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Yet another car recommendation thread.

post #1 of 39
8/27/07 at 1:53am
Thread Starter 
I hate my Scion Xa the way a mother hates a retarded baby, and I need something new. Here's what I'm looking for:

--Comfort. When I commute to L.A., I sometimes spend ten hours or more in my car. The Scion's evil seats are buttfucking my poor little spine.

--No SUVs. It's hard enough to find parking with a compact.

--Reliability. No American cars.

--Not too pricey. I don't take care of my vehicles, so it's stupid for a slob like me to drop 30 grand on a car.

--A decent amount of get-up-and-go. I don't need to be fast or furious, but I'm sick of driving a go-kart that gets passed by garbage trucks.

Right now I'm looking at both the Mazda3 and the Honda Civic, but I'm open to recommendations. Anyone?
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post #2 of 39
8/27/07 at 2:17am
I'm looking at either the Mazda3 or a Toyota Corolla for my next car. The former because it's (from what I can tell - not much) an awesome car to drive; the latter because you just *cannot* kill a Corolla. Cheap, good safety stats, economic, and did I mention they're basically indestructable?

EDIT: Comfort-wise - I've driven a Mazda6 quite a few times and those seats are pretty comfy so I presume the 3's would be along the same design. Otherwise, my dad's bad back recommends a VW Golf (Diesel). Probably getting towards the higher end of your price range though, there.
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post #3 of 39
8/27/07 at 2:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater
--A decent amount of get-up-and-go. I don't need to be fast or furious, but I'm sick of driving a go-kart that gets passed by garbage trucks.
I don't understand this, why not just paint your existing car red?
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post #4 of 39
8/27/07 at 6:09am
I just started working at a Mazda dealership selling cars for the first time(hello new low, I've found you). Fantastic car, very comfortable, the 2.3L has some nice get up and go, while the 2L is also a great engine. Everyone I've spoken to who has bought one has loved it. The reason I chose Mazda to work for when I decided to try car sales was because of the 3.

Warrenty direct a UK company did 450,000 survey's with US and UK customers. Mazda was number one in long term 3-9 years reliability Honda #2 and Toyota #3.

Take the Civic for a long test drive if possible. We have a 2006 used one on our lot and I don't find it very comfortable.
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post #5 of 39
8/27/07 at 9:06am
I've got a 2006 Civic coupe, and it's pretty much exactly what you describe, Slater. I would highly, highly recommend that car.
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post #6 of 39
8/27/07 at 9:53am
I'll second (or third) the Mazda 3.
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post #7 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:05am
The Civic is always a good bet.

I went for the Pontiac Vibe last March.

I'm also in the Japanese camp, but this car is a joint Toyota/GM venture. It's the same car, using the Corolla base to start with. They have a different exterior and under the hood and the body all of it is Toyota, with the exception of the interior furnishing for the Vibe. The sister car is Toyota's Matrix, which comes with slightly less options for the price. The financing rate is much much better on an American car. As far as hatchback goes, both are really great.

I checked out the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and the Mazda 3. All of them are the best cars in their category.
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post #8 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:20am
I've been happy with Nissan for the past couple of years. I leased a 2005 Altima and just upgraded to a 2007 Sentra. They are reasonably priced and definitely reliable.
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post #9 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:27am
Nissa is good, but they drink too much gas compared to the other Japanese brands. That entirely depends on your priorities, but gas consumption was the second factor in buying a car, after the reliability.
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post #10 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:52am

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to horrid again."

Another recommendation for the Civic, my family has had one or more Civics pretty much continually since the late '80s, and they have NEVER let us down (knock on wood).

On the other hand, I'm driving a '01 Audi A4 quattro that is my favorite commuter car ever. Comfortable, quick on the interstate, safe, doesn't stand out too much in a crowd. At least on the East Coast I think you can find an '01 or '02 with decent miles for under $10k.

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post #11 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:57am
The new Golfs are nice and VWs can take a beating.

http://www.vw.com/gti/en/us/
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post #12 of 39
8/27/07 at 11:10am
Definitely go with a Civic or a Toyota Corrolla. I have had a '96 Civic hatchback for the past two years. I had to replace the exhaust system last years because it was rotted out, but I think that happens naturally with a 10 year old car. Aside from that, I haven't had to do much work other than standard oil change, engine tune ups, and I treat my car like shit. I think I would probably have spent twice as much on maintenance for any other car.
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post #13 of 39
8/27/07 at 11:41am
My wife just got rid of her Civic. It was uncomfortable, handled like a puck on ice in the rain and repeatedly mocked my weight. On the other hand, the car had zero mechanical issues and was very easy to resell.

VWs are nice, (my wife loves hers) but that Nazi technology doesn't come cheap.
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post #14 of 39
8/27/07 at 11:55am
I also wanted to add, I've only been at it for two weeks but I can't belive how many people get hung up on the price of their trade in and don't notice that the dealership hasn't taken a dime off the new car's price. Deal with them as two seperate issues if you can.
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post #15 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:03pm
I'm in the same boat. It's time to purchase a new car, but i'm interested in a Dodge Charger. Anyone have any comments about that car? i know American-made cars tend to be less reliable than foreign cars.
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post #16 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:06pm
Yeah, I have some comments on the Charger. It's a piece of shit.

Okay, that's only one comment, but there's a lot of little sub-comments that I'm not getting into that are covered under the umbrella of 'piece of shit'.
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post #17 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jcassady
handled like a puck on ice in the rain
That's because the stock tires Honda puts on the Civics and Accords are huge pieces of shit.

Anyway, I'd vote for the Civic. I had an Accord for a long time and it was mostly great. The only problems I had with the car that couldn't be fixed were a gimpy window that wouldn't work in the cold (obviously not a problem where Slater lives) and the trunk opening was too small.
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post #18 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:19pm
Yeah. Chrysler is a big no-no. VW was cute, until they moved their production in Mexico. Like I posted above, the only American cars worth the money are joint projects, and there are few. Ford and GM are kind of crap. Some models might be ok, but I trust Hyundai more than the Americans now. The Japan Big 4 (Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan) is the sure way to go.

And apparently, the Mazda 3, when using the AC, drinks like an Irishman.
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post #19 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
Yeah, I have some comments on the Charger. It's a piece of shit.

Okay, that's only one comment, but there's a lot of little sub-comments that I'm not getting into that are covered under the umbrella of 'piece of shit'.

Care to elaborate? I was thisclose to putting a down payment on it!
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post #20 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, all. Good suggestions here.

The Corolla is definitely off my list, since I literally can't fit my legs beneath the steering wheel. For some reason, their seats are mounted really high.

I'm also not interested in another super-tiny car (Fit, Matrix, etc). One of the reasons I want to lose the Scion is that nobody notices it on the highway, and it's almost gotten me killed more times than I can count.

I also don't care what the car looks like or how uncool it is (obviously, since I'm driving a Gay Beyond All Reason Scion right now). I just want to get from Point A to Point B without the car hurting or killing me.
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post #21 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:40pm
If you're worried about size and safety, Swedish cars are tanks - Volvos and Saabs. They're pretty consistently strong performers, as far as miles per gallon and not breaking down a lot, at least in my personal experience (my parents always had Volvos). They're a little pricier though - maintenance can get pretty expensive when parts need to be replaced.
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post #22 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ra
Care to elaborate? I was thisclose to putting a down payment on it!
It's a fucking boat - not just in size, but in how it handles. It's like trying to sail a car. It kills gas mileage, it's uncomfortable and it's really tough to see out of. It's like there's blind spots on the windshield.

But it sure do got a big engine!
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post #23 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater
I also don't care what the car looks like or how uncool it is (obviously, since I'm driving a Gay Beyond All Reason Scion right now). I just want to get from Point A to Point B without the car hurting or killing me.
I really think VW is your answer here. They're not big, but they're not go-karts, either. They handle extremely well, have some good get-up (even in the lower priced models) and they don't break down.

If you are looking into a Civic, though, anyone who drives that much should probably look into the hybrid. Starts around 22K, though I have no idea if any dealership actually has them in stock.
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post #24 of 39
8/27/07 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage
And apparently, the Mazda 3, when using the AC, drinks like an Irishman.
The AC on the highway doesn't impact the guzzling too much. Get it in traffic, though, and, yeah, your MPG drops by about 25%.
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post #25 of 39
8/27/07 at 4:16pm
I was driving an Xa for a while (and didn't hate it as much as you do) but ended up replacing it with a Mazda Protege5, a 2003 that I got for a good price. I love the Mazda, and I've driven the 3 and they compare favorably.

Yeah, it wouldn't be great on efficiency when cranking the AC, but you've got to decide what's important. Fucking oil cartels are winning anyway, and I don't want to sweat.
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post #26 of 39
8/27/07 at 4:25pm
My wife drives a Mazda 6 and loves the hell out of it. It gets pretty good mileage and is rather comfy. Also has some decent pep and is roomy enough for a car full, even though it doesn't look it on the outside.
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post #27 of 39
8/27/07 at 4:30pm
I really haven't noticed either of my Nissans being gas guzzlers, but I did go from a Dodge Intrepid to the Altima, so the difference in gas consumption was immense enough to make me very happy.


Of course, VW is German, and well, that just says it all. I've already vowed to myself that my next car will be German-made.
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post #28 of 39
8/27/07 at 5:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ Fischer
I was driving an Xa for a while (and didn't hate it as much as you do) but ended up replacing it with a Mazda Protege5, a 2003 that I got for a good price. I love the Mazda, and I've driven the 3 and they compare favorably.
The Mazda3 replace the Protege, right? I had an '01 Protoge a few years back, which was a decent ride. Until I hit a deer and the goddamn car broke apart like it was made of Legos, but hey.

I'm leaning toward a Mazda of some sort, just because they're offering decent incentives right now. Anyone have any experience with the Miata?
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post #29 of 39
8/27/07 at 5:48pm
I think a Miata would qualify as "super-tiny."
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post #30 of 39
8/27/07 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater
Anyone have any experience with the Miata?
It's the new Cabriolet. It says: "I like men."

Great car otherwise. But if you said that the Fit and Yaris are too small, that one is nearly as small.
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post #31 of 39
8/27/07 at 6:13pm
I'm not a car-guy but from personal experience, I love my Honda Accord. When it finally shuffles off the mortal coil (or when I just get greedy), I'll get another Honda Accord.
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post #32 of 39
8/27/07 at 6:30pm
Rode in a Miata a few times and it was about as solid as a Suzuki Samurai. It would lose in a head-on collision with Amy Winehouse. Other than that...
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post #33 of 39
8/27/07 at 8:06pm
Thread Starter 
My inner homo does like the New Beetle convertibles. But mainly just because the impractical, Barbie-ish side of my brain really likes convertibles.

Isn't the Rabbit super tiny? I might be thinking of a different car, but I thought they were even smaller than the Corollas.
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post #34 of 39
8/27/07 at 8:15pm
The are pretty small, but have a surprising amount of room on the inside. Same as the Mini Coopers - very small, but good amount of room.

I was at the beach this weekend, and one of the girls had a convertible Mini Cooper - we had four people in there, and it was comfortable. Just not imposing at all.
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post #35 of 39
8/27/07 at 9:58pm
I don't have anything to back this up, it's all been hearsay from my parents and parents of friends, but I have only heard that after a few years VWs of any model turn into a big pain in the ass to take care of. But like I said, that's just hearsay (but so is everything else on here from your perspective).
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post #36 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:23pm
My folks have had their VW Golf for a couple of years now as their work car (ie: lots of very long interstate and intrastate trips) and it seems that the few dramas they've had have only been amplified by the VW dealer in terms of parts bc it's a "luxury import". The touch-sensitive windscreen is a bitch to replace if it gets chipped or cracks as well, so those are considerations with the fancy models up for selection. I will say, though, that the Golf is infinitely more comfortable than a Polo, but the Beetle is the one that's gonna give you stacks of head room. Like cavernous amounts of room for persons of normal height. Whenever I've driven the Golf, because I have a higher driving position, I'd easily render the head-room meaningless with the seat adjustment, and I'm not that tall.

Now, Mazda6's are bloody huge inside, and a very stress-free drive.
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post #37 of 39
8/27/07 at 10:26pm
VW's are a well made car but when something breaks it will cost more than a domestic, Japanese or Korean brand to fix.

I love the Miata, when I started at the dealership my first day all I did was drive everything on the lot. The Miata was the most fun, though there's no way I'd spend 10 hrs plus in one.
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post #38 of 39
8/28/07 at 4:49am
I'm 6'2" and drive a Civic with no trouble. Got a great deal on a '99 with reasonable mileage. Thus far, no trouble whatsoever.
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post #39 of 39
10/5/07 at 12:26am
Hey Slater, just wanted to know what you bought, if anything.
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