Its that time for me to do my due diligence on looking for a new car. I have had a 96 Saturn that I have relied upon for years. Its been good, but it has reached the end of its life. I have a truck that is now being used for my primary, but the MPG is awful and I need something that will get me around cheaply and reliable. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find anyone to give me some solid advise on where to go and where to start. Just a footnote: I am pretty hard on my vehicles so I have no interest on a higher end vehicle only for me to wear it out in 3-4 years and lose most of its value. This is primarily what im looking for: 16k-20k (after all the upgrades and transfer fees...maybe a little more if needed) High MPG - upper 30's -40 MPG highway A decent looking trim I plan to drop about 8k cash up front. I was originally looking for used, but I think I am leaning towards new as I will still have the original warranty and no wear and tear. I have looked at the KIA Rio/Forte/Optimas. I really like the Optimas, but they are out of my price range and the MPG are a bit low for what Im looking for. Im not that fond of the Rio and Forte. So far I have liked the Hyundai Elantra but comparing them with other makes, I am not sure if this is the best deal. I have eyed the Honda Civic and its looking appealing. Unfortunately, I live pretty far out from dealerships, so I don't have a lot of time to drive out 45 mins to and hour to test drive. Any suggestions for comparisons? I am not opposed to buying used if its really worth it, but it seems to be a better deal just to drop the extra couple thousand for new.
this is precisely why you SHOULD buy a 2yr old car. Many 2yr old cars still have some warranty left on them. Good luck.
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If you're into new cars, the latest Mazda 3 w/ skyactiv looks awesome. Near 40 mpg with equal to greater performance.
If you still want warranty on a used car - you can look into certified pre-owned cars too. They are no more than 2-3 years old and come with a decent warranty from the dealership. Cheaper than a new car...
This is a pretty good work car for your situation, SG. Or maybe even a Festiva. I would buy a car that is around 6 months old, with carfax. You get the warranty, it's in good shape and someone else is absorbing the loss of driving off the lot.
I was looking for a similar vehicle a short while ago. Back then I was making $11/hour so I had to just get what I could, ie used 2009 Focus. But the new cars I looked at were the Hyundai Elantra, Mazda 3, VW Jetta, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Honda Fit. I liked all of these. But obviously I had to be picky. The 3 is the funnest to drive. I'm not sold on the 2012 Focus - too much plastic. The Corolla was great, of course, but kind of... boring (yes, that is a stupid criticism, but I am a stupid man). I also test drove a Forte but was shocked at how plain it was for the cost. The Fit felt like a miniature minivan. I never got to test drive a Jetta, but I've heard only good things about them. If I had been able to afford it, I would have gone with the Elantra or the Mazda 3. Unfortunately, I think Elantras are in short supply so there isn't much room for haggling. And find the right color and model would be hard to do. So, if I had the money, I probably would have gone with a Mazda 3. The 4-door and the 5-door just look awesome to me.
