Because there isn't enough....what car?

I've been debating what I should or shouldn't do for my daily driver for the past couple months, and of course, I need to ask a car forum about it.

My current situation is a '11 Elantra. While comfy, the automatic and 1.8L leave a little to be desired. I came from an '04 WRX wagon (still my autox toy), and I miss having the bit of extra cargo space that a wagon or hatch has to offer too.

So my dilemma, what can I get that is:

• cheap ($15k budget MAX. I would prefer <10)
• fun, manual, and a hatchback/wagon
• reliable enough for my 100 mile round trip to work 1-2 weeks a month (carpool ftw)
• gets good mpg's. I would expect a $15k car to get mid 30's.

So far on my list:

• Chevy Sonic LT w/ 1.4L turbo 6 sp, pushing the budget
• Legacy GT wagon w/ 5 speed, a unicorn

Halp?

In reply to Hold_Fast:

I may be selling my '05 LGT LTD five speed wagon in the next few weeks. Doesn't get 30 mpg though, it's 21-22 regardless of how I drive it with 10% ethanol premium. Black on tan leather, 119k miles, and under your $10k price preference.

In reply to PeterAK:

You have a unicorn?? I would definitely be interested. I know the LGT's don't get great mileage, but I would deal with it for the extra space. They don't make them like that anymore....

Yep, I have a unicorn. Took me a long time to find it. Take a look at my readers ride. Current wheels are not in the pics though.

Looks good. If you end up wanting to offload it, let me know.

I'm going to go test drive a sonic RS for grins tomorrow.

Hold_Fast wrote: So far on my list: - Chevy Sonic LT w/ 1.4L turbo 6 sp, pushing the budget - Legacy GT wagon w/ 5 speed, a unicorn Halp?

I think the Legacy 2.5i wagon with a 5 speed is even more of a unicorn. I've been hunting for one of those for months. I can live with the lower power in exchange for better mpg's.

What about a Mazda3 or a Vibe/Matrix?

Agreed, anything legacy/outback and wagon is nearly impossible to find without a slushbox.

Vibe/Matrix have always been "meh" to me for some reason. I've never driven one though.

Mazda3, a lot of the examples in my price range are higher mileage, some pushing 100k. I'm not familiar with long term reliability for that car. If it's simple up keep, I'm fine with that. And experienced mazda3 people?

In reply to Hold_Fast:

My wife's Mazda3 is a '13 model so I can't comment on their reliability just yet. But so far it's just been oil changes and tire rotations in it's 22k miles.

That's good to hear at least. Looks like I'll have to do a bit more research on high mileage 3's.

Given almost the exact specs that you just named, I looked at new Mazda2s and Fiat 500s last year. I ended up with the Fiat for various reasons, but both were spectacular cars and fun to drive.

I haven't looked at the Fiat mainly for two reasons:

• I need a semi comfortable rear seat, since I carpool with 2 other people.
• I have two 50lb fluffy childen that I need to transport on occasion.

Haven't looked at the mazda2 though. How's the interior space in those?

If your carpool mates are modestly-sized people: Mini Cooper Clubman

If they are more typical-American-sized people: Honda Fit Sport

The Cooper is the ticket for driving fun and refinement, actually BETTER HWY mileage than the Fit (though, premium, so local prices might knock out the advantage to your wallet), but I think is a little bit smaller in the back. I would not call it unreliable, but a MINI will be more expensive to operate for a given period of time, depending on how much of your own work you do and how willing you are to hunt down internet deals on parts.

No Legacy in your price range is going to hit the mid-30's MPG unless you leave it idling and push it out the back of a C-130. For those few brief seconds before impact it will far exceed 35 MPG HWY.

Tons of choices here.

Mazda 3 hatchback
Honda Fit - I've owned one. Not a great highway cruiser, but awesome otherwise.
Mini Cooper Clubman - non-turbo would be in the sub $15k range.

Those would be at the top of my list

The back seat on the 2 is quite nice for the segment. I can fit two booster seats and a third kid between them if that gives you any ideas of width. Whether or not you have knee room is down to how you need the seats positioned. I drive the car with the same seat position as my 5'3" wife and there's quite a lot of legroom in back. You'd probably have to go sit it one to see how you do. Rear seat room over the Fiat is one of the main reasons I ended up with the 2. Having said that, I think the Legacy GT would be way awesomer in every way except fuel usage and you could buy a lot of fuel for the price difference.

Unless we are talking about a Skyactiv car I don't think you are going to hit the mid-30's with a Mazda3 hatch. Note: You can't get the 2.0 in the hatch, so you're looking at 28 MPG HWY. I don't think the Skyactivs are in your price range... yet.

Thanks for all the input guys. And to clarify, I only meant that if I'm buying a new car at my max budget, it better damn well get decent highway MPG's, hence the Sonic. But when I looked at one last night, I'm seriously concerned over the amount of trunk space and rear leg room.

My two car pool buddies aren't huge, both are probably in the 5'11" ~180lb range. Which is the main reason I want decent rear leg room. (read I don't want to deal with constant bitching about my car)

mazdeuce wrote: The back seat on the 2 is quite nice for the segment. I can fit two booster seats and a third kid between them if that gives you any ideas of width. Whether or not you have knee room is down to how you need the seats positioned. I drive the car with the same seat position as my 5'3" wife and there's quite a lot of legroom in back. You'd probably have to go sit it one to see how you do. Rear seat room over the Fiat is one of the main reasons I ended up with the 2. Having said that, I think the Legacy GT would be way awesomer in every way except fuel usage and you could buy a lot of fuel for the price difference.

This I did not expect. I'll have to see if there are 2's in my area with a manual.

And that's the only killer about the legacy, fuel. I do only drive 700-1500 miles (95% highway) a month, but I would save ~$100/month in the worst case:

Legacy GT - 1500mi/22mpg * 3.65 = $249

Newish Car - 1500mi/35mpg * 3.40 = $146

I guess I need to test drive some cars and see if the fun factor would be worth the extra cash. New list:

• Used Mazda 3 (doubt I could get a 2012 skyactiv in my range)
• Used Mazda 2
• Focus/Fiesta (I think the fiesta might be too small for me)
• Fit - I've test driven a 2011 with a manual. Wasn't too bad, might be worth trying again.

Realistically, how bad is the maintenance on the Mini's? I always hear horror stories, but I do all my own maintenance (just finished up a turbo swap on the WRX last night ).

In other news, thoughs on V70R?

Link

Hold_Fast wrote: I haven't looked at the Fiat mainly for two reasons: - I need a semi comfortable rear seat, since I carpool with 2 other people. - I have two 50lb fluffy childen that I need to transport on occasion. Haven't looked at the mazda2 though. How's the interior space in those?

its okay, seats dont fold flat but close enough.

its a great to haul random stuff (nothing huge though obviously) if 2 people want to go on a long weekend trip it packs 2 people + their stuff nicely but nothing else.

I may be swayed to sell my mazda2. email me if your interested.

35kmi, touring, 5 speed, tint, roof rack, winter/summer wheels/tires

Sooo....

I bet you guys are tired of hearing about it, butttt:

Chevy Cruze Eco. I've seen very lightly used models go for <15. 6spd manual. 36ish city, 42+ highway. Comfy, quick, respond very well to mild tunes. A bit heavy and not the most fun car in the world, but very workable. Especially if you're looking at the sonic.

You CAN get a 2012-up Skyactiv Mazda 3 with a stick in the hatchback body style. Can you get one for around $10-15k? Maybe at the higher end of that, but they are out there. They are pretty common around here. Easy way to spot one is to look for a hatch with a single exhaust outlet. The 2.5's have dual exhaust outlets.

My '12 Mazda 3 has been pretty good to me so far. It hit 42k yesterday. Mine has the 2.5L though, and I usually get 26-28mpg out of it. There's not a ton of space in the back seat though for passengers, but I'm a big guy and my seat is usually back quite a bit.YMMV there.

Only issue I've had so far is the 1st to 2nd shift grinds sometimes. The stock mounts are made of very soft rubber and the motor bounces around all over the place, which doesn't help shifting. I installed a Torque Solutions rear motor mount last weekend, and it helps, but every once in a while it still does it. It would grind into gear 5-6 times daily before installing it (!!!), and now it's only done it a couple times this week. The car feels more solid though, and you can tell the power is getting put to the ground now.The downside is that there is a lot of NVH at idle, especially with the air or defrost on.

I plan on changing the transmission fluid soon as well. I've read that changing it will help drastically with shifting.

Maintenance on the newer ones is super easy. Very simple car to work on.

If you do buy a unicorn (05 LGT Wagon) make absolutely sure that the turbo oil line to the block doesn't have that stupid little mesh screen on it anymore where it mates to the block. A friend of mine just had to put a motor in his because it got clogged (like they always do) and oil starvation destroyed the cams, turbo, etc. They are cool though.

I'm pretty familiar with the mesh screen in the turbo oil line on the LGT's. Another great subaru design, kind of like pre-turbo catalytic converters.

Anyhow,

It looks like I'll be seeking out mazda2's/3's to see if they meet my needs. Also want to look at the focus and fit still, but the unicorn is still a strong want.

I know you don't like the Elantra, but I've driven the Elantra GT and it's a whole other car.

If you're trading in, a Hyundai dealer will probably give slightly better dough on a trade-in, since it's one of their own.

Does the 6 speed manual really make that much of a difference? I know it's the same engine, but paired to the 6 speed auto, it left a little to be desired.

It's a little above my price range though. Best I can find is a used 2013 model with 10k miles for $17k.

Bumping this, as I'm still doing some research, comparing my options, prices, etc.

Anything to be scared of with a high mileage (110k miles) clubman S?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2012&zip=19067&photosOnly=true&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&sellerTypes=b&transmissionCode=MAN&maxPrice=18000&transmissionCodes=MAN&pricesOnly=true&showcaseOwnerId=626199&startYear=2003&firstRecord=26&searchRadius=100&bodyStyleCodes=WAGON&listingId=344305816&listingIndex=2&Log=0