We have a Smart Car and I ****ing hate it. I refuse to drive it. I feel like the thing is gonna fall apart when I drive over a railroad track. It drives like a golf cart, it is very rough drive, especially on the choppy city streets of Houston. There is also a lull in the acceleration of them. You can hold down the pedal for a few seconds before it starts really going. It can be scary at times when you are not sure when the car is gonna jet across the street.
Hard to believe, but the new Ford Fiesta they brought over from Europe is supposed to be really nice for the money.
Yes the gear that runs the water pump is in the supercharger housing and it failed causing a blown engine.
Wow, I would have thought there'd be some issues, but that sounds pretty serious. Thanks for the heads up.
I second the Ford Fiesta suggestion. Mazda has a Mazda 2 coming out which is similar to the Fiesta but lighter and less expensive. The Fiesta I has more content and a Dual Clutch Automatic transmission so it may be worth the extra money. What about the Hyundai Sonata; too big?
You do realize that, unless you're paying cash, that a new car is draining your money every month in the form of a payment? I would look at a 2-3 year old model that has a reputation of being durable, assuming you want reliability over status symbol. You may have to put a little money into maintenance sooner, but your payments will be lower and for a shorter period. If they're small enough, the Honda Fit or Scion xd would be good candidates. They are even affordable buying new, and the Scion's hold their resale value pretty well. The Mazda 2 might be a good option as well if you need to go smaller.
Another Ford Fiesta vote. The European model they're bringing over has been fawned over on Top Gear and the 2011 Focus is supposed to be based on the Euro platform rather than the American one they've been using. Otherwise, Honda. The Fit competes with the Fiesta and might have more functionality in terms of putting seats down, storage, etc. However, the Fiesta is supposed to be fun to drive.
Good thoughts! Believe me, between the wife, parents, and friends, we've rehashed the new used discussion. If the car is "reasonable" enough, we are looking at paying cash - but used is not out of the picture (we are just overly cautious based on passed experiences). I like the fit, but my wife thinks it "looks funny." Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take a look on the interwebs this evening and hopefully hit a couple of dealers this weekend to sit in a few. I hate buying cars . . . I always feel screwed . . . new, used, big, little . . . ugh . . . i hate it.
This. And This. Stay the hell away from VWs - the only thing they're reliable at is being cheap POSes that break on a schedule. True Story: DT was working at Jiffy Lube, and a VW pulls in... He sees the mileage on the car, tells the owner, "Hey buddy, watch out for this piece of plastic right here - it's going to break in the next few thousand miles... All VWs I've seen/worked on have had that break around your mileage". A few months (and a few thousand miles) later owner comes in again for scheduled oil change, and sure enough, said piece was broken.
This ^. After spending my teens and twenties buying cars with my emotions, I bought the most economical, long lasting car I could find. The Honda Civic. Their cars are damn near bulletproof mechanically and if you find a good (honest) mechanic, you can keep it for a decade or longer. My recommendation is Burden Auto Care on 1960 W near Jones road. Only does Honda and Acura. I've owned Chevy's, Toyotas, Nissans, Mazdas, and VW's, I will only buy Honda forever after.
Doesn't really sound like you should go with those since you really want reliability and enough room to start a family. As others have posted, smaller sedans like the Civic, Fit, or Fiesta would probably be good buys. If you want to go a little bigger, Accords are ultra reliable.
Yep, cars can really be a crutch, especially if you "have to have" that $25k new car that you really can't afford. It's insane the amount of money people throw away each month in the form of payments for something that sits in a driveway or parking spot the majority of the time, when they could be investing more money in their home or just flat out saving (or buying almost ANYTHING else, because nothing else depreciates like a car). But that's what happens when people view it as a status symbol rather than a means of transportation. It's disgusting to think about how much of your income goes toward a car...payments, insurance, gas, maintenance. I bought a brand new car out of college three years ago, and while I like the car I regret it now. I would have gone with a slightly used version and be paid off right now, but instead I've got at least 1.5 years of payments left. I'll never buy new again until I can pay cash for it. /end of rant
I am beginning to see the light, though it is hard to give up the "designy" status symbol. Darn materialistic society.
