Need some new car advice

I'm a Honda guy through and through, so I'd recommend a Civic or an Accord; they get tremendous gas mileage and I've never had a problem worse than a flat tire with them. That said, between those three, I've heard only good things about the Corrolla, especially with the gas mileage.

 

Has anybody tried the hybrid versions of the smaller cars? I'll likely be car shopping in the spring, and it seems like a great way to save on gas mileage... but I'm still a little skeptical.

 

Jesus, why no love for Fords? I own a '99 Ford Ranger 4x4 that I bought new with five miles. Now I have 166,000 miles, and to this point I have spent a grand total of $285 on the engine (for a new alternator and a new thermostat) and maybe $1500 total on everything else (new rear leaf springs being the biggest purchase) including the aforementioned engine. I couldn't be happier with it (although the tape deck just quit) and it's hauled everything/gone everywhere.

That said, as soon as a new job comes along, it's time to get a new one...anyone ever drive the Dodge Magnum?

 

I likely won't be buying a new vehicle again, just used. They depreciate so fast, you can get a really, really good two- to three-year-old vehicle for a fraction of what a new one would cost.

 

My son was asking much the same question about unloading his used car and buying his first new car. I suggested looking at the new hybrid Camry.

 

My impression of hybrids so far is that the mileage savings is not as high as claimed, while the extra money you spend is more than the price of the gasoline you would save.

How about a Jetta TDI? I've heard many good things.

 

DO NOT buy a car from a dealer without reading this story. Great piece in which the Edmunds reporter goes undercover at two dealerships in three months.

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/page001.html

 

I'd stick with the Corolla or Sentra. I'm still suspicious of the Mazda/Fords ever since renting a Focus that seemed like it was put together with Tinkertoys.

The Corolla or Sentra, especially the Corolla, are just about bulletproof. If they're the same price, go with the Corolla. But you'll be happy with either.

I will say that I just drove a new Taurus on vacation last month. I put about 2500 miles on it in a week. Drove great, was solidly put together, was very comfortable and had plenty of room. For just driving, I'd put it ahead of my Nissan Altima, which I love. I'd wait awhile to see the reliability figures though before buying.

 

I had this exact thread started about a month ago and now I will try to return the favor...

I was looking pretty much at the same cars you are, except substituting the Mazda3 with a Ford Fusion.

The Fusions are getting all kinds of great reviews, but the only question is their durability down the road a) because it's a new car and b) it's a Ford.

Mazdas used to be great cars. I think that reputation had dwindled in the last decade though. I'd steer clear and stick to the Corrola or Sentra.

As for me, I bought an 07 Sentra on July 27, and I LOVE it. I got the 2.0 S (mid-range model) but I got a customer convenience package, so it's got plenty of bells and whistles except all leather and the Rockford Fosgate stereo system. For the record, the speakers I have are great, IMO. I'm not a big "speaker guy" though.

I'm a big fan of Nissans. My mom got an Altima in 05 and I loved it, which is probably a main reason I went toward the Sentra. Also, I'm 6-3 and I have plenty of room in it. The backseat's a little tight, but what do I care?

I've just put over 1300 miles on it so far. I drove it four hours from where I bought it to my house (bought it at the hometown dealership) immediately after I bought it. I'd heard that's a bad thing to do with new cars, but the guy said with the improvements on engines it doesn't really matter anymore. I got about 29 mpg on the way back, which is pretty damn good for an odometer at 8 when I hit the road. The sticker said 29 city/36 hwy. Right now in city driving (well, highways in a big city) I'm getting about 28. Between 320-370 per tank. On my drive back after purchasing it, I got 460, again, without breaking it in. It's still probably being broken in, I'd guess.

Anyway, I love it.

I just started a new job, and before I left the old one I went up and told the football coach I covered. He's a great guy and really fun to talk to about all kinds of stuff. We ended up talking for about 30 minutes about new car shopping (this was just before I bought it). He said he was also looking to buy a new Sentra. So we raved about how we loved them when we test drove them. Anyway, this could be of interest to you or you could just write it off, but I'll tell you anyway...his son-in-law works for Toyota and he said he persuaded him to go with the Sentra over the Corolla. Said the newer Corollas aren't living up to their predecessors and the Sentra would ahve a much greater resale value. So, take taht for what it's worth.

Hope this helped. Long story short, I'm in love with a Sentra.

 

I wouldn't discount the Mazda3 just because of the Ford connection. In small cars, Mazda does the vast majority of the development and Ford uses the architecture for its small cars. (That isn't the case with the current U.S. Focus, though; it's a warmed-over version of the one Ford's been selling here for years. the European Focus is based on Mazda bits.) Also, the 3 is rated very highly by Consumer Reports.

That being said, you can't really go wrong with any of the three options you've presented. I'd consider Civics, too.

 

I'd consider Civics too, for sure -- if you can afford them. They are quite a bit more than Nissans, and I think Nissan is just as good of a car, it probably just doesn't have the resale value that Hondas always will have.

 

I've driven all three, and all other things being mostly equal, I'd take the Mazda. Way more fun to drive and better looking than either of the other two.