I cleared the code on my Civic and it didn't come back immediately, but it is still trying to overheat when idling. Or more accurately, the temperature rose and then came back down on its own. Haven't drove enough to truly "clear" the code yet. I meant to do it tonight, but decided to have a drink instead after dealing with car dealerships. Radiator fan kicks on when I observed it, so who knows what it is. Headgasket? I don't want to get on a crazy hunt to fix a 13 year old, 212k car with broken a/c, needing a timing belt/water pump, needing new brakes, with a stripped oil drain plug. Plus my wife is apparently embarrassed by it.
Anyway, here is the deal. I drive about 85 miles a day roundtrip for my commute. It is DC area traffic. Some days it is 70 the whole way. Others, I am crawling at 5 mph for an hour before it breaks up. Some it is darn near 20-30 mph the whole way. I need something comfortable and fuel efficient. Performance is a bonus for switching lanes and stopping fast on these "ghost" traffic jams we get. I'm used to 30-32 mpg from my Civic, I'd like to keep it there, if not higher. I don't have a huge garage, and I keep my car garaged. I fit a 2005 4Runner in there yesterday after some rearranging, so my max length is probably 189". No new Accords or unfortunately the Mazda 6. I might still see if I can find another place to shove the recycle bin. For now, I'm assuming it won't fit. I'm used to a sunroof and would like one on my next car. So no Honda Fit. My concerns are "real world" gas mileage compared to EPA. I've been digging through fueleconomy.gov and Fuelly to try and figure out who the pretenders are.
Ultimately I am buying I car I don't really want, but am buying for the numbers. I thought about an Acura TSX until I looked at my yearly fuel expenses. So I'm back to "economy" cars. Honestly, this is the first "new" car I've looked for since college and I couldn't be less excited about it. Darn commute and my practicality/cheapness. But, gas on a TSX vs. a Civic for 5 years is about $4k for me. That is a trip to Europe. Or money towards the next car.
So far I've looked at the following:
Prius IV - It is a Prius. I like it because it consistently seems to deliver high 40's mpg. The nav system didn't see bad either. Apparently brakes last forever. Downside: It is a Prius. Rearward visibility. Acceleration or lack there of. Although I found a used 2010 CPO for much less with low miles. It is probably the ultimate commuter appliance, I'll give it that. A hybrid will also get me into the HOV lane of one of the roads I take home.
Honda Civic EX-L Navi - Decent acceleration, seemed comfortable enough, I've had a good run with Honda. Liked the steering wheel. Fuelly/Fueleconomy.gov say it delivers what it advertises for fuel economy. I believe the motor is not direct injection. Downside: Lacking features others have at that price point (in particular auto-dimming mirror...tired of being blinded by pickup trucks and SUVs). I think its ugly. The Prius might look better. Nav system is the same my mother's 2009 CR-V has. Small rear window.
Kia Forte EX - Features galore: Heated/cooled driver seat, heated steering wheel, HID headlights. UVO Navigation system is one of the better in the business. Better looking than Prius or Civic. Just won a Motor Trend comparison for the class. I won't blow through warranty in no time like the others. Downside: Kia is a bit "unknown" for quality, especially with all the toys in it. Unknown ability to deliver advertised fuel economy since it is a new model. 17" wheels means I can't replace tires with awesome Michelin Defenders. Small rear window. DI motor.
Mazda 3i Grand Touring - I need to test drive this again. Off my memory from a few months ago, the navigation left a little to be desired. Ugly, but not as bad as the Civic. Hatchback is a plus. Appears to deliver as advertised for fuel economy. Don't remember it being any more peppy than the Civic or Forte.
So basically, any thoughts? I've written off VW. I'm not dealing with the TDIs and their HPFPs. I even entertained getting a GTI with warranty for a while, but even 27 mpg on premium adds up over the years. I might still go see a Chevy Cruze. Hyundai 1.8L motors seem to underwhelm on real world fuel economy. The Forte is a 2.0L. Used is definitely an option. I've just considered getting a certified used Civic or Corolla and calling it a day. Unfortunately CPO Civics are almost as much as the new ones. Again, I may see if I could squeeze a couple more inches into the garage and open up the Accord and Mazda 6 to consideration, mostly for the Mazda 6.
Again, I'd like to keep a sunroof. I'd like navigation with traffic to maybe save some time on commutes. I've used Waze and Google Navigation on my phone and they just don't get that done. Other than that, I just need a USB/Aux port for music and/or bluetooth audio. Higher gas mileage the better. Reliable is a must.
Anyway, here is the deal. I drive about 85 miles a day roundtrip for my commute. It is DC area traffic. Some days it is 70 the whole way. Others, I am crawling at 5 mph for an hour before it breaks up. Some it is darn near 20-30 mph the whole way. I need something comfortable and fuel efficient. Performance is a bonus for switching lanes and stopping fast on these "ghost" traffic jams we get. I'm used to 30-32 mpg from my Civic, I'd like to keep it there, if not higher. I don't have a huge garage, and I keep my car garaged. I fit a 2005 4Runner in there yesterday after some rearranging, so my max length is probably 189". No new Accords or unfortunately the Mazda 6. I might still see if I can find another place to shove the recycle bin. For now, I'm assuming it won't fit. I'm used to a sunroof and would like one on my next car. So no Honda Fit. My concerns are "real world" gas mileage compared to EPA. I've been digging through fueleconomy.gov and Fuelly to try and figure out who the pretenders are.
Ultimately I am buying I car I don't really want, but am buying for the numbers. I thought about an Acura TSX until I looked at my yearly fuel expenses. So I'm back to "economy" cars. Honestly, this is the first "new" car I've looked for since college and I couldn't be less excited about it. Darn commute and my practicality/cheapness. But, gas on a TSX vs. a Civic for 5 years is about $4k for me. That is a trip to Europe. Or money towards the next car.
So far I've looked at the following:
Prius IV - It is a Prius. I like it because it consistently seems to deliver high 40's mpg. The nav system didn't see bad either. Apparently brakes last forever. Downside: It is a Prius. Rearward visibility. Acceleration or lack there of. Although I found a used 2010 CPO for much less with low miles. It is probably the ultimate commuter appliance, I'll give it that. A hybrid will also get me into the HOV lane of one of the roads I take home.
Honda Civic EX-L Navi - Decent acceleration, seemed comfortable enough, I've had a good run with Honda. Liked the steering wheel. Fuelly/Fueleconomy.gov say it delivers what it advertises for fuel economy. I believe the motor is not direct injection. Downside: Lacking features others have at that price point (in particular auto-dimming mirror...tired of being blinded by pickup trucks and SUVs). I think its ugly. The Prius might look better. Nav system is the same my mother's 2009 CR-V has. Small rear window.
Kia Forte EX - Features galore: Heated/cooled driver seat, heated steering wheel, HID headlights. UVO Navigation system is one of the better in the business. Better looking than Prius or Civic. Just won a Motor Trend comparison for the class. I won't blow through warranty in no time like the others. Downside: Kia is a bit "unknown" for quality, especially with all the toys in it. Unknown ability to deliver advertised fuel economy since it is a new model. 17" wheels means I can't replace tires with awesome Michelin Defenders. Small rear window. DI motor.
Mazda 3i Grand Touring - I need to test drive this again. Off my memory from a few months ago, the navigation left a little to be desired. Ugly, but not as bad as the Civic. Hatchback is a plus. Appears to deliver as advertised for fuel economy. Don't remember it being any more peppy than the Civic or Forte.
So basically, any thoughts? I've written off VW. I'm not dealing with the TDIs and their HPFPs. I even entertained getting a GTI with warranty for a while, but even 27 mpg on premium adds up over the years. I might still go see a Chevy Cruze. Hyundai 1.8L motors seem to underwhelm on real world fuel economy. The Forte is a 2.0L. Used is definitely an option. I've just considered getting a certified used Civic or Corolla and calling it a day. Unfortunately CPO Civics are almost as much as the new ones. Again, I may see if I could squeeze a couple more inches into the garage and open up the Accord and Mazda 6 to consideration, mostly for the Mazda 6.
Again, I'd like to keep a sunroof. I'd like navigation with traffic to maybe save some time on commutes. I've used Waze and Google Navigation on my phone and they just don't get that done. Other than that, I just need a USB/Aux port for music and/or bluetooth audio. Higher gas mileage the better. Reliable is a must.
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