Looking into new car want opinions

[Voltmaster]

Hi all,

Im looking to replace my 2000 honda Accord.
The cars I been looking at are the 2012-2014 corolla,civic,elantra certified used.

I am looking for a reliable, car why im going to with an asian car.
Good cargo space is must for me as I take multiple trips during the year.

There are alot of dissatisfied customers with elantra so thats my last option.

Is there a car I am missing?
Back up camera and decent headunit/ sound is not must but would be nice.

the new corollas is my top choice, but its also a few grand more than a 2012 civic with back up camera.

Mazda 3 looks nice, not sure about its reliability.

Not hearing wonderful things about the CVT's tho. I think nissan still has the best CVT in business, dont like their styling or anything else really. The altima is much heavier, less efficient car compared to corolla or civic, not liking that that much.

thanks

 

[147_Grain]

The Toyota Corolla is a good value for the dollar. Toyota added the CVT in 2014 and the 2012 - 2013 models (with a traditional automatic transmission) get 32 mpg combined and are very reliable.

 

[jimbrewer]

I'd check out the price of a new car before I automatically went with used. The prices of most late model used cars these days is out of line, especially when you factor in the lower interest rate for new cars.
Might want to poke around truedelta to get a fix on build quality and reliability.

 

[SLATRON]

Only thing i could say is I have a friend just got a new Nissan sentra and it looks about same size as a civic we parked next to, I think the altima is bigger than corolla/civic, he's getting great mileage. 40+
I only drove it a bit and cvt didn't bother me much I think I could get used to one.

 

[gregk24]

Out of those options I would go with a 2012-2013 Corolla, or the 2013 Civic. Those years of the Corolla have a traditional auto and are very reliable. The 2013 Civic has the upgraded interior and has a traditional auto as well. If you get a 2012 your get the cheap interior, and if you get the 2014 you get a CVT. For now I would stay away from CVT's, the long term reliability info is lacking. I had a Nissan Versa with the CVT this week and it was not fun. It was neat to drive one for the first time, but it just drones and drones at 3K when accelerating. It wasnt very pleasant.

 

[wallyuwl]

Don't get an Elantra. We have a 2013 on lease and are going to ditch it after the lease is up next summer. The engine already sounds funny after 20k miles, and yes we do proper maintenance.

Of the bunch the Mazda 3 is the best overall car, IMO. Get the hatch back and you'll still have plenty of cargo space.

 

[mcrn]

Subaru Impreza?

 

[Bud]

Take a run down to your Ford dealer and test drive a Focus.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: mcrn
Subaru Impreza?


I thought Subaru also. I have driven the Nissan CVT(stank) as well as the Subaru(smooth, acted like you think it should, manual shifts crisp).

You can get a NEW Impreza for 18k, or 23 with bells and whistles.

 

[Dave Hess]

gregk24,

Are you sure the 2013 Civic does NOT have a CVT transmission ?

I think the new Corolla looks great, also the interior is much nicer than the 'Atari' dashboard of the Civic. Mazda 3 hatchback looks awesome.

 

[donnyj08]

Buy new if your looking at 2012 or 2013's i can almost guarantee you will get a better price on a new end of year 2014 than a used 15k mile 2013

 

[mikefxu]

Good luck finding a deal on a lightly used car. Get new prices too. You should be able to get a 2015 Civic LX or Corolla LE for $17.5k before taxes and legitimate fees (dealer fee should be in the 17.5k). I paid $21.6k for my new 2013 Prius Two before legitimate taxes and fees in January, $23k OTD (Florida, 6% sales tax, tag transfer). You should be able to do a little better now.

We have a 2012 Civic LX (50k) also and we like the Prius better.

Originally Posted By: Bud
Take a run down to your Ford dealer and test drive a Focus.

...right off a cliff. My recent rental experience.

 

[mikefxu]

Originally Posted By: mikefxu
...right off a cliff. My recent rental experience.

Same with the Escape. We (work) cross shopped the CR-V, Terrain/Equinox, Rogue and Escape. The Escape was the most underwhelming of the group and we ended up with the new body style (not Select) Rogue, buying another Monday.

 

[fdcg27]

For about the same money, you could buy a new manual Fit or Yaris, either of which would offer plenty of space as well as better fuel economy than the cars you've mentioned.
IMHO, new always beats used, even if the used car is CPO.
CPO seems more a marketing tool than any assurance of quality in a used vehicle.
With a new car, you have control of how it's driven and maintained from day one.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
Hi all,

Im looking to replace my 2000 honda Accord.
The cars I been looking at are the 2012-2014 corolla,civic,elantra certified used.

I am looking for a reliable, car why im going to with an asian car.


a bit

, but i always love it when someone calls a car built in the midwest an "asian"car, or an Import...
with the civic, and accord, the VAST majority of components (as well as Final Assembly) are made in Ohio and Indiana. (IIRC Corolla's might be made in Indiana as well....at a Subaru Plant...)

 

[sciphi]

2013 Civic has a 5-speed torque converter auto. My MIL has one.

Asian and reliable aren't always synonyms. As always, the local dealer will make/break the ownership experience. If your local Honda or Toyota dealers are dirtballs, even a minor problem could turn into a big hassle. Likewise, a good dealer can make a potentially major problem a relative non-issue.

 

[needsducktape]

I agree with at least looking into new-

My mom wanted a 2-3 year old Subaru Forester to replace her 2003

Prices were nearly identical and in some cases more than a new 2013 with ZERO miles.

She bought new, got it for 22,500 OTD. First time she bought new in 20 years...

The optional equipment that justified the higher priced used was something she never would miss. Some of the used were upwards of 40K (and within a few hundred $$)

 

[mikefxu]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
If your local Honda or Toyota dealers are dirtballs, even a minor problem could turn into a big hassle.

You should stay away from any dealership as much as possible. Buy them there and let them do the warranty work. Do the rest yourself or take it to an independent.

 

[ram_man]

Hands down the over all best compact cars are the Ford focus and the Mazda 3. None of the others even compared in my opinion others are nice but no where near the joy to drive.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: ram_man
Hands down the over all best compact cars are the Ford focus and the Mazda 3.


As long as you get one that doesn't have a bad A/C expansion valve.