a hybrid (and gas isn't going to be getting cheaper anytime soon)

Maybe next time. Don't have the money up front this time.

Well, my wife and I have a Focus ZX3 we bought in 2001 and still love it, if that means anything. It's much roomier than it looks inside (my relatively-tall wife loves the fact that the seats are roomy enough for her, and she has a good view of the road without having to climb down into the car), and we've had no major problems with it (although I understand there have been some problems in the Focus line from Consumer Reports). Mileage has been great. If only it were a hybrid (as amberglow notes) but I don't personally think that's a viable option yet - still too expensive, and definitely still unreliable (on the whole).

Like you said.

Me, I love my Prius. Hybrid. Good gas mileage. Great, great, great no/low emissions factor. and simply a cool car.

1994-98 Ford Crown Victoria.

Balance size versus mileage versus purchase price and the Crown Vic is so far in front it's not even worth calculating.

And this comes from someone who transports the family (three teenagers all 6' or above [including the 13-year-old daughter]) in a '98 Windstar V6.

Get the Crown Vic, or a couple-years-older Lincoln Town Car.

the first one if i had to pick
which it seems like you're leaning toward
and i'd apologize to me and not the chicken

ethylene- not sure which way I'm leaning. I can rearrange my selection criteria very slightly and the whole order of the list changes. In fact, I've been doing that for several weeks now. My early favorite was the xA, but I decided it really was too small. I loved the way the Reno drove but it seems kind of risky as it is a new model, sold by Suzuki, made by the formerly bankrupt and now GM-owned Daewoo. (My Aspire is Korean, so that part doesn't really scare me.) Elantra is a solid choice but not very exciting; the Ford is even less exciting to me although it's probably a good car. The Aerio SX is awesome in terms of room, feature content and acceleration (155 hp is highest on that list), but the outside styling is well.... you know... kinda weird. Spectra5 is similar to the Elantra mechanically (Hyundai owns Kia), but the ride is a little harsher even if the styling is cooler.

I really have no clue which one I will buy. I have 1-4 months to decide (after my son leaves for college but before he gets home for Christmas; during that time I'll sell my Aspire and drive his car until my purchase).

*high fives fellow Prius owner mmahaffie*

Kia cars routinely get the lowest crash safety scores, particularly the Spectra, so I'd steer clear of it. My vote would go to the Elantra.

The advice my car nut uncle gave me was that the best time to buy a car is the last week of January -- it's the slowest month of the year for dealers, and they'll be hungry for their commission check.

A used Toyota in good shape. Buying new cars is expensive as hell.

The Kia or the Hyundai will give you a nice long warranty, which you will find useful necessary if you buy either.

If it was me (which it isn't) and I had come up with the same short list (which I wouldn't) I would go for the Focus. They have a good world-wide repuation and that is hard to do unless the car is really good. Suzuki make very good, cool cars and that would be my second choice, or maybe my first depending on mood at the time.

Disclaimer: I am from the other side of the world and my local conditions may be very different from yours.

In Texas? Get a white one, whichever you choose. Saves gas.

The Kia or the Hyundai will give you a nice long warranty, which you will find useful necessary if you buy either.

My Kia-built Ford Aspire (aka Kia Avella, an update of the Kia Pride) has had less than $1000 in non-scheduled repairs over ten years of service (couple of minor transmission problems and some front end work). I realize this is probably atypically good for this model, but I also think poor reliability is due to the fact that Kia and Hyundai are often "bottom feeders"; people who buy them do so because they're cheap, then do not maintain them properly.

Suzuki make very good, cool cars and that would be my second choice, or maybe my first depending on mood at the time.

Are you familiar with the Reno? I believe it may be sold as the hatch version of the Chevrolet Optra, Daewoo Lacetti, and Buick Excelle in other parts of the world. It's not really a Suzuki. It's sold under that nameplate in the states, but it's designed and manufactured by GM-Daewoo in South Korea. I got behind the wheel expecting a low-end car and was kind of shocked at the level of refinement inside as well as how smooth the ride was.

Dookickie
I just got the Elantra 5 door, it's nice. The styling is pretty appealing actually, hella Saab-ish (if you like that). It's got a bunch of blind spots though, and it is underpowered even for its size. It's on the smallish side, but the warranty is just amazing and its got side impact air bags standard, which is very good. It feels pretty safe, subjectivly. Easy to park in the city if that matters. I had a '93 Nissan Maxima before that, which was on its last legs, but switching from it's strong ass V6 and excellent handling has been a bit hard.


I like the car overall. Plus NEW CAR SMELL, air conditioning and a working radio rock my socks.

I think Hyundai is making a serious move to take on Honda and Toyota and taking the quality of their cars very seriously. Suzuki and Kia are off brands and should be avoided. Do not buy a Ford for the love of god.

Doohickie
Rereading your origional question, the Elantra is kind of small, at 6'1" I am every so slightly uncomfortable (my 5'4" fiance is the primary driver), I don't mind so much. The trunk is smallish.

My Matrix would do exactly what you want, and Pontiac is deeply discounting the Vibe right now. You could do worse that take one for a drive.

Divine Wino: I'm driving a Ford Aspire now; the Elantra is significantly bigger in comparison.

bonehead: I took both the Matrix and Vibe out for test drives. The Vibe drive was during a rainstorm, so maybe it wasn't the best time to try it. I liked the Matrix at first, but then I hit some washboard and the up-and-down motion of the road surface translated into a forward-and-backward motion at the seat, not unlike a truck, SUV or minivan. As a small car guy, I really hate that. I agree the Matrix/Vibe provides a lot of room in a small package for a reasonable price, but I really don't like that truck-like ride. Thanks for the tip, though.

double post


ban doohickie TIA.

I also think poor reliability is due to the fact that Kia and Hyundai are often "bottom feeders"; people who buy them do so because they're cheap, then do not maintain them properly.
That may be true and had not occured to me. It could also be that the roads here are often not of the same standard as those in the US and the distances that people drive tend to be high, which contribute to the problem. It tends to be that imported cars do not have the same lifespan as cars that are designed and/or built in Australia, because of the tough conditions.

I have never heard of the Suzuki Reno, but the Daewoo Lacetti is sold here and that is one ugly, ugly car, as are most Daewoos, except the Lantra. I would not buy a Daewoo even with someone else's money - they have a very bad reputation for short life here and the resale values suck accordingly.

Buy the Focus.

Thanks, dg. I've been looking for the honest scoop on Daewoo for a while, and I think the Aussie perspective may be best (since they are not too popular here). I like the look of the Reno, which is a 5-door hatchback and has a different grill than the Lacetti sedan or wagon (the Lacetti sedan and wagon are known as the Suzuki Forenza here).

Wedge: MoFi doesn't count. ;- P

screw you and wedge
mofi not only counts but juggles
and where's the viewropa links?

Great. I've stepped in it now. Okay, so it's a double post from MoFi. Sorry.

Now back to the discussion. So, dg, the Lacetti has a bad reputation in Oz, huh? Too bad. I know you say it's ugly, but I kind of like the lines. It is underpowered and gets bad mileage compared to the competition; I'll grant that.

But there was just an intangible hook that grabbed me when I drove the car. It had a very smooth ride, as if it were a much larger car, and a very upscale interior. If it were, say, a Ford, a Toyota, or even a "real" (Japanese-built) Suzuki, I would buy the car in a heartbeat. As it is, it is kind of a crap shoot. Daewoo went bankrupt, sold the plant to GM and now GM is trying to salvage the operation, with eyes on selling the resulting cars to the Chinese market as the Buick Excelle.

What does that mean to the American version of the car? I wish I knew.

Well, ugly is in the eye of the beholder, of course.

I would be wary of that fancy interior - one of the areas that Daewoo, Hyundai and Kia seem to be prone to is bits breaking and falling off the interior - switches, knobs, bits of trim etc. The fancy-looking stuff ain't so fancy when it's floating around on the carpet. Again, this could be specific to our market because of the general tendency here to drive fast on poor roads.

Try looking around at the secod-hand market if you can, to see what the cars look like after a few years. Shopping mall car parks are a good place to check out how "real cars" fare when they are in the wild. Just try not to look too suspicious or leave your bag anywhere ;-)

Buy the Focus.