Subcompact 10k Budget Battle Royal

TLDR: $10k budget... lowest maintenance car possible.

I'm in the search for a new (to me) car. Did a search here on subcompacts and didn't find too much. Two main priorities are low maintenance/running costs, and ease to work on. For now, I will be retiring my current Mazdaspeed Protege from daily driver to weekend warrior duty.

First thing that comes to mind... subcompact cars. (Versa, Fit, Fiesta, Sonic, Mazda2 etc.) I've seen reviews on all types of brand new subcompact cars but there doesn't seem to be as much information on reliability/difficulty of maintenance. Not a lot of forum activity on some of these cars either.

Opinions and experience needed! I have too many conflicting thoughts in my head. Don't know too much about subcompacts.

Anything Japanese and still in warranty should work nicely. A Fit or anything from Mazda will be the least boring. A Fiesta shouldn't be too bad either. If you don't mind the sedan they go for pennies.

Not Sonic. I've had more failures in 50k than a modern car should.

Passenger cars in general are out of fashion and thus depreciate rapidly. They make for a great buy right now. The local Hyundai dealer is advertising leftover '17 Elantras for $14k. that means you can get a '12 or '13 easily within your price range.

These days, subcompacts don't get significantly better MPG than compacts, so why bother?

In reply to EvanR:

Good point about MPG... I was actually searching CPO Hyundai's because of their warranties but I've seen mixed opinions about the warranty itself. I've read that some seem to have a bit of hassle trying to get warranty repairs. (Although I bet I can find the same arguments about any dealer warranty).

Agreed on the MPG differences between compact and other small cars.

I've been disappointed my wife's 2012 Fit with a tiny little 1.5L ONLY gets 32mpg highway. While it's nimble and very utilitarian, it's also not much fun to drive.

Freakin 300hp V6 Mustang gets that these days.

Back in 2015 Motor Trend did a list of the 20 fastest cars that get better than 30mpg. I'd bet that list is even longer today. R&T has a slightly updated list.

Gene, my general rule is that if you buy European, you want CPO, and if you buy Asian, you don't.

I guessed from your name that you're in Minneapolis. A quick search on cars.com shows 1/2 a dozen Elantras with miles around 60k for under $10k. I think that's a bargain - the cars seem to go to 140-150k without issues.

I'm at 133k in my 2014 Cruze 1.4t 6speed with very few issues. A ground cable, pcv valve and now a noisy wheel bearing.

If reliable DD duty for cheap is the priority and fun is not in the criteria isn't 3g Prius the winner here? Probably can get a decent one for $5k and they require almost no maintenance...

All other things equal, a Prius will require less brake work. There's a reason cabbies love hybrids. The maintenance schedule is so light they can spend more time chasing fares and less time in the shop.

You can buy a brand new Fiesta for under 10k.

Where? ^^^

Buy my 2013 Fit sport. Just under 50k miles, MT, oil changed every 4k miles full synthetic, conti DWS tires w/ 8k miles or so.

I just found a few Fiesta STs brand new for $15k - $16k. How are these not $10k used yet?? Lots of used ones are more than new ones at the moment.

@Clutchsmoke: How much?

Donebrokeit wrote: Where? ^^^

Go to cars.com. Search for NEW cars with a max price of $10k you'd be surprised what comes up. Hell, there is a Focus listed. Too bad its auto.

https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?rd=500&searchSource=ADVANCED_SEARCH&yrId=30031936&prMx=10000&zc=27106&stkTypId=28880

Thanks for all the comments guys... really liking this forum a lot. Have thought of Prius's, but I just don't know too much about them. (I guess there isn't all that much to know about them in the first place). Chevy Cruze is an option, I will look more into Elantra's/Accent's as well.

Evan, The MSP in my name is for the Mazdaspeed Protege. I'm located in Jersey.

How the heck are 2017 base Fiesta's being advertised at almost half the MSRP? I don't get that. Don't they sell well? Is there some huge hidden dealer doc fee or something? Or is it like a huge rebate after you purchase?

The Mazda 2 shares a platform with the Fiesta, but is much more entertaining to drive. They are pretty fun little things, with a nice gearbox and a livable interior.

I'm not sure why Fiestas are cheap but I do know that they are not returning for next year. The Mazda2 was the same chassis and last year was it's final year. Seems that neither really sold very well.

GeneMSP wrote: Evan, The MSP in my name is for the Mazdaspeed Protege. I'm located in Jersey.

Well, don't I feel like a fool now! LOL Then again, you'll probably find more cheap Hyundais in Jersey than Minneapolis!

If you're looking at Accents/Elantras, include the Forte/Rio as they're the same car with different badges/style.

I'll offer a dissenting view on the Sonic. I have a '12 1.4t/6sp that I bought with 48k, now has 78k. I've had a bad evaporative emissions solenoid (haven't fixed it because all it does is light the CEL, and it requires me to drop the tank to replace) and a bad bearing in the transmission that was replaced (whole transmission) under warranty. Mileage isn't as good as claimed, but it's still not bad. It's been a good car overall, and they've depreciated like every other GM economy car.

It is way better built than the Aveo, but I guess that's not saying much. Overall I'd say it's worthy of your consideration. I bought mine three years old with 48k miles for $7,995.

And as for the new stuff that's under 10k, I think most of them are bait-and-switch once you get in there...the ads usually have every possible discount (military, first responder, student, American Quarter Horse Association, etc., etc.) already dropped out of the price. No one qualifies for most of those.

John Welsh wrote: I'm not sure why Fiestas are cheap but I do know that they are not returning for next year. The Mazda2 was the same chassis and last year was it's final year. Seems that neither really sold very well.

I think there are 2 primary reasons:

1. Everybody wants crossovers. The Chevy Sonic isn't selling well, but the lifted version of it known as the Chevy Trax is doing quite well. And I think Ford is still planning to bring the EcoSport model to the states, even though the Fiesta that it's based on will be exiled to other markets.

IF you forego the crossover craze, and want to stick with a traditional car you run into problem number 2.

1. Larger cars get similar fuel economy. A Focus gets really close to Fiesta fuel economy and is generally a nicer, more comfortable car with more space and capability. The price difference is minimal to non-existent, especially in this "monthly payment" environment that most people prefer.

A current generation Focus SE with the 5 speed would be a good candidate. Solid quiet commuter, and the 5spd avoids the horrid PowerShift and all of its attendant issues. I can find a few in the DC metro of both hatch and sedan variety 2012/2013 for like $6k.

Here's one in Newark (DE) for $7k at a dealer: https://delaware.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2012-ford-focus-hatchback-5dr/6255455345.html

I second both the Fit and 3G Prius ideas. Both are versatile, peppy cars requiring surprisingly little maintenance.

Now that I think about it, I actually like everything about driving the Fit except for the thin, hard seats and the high driving position. Good ergonomics, decent driving dynamics, cheap maintenance, and a spacious back that you can haul furniture in.

In reply to Cactus: lol that's me

Just got a 2013 Prius 3rd gen not to long ago for $9000...

It's bigger than subcompact (I think) but I think Prius is the answer if you need super reliability and newish under $10k (and not a tow vehicle, or something with a soul).

psteav wrote: I'll offer a dissenting view on the Sonic.

Also see Sonic Most Dependable Small Car - JD Power 2017 Rankings

I don't know how the other cars fare, but I can't believe how ours (LTZ) handles.

Which would be backed up by this Sonic Vs FRS