madkaw Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Well soon enough my daughter graduates from IU and leaves town, taking the WRX with her( sobbing on both accounts). This leaves dad with a 1996 impreza L that will soon be turned over to my so turns 16 shortly. So, I'm in the market for a new car. Criteria so far: 35 mpg highway Hatchback for hauling **** when I need to Fun driving experience , not a numb steering wheel Peppy for a gas miser, probably will go for a turbo I4 of some kind 20000$ max price Doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles- loving heated seats for my back! Not loyal to any brand I know that you guys own or have driven some of the smaller compacts and would like to hear some comments. My car was in the shop the other day and I had 3 different rentals. A Fiat 500-( I don't think so, very doggy and not enough storage) Honda civic, boring Toyota corolla - non hatchback and also dull Cars I have showed interest in are the Focus GT 2013, Sonic turbo, Hunydia Veloster , Mazda 3, Kia Rio( I know , I know), Dodge Dart coming out.Ford Fiesta . I like the VW GTI, but not sure if it's worth crashing the budget. It seems a lot of manufactures are going turbo 4s for 2013 models, so I might need to wait it out. I know it's a stretch to find something nice for 20k anymore,'but the smaller budget helps keep a higher cash flow for the Z. This will be a car for commuting to work mostly and I drive 50 miles each way. At 50 years young I want something nicer as a daily driver, but also want to drive my Z a lot, so I rather put money in the z to make it comfortable and reliable to drive anytime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psdenno Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) I've been shopping compacts for my son who is in college and have similar criteria. The Honda Civic is tacky/cheap, everyone has a Corolla, the Veloster is underpowered. The Scion tc was is the top of our list at around $22K, followed by the Ford Focus which currently has a $2K factory rebate. We also like the VW Beetle turbo, but a little more pricey. We're waiting to see the new Scion/Subaru 2 seater that will be out shortly and may have a base price around $25K. Although with the early buzz on the car there will probably be big dealer mark-ups. Dennis Edited February 12, 2012 by psdenno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) I own 3 subbies now and the BRZ looks fun, but crashes the budget and not sure on rear wheel drive for a 50 mile commute in all weather, than there is the storage issue. As far as power goes, I bet most all models will have a turbo option I will add that the subbie impreza is a candidate , but hey get really slow trying to get the MPG up. But I guess they all will be slow in this category LOL Not sure about the looks of the new subbies either Edited February 12, 2012 by madkaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 My vote is for the Mazda 3speed. Its very peppy. Scion xb has a ton of space for hauling. My friend has one and we would load it up with our extra set of tires for track days. You could probably find a good used BMW or Audi hatch for that price as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 The Mazda is in the running , but it's MPG is one of the worst. It does have good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't call it peppy but I love my Honda Fit Sport. It works perfect for my short work commute. You'd be amazed at how much room it has with the seats down. I picked it up used with ~10K miles for $13K. Don't break the bank buying new, be a bottom feeder like me let the suckers pay the new car depreciation! Edited February 12, 2012 by rossman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) We sort of recently got a 08 GTI. Fun car.... but for only 38,000 miles... Interior rattles. Lots of them. Depends on the season which parts rattle. But it's annoying. Overhead lights are "quirky" and don't always go off or on with the "button" which is apparently connected to some sort of over-engineered circuit instead of just a switch. Very annoying metallic noise like something's loose on the LF wheel. I'm starting to think it's the strut mount/bearing. Don't think I'll ever get a VW. It's my wife's car. Edited February 12, 2012 by BLOZ UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Civic - overpriced Corolla - grandmas car Focus - never been a fan Sonic - good first impression Veloster - I'll bite 3 - never been a fan Rio - ugly, unreliable Dart - sellout Fiesta - good first impression GTi - way overrated I kinda like the Sonic for practicality. The Fiesta is a bit more stylish but seems more cramped. The Veloster seems a bit over the top. The one good thing about the Veloster is that it has a better warranty, but it is significantly more expensive than the others (unless you get all the upgrades, the base Veloster does seem to come with more features). The base Sonic doesn't have many bells and whistles but it's comparably priced and the sky is the limit. The top trim is actually slightly more than the Veloster with about the same features, but for me a tie goes to Chevy over Hyundai even if the warranty is lower. All that said, I've yet to test drive either of the three, and wow factor is pretty critical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 tuff z Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 My DD is an 03 Focus SVT. Not much power but high marks for the fun factor. They can be found in 3 door or 5 door [04's only] hatchs in the $4-$10 range depending on mileage & condition. Factory subwoofer in hatch, split folding rear seats, 6 speed getrag trans, leather trimmed seats, 6 disc in dash changer with controls to left of steering wheel, 4 wheel discs, 170 hp [both super & turbo charger kits available], 17" wheels, optional; sunroof, hid's, cold wx package [heated seats, mirrors & plug for engine warmer] & leather recaros. Handles well, fairly neutral [unlike most front drivers which push too much], precise steering and more. I average around 30mpg combined city & highway driving. I'll look to purchase another when my wife's car dies or she's ready to give it up. allofcraigs will result in about 10 pages of them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Cosmetics do count and that puts the Honda fit OUT of the running, but thanks for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 VW Golf TDI and then install a propane kit, chip, exhaust, etc. Better fuel mileage and 250hp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayAreaZT Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Veloster turbo. 200hp and 38mpg highway. It will probably come in just over the 20k budget though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 The Sonic gets 40mpg and is cooler looking. Not a lot of power, but it's like 200lbs lighter than the Veloster and has a slightly better 0-60 time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Local dealership just received a LTZ Sonic L 4 turbo and I drove it the other day . For what it is, cheap compact , I was impressed. Good power and a good power band made it very peppy indeed. Lots of room and decent ride. The six speed was a bit overkill since there was no difference hardly between 5th and 6 th, but I guess 40mpg calls for it. I'd buy one and just might Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zgeezer Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Well soon enough my daughter graduates from IU and leaves town, taking the WRX with her( sobbing on both accounts). This leaves dad with a 1996 impreza L that will soon be turned over to my so turns 16 shortly. So, I'm in the market for a new car. Criteria so far: 35 mpg highway Hatchback for hauling **** when I need to Fun driving experience , not a numb steering wheel Peppy for a gas miser, probably will go for a turbo I4 of some kind 20000$ max price Doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles- loving heated seats for my back! Not loyal to any brand I know that you guys own or have driven some of the smaller compacts and would like to hear some comments. My car was in the shop the other day and I had 3 different rentals. A Fiat 500-( I don't think so, very doggy and not enough storage) Honda civic, boring Toyota corolla - non hatchback and also dull Cars I have showed interest in are the Focus GT 2013, Sonic turbo, Hunydia Veloster , Mazda 3, Kia Rio( I know , I know), Dodge Dart coming out.Ford Fiesta . I like the VW GTI, but not sure if it's worth crashing the budget. It seems a lot of manufactures are going turbo 4s for 2013 models, so I might need to wait it out. I know it's a stretch to find something nice for 20k anymore,'but the smaller budget helps keep a higher cash flow for the Z. This will be a car for commuting to work mostly and I drive 50 miles each way. At 50 years young I want something nicer as a daily driver, but also want to drive my Z a lot, so I rather put money in the z to make it comfortable and reliable to drive anytime. I'm in the same boat. I can accept gas mileage "around" 30mpg. I am looking very closely at the Fiat Abarth (160-170hp Fiat 500) which doesn't look too shabby. However, my last experience with Fiat was a 124 Sport Coupe delivered big time on the fun things of driving, but electrical reliability sucked. So did the dealer installed A/C. We'll see. Both Ford and Chevy have I4 Turbos in the works. A turbo Festiva might deliver gas mileage around 30+, but I don't think you'll see 35 with any of the non Fiat Turbos. Consumer report just came out this month with their take on the best and worst cars sold in the US. You might want to look at it. Both Subaru and Mazda come out on top for best build and reliability. Not a big surprise. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 I know Subaru will be the safest bet, but they aren't cheap. I know you get what you pay for, but looking for a cheap commuter under 20k leaves the Subaru out. I own subarus now and they are great cars, but no 40mpg cars and I don't really need AWD. - my wife has that. (Forester) I'm putting a deposit down on the Sonic after reading tons of reviews on the car. Wish me luck on buying a GM product! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Wish me luck on buying a GM product! First year model GM product....You're gonna need it! The reviews look good I just hope they hold up. I'll be keeping my eye on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcheeze36 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Have you tried using zag.com? I bought our car through that site...they give you prices for 3 dealerships that were pretty much guaranteed (including any accessories you add). First dealership was the cheapest but didn't have the color/options we wanted...so went to the 2nd one, had them match the price of the first one and they were able to get the one we wanted. They were surprised how we were quoted so cheap on the accessories (all weather mats, etc) but they honored it. Also, my inlaws were looking for a truck and found an 08' pathfinder at carmax...I told them to try zag.com and they were able to get a new pathfinder with the same features for the same. If anything, use the zag.com pricing as your base and try to go lower from there. Sometimes it'll have the best price, and sometimes you're able to get better pricing elsewhere. Edited March 5, 2012 by mrcheeze36 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I'm not sure I'd ever buy a first model year of any car. Ouch. I'm also not a fan of buying a NEW car unless you can pay cash and know that you're purchasing it for the sake of owning something that hasn't been touched yet. I'm not a huge fan of the Focus, but the SVT focus is hard to argue with as a well-rounded commuter. MPG could be better, fit and trim could leaves you desiring more, but the fun factor is high and it's extremely well balanced. The newer fiestas show promise, and I'll be interested to see how they do as the years pass. Hondas can be pretty meh, but a civic EG hatch can be very hard to argue with when done right. 40+mpg while still having a buzzy 175hp that revs to 8k can be very addictive. Very average looks, but at least you know most of the parts will last absolutely forever. A car I LOVE to hate, but in reality has some good aspects, is the scion xB. If you have lots of crap to haul, it's a great little box. The low deck makes it easy to throw crap into and get stuff out of, and the engine isn't really all that terrible for being marginal on paper. Going back to some newer cars, the new Juke has my interests peaked in a strange sort of way. I like that it has a AWD option, but I'm not sure I truly like ANY of the transmission options from a reliability stand point. Time will tell. But it strikes a wonderful balance of having space, not looking like a spec of a car, but still being fairly small. It's called a "crossover" but it's got as low, if not lower sight line than a honda accord. On another note, I feel the Mini Cooper is the modern day CRX. The cooper S can be had for a good price these days, and the turbo'ed models have tons of potential and still get pretty good gas mileage. Not the most practical when it comes to filling with crap, but I know first hand of a family that drives from the bay area to utah twice a year with two adults, a early teen daughter, a dog, and plenty of luggage. How they do it in a mini, I don't know, but it's possible. It's not one of the newer stretched minis either, but the older generic coupe mini with the horizontally hinged hatch. You could also do something unique, instead of common and some would say boring. Get a datsun wagon, and throw in a SR20DET and get 30mpg while having a fun little ride. Could also do a CA18DET since they're a tad cheaper and might get a few points better MPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 I have decided on the Sonic turbo. It's the only compact under 20k with a turbo option that gets 40mpg highway. I'm impressed with the rear leg room and the cargo is ample with the rear seats down. It runs on 87 octane - a few pennies saved there. Engine has more potential - the euro versions of the L 4 turbo are 195hp. I have read very few negatives on the car, though it is a fairly new model. Looks------ I own a 240z , so nothing in this price range looks comparable . The Fords look good but are more expensive and less powerful. I don't have time for a Datsun wagon project, but sounds fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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