Girlfriend needs a new car

With all the smoking deals available now, the girlfriend is considering buying a new car.

She commutes about 60 miles each way to work anywhere between 2-4 times a week, so HWY gas mileage is a big concern. She doesn't want anything like a Corolla or Camry, but doesn't want to spend anymore than 17-18k. She wants something "cute and sporty," I'm slowly trying to get her into the car stuff.

My personal choice for her is a base model stripped Cooper. Being that the HWY mileage is over 40mpg (IIRC), but I'm worried about running costs/reliability vs say a 2dr Civic or similar.

What say you?

MINI Cooper, Suzuki SX4 AWD, Mazda 3 Hatch (maybe even the 2.3/2.5).

Mini Cooper, with the plus that depreciation is nearly non-existent on them.

pigeon wrote: Mini Cooper, with the plus that depreciation is nearly non-existent on them.

Keep in mind this car would likely be seeing 20k+ miles a year.

is she buying it to drive it or to sell it in a few years? If it is to drive it, depreciation is not an issue. If it is, no matter what car you are driving, the cost will go down. It is most likely that the mini would depreciate slower than any other given the mileage.

I'd still guess that she could sell it after one year with a very minimal loss, perhaps $2k, at least based on Per & Kim's experiences and what I see in the local used market here. Definitely take it on a looooong test drive though so she can see if the seats and highway driving experience will be bearable. [/ captain obvious]

Your most economical choice is to rebadge a Corolla with Saturn emblems. Put some fancy wheels on it to make it "stand out"

Seriously, would she know?

Ooooh! Saturn Astra is in that range, forgot about it. Also the Hyundai Accent and maybe even a left over Tiburon.

Cobalt SS, if you can find one that cheap. Probably not too far off.

Honda Fit, a new sport will cost you 17-18K, it's what I am getting for the wife.

Scion tC.

mtn wrote: Cobalt SS, if you can find one that cheap. Probably not too far off.

She actually likes those, but I don't think she wants a 260HP manual as a daily driver.

The Saturn Astra is a good choice as well. She actually has a 2001 Hyundai Accent right now!

My girl drives a base Cobalt coupe. It really isn't bad at all as a DD. With the manual it feels adequately quick, and the engine is fairly torquey. Suspension and steering are significantly better than most previous small GM offerings. We've seen an honest 40mpg in pure highway, with it averaging in the low 30s in mixed use. The current XFE might be able to beat those numbers slightly. With 65k+ miles on it the only things requiring attention have been the reverse light switch, the headlight/turn signal stalk, and the control arm bushings, all common problems on these.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a DD. There are better/nicer/faster options, sure, but I wouldn't rule these out. I'm sure you could find one for a lot less than your upper limit these days. FWIW, my girl wants a Mini for her next car.

The Fit is cool. I'm also a fan of the Mazda3 hatchback.

FMII Miata. Especially one with the Hydra. 36 highway isn't terribly difficult (of course, bad mileage isn't difficult either, just depends on how much you like to hear those sounds).

Base Mini.

Great mpg, "cute", and way more fun to drive than anything else in this class. Considering the way they hold their value, I'd think the Mini would be a no-brainer, unless she harbors an irrational hate for them.

I wouldn't be concerned with durablilty. We've logged thousands of miles on them with very little problems.

make sure you make them wait do not buy same day , torture them and give them a phone that takes messages>>> allways call them back . Don,t give them a direct line they will call you constantly . Make them suffer and make really outrageous demands . Look for wheel upgrades or dash covers sport valances . Do not accept service offers or free rotaion bull crap . Make sure if you get window tint it is high quality LLumar or Huper Optic . Maybe a paint protection package . Jam them in the tailpipe and smile . Remember the car dealers road the high life road for along time . I hate car dealers and salesmen .

09 Accent SE with the 16's.

My vote is for a mazda 3, really comfortable, handles well and even the base engine has good power. Plus it looks really good and they still might have some of the 08's to clear out.

+1 for the Mazda 3. One of my favorite compact cars.

As much as i've never been a big fan of the Cavalier/Sunfire variants, I've driven a couple Cobalts and the Pontiac version at work and i've been impressed and can say they are pretty decent cars. They are pretty comfortable, do the job as a decent cruising car, ample torque and handle decent on freeway on and offramps. If ya ever wanted to improve the suspension, i'm sure the SS bits and pieces would bolt on no problem..

PaulY wrote: My vote is for a mazda 3, really comfortable, handles well and even the base engine has good power. Plus it looks really good and they still might have some of the 08's to clear out.

I'm a huge fan of the Mazda 3.

If only you could get the Turbo engine without the goofy looking hatch.........

Mazda 3 is awesome. A friend commutes several hundred miles per week in Arizona, with the A/C blasting, and averages over 40 MPG. That's with the 2.0 engine. The interior is class-leading and they drive better than anything else. ZOOM-ZOOM is not just a slogan, Mazda truly makes cars that respond appropriately and have excellent driver feedback. I put a girlfriend (at the time) in a 2.3 wagon and she immediately loved it, loved the power, loved the way it drove, loved the manual transmission. And she was not into cars at all; she still felt the difference. She chose it hands down over anything Honda or Toyota and loved it even more after several months.

Mazda 3 FTW! Get a 2008 while they last!

David

I've got a Mazda 3 hatch, and I love it. When I first bought it I had a 60 mile round trip commute, I typically saw mileage in the low 30s. I changed jobs, and changed residences since that time. Now I see high mid to high 20s as I'm never on the highways anymore. On road trips, it's still low 30s, but that's the best I've ever done.

If mileage is a top concern, get a 2.0L sedan. They do better all around than the 2.3L. I would echo the sentiment of getting a 2008. The new styling is quite hideous.

The only thing I don't like is that mine has started squeaking (seatbelt), and has a few rattles. The rattles may or may not be due to the amount of crap I have in the glovebox, map pockets, and console bins.

I kind of like the new design and I really like the look of the hatches. The midlife refresh made both the sedan and hatch look much better. At first i didn't like the roundness of the hatch but loved the lines of the sedan, now the hatch has really grown on me. Same goes for the new design, the sedan is good but the rear of the hatch is a bit bulbous and new matrix like. Time will tell.

BAMF wrote: I've got a Mazda 3 hatch, and I love it. When I first bought it I had a 60 mile round trip commute, I typically saw mileage in the low 30s. I changed jobs, and changed residences since that time. Now I see high mid to high 20s as I'm never on the highways anymore. On road trips, it's still low 30s, but that's the best I've ever done. If mileage is a top concern, get a 2.0L sedan. They do better all around than the 2.3L. I would echo the sentiment of getting a 2008. The new styling is quite hideous. The only thing I don't like is that mine has started squeaking (seatbelt), and has a few rattles. The rattles may or may not be due to the amount of crap I have in the glovebox, map pockets, and console bins.

if the seatbelt squeaking you're hearing is from the drivers side buckle, theres a little spring steel "clip" that sits on the bolt and puts tension on the bracket where it bolts to the seat bottom, so that when you move it, it stays put, but isn't locked up by the torque from the bolt. if you get in there and pull that sucker out, the seatbelt fastener will always fall to the "low" spot, but the damn thing won't squeak all the time.

i have an 07 ms3 and i've averaged right at 23mpg in almost all city driving in houston. on road trips, since i got the accessport its been 29-almost 30. that is, if i can keep out of the boost