Another 'wut car is gud' thread

[tigger]

Hey guys, my mom's in the market for a new or slightly-used car. She's looking for a reliable compact car and she's willing to spend $15-20,000. Fairly easy requirements to meet, except I really don't know much about small cars or even new cars in general. She's test driven the new Fiesta and a Civic so far. I told her to take a look at Mazda 2s. I'm also really trying to keep her focused on buying a slightly-used car, since there are much better deals to be had.

Anyway, which newish, sub-$20,000, compact car do you guys think would be the longest lasting and most reliable?


Edit: Just some context, she currently drives an early '90s Jetta with like 200k miles on it (though you couldn't tell the mileage from looking at it). She really hangs onto cars for a long time.

 

[narf]

Small, lightly used, sub-20 grand ... how does she feel about Japanese roadsters? :lol:

 

[Labcoatguy]

Does she care about driving pleasure? If so, Mazda 3 is always a good option.

 

[argatoga]

FIAT 500 or Fiesta.

 

[Sevs753]

A slightly used MINI Cooper would fit.

 

[Ilpav]

Anyway, which newish, sub-$20,000, compact car do you guys think would be the longest lasting and most reliable?

Corolla.

 

[tigger]

Small, lightly used, sub-20 grand ... how does she feel about Japanese roadsters? :lol:

:lol: I tried man. Also told her she could get a used Genesis Coupe or Mustang for that amount. But she's getting a new job and really needs something more ... polished? Climate-controlled? I don't know haha.

Does she care about driving pleasure? If so, Mazda 3 is always a good option.

I know she's rented a Mazda 3 a few times and really enjoyed the car. I think they're priced a little out of her range new, but I'll see if she's interested in a used one.

FIAT 500 or Fiesta.

Hadn't thought of the Fiat 500, but I don't expect it will be a very reliable car . She really liked the Fiesta she drove ... I'm starting to fear that she's going to really like every new car she drives.

A Mini Cooper is too unreliable and I really don't want her to get a Toyota.

 

[SchumacherM]

The 500 will be/is as realiable as the Fiesta, no problem.

 

[Spectre]

Look at the Hyundais - if she holds on to them, that 10/100 warranty can be a huge asset and relief.

 

[Ilpav]

The 500 will be/is as realiable as the Fiesta, no problem.

The North American 500s are built in Mexico.

 

[Spectre]

The North American 500s are built in Mexico.

So's the Fiesta.

The Mexicans are capable of turning out some good cars; the problems with the VWs aren't only assembly related, but design.

 

[rickhamilton620]

I also have to go with the 500. Also look at the Nissan Versa as its the biggest of the subcompacts, has a very nice ride for commuting, and has a great interior on uplevel trims. For sheer enjoyment its going to be hard to top the Mazda 2 though.

Has she considered (and I can't believe I'm saying it) the new Jetta? Chances are its close to the same engine used in her current Jetta (115 HP 2.0) and the interior shouldn't be much of a change given the interior of her current Jetta. Very safe and very cheap.

 

[tigger]

The 500 will be/is as realiable as the Fiesta, no problem.

In that case I'll tell her to take a look at them. I doubt she even knows that Fiat is back in the US.

Look at the Hyundais - if she holds on to them, that 10/100 warranty can be a huge asset and relief.

I joked about the Genesis Coupe but evidently one of her friend's sons has one and he let her take it for a quick spin yesterday evening. She loved it, but it's probably not the car for her. Though she really likes the sound of the 10/100 warranty. Have the Accent and Elantra improved as much as the rest of their line-up?

Also look at the Nissan Versa as its the biggest of the subcompacts, has a very nice ride for commuting, and has a great interior on uplevel trims. For sheer enjoyment its going to be hard to top the Mazda 2 though.

She dismissed the Versa (and the Fit) just based on looks (but she's fine with the 2 :?). Know anything about the Nissan Juke?

Has she considered (and I can't believe I'm saying it) the new Jetta? Chances are its close to the same engine used in her current Jetta (115 HP 2.0) and the interior shouldn't be much of a change given the interior of her current Jetta. Very safe and very cheap.

Naturally she assumed that since her old Jetta had been such a fantastic (if painfully slow) car, new ones would be good too. I told her that I hadn't heard anything good about them, especially not compared to the competition. I don't think a new Jetta is on the table.

 

[Spectre]

I joked about the Genesis Coupe but evidently one of her friend's sons has one and he let her take it for a quick spin yesterday evening. She loved it, but it's probably not the car for her. Though she really likes the sound of the 10/100 warranty. Have the Accent and Elantra improved as much as the rest of their line-up?

Yes, and they are still low-priced.

But for $20K, you can get a Hyundai Sonata. Should give you an idea as to where the rest of the line is priced. Don't forget their vastly improved Kia cousins, either. I rather like the Optima's styling, for example.

And the Korean cars come with far more equipment at the same price point than the competition. Moreover, these days it's actually decent equipment, such as surprisingly decent (as in possibly best-in-class non-optional) base stereo systems, etc.

 

[tigger]

Yes, and they are still low-priced.

But for $20K, you can get a Hyundai Sonata. Should give you an idea as to where the rest of the line is priced. Don't forget their vastly improved Kia cousins, either. I rather like the Optima's styling, for example.

And the Korean cars come with far more equipment at the same price point than the competition. Moreover, these days it's actually decent equipment, such as surprisingly decent (as in possibly best-in-class non-optional) base stereo systems, etc.

Yeah, I'm looking at Hyundai's site right now and the Accent actually starts under 10 grand. :? The Sonata looks good, but she's really after something smaller. The Elantra might be a better fit for her. I haven't looked at Kia's yet, but the new Optima does look pretty good.

 

[rickhamilton620]

In that case I'll tell her to take a look at them. I doubt she even knows that Fiat is back in the US.

Yeah, the 500 has a lot of stuff standard, it's pretty neat.

I joked about the Genesis Coupe but evidently one of her friend's sons has one and he let her take it for a quick spin yesterday evening. She loved it, but it's probably not the car for her. Though she really likes the sound of the 10/100 warranty. Have the Accent and Elantra improved as much as the rest of their line-up?

The Accent, while approaching the end of its current generation, is pretty solid. My roomie had a SE 3-door current gen model and it was surprisingly solid feeling. There's a lot of hard plastic inside, even on higher end trims, so no padded door armrests or upper door trim, but overall it's not a bad looking interior.

Elantra's very nice, Car and Driver and Inside Line felt that they did go a bit too far in the "making it light" department..it might let a bit more road noise in than you'd expect for a car that looks so premium, but overall the car's better than it's frumpy looking predicessor.

I'd also look at the Elantra Touring. It's actually an i30 Wagon overseas, so it has a firmer suspension and better, soft-touch interior than the outgoing Elantra. Think 2011 Jetta SportWagen to the 2011 Jetta - Same family name but two different cars.

She dismissed the Versa (and the Fit) just based on looks (but she's fine with the 2 :?). Know anything about the Nissan Juke?

Ha, funny how looks are subjective. Juke's apparently quite the sporty crossover/hatch thing particularly with AWD. It might be a tad thirsty when pushed hard though due to AWD and Turbo. If she can stand the looks and the visibility from inside is good, it's definitely a unique option.

Naturally she assumed that since her old Jetta had been such a fantastic (if painfully slow) car, new ones would be good too. I told her that I hadn't heard anything good about them, especially not compared to the competition. I don't think a new Jetta is on the table.

Gotcha!

 

[tigger]

I'd also look at the Elantra Touring. It's actually an i30 Wagon overseas, so it has a firmer suspension and better, soft-touch interior than the outgoing Elantra. Think 2011 Jetta SportWagen to the 2011 Jetta - Same family name but two different cars.

She took a look at one of those yesterday, actually. Liked it quite a bit better than the standard Elantra, despite the fact that it pushes her budget. She owned a massive '80s Oldsmobile wagon when I was a kid (think Griswold 'family truckster') and said that she had forgotten how practical it was, how nice the cargo room was. You could probably put an entire Elantra in the back of one of those Olds, but nevermind :lol:.

Right now she's planning on looking at the Juke, maybe the Jetta and the Soul. But I think she's really sold on the Elantra Touring. It looks decent, plenty of cargo room, great gas mileage and that 10/100k warranty are hard to beat.

 

[Spectre]

For a little ecobox, the Soul isn't bad. Mom got one as a rental on one of her medical trips to Houston and I looked it over. Not bad, pretty impressive considering the past history of small cars wearing that badge.

Even the normally hideous shade of nuclear green didn't look bad on it.

So not a bad candidate.

 

[tigger]

There are one or two around here in that color and it does look surprisingly decent in person. Seems like a good competitor for the Touring in terms of price/features as well. Like you mentioned, it's still kind of a hard pill to swallow to recommend a Kia. Not so long ago they were just terrible cars.

 

[Labcoatguy]

Yup, but now they know what they want and are going very far to get it. I managed to convince a die-hard Japanese car buyer coworker of mine to look at the Hyundai Tucson for his wife, and he's pretty much sold. In terms of value, they're hard to beat nowadays.