Car Purchase Help

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k)
05/04/2015 at 17:27 • Filed to: None

Oppoland,

A friend is having a baby and is looking for a replacement vehicle to put her aging truck to rest. Any suggestions? Relevant info:

- Current vehicle is a Nissan 2WD pickup truck with manual transmission and camper shell. She loves surfing and being able to carry stuff in her truck (currently she has the back set up with a bed and shelving for roadtrips), so practicality is a big factor.

- Must be decently affordable to buy (she’s on a teacher’s salary), fuel efficient, not expensive to maintain, and preferably a manual.

- With kid on the way safety is a priority, and being able to carry child seat, stroller, and other random things like bikes, surf boards, household items etc. every now and then.

Options currently being considered - Honda Fit, Mazda3, Ford Focus, Honda CR-V (older gens before they got fat and boring and manual-less), Element, Toyota Matrix.

We’ve thought about Subarus (Forester, Outback, Impreza etc)...but she doesn’t need AWD and would rather have better fuel economy and less complexity, at least at this point.

Also keep hearing a lot about good dealer incentives that might make buying brand new worthwhile compared to something a few years old - I’ve never bought a brand new car, should this be something she considers given her market segment? (I don’t have a specific budget from her but would imagine she wouldn’t want to spend much more than $15k total)

Any other suggestions, besides a Miata?

DISCUSSION (22)

For Sweden > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:29

Pulsar

jkm7680 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:29

Volvo. Tell her to get a Volvo.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:32

I would go with either the Fit or Matrix/Vibe. Both will yield you around 30MPG highway, and they’re very spacious inside with a flat loading surface when the back seats are folded down. The Fits have an additional handy feature where the seat bottoms can fold up, too.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:32

FiST?

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > jkm7680
05/04/2015 at 17:33

Doubt she’d be willing to gamble on maintenance without a warranty on one of those - what does a base wagon go for these days off the lot?

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
05/04/2015 at 17:34

Yeah I suggested that - might be a tad too small. But not sure if it’s actually much smaller than a fit volume-wise? Think she’d consider a Focus SE though.

Axial > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:36

Why not a VW Sportwagen TDI?

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Where have all the lightweights gone?
05/04/2015 at 17:37

She’s grown a liking for the Fit and have noticed them around lately and is liking them. I think the Matrix is a good one that’s under the radar for a lot of people too and is basically a corolla drivetrain right? So might be a good cheap buy since it doesnt seem to have as much of a brand following.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:38

Forget the manual and get a Sienna or Odyssey. Seriously. Minivans are some of the most practical vehicles on the road.

jkm7680 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:39

Not actually sure.

GSW is also a good option for her.

SpiroAgnew > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:40

Honda element. No manual but..

Kinja'd!!!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > SpiroAgnew
05/04/2015 at 17:41

pretty sure these DO come in manuals. I’m an advocate for sure.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:42

Brobably

blacktruck18 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:47

Volvo maintenance and reliability isn’t bad at all. Mrs blacktruck has an ‘07 S60 we are the 2nd owners and have ownend it since July of ‘08 we have had to do nothing to it outside of routine stuff. 1 battery, 1 taillight bulb, and front brake pads. That is literally all we have done to it besides fluids.

One more thing about Volvo, this could be the dealerships she has taken it to but I have never once felt like they are trying to screw her over. She has had great experiences everytime she went to one. Hell, they were going to replace her brake pads and not try to get her to do the discs too. To me that says quite a bit about how they treat their female customers.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > blacktruck18
05/04/2015 at 17:50

Definitely sounds like great customer service. I love the brand - will have to do some research and see if it’s within her price range.

SpiroAgnew > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:53

I haven’t seen one in manual, but a quick google says they do. Very cool Cars imo, I sold the few that came on the lot very quickly in my sales days. I think Elements and Cubes are super cool for some reason. Also Elements back seats fold flat then roll up and hook to the ceiling so you could put a small bed in the back.

blacktruck18 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 17:53

Call up a dealership and just ask them what their hourly service rate is. It is not luxury car expensive. They seem to be in line with any of the domestics or Honda, Kia, whatever.

Luxury car experience without the prices.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > SpiroAgnew
05/04/2015 at 17:59

Yeah I have a friend who has one in CO and she has a bed set up in the back and did a long cross country trip in it. It’s super cool in how different it is in a very usable and practical way.

I have a feeling these things have quite a cult following, and will probably hold up in value quite well being a Honda AND such a unique one at that.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 18:00

The Matrix/Pontiac Vibe both use the Corolla drivetrain. They were built at the joint NUMMI plant in California (now owned by Tesla).

SpiroAgnew > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 18:03

Totally agree, I’ve thought of buying one more than once. My friends look at me like I’m insane when I comment on a well maintained Element or cube. Some people hate the looks, if she’s a fan it could be a good choice!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > SpiroAgnew
05/04/2015 at 18:30

In the right trim level they can look great I think. Probably one of those cars I would never actually buy, but totally would if money and garage space weren’t an issue and I could collect “all the random weird cars in the world that other people didn’t care about”.

gas head > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/04/2015 at 22:34

Think twice about the Fit. My wife drives a 2012. In my opinion its one of-no, the most unsafe car I have ever driven. Weak brakes, steering is too touchy, motor is loud and buzzy. Oh, and hope you never have to make an avoidance move at speed.