Current Mood:
Confused
I went and test drove a Mazda 5. It has all the amenities of a minivan but drives like a large car. Very roomy and peppy.
The only drawbacks are that it’s the most expensive of the remaining vehicles on my list, the mileage is worst for highway and second-worst for city, and the engine is a bit loud…the latter two things part of the whole “zoom zoom” image Mazda is trying to project. It is a peppy vehicle, and I liked the rain-sensing wipers, but…not enough.
| Company | Model | Base Price | Config. Price | Monthly | City Mileage | Hwy Mileage | Perks | |
| Chevrolet | HHR | $19,855.00 | $23,605.00 | $346.00 | 10.4 L/100 km | 6.8 L/100 km | Side airbags, iPod control | |
| Dodge | Caliber | $16,245.00 | $17,895.00 | $277.00 | 8.5 L/100 km | 6.8 L/100 km | Beverage cooler, luminescent drink holders | |
| Kia | Spectra5 LX Convenience | $19,895.00 | $21,350.00 | $281.14 | 8.6 L/100 km | 6.2 L/100 km | ||
| $20,795.00 | $23,184.95 | $362.44 | 9.6 L/100 km | 7.1 L/100 km | 6 seats, rain-sensing wipers, sliding doors | |||
| Pontiac | Vibe | $19,210.00 | $23,440.00 | $302.00 | 8.2 L/100 km | 6.3 L/100 km | ||
| Saturn | Astra | $17,900.00 | $21,700.00 | $293.00 | 8.5 L/100 km | 6.4 L/100 km | 6 airbags, rain-sensing wipers, 1 year OnStar |
I also dropped by Saturn in Langley on Sunday and…found it closed. No sale for you! I still want to test drive the Astra so I’ll be going to the Richmond Saturn, which is open on Sundays.
I Found this Blog trying to start my car shopping research. You bypassed my process and got me straight to the shortlist THANKS!
The prices you quoted…what kind of terms? How long? Lease or buy?
Thanks for answering!
Caz in Montreal
Since my old car was dying and I’m paying child support every month I needed the smallest monthly charge possible, so the prices I quoted were the least expensive I could find on each company’s term calculator…the longest term (generally 5 years), and most likely a lease.