Help Me Choose a Car!

[ChicksterJo]

My parents have a Toyota Yaris (2 door 4 cyl) which I use atm to drive to work. It is a good car if you want high MPG but it is a little small, even for me (I am barely 5'0"). I also think the insurance is rather high because it is a small car. I would rather have a Subaru Forester (used) if I could find a good one. The Yaris hasn't given much problems even when my dad used to drive it to work, which totaled about 80 highway miles per day and ~ 22,000 mi per year. I can't vouch for the other cars because I have not driven them. I wouldn't say that the Yaris is like driving a tin can though A little hard to get up them hills..I always say, "Chug, chug, chug" whenever I drive up a hill because even though I push the pedal to the metal it just has trouble going up that hill lol.

A mid-size car would probably be your best bet. It wouldn't feel like you are giving up safety because when I drive I am surprised at how many people have cars that are waaay bigger than mine. But I sure wouldn't get an F350 with gas prices this high!

 

[bakerjw]

IMHO anything Ford and nothing Japanese.

 

[conny63malies]

I never have luck with Chevy. We bought two new and both had either breakdowns the first week or had to be taken to the shop for the same reason 4-5 times. Lordstown isnt what it used to be. I love my old Ford Windstar!!!! Bought it with 152k and took it to Fl this summer. No probs. I think we might buy a Ford again or maybe a Dodge truck for my husband. BTw the Cobalt lost power steering in january on a curvy icy road at night and i almost wrecked. Took ten days to get the problem fixed and Chevy had to give me a free loaner. My Monte Carlo had a bad battery the first week and i was stranded at MacDill AFB.

 

[kstaven]

Audi A3 or its sister the VW TDI Diesel. May be more up front but they build a car that lasts and lasts. My Audi is 12 years old and has never had a major mechanical issue. Best winter vehicle I have ever owned.

 

[braindead101]

Don't knock the truck. DH and I have 2 F150s, an '88 with over 400,000 miles and a '97 with almost 200,000. With proper maintenance a vehicle will give good service.

But you're looking for a car. Ds has a Honda Accord, great ride, really good mileage. Ds has a Honda Civic. Not as good a ride as the Accord but again really good mileage. Hers was bought new, took a while to break in but is now pushing that 40 mpg mark.

 

[Mahonri]

NO, NO and NO to the three cars listed.

I came on here a year ago last October asking for ideas for a new vehicle.

I took the advise of those on here and test drove a Honda Pilot.

I got the 4WD with Touring package and I couldn't be happier.

Best money I've ever spent.... and I traded in a 7 series BMW... The Pilot is a much better ride.

 

[Avalon1984]

I love my Toyotas. We have 2 Priuses and one large tundra. Couldn't be happier. Before that I drove a Chrysler and the darn thing literally fell apart at 30,000 miles, breaks bad, bushings broken, oil all over the engine, etc. It was rediculous. I was very happy when I got rid of that clunker. I will stick with Toyota and never go back. My husbands Prius has 250,000 miles on it and other than oil changes never needed any maintenance. Love the 50 mpg.

 

[Henny peeny]

don't get one with twin cam my altima had twin cam this means it has two timing chians and the one on the bottom broke all said to get another car since it would be better. So I know not to get a twin cam if the timing chian broke on the top it would of been a easy fix. No telling if you get a twin cam IF either timing chain will break ever but mine did.

I don't know much of any of the cars you mentioned but had you thought of a hybred I talked to someone that said he got one but it is none the better I can't recall what he has. Nissan has a fully electric car but you need to plug it in, I don't know I have no clue how fast it is or how long the battery last and where you would recharge it.


I like the smart car but may a mini cooper I here they get good milage.

Rhayden

 

[uncle rico]

what about a small crossover? we just bought a 2012 kia sorento SUV (basic 4 cyl, no options except for a tiny third row seat). you get small car mpg (ours gets about 27-30) on a bigger frame that is much safer in an accident. the kia is small inside, not much larger than a sedan but you sit higher and there's more protection. kia did a really good job on this one, the interior is a +10, it drives wonderfully, and the price is reasonable (about $18-19K for a new one). can't say much about reliability since we've only had it a few months tho. but it's an awesome vehicle and you can't go wrong.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Back in college, I decided to go for a Hyundai Elantra GT with a hatchback. The company was just starting to repair its reputation at the time, so the price and warranty were way better than the norm. Excellent fuel efficency, quiet (when these cars were first coming out, we had trouble at a lot of fast food windows because they couldn't hear our engine XD ), spacious for a small car. I can't tell you how many things we've hauled in that hatchback. The loading dock guys always look at us with raised brows until we get the door shut behind the freezer chest/table set/whatever. My husband sold his car in favor of mine, and we plan on keeping it for our entire lives, or for how ever long it runs, or until we find a good car that runs on cleaner fuel.

It has been very reliable, except for the left headlight fuse needing replacing fairly often (I hear it is a common issue with this car). The hatchback door started not being reliable in staying closed last year, but after popping open unexpectedly twice, we haven't had a problem the last few months. The lock seems to have snapped back into its proper place. Other than that, routine maintenance has kept it running smoothly. Oh, I take that back. Pretty common for cars, the factory radio/CD player is...iffy. It often breaks, but we find if we just leave it alone...it magically fixes itself. X) I almost always recommend people buying and installing one themselves if they want a decent radio/CD player in their car though.

As for the car running well, we've only had to jump it once, and that's because we left the headlights on. It handles hills much better than the Honda and other cars I was driving before buying one of my own, but it is a smallish car and has its limits. It's easy to park due to its size and shape (doesn't have a lot sticking out in the front or rear). They seem to have really picked up in popularity as I kept seeing them everywhere in the rural area of VA I moved from, and see them daily here in the city. Other than the headlight issue, I adore my car. Oh yeah, and it has great turning and braking capabilities. In our current location, people blast through red lights. Often. I think our state is rated very near the top of the list for having the worst drivers in the nation. Both my husband and I have avoided plastering into the side of cars that decided red means 'go as fast as you can', and I'm still not sure how we managed to not hit them, other than the car responded to our braking and turning with great precision.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/04-06_Hyundai_Elantra_GT_hatchback.jpg