Tasty & Vanilla - A what car thread

My girlfriend asked me to help her find some options for a new car to replace her well-worn 96 corolla. The girl isn't picky, knows how to work a clutch, and wants something reliable. Four doors would be better because she has a two year old to cart around (although she does like the miata, it just isn't practical enough!) I did get a few loose requirements to work with:

Sedan or Five door hatchback, MY2000 or newer, 120k or less, $3000 (+$400 in repairs/maintenance), 25+mpg on average, Sunroof

We looked around a bit a narrowed it down to five choices.

2000-2006 Elantra: I don't know much about these, Hyundai is much better than they used to be but this is a 10 year old platform too. Reliable? Do they run an interference engine with a timing belt? Fun?

1998-2003 Protege: This is my top pick, found a few with manual transmissions and I know they are reliable cars. Probably the most fun to drive out of the group.

2000-2001 Sentra SE: The SE was a two year only car that may be hard to find, but I do love the SR20 engine. I know there was a post recently that shot down the SE-R for engine issues, but does the rest of the car hold up well?

1997-2004 Regal: Bigger than the rest and not nearly as fun, but they are stone reliable. My family has been through two of them with rarely a problem. Small mileage penalty but more power too.

1998-2002 Corolla/Prizm: Similar to what she is driving now and down on power compared to the rest of the group. I think I recall some issues with oil consumption on these guys too.

What would you pick or avoid out of these? Right now I am gunning for the protege followed by the elantra and sentra. Looking for reliable and fun if I can find it.

In reply to Nitroracer:

I just posted the exact same thing in another thread, but I liked my 2003 Protege5. From a performance standpoint, a little more power would have been nice. I love that the car was in the US for only two years, so they're not super common.

01-04 neon R/T Lots of fun, decent performance, 30+mpg, super cheap, very big in size, LATCH system standard (I think 2 year olds are still in car seats?)

BoneYard_Racing wrote: 01-04 neon R/T Lots of fun, decent performance, 30+mpg, super cheap, very big in size, LATCH system standard (I think 2 year olds are still in car seats?)

Specifically told me no neons. Doesn't even want to consider it. Not a bad option though.

130,000 is not bad on a Hyundai.. provided the maintance was done and it was not butchered by people trying to install stereos. My Late 1999 Tiburon was at 130,000+ miles when it gave it's life to protect mine. Car had ZERO Problems

2001+ Focus SE w/ Zetec or ZTS. Can add SVT underpinnings (dampers/springs/RSB) for about $300. Fun. Roomy. Parts are plentiful and cheap when needed.

Mazda 6 is always a go to cheap ride for me to mention. Earlier models are in that price range. Focus was already mentioned and can be very good. I would avoid earlier models. To add to the '00-'01 Sentra SE, I suggest the Infiniti G20.

Nitroracer wrote:

BoneYard_Racing wrote: 01-04 neon R/T Lots of fun, decent performance, 30+mpg, super cheap, very big in size, LATCH system standard (I think 2 year olds are still in car seats?)

Specifically told me no neons. Doesn't even want to consider it. Not a bad option though.

For being a "girls car" most women hate neons lol. I sell Buicks and can say the regals youre looking at are bad bad cars but they almost never go wrong

As some food for thought the R/T package does change the look quite a bit http://www.netcarshow.com/dodge/2001-neon_rt/800x600/wallpaper_01.htm

The small Nissan Altimas which were made until 2002 are a nice size of not too big, not too small.
Stout 2.4L engine with timing chain.

Being that it's for her, I'd stick with what she's familiar with. The Prizm can be had a little cheaper than the Corolla, but both are great on gas, dependable, reliable, and have better resale than the Protege/Focus, Neon, or Hyundai. The Elantra is plain vanilla as they come, but can be had for cheap stupid money and are pretty reliable.The earlier Altimas are also a good choice, too. Mazda6 is like the Buick...bigger, less gas mileage, and if something does break, parts can be tough sometimes.(price the Buicks coil packs).

saturn SL2? cheap, easy to find, great gas mileage and i've had 2 with no issues. Haven't really driven the other cars on the list, but i would think they would be more fun and faster than the elantra, sentra, and corolla.

ST_ZX2 wrote: 2001+ Focus SE w/ Zetec or ZTS. Can add SVT underpinnings (dampers/springs/RSB) for about $300. Fun. Roomy. Parts are plentiful and cheap when needed.

I did look for foci but not much is for sale in my area. I had an 03' SVT that she liked but I would be trying to find a sedan or zx3 for her. I don't think the zx5 will fall that low in price.

sanman wrote: Mazda 6 is always a go to cheap ride for me to mention. Earlier models are in that price range. Focus was already mentioned and can be very good. I would avoid earlier models. To add to the '00-'01 Sentra SE, I suggest the Infiniti G20.

Same news with the G20, great cars but I think I found one in my area that met all the requirements. A mazda6 would be great but they are holding a premium in the philly region, not a single one around $3k. A few mediocre 626s did pop up but I hear the automatics in those are horrible.

jrw1621 wrote: The small Nissan Altimas which were made until 2002 are a nice size of not too big, not too small. Stout 2.4L engine with timing chain.

Again, good cars but lack availability. I know two friends who have had little trouble with them but most around here are high mileage.

I'll try and see if I can find a few more of these other options around. She really liked the elantra gt five door hatch and I think the closest thing to them would be a protege5 or matrix but neither can be had for the money.

Nitroracer wrote: 2000-2001 Sentra SE: The SE was a two year only car that may be hard to find, but I do love the SR20 engine. I know there was a post recently that shot down the SE-R for engine issues, but does the rest of the car hold up well?

A completely non-car friend has one and it has only ever needed routine maintainence.

And collision repair.

I forgot to mention the Pontiac Vibe.

+1 for late Prizm

won't even consider a NEON? U need to leave that girl...at least you found out before it was too late.

I flog my neon on a regular basis (2003 sxt with 100K on the clock). They are cheap, readily available, easy to work on, decent after-market, 2 awesome forums (2gn.org and neons.org) full or helpful people who have been there-done that.

As far as fun goes, I have been looking to get another car so I can take the neon to the next level. I have test drove a 2005 WRX that was okay and a 2004 325i that left me dissappointed...neither was as fun as my neon (bolt-ons, coilovers, and prothane master bushing set).

Without a doubt, Prizm or Protege. Had a '99 Protege for about 3 years. Bought it with 70k, sold it with 150k. Outside of routine maintenance, not real problems with it. Mine was the base DX, but did have working a/c, and it was a lot of fun to drive for an econobox. I kind of regret selling it. Averaged 33mpg in mixed driving.

I've got a '94 Prizm now as a beater. They're dead nuts reliable and get good gas mileage. It isn't as tossable as the Protege, but it's pretty light on it's feet.

Both of those cars have the reliability factor, which I would think would be important for her.

The newest Tercel you can find. They're slow, but actually fun to drive until you start to push them hard.

Funny you mention the Tercel, that is what my sister has been getting around in for a couple years now. It can be fun if you flog it, but I bet most of that comes from its go-cart size and light weight. None the less it has been extremely reliable and she is ready to move up to something with more power and a manual trans (MR2 is on her list).

The Tercel isn't new enough for the girlfriend, I think they quit making them in 98. It would come in well under $3k though for a nice one.

corolla - if youre not looking for performance, are looking for reliability, and are looking for economy, you can do no better. It may not be the funnest on the list (although, with a little prodding, you may be very surprised), but it will be reliable as gravity, and parts are cheaper than ice in the arctic.

02-03 Were quite arguably the best of the XD Elantra's. They are extremely durable, very reliable, extrememly easy to work on and the parts are cheap.

I vote elantra's, I like the GT trim'd hatchback cars. Quietest interior noise level of any car I ever drove was an elantra, I'd buy one. The 100,000 powertrain warranty ain't half bad either.

Andrew

In reply to digdug18:

I don't think those Hyundai warantees are transferable.