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Would also like some of the newer conveniences like parking assist.
The 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium AWD is also worth a look, even though it doesn't wear a 'premium' nameplate. It looks more upscale than most of the models we've been discussing. It also has most of the newest safety features.
The Titanium has a Rear View Camera and Rear Sensing System standard. Voice-activated Navigation is a $795 option.
Driver Assist Package - $1000
Blind Spot Information Systme w/ Cross-Traffic Alert
Lane Departure Warning & Lane-Keeping System
Automatic High Beams
Rain-sensing wipers
Adaptive Cruise Control - $995
with Collision Warning System & Automatic Braking Assist
Active Park Assist w/ Forward Sensing System- $795
It has the 2.0L EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine, 240hp and gets 22mpg city and 33mpg highway.
With all the available features (except Active Park Assist), it stickers for just over $37k. But with current incentives, it would sell for $35k or less.
Here's a link- 2013 Ford Fusion
1. 2-5 Doors
2. 4-5 Seats
3. Hatchback or coupe or sedan
4. RWD
5. Good MPG
6. Unleaded/Regular Gasoline
Please help! :confuse:
Numbers 5/6 should be merged... If a car gets 30 mpg on premium fuel, that's cheaper than 27 mpg on regular.... so, restricting your choices to regular fuel only might be a false economy..
Most RWD cars are upscale...so, almost all will use premium...
If a sporty coupe is okay, there is the Hyundai Genesis coupe, Scion FR-S or Subaru BR-Z. Though, seating for four in any of those would be marginal..
The BMW X1 is basically a 5-door hatchback.... the cheapest model comes in RWD only... of course, premium fuel..
Porsche 911 coupe has back seats...
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Dodge Charger SXT. Actually a really nice car 19city/31hwy
Mustang V6 rated 19/31 also very well put together for 2012.
Camaro V6 rated 19/30. Aging a bit but if fits the criteria.
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'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Actually there's other possibles here as well if only the RWD requirement is lifted--most of these would be stripped, but could be had ~$15k new:
* Chevy Sonic and Spark
* Ford Fiesta
* Hyundai Accent GS - might be able to find one around $15k at discount
* Kia Rio base 5-door (at a discount... but for the money I'd take the Soul)
* Mazda2
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
The early Japanese imports, including the Corolla and Datsun 510, were RWD, as were the American models designed to compete with them, like the (cough-cough) Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto. Honda's original and highly influential Civic and Accord were both FWD, as was the equally influential original Dodge Caravan.
That's a long-winded explanation about why the car you're looking for doesn't exist on today's market.
I know buying 2 or more years old helps with depreciation but I am going to do it anyway.
Thanks for any help.
need to be under 15k
Honestly if super small isn't your thing...you can find something a little bigger and nicer that's almost new. I noticed a used 2012 VW Jetta with 5k miles for $13,999 on a lot recently.
Of course the best deals are Ford and GM due to their higher initial depreciation. About 3/4 of their cars are OK or worse, but the rest are much better than they used to be. Kind of like hidden gems, as it were. You mentioned the Spark, so you probably won't have an issue with domestic make.
My recommendation then would be to get the following/something like it:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listin- - gId=90459030
What you are looking at is a Buick Lacrosse. But this specific model has the suspension and engine out of a Cadillac CTS. Plus leather, sunroof, a good radio, and all of the goodies. You'll not be hunched over driving it like in a lot of econoboxes. It drives like a dream and it's $13K. With under 30K miles on it, since most likely it was owned by an elderly person who barely drove it.
Did I mention the Cadillac engine? This thing is a rocket. 0-60 in just over 7 seconds, and while that's not as "fast" some other cars, it has maximum torque at 1600rpm. Not 4000+. So it does transitions and responds much quicker than a typical sedan since it's at full power pretty much all the time. (kind of like driving a diesel just without the diesel issues)
This car at fifteen years old (10 years from now) will be in better shape than a new econobox after 5 years. As for myself, I typically drive older luxury cars for this reason. If you don't abuse them you'll never wear out a full-size car.
edit - note that there is a second choice that's also good. It's reliable, super cheap to fix, and despite getting OK MPG, the low low price more than makes up for it.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listin- - gId=73962461
It's big but it's also quite obviously not a taxi, rental car, or cop car. The whole idea behind that specific color (or the dark red) is to get rid of that image. It's an awesome vehicle in every way. If you are 6 ft tall, it's made for you. You get a big overbuilt car that easily could last another 150K miles and save a ton on repairs. Just keep it until the wheels fall off. Like the Buick, it comes pretty much loaded. I drove one of these for a while and it was awesome. Quiet, smooth as glass, and perfect for commuting to work and back.
Keep in mind that this car is about two years old. It'll still probably have that new car smell and half the tread left on the original tires.
Versa hatch is another option, not quite as roomy as the Soul but really good legroom for its size. Would need to be a base model to fit in your budget. Stay away from the Versa sedan... not nearly as nice a car as the hatch, IMO, and the hatch is more versa-tile.
I ended up with a used Volvo. It simply won, because as much as I wanted "new", the amount of car that I could get a few years used was shocking by comparison. I kept lusting after things like air conditioning, disc brakes, power windows (remember, this was in the 90s, none of that was standard, normally), leather, a sunroof, and so on.
The OP said he wants a new car, so while I'd go with a used car myself for this kind of money, I am trying to give him advice related to his question.
Please tell me if I should buy this car. I am ready to pay the man and avoid dealer fees and new car depreciation and still get a fairly new car.
It was kept in the garage and still smells new.
Is Ford Fiesta a reliable car or trouble?
Do yourself a favor and run a carfax on it... just in case it's been in a major accident.
Why are they selling it with only 2000 miles on it?
NADA retail on it with listed options is almost $16k.
we are meeting at tax collector office to transfer car so I know title is legit.
factory bumper to bumper for 2 more years and 34k more miles
2013 Hyundai Elantra or Sonata
2013 Kia Optima
2013 Honda Civic (NOT the 2012)
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2013 Mazda (2 or 3)
I found out that the new Civics go on sale on November 29th so that is why I am waiting to see what that new car is like. I have read a lot of good reviews on the Fit and I notice many people driving the Hyundai and Kia but not sure about their quality or resale.
I use my car mostly driving around the city going to work, meetings, grocery store, etc.
Also, leasing vs buying??
Any suggestions? I am 6'1".
Think about what's most important to you: fun to drive? ride comfort? lots of passenger room? lots of cargo room? fuel economy? etc.
The Fit Sport is a good around-town car if you want something small, fun to drive, good fuel economy, and versatile, but are ok with it being fairly noisy.
If you want fun-to-drive but want something a little larger, the Mazda3 would be a good choice. Hatch is available if cargo room is important.
The Elantra is a good choice if you don't mind relatively numb steering compared to a Fit or Mazda3, but want a smaller car with fairly roomy interior and a smooth ride. It does have a hatch version, Elantra GT, that has crisper steering than the sedan and IMO a nicer interior.
Not sure why Sonata and Optima are on this list, since you are looking for a car to drive around town. They are pretty big for that purpose, but good values. But there's lots of other good cars in the same class, such as the new Accord LX, Altima, and Passat.
One option you might consider since you'll be driving this car in-town a lot: a 2010+ Prius. Great fuel economy around-town, roomy interior for 4 adults, and a hatchback. But not engaging to drive.
Must seat 5 – That is two adults in front and 2 car seats and a booster in back. ( I have twin 3 year olds and a 6 year old)
No SUV – I have a minivan so I am looking for a Sedan or Wagon
At least 30 MPG – I commute 26 miles each way to work
Under $30K
Wants:
Sporty – I know it’s hard to have good MPG and sporty but its listed under want’s not needs
Ok that’s what I am looking for. I know the 2012 Camry fits the bill, but it’s just kind of boring. I used to have an old 911 that was my fun car, but I had kids and sold it to buy my minivan. I know tragic but it really is a nice minivan.
I want something that I can enjoy driving on my daily commute, something that has power enough to merge onto the 101 during rush hour, but still fit my family if we decide we don’t want to all pile into the van.
My biggest restriction is the 2 car seats and 1 booster. The back seat in many sedans and wagons for that matter are just not wide enough.
So Edmunds, whatcha got for me?
Taking all your concerns into consideration you should go with the Passat TDI SE with Sunroof and Navigation. You may not need the Navigation but that level gets you the fog lights and nicer wheels etc. Go with the Premium if you can afford it. You can acquire the SE with Sunroof and Nav for less than 30K. It has the BEST backseat room and great mileage, the mileage is usually better than advertised. Advertised is 42mpg on highway but people are getting almost 50mpg while doing 70mph on the highway.
Unfortunately, its a TOUGH list when taken together. Since you mentioned the Camry, I'll assume you don't want a manual transmission.
The biggest problem I see is the seating. As you said, finding one wide enough for that is damned near impossible. I know I wouldn't be able to do it in my volvo.
The only new wagons I can think to check out are the Jetta wagon and Ford C-max Hybrid. I have no idea if they'd fit all the carseats. Probably not. Maybe the Passat. Again, I have no idea with those carseats. You have to get out there and try them.
Otherwise, I'd be looking at the used market. A 2010 528i would get pretty close to your targets, I think. A little down on mileage (28mpg highway) but score high in sportiness.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
There's also the new Ford Fusion that should be out soon, with many trim options and better looks than in the past. Hybrid is 47 mpg, both city and hwy. Price and size similar to Passat.
Do us a favor -- test them both and tell us what you think, okay?
I doubt the Civic will be so different for 2013 that it's worth waiting for them -- they're stuck with that design for at least a couple more years. They can tweak it a bit, but this generation has been roundly booed. Your negative reaction to the Accord you're driving is widely shared -- the new one seems to address a lot of the misgivings people have about the 2008-12 size.
By the way, I don't mean to sound down on Honda. My family owns three of them.
As for the Mazda3, I had high hopes for the SkyActiv engine finally addressing the relatively poor MPG of the 3, but apparently the trade-off is that it's fairly stodgy in terms of performance.
Why wouldn't you want another mini-van? Seems like a good choice, until you get one kid out of a booster, and the twins out of carseats..
I mean, I know why you don't want another minivan, but that seems like the perfect vehicle for your situation....
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'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
You can get everything that you want in a car except for MPG. You'll have to settle for about 25mpg. *(one exception, see below)
Option 1A - A Chevy Colorado/GMC 1500 crew cab. It gets 18/25 mpg and while that's not 30mpg, it will fit the criteria quite well. It also will haul cargo and that's worth considering with kids in the mix. (bikes, trips to the mega-discount-warehouse, furniture for their room, etc) GM also makes the most reliable automatic transmissions. GM also has huge year-end incentives.
It really does fit 2 seats and a booster. This is because the cab is boxy and unlike most cars, you really can push it all the way to the side.
Option 1B: A Toyota Tacoma crew cab. This gets 24mpg highway. They used to offer a 4 cylinder version but it's now all V6 plus automatic. More expensive, a little more reliable. Toyota never offers year-end incentives that amount to much.
Option 2A: A full size GM car. Get a Buick Lucerne with the V6 engine. The upside of these are that they can get up to 26-27mpg highway and are big and safe in a crash. It rides very nicely on long trips thanks to the long wheelbase and huge suspension.
Option 2B: A Toyota Avalon. Toyota's version of the same thing. Big, heavy, but gets about the exact same MPG as a Camry. A win-win for those who need more space compared to the Camry. The downside, again, is that a CPO GM car or one a the end of the year is sometimes 5K or more less than a similar Toyota.
Note - you can also get a third row vehicle, but precious few exist that have the third row ahead of the rear axle. This means the kid in the rear will be part of the crumple zone. Many minivans actually fail this criteria as well, so you;'re almost stuck with a Suburban is you want a 3rd row and something that is safe. Or perhaps an actual van.
*****
There is one vehicle that fits all of your criteria. A Jeep Patriot.
NOTE - the 2013 model has slightly changed gearing, so it gets 1mpg better than the 2012. fueleconomy.gov lists it as 23/30 with the 2.0 engine and manual transmission. Jeep makes excellent manual transmissions, is it's the choice to get.
It's actually a nice enough vehicle and really is not a SUV, either. It's more like a raised wagon. The pros are good visibility, good bad-weather performance, and a dirt cheap price.
http://www.truecar.com/prices-new/jeep/patriot-pricing/2013/
Note the $15500 price.(!) You can literally buy two of these for your budget, so it's a compelling choice. Ignore the NAV (honestly, your phone now does a similar job if you have an android or iPhone), forget about leather (kids will trash it anyways), and don't bother with the terrarium (sunroof) option. Forget the 4WD as well unless it's important to you. The middle trim model has everything you really want.
Latitude model.
- Premium Sound (a must have)
- Green Paint (same as the "Jeep" green on the Wrangler - very nice looking)
- Security and Cargo group (includes side airbags and homelink)
That's it. Truecar/Cars Direct/etc have it quoted for $20K.
Sure, you have to shift your own gears. But it'll get 30mpg and haul a lot of cargo as well. All without looking like a minivan.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Really, if you think your opinions are so valuable that they should be shared despite the fact that they're completely off base, why don't you just start your own blog and free up this space for people who honestly want to help the people who come here for advice?
He wants something new that can fit his kids in the rear all across. That's his #2 criteria.(see below)
That unfortunately leaves him with big vehicles. Even with smaller car seats and a booster, 3 across just won't happen in anything smaller than a Avalon or Taurus. He's kind of out of luck on the "fun to drive" part since 3 across seating in the rear simply means a big vehicle.
OR a third row. Yet, I researched all of them a few years ago, and kept up with the new models as well. Absolutely nothing smaller than a massive SUV or full sized van has the third row ahead of the rear crumple zone. So they *all* fail. Kids plus crumple zone equals a dead or mangled kid in a rear end crash. He has to have a two-row vehicle if he doesn't want a Surburban.
Note - someone else did mention a truck before me, so chill out a bit. Because most trucks these days don't look like a SUV (and they do have that kind of "cool" factor with 4WD and/or off-road tires), it *might* be an option. To me, his post screamed mostly of desperation about not having to settle for yet another mid-life jellybean or look like everyone else running around in their yuppie SUVs. A big stomping loud truck might be exactly the sort of "fun" he is interested in.
Lastly, I mentioned the Jeep because other than being a SUV, it does fit the other criteria. He has to make compromises in all of this. But it's 10K under budget, gets 30mpg, fits the kids, and looks unlike any other SUV out there.(I'd say it looks more like a lifted station wagon like the Volvo XC90 than a SUV) It just might appeal to him as different enough to be worth looking into. It's inexpensive, fun to drive (especially with the manual), and the whole thing has a "let it get dirty - just hose it off" aspect to it. Perfect for kids to grow up in without having a stroke about stains and clutter.
Hey, Jeeps are cool. If it's a SUV, at *least* get a Jeep.
...
Re #2 above....
I was thinking this over again, and there is another option worth considering if he can stand a *used* vehicle.
- Get a 2009 Pontiac G8. It doesn't get 30mpg. But you won't care. Why? Because it's the best car GM ever made. It has upgraded suspension, great looks, and most of all, is RWD and has the same engine as a Cadillac CTS. The V8 version? It has a Corvette engine in it. It does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds.
It's stupidly fast for a GM car and handles like it grew up in another country (which it did, being the best selling car line in Australia). I honestly liked driving it more than the new Cadillac CTS by a small but significant amount. But wow it's a LOT cheaper. Much better visibility as well. Even new, it was 10K less. But used, well, you're looking at well under 20K.
Must seat 5 – That is two adults in front and 2 car seats and a booster in back. ( I have twin 3 year olds and a 6 year old)
No SUV – I have a minivan so I am looking for a Sedan or Wagon
At least 30 MPG – I commute 26 miles each way to work
Under $30K
None of your recommendations match these. There are many cars that will fit three car seats....not to mention two and a booster. Granted it will be very tight and most likely a complete PITA......and it also depends on the type of car seats. BUT it can be done and certainly doesn't require a truck...particularly if the person has no desire for a truck/van/suv. Then the wants....good performance, fun to drive...again none of your original recommendations come close. The G8 is a nice try and at least worth mentioning since it hits all but one....but there are obviously other choices that will check ALL the boxes.
A small, car-based SUV derived from the Dodge Caliber and mechanically similar to the Jeep Compass, the Patriot remains a mediocre vehicle overall. Handling is unimpressive, and even the up-level engine that comes with all-wheel-drive versions feels sluggish and sounds noisy. The seats are second-rate, and it's hard to find a good driving position. To its credit, the Patriot has an absorbent ride and well-suppressed road noise, and mostly simple controls. But that's not enough to compensate for its flaws.
CR also reported overall mileage as 21 mpg. And it's not as wide in the back seat as the Passat.
Yeah, it's half the price of the $30K limit the OP suggested, but since it doesn't fit ANY of his criteria, why mention it?