A boring "what car" thread

I've been tasked with helping my sister find a car but I'm not sure where to start. Her budget of $7,500 is not the $2k beater territory that I'm used to exploring.

So, what's out there in that price range that is, in her words, "Smaller-ish, dependable, and is going to last a good while. Don't care about number of doors/seats particularly. A hatchback would be nice but not necessary. Would be super cool if it has a roof rack thing to put a kayak on."

Her current ride is a leased Nissan Rogue. The lease will be up soon and she would rather pay cash for a good used car than lease or finance again. I think she likes the Nissan but isn't terribly attached to it and wants something smaller.

I'm seeing lots of Ford Escapes and Suturn VUE type things, a category I don't know much about.

Mazda 3?

Prius?

BlueInGreen44 wrote: Suturn VUE.

Avoid.

"Like Rouge well enough but wants smaller"

The easy recommendation to "non-car" people is:
Honda CRV
Toyota Rav4

Add to these the:
Honda Fit
Scion xB
Kia Soul Mazda CX5
Toyota Matrix

Prius crossed my mind too. Are there 5 door versions old enough to be in that price range yet?

She'd probably think a RAV4 is cool.

Also, what do we think about:

Kia Soul, Saturn Astra, Pontiac Vibe?

Are Chevy HHRs to be avoided?

Look at the Subaru family as well, imprezas (even NA) can be fun, plus a roof rack doesn't look out of place on them.

Vibe is just the sister car of the Matrix, usually cheaper because of the look.

Might be able to find a MINI for the right price, but parts costs are higher (I speak from experience).

Maybe a Golf?

Buy her a second generation Prius. It ticks all the boxes. Smallish, reliable, durable, hatchback, and you can put a roof rack on it.

Take your pick.

See if the finance department at her local Mazda dealership offers an unlimited mileage lifetime comprehensive warranty that utilizes OEM parts, some do. If hers does financing a cx3 might be the answer as payments for a car that you enjoy and plan on keeping for 10+ years without worry of any non body repair costing more than 100 deductible provides excellent piece of mind. Along the same line, the option is available on 2.4L jeep renegades, a vehicle that I didn't expect to like, but absolutely did.

If she's hard fast on not going over 7500, Honda element, Mazda 3, focus zx5, crx or rav4

Mazda3 hatch, Matrix, Vibe, Prius, Fit.

captdownshift wrote: See if the finance department at her local Mazda dealership offers an unlimited mileage lifetime comprehensive warranty that utilizes OEM parts, some do. If hers does financing a cx3 might be the answer as payments for a car that you enjoy and plan on keeping for 10+ years without worry of any non body repair costing more than 100 deductible provides excellent piece of mind.

Absolutely sounds like a great deal. If I didn't like having a fun car, or could afford to keep the BRZ under a car cover except for weekends and track events, I would look at that hard to drive something more comfortable on a daily basis.

In reply to captdownshift:

This sounds worth investigating.

BlueInGreen44 wrote: Also, what do we think about: Kia Soul, Saturn Astra, Pontiac Vibe?

Soul is great

I think Astra should be avoided by a "non-car person" given that it is a pretty rare model that was only offered for a very short time.

Vibe is a great choice since it is the exact twin of Toyota Matrix

BlueInGreen44 wrote: Are Chevy HHRs to be avoided?

Avoided? Maybe not completely avoided but I think there are better choices.
The biggest negative of the HHR is outward visibility.

G_Body_Man wrote: Take your pick.

The first link is gone already. Bookmarked the second one

If she can get past the appearance, the Honda Element is a pretty good choice.

I really like the Prius for her. Up until a few years ago I was convinced they were just a fad, but now that they're seeming to age well and maintain their reliability, they do check most of the boxes for most people. If I had the option of having a DD and "toy", the Prius would be at the top of that list (you all can hate, but a comfortable, reliable car that gets great mileage to be stuck in traffic >2 hours a day sounds mighty fine)

You should be able to get a decent NC miata for near that price.

Prius. Definitely Prius. I recommend them to non enthusiast types all the time because most people can't be bothered to maintain their cars in any decent fashion. Priuses are really hard to kill. Many available in that price range.

IndyJoe wrote: If she can get past the appearance, the Honda Element is a pretty good choice.

My buddy just bought one that exact color, looks new has like 250k on it. It's really nice I heard the mpg aren't great but his is awd. Would be great for kayaking I bet.

I guess her taste in appliance cars lines up with the GRM collective.

Her top two choices are this 2007 Vibe. (Low miles!)

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/5607656639.html

And a Prius because "The back end looks sci-fi-ish":

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/cto/5645991600.html

Holy balls that's a great deal on a Prius.

I bought my 07 Prius for $4500... 2.5 years ago. You can get one of the BEST 2g Prii left for ~7500.

If she can get past the appearance, the Honda Element is a pretty good choice.

Problem in this case would probably be that it drives HUUUUGE compared to a Rogue. It IS bigger, but it feels WAAAAY bigger from the inside.