Commuter scooter (fun?)

The time is coming to replace the current DD with something new or newer. I drive about 40 miles one way, 85% is open interstate with the remaining portion heavy traffic that can turn into grid lock.

I would like to stay in the $20k range and have a few cars in mind but am always looking for input.

Cars I have driven:

Focus ST I liked this car a lot.

Jetta 1.4 turbo, stick shift car, not bad overall but the pedal box was small.

Volt, nice car but out of my price range for a new car, might give a used one a look.

Mazda 3, not bad.

Fiat 500 Abarth, fun to drive in traffic but not sure on long open roads.

I have not had a chance to drive the Fiesta ST.

What other cars should I be looking at?

Thanks, Paul B

Speed 3 should be easily attainable for this cash.

Fiesta 1.0 or Fiesta ST.

That's a heck of a wide variety. FoST vs Volt. Not even really comparable. First, I'd decide if you want a commuting appliance or a really fun car. Yeah, I know, we all want both, but some are just better at it than others. I owned a FoST and have a similar commute...though mine is longer and has more gridlock. The FoST was wild fun on the open road, but just seemed like an unhappy camper in traffic. My wife called it a "squirrel on caffeine", and I agree that's the vibe it gives off. Not great in rush hour, at least IMO.

The Volt is cool in its' own way, but not a "fun" car.

I have gone the appliance route for now, with my Elantra, but maybe next year I'll go back to the fun car.

Can you charge a Volt at work? If so, it could reduce your fuel costs to the point that it's by far the cheapest to own. I don't consider a Volt any less enthusiast-y than a 1.0 Fiesta other than the manual aspect, but the Fiesta is geared so tall that it's still not fast even after you add 50hp.

20k can get you almost anything, but am I correct in inferring that you only want a small car with a manual trans? The volt is the only exception, of what you listed.

You can still get an Impreza with a manual trans, as well as the Jeep Renegade.

The Mazda 6 is a better overall car than the 3 imo, and cheaper to insure. You can or at least could get a manual trans in the Sport and the Touring. Used ones are cheap too, their values fall off a cliff in my personal experience. Bigger cars handle a highway commute better unless it's all grid lock imo. It was much more comfortable and better driving than my Subaru Outback, but the Outback handles the "6 months of winter" and "living halfway up a mountain down a dirt road" in Alaska parts of my life much better.

Came for scooter content, leaving disappointed.

That would be a Honda CTX 700 with side boxes

Cactus wrote: Came for scooter content, leaving disappointed.