Looking to buy a hatchback in the $5K to $10K price range
- Thread starter grampi
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CRV’s are great too. This is from past weekend. It tows 16ft Jon boat fine. 2014 and older don’t have CVT’s.
I think a small CUV is probably the easiest choice. There aren’t too many hatchbacks on the market.
I would take a look at gen 1 Ford Escape/ Mazda Tribute models besides the CR-V and RAV4s.
I would take a look at gen 1 Ford Escape/ Mazda Tribute models besides the CR-V and RAV4s.
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- Nov 18, 2024
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Up to 2014 they’re old fashioned K24’s with port injection and 5 speeds. 2015 and newer are direct injection and CVT.
There might be better options but my younger sister has a 2012 Hyundai Accent that would certainly check all of your boxes. The 1.6L Gamma engine is fairly reliable, much more than most of the other Hyundai/Kia vehicles. 6 speed auto, non-turbo, hers has tan cloth interior, cruise control, not an EV, not a hybrid, no turbo. I think the tow rating is 1000 kg.
For what the car is, I actually really like it. Its small, easy to drive, handles pretty well, and really good on gas. Also, I'm 6'3" and fit in it with tons of room to spare. Its more roomy than my '97 Accord for sure.
For what the car is, I actually really like it. Its small, easy to drive, handles pretty well, and really good on gas. Also, I'm 6'3" and fit in it with tons of room to spare. Its more roomy than my '97 Accord for sure.
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How do you feel about Hyundai/Kia? While their late models are terrible used buys IMO, they do have some older ones that are port injected and have traditional 6 speed automatics.
I'm talking about 2013-2017 Elantra GT, which is the quite good looking IMO
Next one is Elantra Touring, not exactly a looker, but should be quite practical
Kia Forte Hatchback is also not bad looking IMO
I'm talking about 2013-2017 Elantra GT, which is the quite good looking IMO
Next one is Elantra Touring, not exactly a looker, but should be quite practical
Kia Forte Hatchback is also not bad looking IMO
I think a big thing to look at is also the tow ratings at least on line search.
The loading of trailer may also play a large role. Last summer I hauled two 55 gallon drums of diesel in an open top trailer with my daughters '08 CRV. I had them toward the front and the tongue weight made it sag a lot. I had to do a second trip and put themcloser toward trailer axle but still with tongue weight. Much better but if 1000 lb towing capacity is needed, that needs to be watched.
The loading of trailer may also play a large role. Last summer I hauled two 55 gallon drums of diesel in an open top trailer with my daughters '08 CRV. I had them toward the front and the tongue weight made it sag a lot. I had to do a second trip and put themcloser toward trailer axle but still with tongue weight. Much better but if 1000 lb towing capacity is needed, that needs to be watched.
Patman
Staff member
I really like the look of these but I think they only come with a CVT so that puts it out of contention here
My other sister has a 2011 CR-V that I maintain. It's a nice little car. There is a recall out there for them for the rear control arms/subframe rusting, so if OP goes this route, they might want to look to see that it has been performed. My younger sister's has the infamous VTEC rattle first thing in the morning, but it only does it when it's cold. The K24s are good engines.
I don't do the cyber purchases. I've gotta see/drive, and be able to have my mechanic check it out before I buy it, so it almost has to be something local, at least semi local...
Plus it looks as small, if not smaller than the Mazda 3...
Patman
Staff member
They are very small indeed (which is why I like them because I’m not a fan of big SUVs but I do like the much smaller ones that are the size of the old 2 door hatchbacks that I love and wish they would still make)
Read up on the posts here about @macarose and his 48 hours and a used car on Facebook. Many recommendations from here at BITOG. He may have something that you could go and try or options. I totally understand the wanting to see/touch/drive/inspect. With all the used car scams out there, I personally value input from car minded people we have here as compared to general public or even many car dealers.
Some get beaten but I'd rather get a used vehicle from Enterprise/Hertz/Avis than probably most used car places. At least they got maintained along the way vs what I see traded in to offload problems.
One of my workers bought an F150, a bit older, good shape, matched similar for price. He just started having lots of problems with it. Yup Odometer was reprogrammed to be almost 200k less. He went to seller and with some "persuasion" got about $5k back but still has to sink it into it. Another had a reconditioned flood salvage. You couldn't tell until the problems showed up.
My Corolla's towing capacity is 1000 lbs, and I towed 1000lbs (loaded) with it. It did just fine. My tongue weight with that trailer was less than 100 lbs. I have a different trailer now, so I won't know what its tongue weight will be until I load the bike for the first time...I looked up the towing capacity for a 2011 CR-V and it said 1500 KG, which is like 3300 lbs...I'm sure the Highlander would be similar...
1500 lbs, not KG at least here in USA. The older 6cyl Highlanders were able to do more but the 4 cyl were also like 1500 lbs.
There's a pattern I'm seeing with the pricing. Just about every place is extremely high, regardless of make or model. Every ad I've seen so far has had the Kelly Blue Book fair market value scale listed near the bottom of the page, and the asking price ranges anywhere from $1500 to $2500 higher than the top price listed on the fair market price scale. This is ridiculous. I thought ADM was a thing of the past? Though there is no separate entry for this charge listed, it's now apparently just embedded in the price of the vehicle...
That's plenty for my needs...
We have one and like it. It's a loaded 2012 AWD with about 90k miles with no issues. Good luck with your search