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Car Hunt recommendations

Super Tuna

Super Tuna

You can't scale this!
Joined
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Greetings!

I keep getting less then subtle hints from the wife about the K word lately and one of the things that will have to change at that point is a second car. I simply need to do too much driving between sites to share so there we are. Ideally she doesn't want anything fancy since it's mostly about going from A to B. Having it be a 4 door sedan with decent room (IE not fit/Yaris sized) are her other wishes.

Things we've eyeballed
Mazda 3
Hyunadi Elantra GL
Civic
Corolla
Cruze
Fusion

Fusion and Cruze aren't currently high on our list but we're willing to be convinced. The other thing we haven't ruled out is getting a nicer car that's used.

So I guess I'm looking for any tidbits to recommend one model over the other or if there's something out there I'm over looking. Inside knowledge and all of that heh.

Thank you!
 
Given the list there, the ONLY choice in my mind is the Fusion.
Tell me why you haven't considered it much yet, and I'll tell you why you should.
 
I can't compare many of the cars, but I can say that I bought the Honda Civic in 2006 (the first year of the new body style), and have been sooo pleased. It hasn't given us any troubles, gets good gas mileage (approx 25-27 around town, and I am pretty aggresive, and about 35 on the freeway). The only knocks I have for the Civic are #1 it is a bit louder than other cars I have been in (ie you can hear the road when driving at higher speeds), #2 no leather option (only an issue because we have a little guy who makes a mess and leather is easier to clean up). Other than that I have been very happy, so much that our next car will likely be a Honda as well.
 
Not sure why youre not high on the Fusion. Everything I read and hear about it is positive, specially the hybrid. Id take a look at one before you write it off. The Civic is tried and true. Most of those cars are solid cars actually. Gotta go kick some tires and see what you like for the price you want.
 
RatFink said:
Given the list there, the ONLY choice in my mind is the Fusion.
Tell me why you haven't considered it much yet, and I'll tell you why you should.
Click to expand...

My cousin has the Fusion and has been really happy with it. Just another .02
 
I'm a Honda fan myself. They last so long and really hold their value. I've had them for many years and don't see switching to anything else. The last one I sold on Craigslist was 8 years old and it sold in 12 hours for the asking price.
 
With how far I driver to work each day, if my hot girl car Jetta TDI were to die on me Id most likely get the Fusion hybrid. Lots of cool cabin tech in that car too.
 
I agree that the civic is a solid little car, but I think for Hondas, you REALLY need to spend time in them.
I had a civic for driver's ed in 2009, and I'm not the largest guy (5'11", 190lbs), but I could not get comfy at all. My back would kill me at the end of every lesson. I also found that it was gutless on the highway and merging.
That being said, there are millions of them running around so i'm obviously a rare case, and they are a solid car.
 
Don't pass over giving Subaru a look, they run forever, they all come with all wheel drive standard (might come in handy in Vancouver) and the new Legacy is sweet looking. They are very dependable, you just can't kill a Subaru...
 
Get the Consumer Reports Auto issue. If you can't find that, maybe the December issue is still out; it has a big car section in it.
 
I have a 2006 civic and love it. Im a bigger guy but I found a real comfy set and I love it. Been on long road trips and it was great for me. My 06 has great pick up and go, especially on the freeway. Coming from a 69 Chevelle and 96 s-10 I am loving the gas mileage!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If Subaru is tossed in the equation, that's another car I support. However, they are more expensive than any of the other cars on the list.
 
RatFink said:
If Subaru is tossed in the equation, that's another car I support. However, they are more expensive than any of the other cars on the list.
Click to expand...

More expensive than most, but the base Fusion starts at ~19K and the base legacy starts at ~19k, so its in the ballpark...
 
Super Tuna said:
Greetings!

I keep getting less then subtle hints from the wife about the K word lately and one of the things that will have to change at that point is a second car. I simply need to do too much driving between sites to share so there we are. Ideally she doesn't want anything fancy since it's mostly about going from A to B. Having it be a 4 door sedan with decent room (IE not fit/Yaris sized) are her other wishes.

Things we've eyeballed
Mazda 3
Hyunadi Elantra GL
Civic
Corolla
Cruze
Fusion

Fusion and Cruze aren't currently high on our list but we're willing to be convinced. The other thing we haven't ruled out is getting a nicer car that's used.

So I guess I'm looking for any tidbits to recommend one model over the other or if there's something out there I'm over looking. Inside knowledge and all of that heh.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

I currently drive a '09 Mazda 3 and absolutely love it. It is fun to drive, gets OK milage, and comes nicely equipped for its price range. It does everything a civic does with the distinct advantage of not being a civic! And there arent 47 of them in every grocery store parking lot.
 
The following is a list of the recommended new small cars by Consumers Reports - you may want to do an internet search beginning with these that interest you from the list.

Ford Focus AT
Ford Focus MT
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda Civic Si
Honda Fit Base AT
Honda Fit Sport MT
Hyundai Elantra Touring
Kia Forte EX 2.0
Kia Forte Koup SX
Kia Soul
Mazda3 AT
Mazda3 MT
Mazda3 s Sport
MazdaSpeed3 Sport
Nissan Sentra 2.0 SL
Nissan Versa Hatchback SL
Nissan Versa Sedan S
Scion xD AT
Scion xD MT
Subaru Impreza 2.5i
Subaru Impreza Outback Sport
Suzuki SX4 LE
Suzuki SX4 Technology
Toyota Corolla Base
Toyota Corolla LE
Volkswagen Golf 2.5
Volkswagen Golf TDI
 
Small: Hunting it out now actually

JN: While I really like the AWD, she doesn't care too much. She might warm up on a test drive but the Subaru name out here means inflated costs over norm. Same thing with Volvo.

Kevin/Rat: The Fusion hybrid isn't on the cards as it's more then $12k more then every other car on that list. Base out here is $36k and it ramps up quickly if you add anything to it. Plus the high demand means there's pretty much nil for incentives. I'll otherwise grand the SE should probably get a look with lots of stuff included in the base plus 0% financing going on.

Really the Civic and the Cruze are getting the short end of the stick right now. The cruze felt a bit gutless on the highway and she's not a speed daemon so that's saying something. The Civic is edgey as well since it's the #1 most stolen car in Vancouver. So far into #1 that it's stolen 4 times more often then the #2. We live in a secure building and all but still.

Ratfink: Hit me up on the Fusion then. Mostly her objections seem to be down to the base price being higher then a lot of the other models. I keep countering with her not really wanting much of the extras but it hasn't got a lot of traction.
 
I don't think I would go with the hybrid even if it did win Motortrend's 2010 Car of the Year. I'm just not sold on hybrid technology - but that's just me.

The first thing I have to say about the Fusion is that it's in a completely different class than the other cars in your list, so comparing the Fusion to them would be wrong. The Mazda 3, Cruze, Civic, are all compact cars, the Fusion is a mid-sized family sedan - more comparable cars are the Mazda 6, Malibu, Accord, and Camry. So automatically, it is going to cost more than the other ones. However, against cars in its class, it is very comparably priced and some advantages over them.

Of the cars you listed, Fusion is the only one that offers all wheel drive - a huge plus in my mind. Coming from up here in Calgary, AWD just makes life so much better in the winter when you are trying to get going from an icy start.
The Mazda 6 is a smaller Fusion from what I've heard - when the original Mazda 6's and Fusions came out, a Ford representative told me that they were twins, except the Fusion was for the American market [ie: bigger].
The Malibu is a beautiful car, but getting on in its product life cycle and due for a refresh. I liked it, and I know the magazines did as well, but right now, not outstanding.
The Accord is expensive compared to the Fusion and - like I said about the civic, I can't get comfortable in them. It seems to be an across the board Honda problem for me, but that's just me.
THe Camry... well dont' even get me started on Toyota. I think they're boring, drab, bland, reliable [??], grey comes to mind, and soul-less [ever since the Supra]. Sure they are popular as heck, but I will NEVER own a toyota. Generally they are for people who only want to get from point A to point B with no enjoyment in their drive. And to top that off, they cost a lot.

The Fusion on the other hand is stylish, comfortable, well equipped, safe, fun to drive, reliable, domestic [I am hugely pro-domestic cars], decent on fuel, and generally a very well sorted out car. The trunk is surprisingly big, the interior is surprisingly roomy, and on the highway, it is a darn fine car to drive. Semis going the opposite direction do not bother it in the slightest.

PS: I realize a large portion of this forum probably drives toyotas, and I may have offended a great number of you, I'm sorry if I did, but this is just my opinion.
One of my aunts has had a corolla and a camry [she dreamed about owning a camry] and then for some reason she just didn't feel safe driving teh Camry after 4 years [no one knows why - it was mechanically sound]. When that happened, we went and took her to get a Fusion, and now she is happier driving than she has ever been in her entire life. I was even there when she bought the camry back in '05. She liked it then, but when she got out of the fusion at the ford dealership in 2009, she had the biggest smile on her face that any of us had seen in ages.
Another one of my aunts currently owns a corolla. They are definitely reliable, but they are just tools to get from point A to point B. That is how she treats it, and it works perfectly for her needs. She doesn't need a sporty riding car, she just needs something safe and reliable to get from Point A to Point B.

I argue that if you are going to drive something, drive something you enjoy.
 
Smallville said:
Get the Consumer Reports Auto issue. If you can't find that, maybe the December issue is still out; it has a big car section in it.
Click to expand...

Great idea. It might also be worth the $5.95 to get access to the consumer reports website for a month. I say might since I haven't belonged to it but just the bits and pieces I've seen it may be worth it.
 
c_ault said:
Great idea. It might also be worth the $5.95 to get access to the consumer reports website for a month. I say might since I haven't belonged to it but just the bits and pieces I've seen it may be worth it.
Click to expand...

I buy the magazines from time to time, but I did get the membership to the website. I always let it run out after a year and re-up when I'm looking at something to buy. Great website.
 
I've had Hondas for years and years. I now have two Honda Accord 6 cyl., a '05 and '07. I love them both. They work well in the snow. I used to have a '03 Honca CRV that I also loved. I don't think that a person could go wrong with most of those on your lists. Drive them and see which cars you like.
 
Look at the VW with the TDI engine. 30 plus mpg in the city and 42 plus mpg on the highway!!
 
Sold cars for 10 years. Mainly Honda's so while the civic is nice. The new Sonata is a great cat for the money. good mileage, lots of features standard good room. My best friend has a fusion and likes it but his is loaded. A used las tgen Accord 07-08 would be a good value also esp certified.
 
I'll toss in my vote for Honda and their products. I have a '99 civic that I bought new at the end of '98 and it has never let me down. If it ever goes, another one will be at the top of my list.
 
This is just from my personal experience but I would take a Mazda hands down every time. Had an 86 MX6, had over 300K on it, no major repairs were ever needed, just the normal stuff that ears out from time to time. Sold it to the kid next door for $200 and he's still driving it. Got the 3 now and everyone in the family loves it, got the hatchback model cause it's easier to put my clubs in the car. It's an 06 with a little over 100K on it and it's running like a champ.
 
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