Which Car to buy within $20k?

cool_aquarian · May 2015

Hi,

I am looking to buy New Sedan/Coupe/Hatch, and have narrowed down to four choices.
Which of the below would you advise. I am a single guy, live in California and will be using the car mostly for work commute and weekend(long) drives with friends to visit places in the state.

- Honda Civic 2015 Sedan
- Mazda 3 2015 Sedan
- Subaru Impreza 2015 (Sedan/Hatch)
- Ford Mustang Coupe/Convertible 2013-2014 (Have seen some used rental ones with 20K mileage for sale)

Please advise.

Thanks,
CaQ

abacomike · May 2015

cool_aquarian said:

Hi, I am looking to buy New Sedan/Coupe/Hatch, and have narrowed down to four choices. Which of the below would you advise. I am a single guy, live in California and will be using the car mostly for work commute and weekend(long) drives with friends to visit places in the state. - Honda Civic 2015 Sedan - Mazda 3 2015 Sedan - Subaru Impreza 2015 (Sedan/Hatch) - Ford Mustang Coupe/Convertible 2013-2014 (Used) Thanks, CaQ

Go for the Subaru - great resale value at trade-in time and probably the best car made in the world for the money! That's good advice from a retired sales manager at a major dealership selling new as well as used cars.

roadburner · May 2015

cool_aquarian said:
Hi,

I am looking to buy New Sedan/Coupe/Hatch, and have narrowed down to four choices.
Which of the below would you advise. I am a single guy, live in California and will be using the car mostly for work commute and weekend(long) drives with friends to visit places in the state.

- Honda Civic 2015 Sedan
- Mazda 3 2015 Sedan
- Subaru Impreza 2015 (Sedan/Hatch)
- Ford Mustang Coupe/Convertible 2013-2014 (Have seen some used rental ones with 20K mileage for sale)

Please advise.

Thanks,
CaQ

A Mustang without a V8 is just wrong; I'd go with the Mazda- a great drive and an extremely nice interior. That said, none of the car you listed are bad picks; drive them all and pick the one that speaks to YOU.

cool_aquarian · May 2015

Thanks for replying.

roadburner said:

A Mustang without a V8 is just wrong; I'd go with the Mazda- a great drive and an extremely nice interior. That said, none of the car you listed are bad picks; drive them all and pick the one that speaks to YOU.

I am a relatively new Driver in California (driving since 6 months), though I have been driving hatchback in my country since 4 years.
So, mustang v8 never crossed my mind.

I have listed some pros and cons of cars I am considering:

Civic
Pro: Reliable, Resale
Con: Common

Mazda 3:
Pro: Looks, Handling
Con: smaller trunk, less rear legroom

abacomike said:
Go for the Subaru - great resale value at trade-in time and probably the best car made in the world for the money! That's good advice from a retired sales manager at a major dealership selling new as well as used cars.

Subaru Impreza
Pro: AWD(though I may not drive in snow that much), Good space inside.
Con: I've read CVT is not that great, Engine has less power and noisy, Speakers(Sound system) is not that great.

I am considering Subaru Crosstek also.

Mustang:
Pro: Looks, Unique (none of people in my circle have mustang)
Cons: have to buy used, gas guzzler.

What do you guys say?

Michaell · May 2015

You'd have to drive them all and see which one appeals to you most. Our opinions won't matter, though I do agree with your pros and cons.

qbrozen · May 2015

As long as you are at the Honda dealer, check out the Fit, too.

As for the Mazda, you could get a 5-door Touring for like $21k and take the trunk issue off your cons list.

cool_aquarian · May 2015

qbrozen said:

As long as you are at the Honda dealer, check out the Fit, too. As for the Mazda, you could get a 5-door Touring for like $21k and take the trunk issue off your cons list.

Update:
I liked the Mazda3 sedan compared to impreza after test drive. It was easier car to drive and quite responsive.
I checked out civic also, its drive was close to mazda3 with less acceleration, and got to know it does not come in all black interior with exterior color of my choice.

Apart from more cargo space, any other reasons for recommending the Mazda3 hatch over sedan?

The sedan looked better imo.
And I remember the salesman mentioning that the hatch makes more road noise at high speed due to less weight at rear. how true is that?

roadburner · May 2015

Drive them both and see if you can detect a difference; I don't believe the salesman's explanation is accurate. I prefer hatches from a convenience/utility standpoint, but there's nothing wrong with the sedan.

qbrozen · May 2015

that's ridiculous, especially since a hatch has MORE weight. Unless he meant the sedan makes less noise due to less weight. But, anyway, its not the issue. I think more noise with a hatch is possible, but I think its more likely due to the rear tires being under the floor that is part of the driver's cabin vs under the floor in the trunk. A manufacturer can certainly negate that with extra sound deadening material, and I'd imagine most do.

kyfdx · May 2015

Yeah... I think it's the echo effect from having more open area, back there..

masonreynolds · October 2018

At less than $20,000 each, here are a dozen popular used vehicles that fit into your categories. But one car is one of the my best you can say that.

Brawny. Torque-y. Aggressive. It's what drivers have in mind when they're looking for a late-model Charger. They're here on our lots -- many with a powerful V6 that delivers the goods -- but also a good handful that pack the no-joke 5.7-liter engine that puts out 370 horsepower and 395 foot-pounds of torque.
"This is my 2nd Charger and I love it even more! I love the way the car handles. Very smooth. The interior is very nice and comfortable. Of course the 370 hp HEMI engine is the bomb. So fast and well handled. I also love the technology, and even the cup holders can chill or heat your drink. This model was rare to find loaded with all the features I have."

Which Car to buy within $20k?

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