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  July 15, 2009 1:30 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  My wife and I have been looking at 5-door cars to replace the Camaro. We're looking for something other than a Fit. We've driven the Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Mazda3. We've looked at others, such as the Elantra Touring and Toyota Yaris. We haven't looked at the Astra yet, but buying a 2008 seems to buy a lot of car for the money. I know that these are essentially the same as the Opel Astra, which gives me some hope.

  What do you guys think? The Astra seems to be a good bang for the buck, and that's what we're really looking for.

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  July 15, 2009 1:39 p.m. Gotsol New Reader

  VW Rabbit is a very satisfying car to drive. in fact it has won awards in that regard. Check one out

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  July 15, 2009 1:55 p.m. Nashco SuperDork

  Why not go check it out? I'm sure the Saturn dealership would love to sell you a car! The internet can tell you many things, but it can't tell you how much you will like the car. Since you've been driving/looking at the competition, you're well prepared to make an informed comparison.

  Bryce

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  July 15, 2009 2:04 p.m. nocones New Reader

  Why something other than a Fit?

  Basically everything I thought wrong with the first gen was fixed in the second gen. Other than if you don't like how it looks. It's hard to argue with for the price.
  

  The astra is ok. The hatch opening is smaller, the roof line is a lot lower than others in the class. Also fuel economy isn't the best. But overall in the small 5-door segment you can't go wrong today. I don't think there is a single one that I would avoid.

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  July 15, 2009 3:55 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  I was under the assumption that not too much changed with the Fit. The one we drove was a 2007 Sport, and we didn't care for it all that much. It felt cheap, cheaper than many other cars in this segment.

  I say no to the Rabbit because of price. We're trying to keep the price down to about $17,000. We'll be using the Camaro for CARS trade fodder because it's a pile of garbage.

  I do need to get out and test drive. The issue is that the nearest dealership is an hour away, and I figure we can comfortably test drive about 3 cars a day unless we find something that we simply hate, then we can get more in. If I can narrow the list, then we can get through it quicker.

  I know what the reliability on most of these cars will turn out to be, but I'm not sure how well the Astra holds up. Anyone with long term experience? This will be a car that we keep for at least 5 years, so long term reliability is important.

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  July 15, 2009 4:53 p.m. petegossett Dork

  I sat in a Astra at an autox(he wasn't driving it in the event). It certainly felt sportier than I expected, though I was rather shocked with how abysmal the rated mileage is.

  IMO, if you're after something sporty & not as worried about MPG, I'd look elsewhere. If you're more concerned with mileage and/or resale value, check out another Fit. We've put 15kmi on our 09 Sport Auto in the past 4-months & are averaging up around 40mpg now(it was lower when it was new).

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  July 15, 2009 5:03 p.m. rob_lewis Dork

  Just to throw more choices at you..............

  What about a Suzuki SX4 Crossover?

  -Rob

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  July 15, 2009 5:10 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  The AWD of the 'Zuk does sound good now that you've brought it up. I guess it'll be on my list, too.

  I'm not horribly concerned about economy, but 28 MPG gets me $1000 more than 24.

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  July 15, 2009 9:49 p.m. bam2002 New Reader

  V sky I just bought one last Oct.. I looked at the VW the Suzuki and Honda. The car has more room than the honda. gets better Fuel economy that the Suzukis and has more room inside. I am 6 foot 5 and it fit me better than the other cars. With all the rebates ect is is now probably cheaper than the VW. I liked the VW also but with the 5 cyl engine the Astra got better milage. I get about 23 to 25 around town and 32 on the hiway. But thats doing 85 ish..

  The Astra is really a Opel - Vauxhall that is re badged. It handels really well. Suprised me when I first got it. In the UK they actually use them as Police cars. My Brother works for GM so I got the family discount. They threw in 3 years of oil changes and Maintance. Plus a ding and paint warrenty for 3 years. I got a 4 door auto so it wasnt anything exciting..

  My wife got the Exciting car last week. a Solsice GSP coupe. Another cool car. After owning BMWs and Audis for the last 10 years we will see how the American cars hold up.

  B

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  July 16, 2009 12:20 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  The broad use of the Astra overseas is something that seems to be a testament to it's durability and handling. As you said, they're employed as police vehicles in Europe. Any vehicle that can handle police duty can handle what I'll throw at it.

  Right now, I have my list down to 11 cars. The most expensive one is the Kia Soul, which will cost just a tick under $16,000 after CARS. The Astra is running mid-pack with most of the others at just a tick under $14,000 after incentives and CARS. I'm thinking about going out of town this weekend to give the Fit and the Astra a thorough test drive.

  Does Saturn still sell cars at a fixed price, or are they now using the more traditional sales approach? The deal I get on any given car will weigh heavily on the final decision.

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  July 16, 2009 12:37 p.m. belteshazzar Dork

  they'll tell you it's fixed price.

  it isn't. part of the reason I quit selling them in '04

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  July 16, 2009 12:37 p.m. amg_rx7 Reader

  Definitely give the Mazda3 a test drive. That is a very nice driving car with lots of space, good reliability and MPG.

  The Astra does sound pretty interesting as well. Fueleconomy.gov rates MPG similarly to the Mazda3. Not sure what parts availability on that car is though and if that will be an issue down the line in terms of maintenance and resale value.

  The Suziki seems like a pretty cool car also. It does look a little small inside though compared to the other cars.

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  July 16, 2009 12:48 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  The Mazda3 is outside of my price range. If I had another $7,000 to spend, my wife would be learning how to drive stick and I'd have a Mazdaspeed3 in the driveway.
  

  Ok, now that I know they'll budge on the price, I'll just tell them that I'll happily take the less expensive car from Hyundai instead. On paper, the Elantra Touring is pretty similar. It's slightly heavier with the same amount of HP, but costs about $2000 less. Being that I'm looking at 2008 model Astras, I would think they just want them gone and would let them go at a "crackhead" price to anyone with the cheese to pick one up.

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  July 16, 2009 1:53 p.m. Bobzilla HalfDork

  Elantra Touring is a very nice car. Have not driven one, but I've just abused that engine for the last 7 years and 110k miles. Very durable, very dependable.

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  July 16, 2009 2:30 p.m. Strizzo Dork

  In reply to VanillaSky:

  16-18k will get you a fairly low miles 07-08 mazdaspeed3
  

  also, look at the (better looking) leftover 09's, there should be incentives on them, and you should be able to knock 2-3k or more off the sticker.

  just to complicate things a bit more..

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  July 16, 2009 2:45 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  I need to buy new to be elligible for CARS. If it weren't for that program, I'd be fixing a car that I don't really like. Right now, Mazda doesn't seem to be offering any incentives on their Mazda3s. Getting the Mazda3 down into the $13,000 price range where I have several other cars will be difficult. At that price, I can comfortably afford the car, whereas something $3,000 more would be a bit of a strain financially.

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  July 16, 2009 2:53 p.m. Strizzo Dork

  whats CARS?

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  July 16, 2009 3:13 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  The Car Allowance Rebate System. Cash for Clunkers, in other words.

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  July 16, 2009 3:19 p.m. bam2002 New Reader

  I found Saturn would not really budge on the price but they would throw in Extras. Like I said I got 3 years of oil changes and All Maint. Plus 3 years of Ding and paint fixes. I did bring up the Suzukis and Kias. They came back with a chart showing how the warrenties compare. There are alot of things that the China cars dont cover in the fine print. Like on Auto transmissions. They pro rate and only cover hard parts at the end. Like gears.. The pumps and valves are Not covered. But that was last Oct . I am sure they have more incentive since they are a dead brand. I checked on parts and they will be around. Some things may not be stocked at your local Atuozone and have to be ordered to arrive the next day. Im ok with that. Alot of the engine parts are shared with Pontiac and Saab. Re the bolt on stuff.

  Its been a good car. Basic transportation , nothing fancy. But that is what I was looking for.

  something I can leave at the Airport parking and wont loose alot of sleep if it gets a door ding. My car spends 1/2 its life in Airport parking lots.

  B

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  July 16, 2009 3:33 p.m. Bobzilla HalfDork

  "China cars"? Suzuki is Japanese, Kia is Korean..... And their powertrain warranties are 7/100-10/100. That's trans, axles, engine, frt bearings. Trans dies, covered. O2 sensor goes out, not covered. Simple to figure out.

  Having owned and worked for both... I'd love to see this chart. Maybe I'll do that next week for giggles.

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  July 16, 2009 3:38 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  I do know of someone that had the warranty on their Kia Rio voided for driving in a "mountainous region." That's one thing that make me hesitate on the Korean cars.

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  July 16, 2009 3:57 p.m. Bobzilla HalfDork

  Yeah... that wouldn't fly. A quick call to the DPSM, and the BBB usually gets that dealer handled. Thenyou find a new, non crook dealer. I spent the last 2 years auto-x'ing mine and strill had misc warranty things fixed with no issues.

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  July 16, 2009 4:38 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  The car had other issues brought on by neglect, so they dumped the car and bought a Cobalt. All they knew is that they needed a car. They were too passive in the situation and took it in the end.

  So far in looking around online, the Astra seems to get a bad rap for being slow. Looking at the power to weight ratio vs. other cars that it's been compared to, it shouldn't be all that bad. I know gearing comes to play, but I don't really think that it's going to be bad for its intended purpose, which is being a car that doesn't bore me to death while driving to work.

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  July 16, 2009 4:39 p.m. Bobzilla HalfDork

  what about a close out Spectra5? Those are nice little cars and being that the Forte is taking the Spectra's place in the line up you should be able to snag one cheap.... just a thought.

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  July 16, 2009 4:57 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

  Thanks for adding that to my list, lol.

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