We went out today to look at small cars for Diana. She's not buying just yet, but getting a feeling for what's out there. I'm the negotiator, because I love fucking with those people, and have a great deal of success getting as much as possible for as little as possible.
Seeing that the guy I bought my car from was still around, and I had a good experience, we went to a Toyota dealer first to look at the Yaris. I'm surprised at just how solid the car is for being at the low end of their line. I expected the suspension to be super rigid and transmit every vibration into your body, but that wasn't the case. The interior fabrics are of course a little on the cheap side, but it's not a bad car. The only weirdness is that the speedometer is in the middle, because it saves money when they want to sell it in Europe, where it's Toyota's best seller.
We stopped by a Honda dealer to look at the Fit, just for fun, and it's a neat little car too. However, it's heavier, less fuel efficient, and a bit more expensive. $18k for a car like that? I don't think so. Diana wasn't that impressed either.
Tomorrow we'll checkout various Hyundai models, since there's a new dealer here in town. I don't know how to feel about them really, but in recent history I don't know anyone who had a particularly bad time with them.
Of course, I had to sit in a Prius while at the Toyota dealer, but I'm gonna wait as long as I can to buy one. They're changing the body style slightly next year, and there's a lot of rumor and speculation about using a lithium-ion battery and maybe even making it a plug-in hybrid, as they've been prototyping them in Japan. A smaller and more efficient battery is definitely key, you just need to make sure it's not gonna catch fire like a Sony battery in a Dell laptop.
The Fit also has a lot more options than the Yaris, and fits a taller person (like me) more comfortably than the Yaris. It also has more options for hauling stuff around in the back seats. The way the back seats fold down (and up) is pretty nifty. I was not a fan of the Yaris at all.
The Prius is pretty sweet, I have to admit. I wanted one for a while, but I'm just not sure that I can justify the extra cost for the hybrid right now. Even at $3 a gallon, you're looking at 3-4 years to pay off the difference in cost.
When I get a new car, it'll probably be a Mazda 6.
Golly. Why don't you buy Diana something nice:
http://www.mbusa.com/models/main.do?modelCode=CLK350C
It's tough to beat the ride and it'll run for 10 years which is a bargain.
Those guages in the middle bug the crap out of me. It seems to be a Toyota thing. Even the Scions do that.
I rented a Hyundai Elantra on a recent vacation. It was a great car. Comfortable and easy to drive. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to buy one because they used to have a bad reputation for reliability a few years ago. I think they've greatly improved, and there's that long warranty, so...
We have a 2006 Civic which has been pretty awesome so far. Oddly, it's more efficient than the smaller Fit (at least the 2006 models we looked at)!
Why would she want a car that gets 19/25 MPG? Is MPG your main criteria when buying a car? I'd argue that if don't drive all that much, it doesn't make a huge difference. If you drive a lot, MPG often takes a back-seat (pun intended) to comfort, amenities, et. al.
Now, back to your question:
It will last a decade
It's one of the safest cars available
It's rather cool looking
It will hold it's value remarkably well
It handles well in all kinds of weather
What's gonna happen in your life over the next decade? Safety should be a pretty high priority, in my opinion....
You're completely full of shit. We're not people who need to impress others by way of the car we drive.
And by the way, my ex-wife is still driving the 1998 Toyota Corolla we bought new, after 160,000 miles. It still gets 35+ mpg. Get back to me when you understand value.
Since we're talking about the car that I'M going to buy - when I have a salary that can support a Mercedes, then I'll start looking - but probably at a BMW, thank you very much. Until that time, I'm going to be practical and go with a car that looks nice, is functional, gets good gas mileage, and one that isn't $45K+.
Enjoy, there are SO many choices today. Re Hyundai I have had 1st or 2nd hand experience with 8 of them over the last 10 years including the Elantra and Sonata and would not be concerned about reliability. Presently own a 08 Sonata but that wouldn't meet your MPG target. All models are great values. My personal favorite all around car for value and utility remains the Corolla (own an '01); agree the Yaris is a nice alternative albiet less flexible.
I looove the smell and feel of a brand new car and I hate wondering what kind of abuse a used car may have taken, but don't rule out an ever-so -slightly used one. I got my 2006 Civic in 2006 with only 2,000 miles on it and it still had that new car smell...because it had been repossessed from an owner who couldn't afford payments. With all the home foreclosures and the high unemployment rate, it might be worth a look around the used car lots to, as sad as it may be, take advantage of someone else getting in over their head with a new car. I saved about $3,000 and it didn't even need its first oil change yet! Let someone else pay for the depreciation when it's first driven off the lot.