After having a car that as expensive to maintain (Audi) and average reliability. I'd much rather have something that will last, and be easier and cheaper to work on.

I've got an '03 Corolla 5-spd that has been amazingly reliable for the past 115K miles.
The LE trim fits it out with pretty much everything I need, had to add XM (now an option) and my own GPS.
It's a good city car, small and quick enough to dart through traffic, but big enough to carry 4 grown-ups, or a bike in the trunk. 5-speed gets pretty decent mileage, we've seen middle 30's in town (Norfolk / Virginia Beach) and low 40's on highway trips.

We kept up with the factory reccomended service untill about 60K, regular oil changes, and kept a close eye on the tire pressure. Only repair it's needed was an A/C relay ($140 parts+labor)

Mine is beige, with steel wheels / hubcaps, so it's possibly the most non-descript car ever designed. Which, in some neighborhoods, is a good thing.

I can tell you that the car-top case and rack will knock at least 5mpg off of your mileage. Inflate the summer tires to 40-44 psi, get rid of the rack, and you might see 40 if you don't lead-foot it too much.

i'm glad that you'll finally admit to that!

I love these threads when a guy gives a list of what he's considering then you just ignore it and throw out your own ideas about what he should want, usually bigger, and more expensive.
Yaris' are pretty much bullet proof,
I'd choose the mazda 2 over the fiesta because of the cheaper buy-in.
the fit has the most room, is super reliable, gets better mileage than the epa figures suggest, and will be the easiest resale, and get you back far more of your initial investment no matter how many miles you drive, or how hard you beat it.
The hyundai and kia are probably gonna be ok, but when you're done with it you may as well throw it away, they'll be worth nothing.
coopers are most 'fun', but tight inside, and expensive to maintain.

don't trust me though, i've only been the business for 20 years.

I have a Focus and so far have been very happy with it. I am one of "those people" that wright down every fillup the price, MPG, gallons, distance. I have done this from day one.

The car gets on average 34mpg in the few years I have owned. The only problem I have had is with the Microsoft Sync and it lost its mind. It had to be reset at the dealer.

No other problems....and it was under 10k.

By that criteria, you'd have to delete the Versa since it's idiotically designed rear seat doesn't fold anywhere near flat. Well, "flat" I suppose, but 6 inches higher than the floor of the load area.

I agree with Fullmonte...nice to be able to throw a bike in the back.



Can't speak on the new Fit but we've just turned 60K on our '07 Fit Sport with the 5AT (paddle shifter auto). The cargo capacity and flexibility is great--two small frame bikes in the back, or my unwieldy folded-but-assembled wheelchair when needed. Give it a look. We can squeak 42mpg hwy out of it but usually end up with 33/38. The new generation has some improvements but a similar cargo arrangement which is, IMHO, a neat selling point, so I think it's worth looking at. The're a Fit thread around here somewhere*.

found it

Sorry it's not populated with new Fit posts but might give you some info anyway on how the Fit cargo section works. It has an unusual folding seat arrangement that's handy.

We're looking at nearly the same list as you to replace one of our cars...the Fit is again at the top but the competition is pretty good in that class of cars. Fun stuff. Wish the old Xb was still in production.


*(damn..I miss Mike Berlien...)

My wife's '93 Civic VX has a surprising amount of room in the back and gets 40+mpg in typical DC-metro stop-n-go commuting and will sneak up on 50+mpg driving legal-ish speeds on the freeway. Annoying that even new compacts like the Fiesta can't match this efficiency (though they are certainly better equipped). As far as new compacts go the Yaris hits me as truly uninspired, the fiesta seems very good - a bit fiesty and fun. I wouldn't be caught dead in a prius The direct-injection korean cars are really nice as well. An new optima or sonata will do nearly the mpg of the fiesta but is much more roomy and has 200hp. A bit long for tight city parking though and lacks the oh-so-useful hatchback.

The mini is a fun car, stiffish suspension for decent handling and a bit more zip than most. Made by BMW for what that's worth.

Another fun one is the Focus SVT - not super efficient, but a fun little car. The standard focus isn't a bad driving car either - definitely a better feel to it than the little 'yotas.

Why not keep the truck and get a bike? A cage, no matter how fuel efficient, is $20/day to park in the city. You can usually sneak a bike in somewhere for free.