So I guess I am buying a car

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Burt
Nobody mentioned that the prius gets you in the hov lane. Tie breaker for me. Saves you time and its safer. Less wear and tear on you because your not worried about people cutting in on you.


This. HOV lane access is worth a lot with a 45-60 minute drive each way.


Actually, the original poster mentioned it in said original post.

 

[fdcg27]

So with weekend driving, you're probably doing close to 30K/yr?
Of the cars you've listed, the Prius would probably be a good choice.
Good fuel economy and a good reliability/durability record.
If you want something a little more interesting and are willing to accept a little less fuel economy, what about a Fiat 500?
The Fiat would also be significantly cheaper upfront than a Prius, so that would offset part of the loss in fuel economy.
The Cruze diesel is promising, bt its reliability has yet to be established, and if you're stuck with driving 85 miles five days a week, reliability is a huge deal.
OTOH, you could give up on the sunroof and buy a Sonic or a Spark.
Either would be cheap and would offer good fuel economy.
The Sonic seems a decent little machine, the Aveo perfected.
I agree with you that a stick would get real old real quick if you spend a lot of time stuck in traffic.
Clutch life would suffer as well.
My advice would be to settle on a car and then start emailing dealers to nail down a price.
You should be able to get this done start to finish in a week, since those dealers really willing to come down to their lowest price will respond quickly.

 

[Doog]

I would opt for a 2013 Toyota Corolla S since the 2014 is a new body style and they will soon be dumping all of the 2013s to make way for the new ones. Toyota always gives them back door money to rid the lots of all of the old style before one new one shows up. I got a killer deal on a 2012 Avalon that way. You should be able to get 20-24% off if you work at it.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Burt
Nobody mentioned that the prius gets you in the hov lane. Tie breaker for me. Saves you time and its safer. Less wear and tear on you because your not worried about people cutting in on you.


It was mentioned.

I'm looking for something a little more sedate and economical, and I hate to even say that VW TDI's are at the top of my list, but they are. I like how they drive, shift and feel. I may wait for the mk7 golf, but being able to hop into a Jetta TDI (which I've test-driven and find decent overall, despite the chinzy interior) for ~$21-22k (before TTR,) is not bad at all.

A coworker has a new Jetta TDI and loves it. Like me, he couldn't care less about how the interior looks, so long as it has what he needs. He was also able to easily maneuver into the back two larger car seats for his little ones.

 

[montero1]

Don't get me wrong, I loved my Prius and would have kept it forever, but some twit totaled it in a rear end collision ....I'd be apprehensive about getting another hybrid because it looks like plans are in the works for the government to start penalizing hybrid owners since they don't get penalized as bad at the pump.

 

[panthermike]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I think you should make room in your garage for a 6

Absolutely agree. You want something with a pulse, this is it. Plus, it seems to be returning good real world mpg. 97tbird's wife is getting solid mileage in hers. I'm sure the 3's are good cars as well, but I had a negative experience with a 2012 3 rental I had. The car was built well but didn't have much pep without really pushing the gas, and the mpg was just ok with non-spirited driving. Perhaps it was poorly maintained though, it was a rental afterall.

Also like the idea of a '13 Corolla as mentioned, as you could probably get a good deal on one. Our '03 with same engine/trans returns 30 city and up to 37 highway. Not a real "fun" car though.

Make your car buying experience a good one, it should be fun to get a new vehicle!

Also, as the owner of a 2012 Civic, I would recommend the '13 as well. It's just a better vehicle. However, people paint an overly negative picture of the '12's though. I have no doubt the car will be extremely reliable. My biggest complaint is that road noise is a tad bit high, although I don't notice too much as I'm listening to music most of the time.

 

[FZ1]

Maybe you need to clean/flush/change the AF/get a new radiator/get a new thermostat. The longer you can wait to replace it:The more efficient your new Car will be.

 

[Burt]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Burt
Nobody mentioned that the prius gets you in the hov lane. Tie breaker for me. Saves you time and its safer. Less wear and tear on you because your not worried about people cutting in on you.


This. HOV lane access is worth a lot with a 45-60 minute drive each way.


Actually, the original poster mentioned it in said original post.


Sorry for not spelling it out for you. I should have said:

Nobody [other than the OP who did not make a determination] mentioned [in their evaluation] that the prius gets you in the HOV lane [and the other non hybrids don't].

Whew!

 

[bourne]

Originally Posted By: Eosyn

[*]1. Mazda 3 (only bad thing is the "smile" for the grill, like you said).


It really depends on the color of the vehicle. I have found White, Dolphin Grey and Black Mica to be the best colors which minimize the "grin".

Our Black Mica when washed and waxed actually looks quite good when looked at head on. The wax brings out the lower part of the bumper and makes the front end look more balanced. I do regret not getting a lip spoiler though. I think it makes the rear of the car look more proportional. But its my gf's car and she could care less about a spoiler so we didnt get it.

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: Burt
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Burt
Nobody mentioned that the prius gets you in the hov lane. Tie breaker for me. Saves you time and its safer. Less wear and tear on you because your not worried about people cutting in on you.


This. HOV lane access is worth a lot with a 45-60 minute drive each way.


Actually, the original poster mentioned it in said original post.


Sorry for not spelling it out for you. I should have said:

Nobody [other than the OP who did not make a determination] mentioned [in their evaluation] that the prius gets you in the HOV lane [and the other non hybrids don't].

Whew!


Indeed, you should have

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Doog
I would opt for a 2013 Toyota Corolla S since the 2014 is a new body style and they will soon be dumping all of the 2013s to make way for the new ones. Toyota always gives them back door money to rid the lots of all of the old style before one new one shows up. I got a killer deal on a 2012 Avalon that way. You should be able to get 20-24% off if you work at it.


This is a good thought.
A Corolla is about as exciting as a glass of tap water, but would return good fuel economy and reliability.
It is also not a magnet for any other driver, while some cars are cop magnets and others, like the Prius, attract some hate from certain other drivers.
The HOV lane isn't all that, either, since you may find that resentful drivers in the other lanes may not let you get out of it when you need to.

 

[Nukeman7]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Burt
Nobody mentioned that the prius gets you in the hov lane. Tie breaker for me. Saves you time and its safer. Less wear and tear on you because your not worried about people cutting in on you.


This. HOV lane access is worth a lot with a 45-60 minute drive each way.


Better check the current HOV laws in Northern Virginia first. As of last year, you can only access the Dulles Toll Road with newly issued Clean Fuel Vehicle (i.e., hybrid or electric) license plates during rush hour traffic. I-95, I-66, and I-395 cannot be legally accessed during rush hour with new plates .

New HOV law passed for 2012

 

[97tbird]

Volvo C30:

 

[GMFan]

If everyone was super financially frugal they'd be living under a bridge instead of a house or apartment. Life is too short to drive a penalty box. Buy a car you are going to LIKE getting into every day...I guarantee you you won't miss the $4k extra in gas over 5 years...you won't even miss it. That's $800/yr and you can save that by just bringing lunch to work 2-3 times a week. Going to buy a new car you already don't like sounds like a terrible financial decision....a better financial decision would be to open the wallet a little more and buy something you like if you're going to spend $20k+ why not enjoy it?

I vote 2013 Accord Coupe 2.4L...excellent gas mileage, comfortable, solidly built, reliable and sporty/fun. I drove with my brother in his 5MT Accord Coupe on a road trip and he got 36mpg going 70mph with A/C blasting and three people in the car. He has 120k miles on his and has only put 4 new tires on it in that time..oil every 8k, spark plugs and filters.

Or get the new Mazda6...you know it's purty

A/c repair can be $1000 easily, brakes $500, timing belt $700...Dumping big money into a 13yr old car with 212k miles is not worth it....especially with the improved comfort/safety of modern vehicles. You've got your moneys worth on the Honda...put the repair money into a bigger down payment.

 

[dareo]

Chevy Volt is pretty short and the first 30 or so miles are nearly free. It is a bit expensive, even with the tax credit.

The mazda CX 5 is shorter than a 6, not sure if it would fit. You would have a better view of your traffic jam.

I'd like to have a scion FRS if i had a [bad word] commute like that. A TDI is also very worth considering.

 

[vintagegz]

2013 Honda Civic gets my vote, I have a 2012 Si Civic with Nav and mileage is fantastic, but even the models below it get great mileage and do not break your bank account in purchase price or fuel mileage. Nice size for parking, you can do most repairs yourself, and built in North America!

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
The current Focus looks pretty good and the fuel economy is at least close to your Civic if not slightly better.


^^ This. Or I've heard good things about the Cruze, or the Mazda 3 or 6.

Civic - Overrated and ugly.
Prius - Penalty Box.
Kia - decent but you can do better.
Corolla - should have been put out to pasture 10 years ago.

 

[gofast182]

I'd also suggest driving a '13 Civic. The updates done for this model year affect steering and suspension tuning as well as improvements in NVH. It's super safe, efficient, plus you can be rough on it and maintain reliability.
Just as a point of first-hand information (if it helps) I can get up to 37-38MPG highway in my TSX if I'm trying, more typically 34-35MPG, 27MPG around town. It's a fantastic car, built like a vault, fun, and feels more expensive than it is.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: gofast182
I'd also suggest driving a '13 Civic. The updates done for this model year affect steering and suspension tuning as well as improvements in NVH. It's super safe, efficient, plus you can be rough on it and maintain reliability.
Just as a point of first-hand information (if it helps) I can get up to 37-38MPG highway in my TSX if I'm trying, more typically 34-35MPG, 27MPG around town. It's a fantastic car, built like a vault, fun, and feels more expensive than it is.


I love the TSX myself, its always a safe bet.
I really would love an 07-08 with the lip kit on it. One of Honda's best looking cars to date.

 

[crw]

The OP's story is somewhat similar to mine, except that I have no issues with space and my commute is all 75mph, about 12 minutes each way. But we're looking for similar vehicles.

For me, in my shopping nothing has come close to the Dart. It seems to be the best value in an economical car that isn't in the "tiny" class.

Used car prices are literally insane right now. Buying new seems to be the best value. But, despite all that I keep looking for used Mini Coopers....