Current Mood:
Confused
I’m in the market for a new vehicle. Mine is Mellissa’s old one, so I think a fresh start is in order. Also, it’s dying. It can’t idle for a few minutes without blowing blue smoke out the back and it makes “pocketa pocketa” noises. Nobody can do anything for it. It’s a 1997 Toyota Tercel with over 225,000 km on it, so it’s had a good run.
I was thinking about when Puck got his new car and I wondered why he got a hatchback. When I thought about it more I realized that without a trunk it’s much easier to park. Certainly when backing up I have trouble because from the driver’s seat it’s hard to tell how far my bumper is from what’s behind me. If the rear window is at the back it’ll be much easier. That being said, I don’t want less cargo space than if I had a trunk. If it can hold 3 comic longboxes while the back seats are up then I’ll be happy. Also, I don’t want a low car, as I’ve hit my head getting in and out of the Tercel a few times.
So, a hatchback, and I’ll need the following as well:
- Airbags
- ABS (who remembers to pump the brakes when they have to stop suddenly?)
- Air conditioning
- Keyless entry
I’ve got my list down to the following:
- Chevy HHR
- Chrysler PT Cruiser
- Dodge Caliber
- Kia Spectra5
- Mazda 5
- Pontiac Vibe
- Saturn Astra
- Suburu Impreza
- Toyota Matrix
The following were rejected out of hand due to being too small:
- Chevy Aveo
- Honda Civic
- Honda FIT
- Mini Cooper
- Pontiac Wave
- Toyota Yaris
- Volkswagon Golf
- Volkwagon Rabbit
The Mazda 3 looks really nice, but there was a news story on a flaw where if you pushed hard on the locked door it would just pop open. They’ve fixed it, but I’m seeing Mazda 3’s all around town with dents on the doors because the criminals know about it too.
The Ford Focus…well, it’s a Ford. ’nuff said.
The VW Jetta wagon and Toyota Prius start at $30K, half again as much as some of the ones I’ve already priced, so they’re out.
Are there any that I’ve missed?
Yeah, the hatchback (Kia Spectra5) was definitely the way to go. We’ve been very happy with our purchase.
We tried quite a few in the Kia’s class when we were looking at cars. Honda also had a similar model — Honda actually owns Kia and the back of the vehicle was identical — but now they have the new “Honda Fit” which seems to be smaller. I think the main points were the Kia had a 5 year warranty and we didn’t want to be paying off a car for 5 years and not have it always covered, and that the Kia just felt better driving. Our 2nd choice was the Mazda, though it was a bit more expensive and we couldn’t figure out why.
Kia is a great bang for the buck. And by the way, Hyundai owns Kia, not Honda. I personally am strongly considering the HHR. The handling, mileage, and cargo space were my biggest concerns and combined with the aesthetics, I hold the HHR in top place. If blind spots are one of your concerns, I’m not sure the HHR is the best in it’s class. I believe the Kia has the better warranty as well (only for the FIRST owner).