In reply to edwardh80:
I agree! I can't find a PRHT Miata newer than 2008 for under $15k. That's the deal of the century if those numbers are accurate.
In reply to edwardh80:
I agree! I can't find a PRHT Miata newer than 2008 for under $15k. That's the deal of the century if those numbers are accurate.
(it's an automatic) AAND just called them salvage title of course.
Really though? Around here $15k will buy you a 2013+ miata with 10k miles.
In reply to Coldsnap:
Manual PRHT though? The soft-tops trade hands like that, and automatics are nearly worthless, but any/all manual PRHT cars are holding value SHOCKINGLY well.
Hmm, after I finish eating this food I'll post some stuff I saw in my area that was interesting.
2011 64k miles hardtop manual $15k
ah, mild damage. Ya you might be right.. was shopping at 3am last night. Maybe miata out of my price range. I was going by KBB
2008 12K http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5102114013.html
2009 LOW OD http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/5095863730.html
bleh
Yea. I hear ya. I'm done thinking of warrenty. So I've decided it's down to Civic coupe, accord coupe, or miata nc. I'm going to test drive all and do some sleepig on it. Civic will get me what I want the cheapest, accord will be a step up in price but more comfortable ride, miata will be another step up but have nicer interior and better ride. I think all three have their merrits and will hold their value excellent with my little mileage.
Definitely Miata is the answer. Life's too short to drive a boring car.
I'd look into a Mazda3 before a civic or accord.
Wish Mazda3 had a coupe model :(
Anyone know why most 2009+ Honda Accord are automatic? Like on CarMax I'm seeing 37 auto and 1 manual.
The newer Accord practically being a full size car probably has something to do with it.
Yea, some reason I would think people would want the coupes to be manual. But I guess they are big cars.
Ahh, interesting.
A significant number of Automatic Miatas will have been former rental cars.
You guys get the Nissan Micra? If you do, its gotta be darn near free if paying in USD! Stole a review for ya...
Under 10 grand!
Yes, it’s true, even if $9,998 is only a toonie under 10 grand.
But that’s not even the most surprising thing about this car.
Sure, for that price you don’t get stuff we have become used to. No air-conditioning, no Bluetooth, no USB port, plain black as opposed to body-colour doorhandles and side-view mirrors.
Upgrades on all those fronts are available if you are prepared to blow that 10-grand limit, and check enough boxes on the order form, as someone had done with my test car. It was, in the range-topping SR trim, as all-singing-all-dancing as Micra gets.
But even the base S trim level gets ESC, ABS, front-, side- and side-curtain airbags, tilt steering column, variable intermittent wipers, intermittent rear wiper and a split-folding rear seatback.
Not too many years ago, that was a pretty amazing equipment level for an entry-level sub-compact hatchback.
But that surprising thing about this car that I mentioned earlier?
Just that, at any trim level, the Micra is a pretty decent little car.
Little it certainly is, or at least it looks so. It is based on the same platform as the larger Versa Note hatch and the Versa sedan, which Micra effectively replaces in the Canadian market. Micra is shorter than either by 150 mm. in wheelbase and 330 mm. overall.
But efficient packaging and ample body height translate into reasonable room for four, although you might have to take advantage of that split-folding rear seat back to augment the smallish trunk.
“Perky” is the word that comes to mind about the styling. Probably won’t win any awards, but again, cheerful.
Inside, the decor is on the sombre side, in the form of charcoal plastic and gray cloth upholstery. But the materials look to be well-above-$10K expectations, and it all seemed well screwed together.
Regular readers will know I prefer cloth upholstery; it’s warmer in winter, cooler in summer and grippier all the time. The SR gets what Nissan calls “sport” seat trim, plus leather-wrapped steering wheel and leather shift boot.
I found the seats, four-way adjustable in the base S, six-way (i.e., including height adjustment) in SV and SR. Comfortable, and supportive enough for the sort of driving a Micra owner is likely to attempt.
There’s even a fold-down arm rest for the driver in SV and SR.
The rear seat is too narrow for three adults despite the three belts, but two riders will work as long as Canadian Football League scouts have never sniffed around your house. The rear seat cushion is even high enough off the floor that your knees aren’t up around your ears. That’s down to the height of the body again.
The 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine feels peppy, and doesn’t even get unbearably noisy as revs rise. With 109 horsepower, it won’t cause your ears to bleed on full chat, but it gets out of its own way with surprising zeal.
The five-speed gearbox has one fewer ratio than some cars at or near this class, but five is still more than cars such as this had not so long ago.
At common, if technically illegal, highway speeds, that results in fairly elevated revs; at 120 km/h, it’s spinning 3,600 r.p.m.
Mind you, that’s still 400 fewer than Lady Leadfoot’s Mazda Miata, so highway cruising isn’t beyond the pale.
The gearbox, itself, is very light and slick, and the clutch take-up is, again, light and easy.
I haven’t driven a Micra with the optional 4-speed automatic, which I expect the bulk of buyers will choose. Again, this is at least one fewer ratio than most in this class offer, although the competing Toyota Yaris makes do with a four-speed, too.
Being very well worked out, the MacStrut front/twist-beam rear suspension is probably the biggest surprise in the car. The ride is composed, and the light, quick, speed-variable steering makes the car more nimble than you might expect.
There’s a high degree of body roll in hard cornering, and understeer (or plowing straight on) is the order of the day if you push it too hard. But that?s not out of the ordinary for a car like this, and the drivers it’s intended for aren’t likely to indulge in that sort of driving anyway.
The turning circle is nice and short, so parking in tight city quarters is a snap.
In all, a quite pleasant driving experience, more entertaining than you really have a right to expect in a car this inexpensive.
Which brings us back to the price.
All this mechanical goodness is the same regardless of which trim you choose. At under 10 grand, it is undeniably the best thing you can buy at anywhere near the price, given that the Mitsubishi Mirage is about the only other thing you can buy at anywhere near the price.
As you move up the chart though, you quickly run into things such as the aforementioned Toyota Yaris, plus the Chevy Spark, and a bit further on, the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Mazda2 and Honda Fit.
Here, the water is a little deeper, and, while the Micra still holds its own, the Micra you buy probably will end up costing you considerably more than that magic 10 grand.
I’ll leave it to you to go over the features you want and the cost of admission thereto.
But I will suggest that if you are shopping at or near the bottom of the price chart, the new Nissan Micra will, haven’t I said this before? be a pleasant surprise.
How come golf never came up? I drove the accords and civics today multiple package and the accord is fake cheap luxury and the civic was a mushy mess.
There was a cheaper than all cars I was looking at basic trim golf in a corner and I'm like lets drive that. And I loved it.. Great torque, flies to 45mp and got to 70mph easier than the 4cyl accord. Better seating height. I liked the Spartan trim better. And it comes out cheaper than both with a 5 year carmax warrenty.
In reply to NOHOME:
No Nissan Micra in the U.S. 
The more basic Golfs/Jettas aren't bad by most accounts. It's anything with the TSI motor you want to avoid (GTI, GLI, anything 2.0T, etc). I asked about the new GTI in another thread; the consensus was that the non-turbo engines are pretty solid, the TDIs are nice and very economical but maintenance-intensive, and the TSIs are maintenance-intensive AND unreliable on top of about a dozen recalls.
Datsun1500 wrote: I suggest golfs all of the time here, and it starts a Vws are crap fest, so I stopped.
Well E36 M3, lets talk! Looks like 2012 is in my price range with about 60k miles. I'll get a warrenty that will cover me to 100k. My smart friend said get the diesel version, while my sort of smart friend (but is in the car tuner culture a bit more says get regular). I'm not going to tune this car out, matter of fact I'd prefer the most basic trim option as I don't like the sporty looking ones with the rims and spoilers and what not.
Sort of think I'd like the diesel. Anythign to worrya bout that when selling it in 5 years from now?
This is what I drove FWIW, I would have bought it if it was automatic
http://www.edmunds.com/inventory/used/vin.html?vin=WVWBB7AJXCW213302&zip=27893&radius=50&year=2012&make=Volkswagen&model=Golf&sub=Golf%20Hatchback&invtype=USED&defaultType=&mode=
In reply to Coldsnap:
I just asked about the GTI in this thread. As I noted above in my edit, the breakdown is basically this: TSI (turbo gas 2.0) engine is a maintenance whore, has been recalled many times, and best avoided. TDI (diesel) is an efficient engine, but needs frequent service after 100k and may have intercooler icing issues if you live in a very cold climate. The non-turbo gassers are pretty solid with few complaints, and it sounds like that's what you're considering, so you're probably in the clear. Diesel might not be a bad option either since you won't be putting a whole lot of mileage on.
The VW automatics used to suck ass and crap the bed right at 100k in the Mk4 cars. I'm not qualified to say whether or not that's still the case, but I'd look into it if nothing else.
Ok, cool I'll read that through. I'm between TDI or non turbo gassers.. Hmmmmm hard choice. I guess with regular maintenance needed on the TDI then buying something with 60k on the enginge it MUST need a good maint record.
Here's a TDI in my price range. Love the color
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=27518&endYear=2016&vehicleStyleCodes=HATCH&modelCode1=GOLF&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1981&makeCode1=VOLKS&searchRadius=25&showcaseListingId=0&mmt=%5BVOLKS%5BGOLF%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=381062844&Log=0
but half way through that thread, I think I want a gasser with a good service history.
So it sounds to me like buying one of these from Carmax and getting the 5 year warrenty for like $1k is a no brainer.. As that two year warrenty from VW is a berkeleyin joke.
Hm..
Yea Datsun. And after a bit of reading and thinking I'm not buying anything that's not a CPO with a service history at a VW dealership.
SlickDizzy wrote: In reply to Coldsnap: Diesel might not be a bad option either since you won't be putting a whole lot of mileage on.
What's the thought process behind this? Less money in maint?
I have the opposite opinion: At 5k a year, you're wasting money buying a diesel. And diesels thrive on long distance highway driving- not short cycle stop and start driving.
Cool, well it seems like TDIs with a good service record are out of my price range. I'll take a gasser. Called up both VW dealerships in my area, told em what I want and to keep me in mind, then set up a bunch of online reports. Time to wait for one to roll in.
Datsun1500 wrote: I'm with Nathan, for the driving you do, diesel makes no sense. It will cost more than a gasser, and you don't drive enough for the mileage offset Where are you and what's the budget?
Raleigh, NC. Budget from $10-15k for CPO looking for mileage range in the 50-70k range, just so I can enjoy it for 4-5 years then trade it in before it hits 100k.
You'll need to log in to post.
