Okay. I'm a total idiot when it comes to cars. So I plan on buying a new car. I bought a used car for about eight months now and it has caused nothing but trouble. Who ever owned it previously drove it like crap. So I'm now looking into buying either a Honda Fit, Mazda 3 Sport GT,Nissan Versa or a Toyota Matrix XR. Which one should I pick? Which is better in such ways that will benefit me? (i.e. save me on gas) Also please don't give answer like "because XXXX looks better" or "there website is better" lol. I figure that out already. My budget is roughly around ~$23k. I plan on trading in my current car. It is a Honda Civic LX 2005 with 45k milage. I don't know how much it is worth so if any one can help me figure that number out as well, I would appreciate that Thanks in advance!
$23k in what? USD? CAD? My numbers will be in USD... As far as ur trade in... roughly $7-10k... depends on condition and how nice ur dealers are lol... Of the cars you listed... I would choose the Fit... only because that's my personal preference... it's practically a go kart on Honda's tried and true suspension system... it's small enough to fit anywhere, big enough to fit just about everything, and it's fairly economical on gas... However... if you're into performance, the Mazda 3 is the best "performance" vehicle of the cars u listed... The Matrix is almost there, it will really come down to u testing either should u take a closer look at them... and of course the Matrix, being a Toyota, has decent mpg... I'm not too sure on the Versa, haven't heard much... and I'd probably not give it a look... Now, if that $23k is USD + your trade in value... ur looking at a whole new ball park I mean ur looking at an S2000 or 350z haha... If it's $23k regardless of trade in... there's still better cars you can get, Mini Cooper S comes to mind...
if you can get 10G from the trade and another 23 G of cash then you got more than enough to buy a new civic Si. although, if you could swing it, id go for the Lexus IS350.... but im just biased cuz i drive a 250. its a great car, turn heads, get compliments, all that jazz really depends if your talkin canadian or US funds though.... canadian cars are significantly more expensive. If you got like 30 some grand and you live in the US you could probably even get a new subaru WRX STi.
maybe a civic would be gas saver? enough power... if you would choose a Honda Fit.. might as well choose a Honda Civic.. better ratings, gas mileage about the same or better for civic, more power.
I'm in Canada so we are talking about Canadian currency lol. When i say ~$23k that includes my trade-in. I'm not rich to put an extra couple thousands on top of $23k...lol!! Yeah so Mazda is definitely out of the question. I need more info on the Toyota Matrix if any of you can tell me what's a reliable site that I can read up on. I heard Toyota and Honda are lacking QUALITY now...is this true? Also I heard Matrix's after a month of two you'll hear like rattling noises...Matrix owners any one? But I basically need a car that last me more than 4 years and that is great on gas. I have couple brands in mind. They are VW, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.
ok... I'll be straight with you on how I feel about VW... I think they're great cars, but they're in no way as refined as Honda/Toyota/Nissan... with the exception of the R32 and to some degree their newer GTi's... I'm gonna get sooooo burned by Kontra soon as he finds this post haha... newayz, the problems VW have had in the past is they've relied on old technology and are one of the last in the industry to innovate, but that however has led them to breed the tried and true pocket rockets the R32 and the GTi's... VW is also european and of course will cost u a bit more to repair... Honda and Toyota has been pretty solid even now... although I personally feel Toyota's dropped the ball in recent years, aside from their Lexus line of course... of all the Toyota branded vehicles in production, the Corolla is probably the best buy... if the Corolla had leather trim, u'd swear it was a Lexus... fuel consumption is decent as well... I also personally like the Yaris as well, but given the choice, I'd take a Fit over the Yaris... and I hate the Matrix... it's like Toyota's bastard son... if ur gonna get a Matrix... might as well get a Pontiac Vibe, they're the exact same car...-.-; Honda... I don't like their new civics aside from the Si... There's not enuff research into the new R series engine yet for me to really like it... It's definitly a fantastic idea on Honda's part, and very efficient, that's why i'm also very skeptical of it... I personally don't like it, but for a beater, it can't be beat atm... I still like the Fit better though Nissan's should probably come off ur list as they're not rly economical vehicles... they're great fun, but they're not as great on gas as the Honda and Toyota...
best of all for gas mileage is a civic or corolla.. nissan sentra.. pfft get off this thread VWs have been dropping in the pass.. but starting to pick up now though.
Why new? So that you can benefit from the pathetic aftersale service? Or do you like the feel of owning a brand new car? Have you considered certified used cars? VW, Audi, and BMW have excellent aftersale service for new and certified used cars. A certified used car means that you ARE getting a car that is 95% new. The dealer should have fixed all recalls, performed all required maintenance. Just food for thought Go to a Mini dealer, try the new Cooper. Even though it was a chick car, I looooooved it. Minus the weird dash ergonomics. Used ones go for 19-21k range. And Mini = BMW= excellent service. just a tip: if you walk into a BMW dealer alone, they will ignore you (because of your age) Just clear your throat loudly and ask for the manager and the salesman will be your bitch for the next hour.
reliability i would say matrix or the fit. but the mazada 3 should be the funnest to drive. Fit is pretty small. Versa... is pretty new so dont know much about it
you can buy a car from the states and save yourself a bit of money... that you can spend on a higher model even perhaps never tried this myself but i read a bit on it... hope it helps http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307601
It depends on wat do you want? Like if you are going for power and 2nd hand cars, I would safely say that Nissan S15 is a very good choice (or maybe I'm bia since I'm driving one) If you are looking at fuel consumption, I think either a Toyota Vios or a Corolla would be great.
