As you can tell from my distinct absence in this forum, I have zero interest in cars. However, I need to buy a new one.

Please help me... I don't have anywhere near the contextual and historical knowledge that you guys have, so making a choice seems overwhelming. Hell, even the number of manufacturers is overwhelming, not to mention all the types of cars that they make...

Here's what I need:
Less than $20,000
Bluetooth
Nice speakers and sound system
Superior safety features
Keyless entry

Here's what I want:
Less than $15,000
Moonroof
Cool looking
Leather
Keyless start

I know a lot of these desires are contradictory... I can compromise. I'd like to buy new car, but if you can tell me about a type of used car that is likely to have everything I want and need then I'd be interested...

Sorry if there's a "perpetual" thread this post belongs in. I never read The Garage so I don't know of it. I did a search for "buy" and for "new car" and didn't find any perpetual threads.

5/1/2010 6:42:14 PM

Mazda 3i touring

/thread

5/1/2010 6:44:14 PM

Scion tC

5/1/2010 6:47:26 PM

Acura TL or TSX

we found plenty under $20k when deemarie was looking. great cars.

[Edited on May 1, 2010 at 7:33 PM. Reason : buy used]

5/1/2010 7:33:30 PM

Sedan, coupe, minivan?

wagon?

5/1/2010 8:33:33 PM

Buy a sporty minivan or tall wagon. What's the point of spending 20 grand on a vehicle only to have to beg to borrow your buddy's truck every time you need to bring a box home from wal-mart.

5/1/2010 10:12:12 PM

either sedan/coupe

I'm not a fan of the big vehicles. I like parallel parking into impossibly small parking spaces and I do that a hell of a lot more than I bring home boxes from walmart

5/1/2010 10:50:27 PM

Quote :

"Less than $20,000 Bluetooth Nice speakers and sound system Superior safety features Keyless entry "

Most of your needs are either essentially standard for almost any car now or would be better as aftermarket options. You can add bluetooth and a good sound system for maybe 1000 w/ installation. You could save yourself a ton buying used and still get what you need.

For safety...I'd suggest something like these guys (there are tons of safest cars lists you can google up too)...


http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ctd/1718382160.html (06 Volvo s40)


http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ctd/1712881832.html (07 Audi A4)


But keep in mind, a lot of the cars that get themselves into the "safest" car lists also cost more to maintain (vs your beer can cars...like civics and focuses..err foci)

[Edited on May 1, 2010 at 11:17 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2010 11:16:18 PM

The upcoming Ford Fiesta will have all of the things you want/need. Not sure if that is the type of thing you are going for but its size should make it easy to parallel park in otherwise inconvenient places.

[Edited on May 1, 2010 at 11:57 PM. Reason : Did I mention under 20k fully loaded?]

5/1/2010 11:56:34 PM

Quote :

"You can add bluetooth and a good sound system for maybe 1000 w/ installation. You could save yourself a ton buying used and still get what you need."

5/2/2010 12:39:04 AM

Top of the line almost new Ford Focus, or a used Fusion that's 2 - 3 years old

5/2/2010 1:40:29 AM

i'm waiting for the fiesta here too...40mpg not that bad

5/2/2010 8:05:21 AM

That would do the job.

5/2/2010 3:29:29 PM

when is the fiesta coming out?

5/2/2010 3:58:41 PM

google it

5/2/2010 4:28:20 PM

So far, the only date I can see is "summer '10"

5/2/2010 5:01:41 PM

Don't buy a ford fiesta, COME ON .

5/2/2010 7:17:17 PM

work bought me an impala that meets some of those criteria

not the cool looking one, imo..but has leather, remote start & bluetooth. and can be had for under 15K (used, obviously..but only a year old or so)

although you could just buy something a few years old that's nice and add remote start/bluetooth head unit

[Edited on May 2, 2010 at 7:41 PM. Reason : asf]

5/2/2010 7:40:32 PM

you can get an old rental impala or malibu for way less than that. by old i mean like 07-09 with like 60k.

5/2/2010 9:44:18 PM

I would never offer advice to someone suggesting they buy an "old" rental vehicle.

To each their own though...

5/2/2010 9:52:37 PM

Quinn: why not a ford fiesta? I am kind of surprised that I would even consider a domestic car, but from everything I've heard, Ford has made great strides in reliability. What do you have against it?

5/2/2010 11:04:49 PM

All depends on

Quote :

"Cool looking"

If Cool looking = cute looking, get the Focus/Fiesta/Mazda 3
If Cool looking = premium looking, get the Volvo/Audi/Acura, and maybe Fusion (new)
If Cool looking = sporty looking, get the Scion


More suggestions:

Toyota Matrix
Honda Fit
Honda Civic Coupe/Sedan
Honda Insight
Mazda 3 5-door
Mazda 6
Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
Nissan Sentra SE-R
Nissan Altima
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza 5-door
Subaru Impreza 2.5GT
Subaru Impreza 2.5GT 5-door
Suzuki Kizashi (take a good look at this one!)

5/3/2010 12:03:13 AM

gotta throw my love in for Mazda. i'd go for a late 1st generation mazda 6i (2006-2008). the nice thing about them is they are reliable and hold their value pretty well. the thing with most of the options you want is, as others have said, they can be added on after the fact even if the car doesn't come preinstalled with them.

if you don't go the 6 route, then i'd say go the 3 route but only in the wagon. the 3 wagons look so much better than the sedans (new and old generation).

5/3/2010 8:14:59 AM

Ford's website says May.

5/3/2010 8:30:41 AM

New Focus will be coming shorty thereafter.
And it will be good.

5/3/2010 10:33:35 AM

Quote :

"I am kind of surprised that I would even consider a domestic car"

There's not really any such thing as a domestic car, in my opinion, and not many truly foreign cars (at least that you can buy in the U.S.).

5/3/2010 11:16:14 AM

The Mazda 6 has an awful turning radius and sucks at parking pretty much anywhere, parallel or otherwise.

5/3/2010 12:09:53 PM

I say go for the Mazda 3, either new or used.

I can't believe someone in this thread actually recommended buying a used Impala. New or used they're the biggest pile of shit on the road right now.

5/3/2010 1:25:53 PM

/ thread hijack

Quote :

"Suzuki Kizashi (take a good look at this one!)"

Seriously, Suzuki, WTF? Coming up with alll these production-ready-looking prototypes and then havig the actual car some out as another bland econobox





[Edited on May 4, 2010 at 2:01 AM. Reason : /rant /thread hijack]

5/4/2010 2:00:07 AM

^ Have you read any reviews? All the reviews I have read have been extremely positive wrt its handling and driving dynamics. And they have all said it trumps all the Japanese mid-size sedans from Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda. In fact, it has been compared with the TSX and the A4 in some of the reviews. After all, it was tuned on the Nurburgring. And it comes with a 6-sp MT.

But they all also mentioned the one problem it is going to have in trying to upstage the Camry/Accord/etc: the brand name. And that's what you have fallen prey to as well.

Yes, I am not happy with them seriously toning down the styling from the concept. But, it still looks way better than the Camry and the Accord, and they at least made it look athletic and muscular. A testament to that fact is that it looks pretty good in red (see links to 3 pics below), whereas a Camry or an Accord in red would look out of place. I love the back and the profile.

The picture you posted is not very good. Here are some nice pictures:

Pics in red:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/S7K1NwBHEmI/AAAAAAACsl0/O_nyvJc8m-U/s1600/2011-Suzuki-Kizashi-Sport-37.JPG
http://blog.niot.net/blog-images/suzuki-dresses-up-a-kizashi-for-halloween.jpg
http://blog.niot.net/blog-images/2010-suzuki-kizashi-pricing.jpg

5/4/2010 7:20:06 AM

I meant "WTF suzuki for gheying up the production model", not "WTF OEP for recommending it to the OP"

I tried to pic a picture at the similar angle/color/lighting so it would be a fair comparison. I am not arguing over performance, I am talking purely styling, which even in your pictures is very bland and is in no way better than camry or accord. Proportions are especially terrible and make the car look smaller and cheaper than it is (similar to what was wrong with ford five hundred).

I just can't beleive that keeping the original styling would be cost-prohibitive or not safe or something. Just by keeping the original styling they could have justified 30% markup on the current pricing and still sold them like hotcakes (assuming those enthusiastic performance reviews)

[Edited on May 4, 2010 at 7:56 AM. Reason : .]

5/4/2010 7:54:19 AM

Quote :

"The Mazda 6 has an awful turning radius and sucks at parking pretty much anywhere, parallel or otherwise."

what generation are you referring to? because my '08 6 has a pretty good turning radius and parking is a breeze for me (parallel or between lines). granted it doesnt have the radius like my '01 Acura did but its not as awful as you make it seem to be.

5/4/2010 8:05:06 AM

FWIW, turning radius decreases as steering ratio quickens

i just replaced the rack in my subie with an STi rack, and the radius is very noticably decreased now

5/4/2010 9:53:43 AM

Quote :

"I am talking purely styling, which even in your pictures is very bland and is in no way better than camry or accord. Proportions are especially terrible and make the car look smaller and cheaper than it is (similar to what was wrong with ford five hundred)."

lol, have you looked at a current Accord or Camry? They're about as bland and ugly as you can get.

5/4/2010 12:30:49 PM

Current Camry is ugly, I think current Accord is unremarkable but attractive in a conventional fashion. The Kizashi has some good angles, but from a full-on side view it reminds me of a Chrysler Sebring sedan. Not exactly a high-quality mark. Plus it does look like a compact by its proportions.

[Edited on May 5, 2010 at 1:17 AM. Reason : Check out a Fiesta, really, if you can wait a minute. If not, Civic, Fusion, Malibu, tC, xB if new.]

5/5/2010 1:14:38 AM

I'm gonna have to agree with Igor. That production Kizashi looks pretty frumpy.

I actually think the camry looks decent. +airbags +wheels =sweet

5/5/2010 9:23:24 AM

^^you just told the guy a downside to the Suzuki is that it looks like a compact...and then you suggest he check out a Fiesta, a Civic, an xB, and a tC. LOL. Don't check out those Scions. Ugly cars with horrible interior quality.

Has nobody ever noticed how the Accord's nose overhangs like a mofo over the front wheels, that the headlights stick out at an angle from the rest of the car, and that the lines down the side seem disjointed. Honestly? Not to mention what person our age needs a car that big anyway. If you're gonna be tortured in a family sedan might as well wait till you have a family and are required to do so.

A lot of my beef with modern car design is how chunky the cars look. Just look at the pic of the Camry above this post. There's no reason the hoodline should be almost an entire foot above the top of the tire. Straight up chunky monkey

[Edited on May 5, 2010 at 12:59 PM. Reason : k]

5/5/2010 12:57:15 PM

It's not that looking like a compact overall is a bad thing, I think that a midsize should look, well, midsize. I don't like the "taller is better" school of design and I think the Kizashi is a member, and that mentality seems to be affecting compacts more than anything. Yes it's practical and increases headroom, but it just looks silly on a sedan. A hatch, now, that can be different, like the xB.

5/5/2010 1:40:19 PM

Acura TL

5/5/2010 4:46:11 PM

Buy American.



That is, a car that is in America.

5/5/2010 4:52:48 PM

Quote :

"Less than $20,000 Bluetooth Nice speakers and sound system Superior safety features Keyless entry Moonroof Cool looking Leather Keyless start "

Buy my silver 2006 TL
All of the above, plus Navigation.
Bluetooth, DVD-Audio system, factory navigation with voice guidance, voice activated everything, yada, yada, yada...

[Edited on May 5, 2010 at 5:11 PM. Reason : a]

5/5/2010 5:10:11 PM

Had the pleasure of having a ride in the latest Hyundai Sonata.

My God that thing is sweet from the inside. Compared to the Camry/Accord/Altima, it is a geek's wet dream. And drives pretty well too, with the 6-sp MT. Also has class-leading hp (200) and has the profile of a "4-door coupe".

Or spend about $22,000 and get a Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

5/5/2010 6:10:39 PM

Quote :

"Also has class-leading hp"

That's a joke right? That's weaksauce for it's class.

[Edited on May 5, 2010 at 7:19 PM. Reason : .]

5/5/2010 7:19:26 PM

NA 2.4 liter 4 cylinder in a mid-size sedan.

5/5/2010 9:08:18 PM

^its class leading for the 4 cylinder models. And when they release the DI turbocharged 4 they will have class leading mpg, though not power I don't think (274hp I believe).

5/6/2010 8:37:03 AM

nissan lost my business with all the CVT stuff

Quote :

"Just look at the pic of the Camry above this post...Straight up chunky monkey"

there's gotta be room enough for a 3.5L V6

my "sleek" '02 max does the same thing


[Edited on May 6, 2010 at 9:01 AM. Reason : ]

5/6/2010 9:00:44 AM

^that design pulls it off much better and does not make the car look tall. It's all about proportions and lines.

5/6/2010 11:28:32 AM

The Fiesta beats the Lambo Gallardo at everything but straight line, including at CORNERING!!! You gotta get a Fiesta now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poWNPlLyoNI

5/14/2010 8:45:58 PM

it's a stupid idea, but let's do it anyway!

5/14/2010 10:34:53 PM

That may have been the dumbest fucking commercial I've ever seen. I've actually started to appreciate Fords lately and now they come up with that shit? Shit, I'm going to go get a golf cart and rule the autocross course since turning radius = corning ability!!! Humor in a commercial is good. Outright retardation not so much.

5/15/2010 12:41:35 PM