Midsize Sedans 2.0

berri

Urbanization can reduce car demand. But as the younger professionals have kids they may migrate back out to the suburbs reversing that. Relatively cheap airfares, combined with over saturated Interstates may lead to less desire for long distance driving down the road I suppose.

stickguy

living in a center city where there is real public transit (NYC, Boston, Philly, Chicago), sure, no need to own a car. But I still think being able to drive, and having a license, is a basic life skill.. But, I could be biased.

Moving out to the suburbs, well, I can't imagine doing that without owning a car. Certainly not having kids.

Mr_Shiftright

There does seem to be a mass migration into larger cities, at least for younger people.

roadburner

My son still wants a car, but he really only uses it on weekends. He can walk to work or take the train- and his employer pays for train fare.

explorerx4

Locally, most of the kids who went away to school have stayed away.
Owning a car in many cities is cost prohibitive, not just to younger people.
That being said, outside of those huge metropolis areas, kids still want to own a car or truck.
I have 2 kids, one will only drive a CUV/SUV. The other bought a sedan as their first new car.

backy

explorerx4 said:

Backy,
An AWD Fusion is rated @28 mpg highway, so the average isn't bad considering the cold weather.
There is no CX-7 rated anywhere near 30 MPG highway.
As far as the hidden wipers go, that design has been around since the 70's.
You could have just started the car, put on max defrost, let it warm up for a few minutes, and most of your ice problem would have been gone.

Uh... I did that. It was a thick coat of ice. It helped loosen it on the rear window though.

backy

I forgot to post about my experience with a 2018 Altima rental over the holidays. Drove it for 9 days from MN to/from TX, 2900 miles total. Most of the time there were 4 to 5 adults and a full trunk, but it still averaged 38.7 mpg for the trip which I was very happy with. Also was happy with gas prices--a low of $1.75 in Oklahoma City, but always under $2. This was the old Altima but it's a good highway cruiser. The "space foam" (or whatever they call it) seats were very comfortable even when driving 9-10 hours in a day.

I called Hertz a day before pickup and asked specifically for a Sonata, Optima, Altima, or Camry, as they have all of those in their fleet. They said they'd get one for me. Then I get an email that my Jeep Compass is ready! I called them and they said they thought they'd "upgrade" me. Sorry, a Compass is NOT an upgrade. I told them I rented a full-sized car for a reason (actually multiple reasons). They said they'd see what they could do. Fortunately the Altima had just come in and had been serviced when I got there.

explorerx4

@backy,
If you look at any of the other popular midsize sedans, the front wipers are buried even more than the Fusion.
I was very happy the my stop/start worked today.
It hadn't activated in a couple of months, but I took an 80 mile or so round trip yesterday and it stopped the engine at most stops today.
Usually it doesn't activate in cooler weather until I drive the car 3 days in a row, average about 30 miles a day.

backy

Well, I'm officially leaving the realm of mid-sized sedan owners. (From the looks of it here, a lot of other people have left that realm also!) The 2008 Mazda6 that my daughter has used during college is going on the block soon, to be replaced by a 2011 Sentra SL that she's buying with her first car loan (first loan of any kind). I'm selling the M6 and will apply the proceeds to her new car (she would have gotten the title after graduation in May anyway).
We figured with the M6 still in very good condition but starting to show signs of rust and with 160k miles, it was time to get something newer and lower miles (the Sentra has 68k). Plus my daughter would really like Bluetooth and a USB port, and the Sentra has those plus a lot of other goodies (Rockford Fosgate stereo, nav, keyless start, moonroof etc.).
I leased a 2010 Sentra S (same color!) for 3 years and it was a good car for me. Pickup isn't the greatest with the CVT, but she doesn't need to race around anyway. She likes how the Sentra drives.
I'm getting the car detailed next week (hard to do it myself in the winter), then put it on the market. If anyone in the Twin Cities wants a nice 2008 Mazda6i VE, let me know.

explorerx4

Someone reputable will let you take a loan on a 2011 Sentra? OK.

roadburner

explorerx4 said:

Someone reputable will let you take a loan on a 2011 Sentra? OK.

Yeah, this guy said no problem!

backy

explorerx4 said:

Someone reputable will let you take a loan on a 2011 Sentra? OK.

Yes. A bank that's been around for decades--used to be IBM's credit union, now it's a bank. I've done many car loans with them over the years because they offer great rates and service. This loan was for five years, 3.39% interest, payment about $72--fits my daughter's budget. I had to co-sign because she has little credit history.

Anyway, the car is worth at least $6000 for a private party sale and the loan is only for $4000, so low risk for them especially since they know I'm a long-time customer with an excellent credit history.

In fact, I'd say it's lower risk than loaning $30k to someone to buy an "average" new car that will depreciate like a rock, with a payment over $500 and not much in the way of assets, job history, or credit history--and "reputable" lenders do that all the time, right?

stickguy

$72/month car loan? It's 1965 again! Hopefully she does well and can add extra to the payments. won't take much of that to have it paid off in 2-3 years.

backy

Car & Driver's current issue has 25 vehicles worth waiting for. Among the Ferraris and other high-priced wheels is the 2020 Sonata. I don't know how many people are longing for a mid-sized car these days, but that Sonata sure looks a lot better than the current car. Maybe I'll get to drive it as a rental. Also I'd like to try out the new Altima, which is getting some good reviews. There's quite a few Altimas in rental fleets so I should be able to snag one of those in the near future.

Aside from the 2020 Sonata, what else will be new in this field? There's a refreshed (but not all-new) Passat coming soon (saw it at the auto show in March, looks better than the current car but same underpinnings). Also the Legacy is redesigned for 2020. Since the Sonata has been redone there will probably a new Optima soon, and maybe a new Mazda6 since the current car debuted for MY 2014 which makes it I think the oldest design in the class. So quite a bit of action in this field over the next several months--think anyone will notice?

stickguy

I saw that one. I'll check one out when they arrive. Might have been a contender when I was shopping last year.

sda

I haven’t seen any recent sales figures of mid size cars. Is the trend still downward or has it stabilized? Locally I am seeing more new model Accords than Camrys. I think I’ve only seen a couple of new model Altimas. New CR-Vs, RAV 4s, Rogues, Tiguans, they are multiplying like guppies.

explorerx4

All I knew to find quickly is Fusion 14,850.
Go to autospies.com for a bunch of the other brands.

backy

The last 3 rentals I got were Malibu, Camry, and Malibu. Camry was smooth and quiet, but the interior not to my taste--materials seemed cheap for one thing. Not a fan of the exterior design either, although in LE trim it wasn't too bad. The Malibus were smooth and quiet also, and I liked the exterior and interior styling better. Not a bad car at all. The Malibus had the auto-stop which I think I'd find annoying if I did a lot of rush-hour traffic, but I suppose it will save some gas.

I read a review of the new Corolla. Like other "compacts" it's grown in size to what mid-sizers were a few years ago. The new Mazda3 is bigger also, as are the new Forte and Jetta. That could be one reason sales of mid-sized cars is slipping--people who want a sedan can get a "compact" that offers plenty of room for most people but easier to park and maybe more fun to drive.