alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Oct 14, 2014 9:54:40 GMT -5
Kias (and Hyundais) are what Honda's used to be. Cheap reliable cars.
I have a good friend, former coworker, who used to work in the service department at a Kia dealership. He says they are good cars. Now he is service manager at Honda dealership. He would recommend either, but Kia has much lower prices.
My boys have Kia Spectras 2005 and 2007. One is low end model and one is high end, both good cars (so far).
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 14, 2014 9:55:45 GMT -5
seriously, look at a Fit. I bought new for <18k, got the sport model (though now they have 4 diff trim levels I think). It has almost 100k on it, just oil changes, haven't even changed the brakes yet, won't need a timing belt because it has a timing chain (score!), magic back seats that fold down flat (I've put a wheel barrow in there), currently has two carseats in it, one of them rear-facing(I know that probably doesn't concern you but whatevs). I could go on and on. I love my car! 70 mile round trip to work. Have you seen the new Fits? We saw one on the road this weekend and it looks like it has grown by 30%! I'm curious as to what it has done with the mileage, because it is significantly larger than it was.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Oct 14, 2014 9:55:52 GMT -5
if you're looking for pick-up, you need to go with a 6-cylinder. not necessarily. my RSX is a 4, so was the GTI. neither is what I would call a slouch. We had a 1998 GTI 4 cylinder and had get up and go. I know everyone is going to say how unreliable VW's are. But that was not the case for us. For the first 140k miles, DH did nothing but oil changes and tires. At 140k miles, we were going to have a baby, so he sunk about $2k into brakes, clutch, etc. A year later, I "totaled" it in an accident which was just basically front fender damage. DH repaired spent $1k reparing it, we pocketed the remainder $2k for vehicle replacement because it was not a kid friendly car. In march and APril 2013, it kept stalling out on me in wet weather. If DH's back had been fine, he probably could have fixed it, but since he'd just had back surgery and we really did need a 4 door car with 2 kids, we gave it to BIL and he is still driving it as his everyday car. It has over 200k miles on it. It took me a LONG time to get over driving a boring 4 door sedan after driving the GTI as my primary car for 3 years. I really did miss it. Now I drive a boring 4 door silver Kia Optima. It works fine for carrying around my kids when I need to and getting to work, but I do miss having the manual transmission and just the fun of the GTI. Zipping around in an Optima, just isn't the same.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 14, 2014 9:57:52 GMT -5
Is the Mazda 3 on your short list? Everything I read raves about it and if I didn't have mobility issues, I'd give it consideration. For me, getting in and out of something this low could be an issue.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 14, 2014 9:59:51 GMT -5
seriously, look at a Fit. I bought new for <18k, got the sport model (though now they have 4 diff trim levels I think). It has almost 100k on it, just oil changes, haven't even changed the brakes yet, won't need a timing belt because it has a timing chain (score!), magic back seats that fold down flat (I've put a wheel barrow in there), currently has two carseats in it, one of them rear-facing(I know that probably doesn't concern you but whatevs). I could go on and on. I love my car! 70 mile round trip to work. Have you seen the new Fits? We saw one on the road this weekend and it looks like it has grown by 30%! I'm curious as to what it has done with the mileage, because it is significantly larger than it was. They're about the same size as anything from 2009 on ward. They took some room out of the trunk and put it into the back seats. The ones from before 2009 are smaller. I think the mileage is about the same but I've been getting better than what the sticker says.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 14, 2014 10:00:47 GMT -5
not necessarily. my RSX is a 4, so was the GTI. neither is what I would call a slouch. We had a 1998 GTI 4 cylinder and had get up and go. I know everyone is going to say how unreliable VW's are. But that was not the case for us. For the first 140k miles, DH did nothing but oil changes and tires. At 140k miles, we were going to have a baby, so he sunk about $2k into brakes, clutch, etc. A year later, I "totaled" it in an accident which was just basically front fender damage. DH repaired spent $1k reparing it, we pocketed the remainder $2k for vehicle replacement because it was not a kid friendly car. In march and APril 2013, it kept stalling out on me in wet weather. If DH's back had been fine, he probably could have fixed it, but since he'd just had back surgery and we really did need a 4 door car with 2 kids, we gave it to BIL and he is still driving it as his everyday car. It has over 200k miles on it. It took me a LONG time to get over driving a boring 4 door sedan after driving the GTI as my primary car for 3 years. I really did miss it. Now I drive a boring 4 door silver Kia Optima. It works fine for carrying around my kids when I need to and getting to work, but I do miss having the manual transmission and just the fun of the GTI. Zipping around in an Optima, just isn't the same. this is exactly what I don't want. (sorry....but you conveyed my thoughts far better with this than I have been able to do so far) is the Kia Spectra still available? I don't think I saw one yesterday. I will say that the Optima was too big for my taste. if I go Kia, it would be a Forte I think. my BIL still wants me to test out a couple Ford models too. the ST, I think? and something else. all around the same price range, he says. I haven't gotten that far yet!
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 14, 2014 10:02:09 GMT -5
Is the Mazda 3 on your short list? Everything I read raves about it and if I didn't have mobility issues, I'd give it consideration. For me, getting in and out of something this low could be an issue. it's on the test drive list, along with the 6. I don't know much about Mazdas, but a lot of my coworkers have these 2 models....so they can't be awful.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Oct 14, 2014 10:08:06 GMT -5
We have a 2013 Honda Fit and love it. We pack a lot in it. My commute is 1.5 miles each way to the train station, but we do a lot of weekend driving and it does fine. We've had it almost a year next week and it has 7500 miles, so obviously I'm not a regular distance driver. I wouldn't say it's a fun, zippy car, but that's not my main requirement in a vehicle. It does get up to highway speed fine.
The Elantra GT (hatchback version) was a fun car to test drive, starts at $19k, and I just looked on Hyundai's web site and they do have it in manual.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Oct 14, 2014 10:13:05 GMT -5
We had a 1998 GTI 4 cylinder and had get up and go. I know everyone is going to say how unreliable VW's are. But that was not the case for us. For the first 140k miles, DH did nothing but oil changes and tires. At 140k miles, we were going to have a baby, so he sunk about $2k into brakes, clutch, etc. A year later, I "totaled" it in an accident which was just basically front fender damage. DH repaired spent $1k reparing it, we pocketed the remainder $2k for vehicle replacement because it was not a kid friendly car. In march and APril 2013, it kept stalling out on me in wet weather. If DH's back had been fine, he probably could have fixed it, but since he'd just had back surgery and we really did need a 4 door car with 2 kids, we gave it to BIL and he is still driving it as his everyday car. It has over 200k miles on it. It took me a LONG time to get over driving a boring 4 door sedan after driving the GTI as my primary car for 3 years. I really did miss it. Now I drive a boring 4 door silver Kia Optima. It works fine for carrying around my kids when I need to and getting to work, but I do miss having the manual transmission and just the fun of the GTI. Zipping around in an Optima, just isn't the same. this is exactly what I don't want. (sorry....but you conveyed my thoughts far better with this than I have been able to do so far) is the Kia Spectra still available? I don't think I saw one yesterday. I will say that the Optima was too big for my taste. if I go Kia, it would be a Forte I think. my BIL still wants me to test out a couple Ford models too. the ST, I think? and something else. all around the same price range, he says. I haven't gotten that far yet! It's ok. In a lot of ways, I am over it, but I think it took about 6 months to get there. I'm glad to have a car that I can carry both of my kids around in. We've actually had all 4 of us in it a couple times this fall because of car seats being out the Murano or the Murano having a bunch of stuff in it and it was nice to be able to have another family vehicle. As for size, the Optima is pretty large. The first time I was grocery shopping in the Optima I was like holy cow I can put a dead body back here. A Mazda3 was what I was really wanting to get. They have good reliability and are appear to be fun to drive. Sadly my budget was so limited that I just went with a sedan with good CR reliability with the lowest mileage and price.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 14, 2014 10:23:31 GMT -5
If fun to drive is your 1st or 2nd requirement, then get something you consider fun even if it's a little more $, otherwise you'll be disappointed and it will be annoying.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Oct 14, 2014 10:24:04 GMT -5
I have worked here for 5 years -- I had about a 220-mile RT commute for the first 3 months (we had one vehicle and DH and I worked in opposite directions); then a 140-mile RT commute for 1 year, and have had a 95-mile RT commute for the last 3.5 years. So, I've driven a LOT. My observations:
1) When you're driving that much, it's pretty much a tossup financially (buying new + driving into the ground or buying used + driving into the ground). I spent the first 3.5 years commuting in a 20-yo Honda Del Sol and it was fine. I didn't put much money into it, but by the time I sold it, it needed a lot of work - it probably would've cost me about $3K to keep it in good running condition for another few years (it had almost 300K miles). Nothing too serious, but needed new engine mounts, probably a new clutch and flywheel, alignment, brakes and tires, etc.
I have about 40K miles on my 2013 Focus and it hasn't needed anything yet. My warranty runs through 100K miles and I'm hopeful that it will last at least 200K miles (I'm scheduled to have it paid off at about 120K, so it should last a few years past that). I'm not sure I'll buy another brand-new vehicle unless DH can get a good deal, though -- I'll probably end up looking at 2-3yo cars with low miles.
2) Don't buy anything German or (IMO) a performance car. Not worth it for a commuter vehicle. Get something stripped down and basic -- Corolla, Fit, Focus, Civic, etc.
3) Make sure you have a good gas rewards card. Chase Freedom and Discover It both have 5% cash back rotating categories, but it might be worth it to get one that gives you a constant 2-3%.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 14, 2014 10:36:44 GMT -5
220 mile RT? wow. I hope it was all highway, at least! honestly, I think by the end of last night as my friend and I talked about my options, what I'm going to do immediately is to hang onto the Rocket until she finally dies. I know I have time to look at new cars, the Rocket's running fine. passenger side looks like garbage since I got t-boned in the parking lot at the end of August, but that had no effect on mechanicals. I just passed 178k miles in the last week or so, but have replaced a few major components over the past couple years. barring any major accidents, or anything like that, I don't expect to have to retire her for awhile. I've definitely considered how long it would take to "pay off" the most recent repairs by how many months of payments on a new car to cost the same amount. one of the things I conceded yesterday was that if I'm going to have two cars, the daily commuter doesn't *have to* be a stick. if that's the case, I could very easily pick up a 4-5 year old Honda that's in good shape, and just drive that into the ground. my dad's BFF is a wholesale car dealer. he finds lots of gems like that at the auction. thanks for the insight, y'all. lots of things to think about.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 14, 2014 10:39:39 GMT -5
Is the Mazda 3 on your short list? Everything I read raves about it and if I didn't have mobility issues, I'd give it consideration. For me, getting in and out of something this low could be an issue. it's on the test drive list, along with the 6. I don't know much about Mazdas, but a lot of my coworkers have these 2 models....so they can't be awful. I had an MX6 that I LOVED. It was a stick, and driving that car was fun. I had it for 13 years, it had 120k miles on it when it was totaled. I was pissed because I probably could have gotten another 80k miles out of it easy. I like my Subaru, especially in crappy weather but if I had a long commute, I wouldn't buy one as the mpg isn't great. If you don't care too much about gas mileage, look at the Subaru WRX or STi. TD has those and they are really fun to drive. STi tends to run about $10k more in price though.
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justme
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Post by justme on Oct 14, 2014 10:41:20 GMT -5
I have worked here for 5 years -- I had about a 220-mile RT commute for the first 3 months (we had one vehicle and DH and I worked in opposite directions); then a 140-mile RT commute for 1 year, and have had a 95-mile RT commute for the last 3.5 years. So, I've driven a LOT. My observations: 1) When you're driving that much, it's pretty much a tossup financially (buying new + driving into the ground or buying used + driving into the ground). I spent the first 3.5 years commuting in a 20-yo Honda Del Sol and it was fine. I didn't put much money into it, but by the time I sold it, it needed a lot of work - it probably would've cost me about $3K to keep it in good running condition for another few years (it had almost 300K miles). Nothing too serious, but needed new engine mounts, probably a new clutch and flywheel, alignment, brakes and tires, etc. I have about 40K miles on my 2013 Focus and it hasn't needed anything yet. My warranty runs through 100K miles and I'm hopeful that it will last at least 200K miles (I'm scheduled to have it paid off at about 120K, so it should last a few years past that). I'm not sure I'll buy another brand-new vehicle unless DH can get a good deal, though -- I'll probably end up looking at 2-3yo cars with low miles. 2) Don't buy anything German or (IMO) a performance car. Not worth it for a commuter vehicle. Get something stripped down and basic -- Corolla, Fit, Focus, Civic, etc. 3) Make sure you have a good gas rewards card. Chase Freedom and Discover It both have 5% cash back rotating categories, but it might be worth it to get one that gives you a constant 2-3%.Just discovered yesterday that BP has a rewards card that you can use with any type of purchase. I'm a little fuzzy on what you get - the flyer itself said cents off a gallon after so many purchases but the sign that informed me about it mentioned Amazon gift cards - but it's nice to have on top of your cc rewards if there's a BP convenient. ETA Found the site the Amazon is a special offer going on right now, but normally it's $0.05 off per gallon after every 20 gallons/2 purchases (must meet both so two 10 gallon purchases would work).
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 14, 2014 10:43:22 GMT -5
ooh, I forgot to answer that question - I have an American Express Cash card. gas station purchases are 3% rewards, all the time.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Oct 14, 2014 11:03:21 GMT -5
I hate boring cars, so I'd advise checking out some recent magazines at the library. Consumer Reports for reliability records, and Car & Driver, Road & Track plus Motor Trend for comparison tests of recent models. The latter also tend to review long term cars, i.e. ones they have been lent for a year or so.
If you went German, I'd suggest leasing it and using car #2 when mileage got too high. It really depends how you drive it though. If you are happy staying within 80% of the performance limits of a VW, BMW or Porsche, one can keep maintenance down to usual things especially the first 5 years. I picked my BMW because it was the most reliable given what I wanted and for the first seven years of its life, it had less maintenance than the Honda Accord I had owned before it. (Time and no garage caught up with it, so that's no longer the case ...)
One of my former co-workers commuted from PA to NJ in an older Porsche 911. Since it was the days of 16" wheels, etc. maintenance apparently wasn't that bad although generally anything besides pocket rockets(car mag definition) is going to be more money than average.
I'd buy new if possible because with such a long commute it is nice to fully know the history of the car. What's your preferred price range and amenities?
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Oct 14, 2014 11:03:32 GMT -5
220 mile RT? wow. I hope it was all highway, at least! honestly, I think by the end of last night as my friend and I talked about my options, what I'm going to do immediately is to hang onto the Rocket until she finally dies. I know I have time to look at new cars, the Rocket's running fine. passenger side looks like garbage since I got t-boned in the parking lot at the end of August, but that had no effect on mechanicals. I just passed 178k miles in the last week or so, but have replaced a few major components over the past couple years. barring any major accidents, or anything like that, I don't expect to have to retire her for awhile. I've definitely considered how long it would take to "pay off" the most recent repairs by how many months of payments on a new car to cost the same amount. one of the things I conceded yesterday was that if I'm going to have two cars, the daily commuter doesn't *have to* be a stick. if that's the case, I could very easily pick up a 4-5 year old Honda that's in good shape, and just drive that into the ground. my dad's BFF is a wholesale car dealer. he finds lots of gems like that at the auction. thanks for the insight, y'all. lots of things to think about. Sounds like a good plan. That's basically what we did... I knew at some point I was going to need a new(er) car, but as long as mine could get me to work and back, no big deal. I think it worked out well in the end, we weren't rushed into anything so I was able to analyze my options to death. I have been in situations where I needed a car -- any car -- ASAP, and it's much less stressful to have time and options on your side! (The 220 miles was mostly highway, some interstate. I was driving from southeastern IN to northern KY (where DH worked) to Indianapolis (where I worked) then back to KY, then back home. I must have aged considerably since then, because I know I couldn't do that for even a week now!)
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Oct 14, 2014 11:20:37 GMT -5
My Mom just bought a new car. She drove the Toyota Corolla and she took it on an extended test drive, did not like the way it handled. She drove the FIT and it was a nice car, but she preferred the Civic over the fit or the Accord. When I looked for a car I never drove Mazda 3 so I asked her to look at it (I also have seen many positive reviews), she said she really did not like it. I had her look at the Fusion and although it is larger than the Civic it was priced pretty similar. The fusion is supposed to have a nice suspension, if you go too small you will prolly feel every bump in the road. She bought the Fusion last month and so far is happy with it.
I agree with Captain, some extended test drives are in order. I have a 50 mile round trip commute and my butt gets sore in my 2012 CRV.
Creature comforts are important when you spend so much time in your car.
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bobosensei
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Post by bobosensei on Oct 14, 2014 11:47:58 GMT -5
Have you compared the cost of having two cars (insurance etc.) with just getting something closer to what you'd really like that is decent in gas mileage? It might be easier just to have the car you like especially if the car is reliable and can be kept for many years. Driving 70 miles 4 days a week (since you will telecommute 1 day) is just 14.5k miles a year. You aren't likely to be driving tons on the weekend since you will live where you already spend your time. By that estimate you can easily get 10-12 years out of a reliable car.
I think you should really nerd out and make some spreadsheets that reflect what the estimated cost would be (gas, insurance, expected maintenance if not super reliable), run a ton of scenarios, but weigh what makes the most financial sense with what will make you happiest.
For what it is worth, I am a fan of civics and honda in general. Try an accord if you don't like the civic. They are a little bigger and plusher, have more power, but use a little more gas and cost more. I would stay far away from VW as they are expensive to keep up. My SIL had a KIA, the sportage I think whatever the SUV is called, that was good for her super long commute, she was driving several hundred miles a day to work though so while she got a lot of mileage on the engine she still had to replace it much sooner than they liked. They really liked the vehicle and said that they felt the reliability was better than what the "street cred" is, and had no problems. When they lost the commute they went with Hondas though.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Oct 14, 2014 12:43:54 GMT -5
I went test driving yesterday, doing some research on what's out there now. lots of new models since I bought the Rocket 10 years ago. I'm going to have about an hour commute (~70 miles each way) and am trying to figure out which path to take with this purchase. so yesterday I drove Kia Forte and a VW GTI Golf. I have more I want to test drive, but these two are enough to start this thread anyway. I didn't love the Forte, but it would do the job. MSRP was about $18k for a stick. gets pretty good gas mileage, has enough trunk space for my hockey bag, and would be a practical purchase. but again, I didn't love it. I loved the GTI Golf in comparison. for such a little car, it has some balls! definitely could see myself driving that as a faily commuter - especially the diesel model that gets almost 45mpg. the MSRP on the GTI is almost $29k - way more than the Forte. driving back from the dealerships with my friend, I thought aloud - why would I spend almost $30k on a new car that I'll be easily putting over 20k miles on each year. why not go with the Forte (or something else around the same price) and just drive that into the ground? pay it off in a couple years and then get something fun for everything BUT the daily commute? if I'm going with something fun, the Mini is coming back into consideration - also in the $28k range for a convertible (what I would prefer). or - why not keep the Rocket as long as she'll drive, use that for the daily commute and still get something fun. going that route, I could have "fun" be the GTI Golf with the awesome gas mileage that will be practical once the Rocket finally dies. thoughts? sorry, I know I was kind of rambling there. those of you with longer commutes, how do you approach buying your vehicles? can you afford the more expensive car that you like? If so, buy it. Life's too short to be shoved in an econobox 3 hours a day.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 14, 2014 14:04:24 GMT -5
yah, I can afford it. not sure I want to though. honestly, I think my hangup is that it feels like a waste of $ to buy the nicer car only to rack up a ton of miles on it. so I'll stick with the Rocket for now, and just keep checking all my options.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2014 14:39:47 GMT -5
yah, I can afford it. not sure I want to though. honestly, I think my hangup is that it feels like a waste of $ to buy the nicer car only to rack up a ton of miles on it. so I'll stick with the Rocket for now, and just keep checking all my options. but that's what a car is for....it's like buying new sheets and then not using them because they'll get worn.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Oct 14, 2014 15:46:43 GMT -5
is the Kia Spectra still available? I don't think I saw one yesterday. I will say that the Optima was too big for my taste. if I go Kia, it would be a Forte I think. my BIL still wants me to test out a couple Ford models too. the ST, I think? and something else. all around the same price range, he says. I haven't gotten that far yet! Kia stopped making Spectra in 2009, replaced by Forte.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2014 16:46:09 GMT -5
So far DH's favourite commuter car has been our Subaru Impreza. It is comfortable, not horrible on gas, and handles well in all weather. Our old civic was OK, he just drove it until it was falling apart. He didn't like anything about the corolla, seating position was uncomfortable, no pick up, and it slid in the rain. His other car is a Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, which would make a horrible commuter car.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Oct 14, 2014 17:04:38 GMT -5
yah, I can afford it. not sure I want to though. honestly, I think my hangup is that it feels like a waste of $ to buy the nicer car only to rack up a ton of miles on it. so I'll stick with the Rocket for now, and just keep checking all my options. but that's what a car is for....it's like buying new sheets and then not using them because they'll get worn. Or having expensive silverware for the "important" guests that manage to never show up!
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phil5185
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Post by phil5185 on Oct 14, 2014 17:12:12 GMT -5
Note that the annual fuel cost between 45mpg and 35mpg isn't much (and the fuel cost between 10mpg and 20mpg is huge.) So don't waste money buying a 45mpg instead of a 35mpg.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Oct 14, 2014 17:20:50 GMT -5
Figure out the price plus operating costs of the "fun" car, same for the fuel efficient car. See if the difference is worth it, or see if there is enough difference that a compromise in the middle makes sense. Any comparison I've ever done between greatly fuel efficient and a car I actually would enjoy has never come out with me wanting the more fuel efficient car.
It always seems to come out similarly to when my wife wants to drive out of her way to get gas for a few pennies less per gallon. Ok, you just saved $.45...was it worth it?
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Jake 48
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Post by Jake 48 on Oct 14, 2014 19:11:54 GMT -5
Chiver, DW drives a Subaru Outback, here in Mass and Michigan, never had a problem with the bad weather we can get in either location. The all wheel drive is peace of mind for me. I have gotten 30 mpg w/ the Subaru, DW has a lead foot, she gets around 22-24. DW's car is the 4 cyl. w/ automatic, plenty of get up and go
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 14, 2014 19:58:56 GMT -5
answering from my phone..sorry if I miss something here. yes, I've had a highway commute before. I don't mind driving highway, it's the stop and go shit closer to Boston that makes me crazy. frankly, the inching through towns from my sister's house is already making me nuts.....so I may not be couch surfing as long as I expected to be (don't tell her...) I do need to take a look at a bunch of numbers, for sure. and test drive more cars too - definitely love the rental idea. sent from my electronic distraction
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sapphire12
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 19:02:12 GMT -5
Posts: 1,211
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Post by sapphire12 on Oct 14, 2014 20:01:55 GMT -5
Have fun test driving cars! Good luck with making a decision.
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