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  Sept. 26, 2011 11:52 a.m. ransom HalfDork

  You did notice the $3400 premium for the hatch when looking at the Versa, right? I think the base sedan is $10,xxx.

  A friend has a Versa hatch, I think about four years old... It's been completely reliable. It's remarkably roomy (there was a hilarious trip to a car show where the four of us who'd ridden there comfortably in the Versa couldn't wedge ourselves into a Hummer...)

  I'm not sure that it's preferable, necessarily, but it is a brand-spanky new car, of probably very good build quality and reliability, for very close what you're looking at for a 50k mile Yaris.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:00 p.m. failboat HalfDork

  we have an 03 focus and i dont much like working on it. seems a lot of things are a pain in the ass to get to in the engine compartment. handles nice though.

  i have an 09 accent. i like it and all, but the seats are not very comfortable. also i read a lot of complaints from the auto owners about the trans shifting roughly, seems to be the norm. it doesnt fail, but its just not very smooth. thats what you get for being the cheapest car in its segment for the time i guess. I have the 5 speed SE model and its relatively fun to drive.

  we are looking at the 2011 kia souls to replace the focus and grand marquis. need room for dogs etc. the 2012 jumped up in price a few thousand due to all new drivetrains and a couple other minor updates to the styling like LED's

  fyi 2nd owners on kias and hyundais do not get the 10 year 100k warranty. the warranty transfers but also gets reduced to 5 years 60k miles.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:19 p.m. spitfirebill SuperDork

  Check out the Toyota Matrix and its Pontiac clone.
  

  But the answer is the Fit.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:22 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

  I drove a Yaris with sticker tires and Tien suspension and it was fairly fun.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:25 p.m. PHeller Dork

  Anyone comment on Honda automatic transmission quality and its effect on MPG?

  Also, say she gets a used Fit, but pays nearly $13,000 for it. Can she get a transferable warranty?

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:28 p.m. Klayfish HalfDork

  PHeller wrote:

  What's the used market like for the Fit? I thought they were pretty much unobtainable below $10,000.

  Accord is too much car for her. Really, so is the Corolla. She loves small cars.

  The used ones have really gone up in price over the past few years. You can find an '08 (which is the last year of the first gen cars) with about 40k miles for somewhere around $12k. Used Versa might be a little less. Maybe Scion xA, or Hyundai Accent?

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:31 p.m. ProDarwin Dork

  Have you considered a Civic Hybrid? Not quite as cheap, but you could get into an 04 for under $8k pretty easily, and with primarily city driving, the gas savings will be substantial.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:40 p.m. nocones HalfDork

  This is where I insert comments about how AWESOME the pontiac Vibe is for this purpose.

  32-34 MPG highway, Toyota Build quality, Pontiac Depreciation. Reliable as any toyota can be with more cargo capacity than the Fit and MUCH MUCH cheaper. I picked up my 2006 3 years ago for 10K with 32K miles. It currenty has 83K miles on it and I've done nothing but oil changes Mine is a Manual and I've averaged 32mpg over my ownership. My Mother in Law has one that's Auto and she gets about 30mpg overall. The cargo area is entirely plastic and the seats fold FLAT to give you an insane amount of cargo room. Passenger seat in all first gens folds forward with a tray on it's back to allow for 8' boards to go inside. It's not as Cute as a Fit, nor does it have the "magic seats". It's probably not as fun to drive either but I love mine for what it is. Bonus points for ability to LEGALLY tow 1500lbs with it.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:51 p.m. PHeller Dork

  Noted.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 12:58 p.m. BoostedBrandon Reader

  We have an 08 vibe as a delivery vehicle, and its rear seats stay folded flat, there is a ton of room too. My only complaints about it are the huge size of the c-pillars, its pretty hard to see out of backing up. That and it's pretty gutless. But it gee driven a ton, and so far its only needed brakes, rear rotors and a cv axle.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 1:07 p.m. failboat HalfDork

  my brother got an 03 mazda 3s automatic sedan with 38k miles for $9500 earlier this year. its a nice car. nice enough that after test driving a few i was even considering figuring out some sort of way to justify trading in my relatively new accent on one. I never did though.

  i did test drive a vibe while test driving some 3's, the cargo area is pretty awesome i believe it even has tracks with sliding tie down hooks back there? but i think i had higher expectations overall for the car, the interior otherwise was pretty basic and boring. looked pretty simple under the hood though which is always good.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 2:52 p.m. bastomatic Dork

  The Honda Fit is a great car, we bought one new in 2008 just as the next gen was about to drop. Three years and 65k miles later the thing still drives like new, and the wife won't even entertain the monthly call we get from the dealership trying to buy it back.

  I didn't mention the Fit here because it's simply not a great deal as a used car. Why buy a $12k car that's 3 years old and has 50k+ miles on it when you can get the same model, with new car financing, and a new car warrantee, and 0 miles for only about $3,000 more? Extrapolate that out, and you are paying about $83 a month to drive a new Fit three years and 20,000 miles a year when you factor in resale value.

  That's a darn good deal.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 5:09 p.m. integraguy SuperDork

  You asked about the Honda automatic, so I'll offer my $0.02.

  I've owned a 1992 Integra with automatic and long-term "borrowed" a Civic with automatic. As expected, the Integra is a heavier car than a Civic and the automatic makes it feel like it has an anchor dragging behind it on the pavement. The Civic, on the other hand, is just as lively auto or manual, and city mileage is comparable. On the hiway? Well, the Civic I drove didn't have cruise control, so it was only able to get mileage in the mid 30s on the interstate.

  Civc hatchbacks with automatic don't exist after the 2000 model year, and many are bought by "kids" looking to convert them to manuals with larger displacement engines.

  No Civic, or Fit for that matter, will be as quiet as your gf's T-bird. If nothing else, pretty much all Hondas have high levels of ROAD noise. Some brands of tire will mitigate that noisy ride...somewhat, but it will always be a noisy car. An Accord would be a good "substitute" for a T-bird.

  BTW, I tried to get my sister to consider a smaller car when her FWD Regal coupe died. I couldn't do it.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 6:56 p.m. gamby SuperDork

  bastomatic wrote:

  The Honda Fit is a great car, we bought one new in 2008 just as the next gen was about to drop. Three years and 65k miles later the thing still drives like new, and the wife won't even entertain the monthly call we get from the dealership trying to buy it back.

  I didn't mention the Fit here because it's simply not a great deal as a used car. Why buy a $12k car that's 3 years old and has 50k+ miles on it when you can get the same model, with new car financing, and a new car warrantee, and 0 miles for only about $3,000 more? Extrapolate that out, and you are paying about $83 a month to drive a new Fit three years and 20,000 miles a year when you factor in resale value.

  That's a darn good deal.

  Yeah, it seems like people are going to hang onto their Fits for quite awhile. The prices are still stratospheric.

  I'd have no problem driving a Yaris hatch as a commuter. I'd rather have the Fit, though.

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  Sept. 26, 2011 7:00 p.m. poopshovel SuperDork

  PHeller wrote:

  She would like something with some better sound deadening that my 93 Escort, I do know that.

  Crucial Information Alert:

  She drives a 97 Thunderbird, but drives like a grandmother. Never been in any accidents, and no speeding infractions, nothing, completely clean driving record. Has no interest in power, lots of interest in reliability, MPG, would prefer a lack of road noise.

  No interest in power. I'm guessing handling isn't an issue. 'Cute' is probably a requirement. I've never driven a Yaris, but it sounds like it checks all the boxes. An $8k fit either has unusually high miles or a salvage title. The only other one I'd look at is the 1st gen xb. That was my $8k used market vehicle of choice. A new fit made more sense for us.

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