Best cheap car?

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I've spent time with both my Buick and my fiancee's Fit. I like both cars equally. And I'm eyeing a Malibu for when my Buick needs replacing. So I'm still somewhat clear-headed.

Yes, the Fit is a very nice car. And so is the Cobalt my friend has. The Fit was $5k more than the Cobalt, and was it worth $5k more? To my fiancee, it was. I just said "Yes, dear" and dropped the debate.

We did a lot of cross-shopping and comparing of small cars out there. For what we needed right then and what we would need in the future, the Fit was what we came back to.

Also, the blasted Fit is nice enough and expensive enough so she won't complain about routine maintenance! That alone is worth the higher purchase price!
 
Originally Posted By: pzev
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
I never said it was the end all, be all of small cars. Please go back and reread my first post on the subject. You know, the one that ended by recommending the Cobalt? Then feel free to look ath the second post I made. The one where I didn't recommend a Fit b/c it was more than the OP's target price? But again, everyone just saw "Honda" and went into attack mode. I apologize, but I can't help everyone else's feelings of inadequacy, much less their reading comprehension skills.




Hmm, after reading everything again my comments still stand. Enjoy your super primo end all be all Honda's!
Now excuse me while I go plug in my hooked on phonics set, so I can better read my inadequacy for dummies book.


Enjoy not owning one!
LOL.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Yaris? Fit? Caliber? Cobalt? Versa $9999 Focus?

Any other ideas? I have a niece and a friend who have clunker trades and minimal budgets. Versa is very much on the table now, mostly because of the upfront pricing


It's opinion time on BITOG, my favorite!

Here's mine:

Yaris: Never driven one, been in one. I was very unimpressed. It seemed cheaply made, and I think they're really, really ugly.

Fit: I also think this is a very ugly car, but I've heard very positive reviews about them. If I were to ever consider buying a car like this, I'd probably at least have a close look.

Caliber: Had a base model as a rental. Once again, not very attractive. Interior was really, really cheap. The transmission was awful. I thought it was just a sloppy 4-speed automatic but then was later informed that it was in fact a CVT designed to "shift," for appearances sake. Might be better in higher trim and with a manual box, but I'd avoid it.

Cobalt: Sedan is ugly, but I like the coupe. I've had more than a few as a rental, including one Cobalt Sport. I really liked that one. Engine has lots of power, economy is good considering the output. The dash materials are cheap, but the leather seats (if so equipped) are firm and nice. Nice handling, too.

Versa: This car is in the running for one of the worst cars I've ever driven. It's slow, uncomfortable and unergonomic, poorly made, rough, and not economical. I had a rental that was almost brand new and parts were literally falling off the car. The controls felt cheap, the electrics were wacky. You'd do yourself better with a used 1987 Cavalier with the Iron Duke and 200K miles.

Focus: Nice car, very economical. I had an SES as a rental and an SE. The SES is nice. Managed 36 mpg in mostly highway/city driving over the course of a few hundred miles. I find it attractive too. For a sedan, this would be my top pick. I could actually see myself driving one of these every day.

I've also seen a newer Kia model on the streets lately, but don't know much about it. Can't even remember the name, but it might be worth checking out. If what I saw at the auto show is any indication, it's probably a lot nicer than similar offerings from Toyota and Honda.
 
I have to admit, I like the Kia Soul. One of my co-workers was looking for as cheap of a hatch as possible since3 she has to take her wheelchair-bound dad to the doctor every week. I told her to look at the Versa and Soul. She didn't like the Versa but did like the Soul. She ended up with the Soul but to my shock, paid $19k for it! Like the Fit, though, it's deceptive in it's dimensions. As I mentioned in a previous post, my Fit has a ton of headroom and a very high seating position. The Soul even more so and has higher ground clearance. It almost looks like it's got AWD pretensions. I think the base models are fairly cheap. I don't know if I could got $19k, though. At least w/ the Fit, you get nav on the $19k model. That still wasn't enough to attract me, though. But around here, at least, Souls are flying off the lot. So who knows if there are any deals to be had.

The other new, small Kia is the Forte. It, too, is a very sharp looking little car and seems to have some pleasing specs.
 
Kia Forte is nice, as is the Soul. I like the fact the options list for the Soul is limted, though the interior on the Soul "sport" is rather ugly, being a bright red two-tone.

One of these days I'll have to look at the Forte.
 
The Forte looks nice. The Soul is...interesting. My co-worker's Soul has black cloth seats with tan houndstooth vinyl or leather trim. Intersting. The Kia dealer that she went to really tried to get her and gave her a 7.9 % apr. She was [censored] when she found out she could get better. I told her to call her credit union, which she did, and got 4.9. The Kia dealer was mas p.o'ed.
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
When it comes to buying a GM or Honda for the same exact money, I will always choose a Honda.

I am hoping GM goes out of business.


Me too... But the problem is, it's never the exact same money. I used to buy into the "American" branding, but as long as UAW lives, I will never touch a UAW vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
The Fit is frickin awesome. But good luck finding one at $14k. Maybe cash for clunkers will loosen the dealers fists a bit. But...
21.gif


To get an auto Fit with cruise, if that's what you want, your going to pay around $17k. Of course, you're getting a wuality car. But I wouldn't call it cheap. If $14k were my limit, I'd be looking at the Versa, Cobalt, or Focus. And yeah, if you can find a Vibe, go for it! But the Cobalt is a really underrated car. It may not be pretty, but I really enjoyed my time in a Cobalt rental.


A Subaru can be had at that price and is a much better option with AWD and most of the options of the loaded Fit. I'll take a car with AWD, much larger engine, more room, and nicer ride over a Fit, which is a nice vehicle but is way overpriced for what it is, a economy car.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
No more so than a Civic. And cheaper with the same options.


Honda bias showing through again... We covered that already though. I might be out of the loop, but since when was the Civic offered in AWD? Subaru is the better value IMO.

Or are you suggesting the Civic being cheaper than the Fit? I think not.
 
Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
No more so than a Civic. And cheaper with the same options.


Honda bias showing through again... We covered that already though. I might be out of the loop, but since when was the Civic offered in AWD? Subaru is the better value IMO.


Blah, blah, blah....Crazy anti-Honda obsession showing again. I was comparing the Civic and the Fit. Not the Civic and the Scoobie.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
No more so than a Civic. And cheaper with the same options.


Honda bias showing through again... We covered that already though. I might be out of the loop, but since when was the Civic offered in AWD? Subaru is the better value IMO.


Blah, blah, blah....Crazy anti-Honda obsession showing again. I was comparing the Civic and the Fit. Not the Civic and the Scoobie.


The Civic is not cheaper than the Fit. If you want your pro-Honda sentiment to go a long ways, you should think about adjusting your signature. The bias may not be as noticeable then.
 
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