The Evolution of Vehicular Needs

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Good afternoon (ladies? &) Gentlemen,

I am in the middle of my "out of the Navy" road trip across America, towing my 22 foot travel trailer with my 1996 big block Suburban. When I return from my trip (back to Houston, TX) I will start law school, complete with a 40 mile per day commute.

Obviously the 10 mpg 454 won't work for me...even with GI Bill benefits and a wife that works (she paints wonderful pet portraits if anyone is in the market...let me know!) the finances just can't support the mileage penalty or relative lack of reliability.

I'm looking to spend $15k or less on a new, full warranty commuter car for me. I have looked at quite a few and would love input and suggestions. I've ruled out the Sonic and Spark, the Focus and Fiesta, and the Mazda 2. I have driven/sat in the Accent Hatch (and really liked the look, drive, interior size, etc). Anything else I should be considering? It seems like the Fit and Yaris are out of my price range, and I'd prefer new for long-term peace of mind and complete warranty during my 3 years at school.

Thanks guys!
 
Great question highlighting my mediocre post!

I'd prefer a hatchback or wagon for the occasional time my wife (who works with large canvasses) would need to haul "stuff". The Chevrolet options (my first choice, generally) seemed to be poorly built and weirdly packaged compared to the Hyundais and Fords I checked out. They just didn't "feel good".

The Fiesta and Focus aren't appealing to me visually, and my wife used her veto power to say she didn't like the idea of a turbo engine or the "fish mouth". Yes dear. Though I tend to agree with her on both.


What I like: I enjoy fun driving dynamics, but not at the expense of economically getting me through law school or borrowing a different vehicle to carry a reasonable amount of dog or cargo. The Accent with the 6mt seemed like an enjoyable everyday driver. It certainly doesn't match my previously-owned lowered, modified Mini Cooper S for dynamic delights, but I expect the Hyundai would also start every time I wanted it to.

I want a practical, economical daily driver that won't make me feel like an appliance-piloting loser every day.
 
Additionally, I plan on keeping this vehicle for a minimum of 3 years, and more like 5-7 years until finances stabilize after school, careers are locked in, babies are had, and homes are bought.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Versa sedan with manual (stay away from CVT)?


While I would say Chevy and Nissan/Infiniti are my go-to brands, I don't like the latest crop of Nissan autos. They seem a step behind. I looked in a Versa Note but was put off that you couldn't get a manual with any other options, basically. I still want a few creature comforts with my shoebox!
 
Originally Posted By: BowNisPar
Great question highlighting my mediocre post!

I'd prefer a hatchback or wagon for the occasional time my wife (who works with large canvasses) would need to haul "stuff". The Chevrolet options (my first choice, generally) seemed to be poorly built and weirdly packaged compared to the Hyundais and Fords I checked out. They just didn't "feel good".

The Fiesta and Focus aren't appealing to me visually, and my wife used her veto power to say she didn't like the idea of a turbo engine or the "fish mouth". Yes dear. Though I tend to agree with her on both.


What I like: I enjoy fun driving dynamics, but not at the expense of economically getting me through law school or borrowing a different vehicle to carry a reasonable amount of dog or cargo. The Accent with the 6mt seemed like an enjoyable everyday driver. It certainly doesn't match my previously-owned lowered, modified Mini Cooper S for dynamic delights, but I expect the Hyundai would also start every time I wanted it to.

I want a practical, economical daily driver that won't make me feel like an appliance-piloting loser every day.

Used Mazda 3 manual?
 
Originally Posted By: BowNisPar
Additionally, I plan on keeping this vehicle for a minimum of 3 years, and more like 5-7 years until finances stabilize after school, careers are locked in, babies are had, and homes are bought.


Then used might be a better option.

You might be able to get a CPO Yaris, with the same or better warranty, and Toyotas last a long time.

The only other sub-15k new cars are the stupid smart car, and the Mirage. Maybe a Rio.
 
Originally Posted By: mcrn
What about a certified pre owned with full warranty?


I wouldn't be opposed, but it seems like the prices on the used economically-minded autos are pretty close to new. I just checked out Mazda 3 hatch prices on Autotrader for my area. They are very nice looking, and it looks like one in my range is an '11-'13 with between 20k-50k miles. What I don't know enough about is if a 3 year old Mazda3 hatch is better than a new Accent hatch (or something else I've not considered)
 
Just to add to the discussion, I have access to USAA TrueCar buying service, so it seems like (generally) 3-5k off of MSRP. As my most recent example, an Accent 5 door Sport with an MSRP of $17.5k has an available price of around $14k. A local dealer has said they do TrueCar minus 1k, so that particular car would be approximately $13k.

I do like the Mazda3 hatchback, a model I haven't considered previously. Time to check out a few dealer websites!

Slacktide: Regarding the Yaris: I like the general look inside and out, but I don't think I like it more than a few others I've considered. What makes you recommend it?
 
Spark was just too small inside and didn't seem nicely made to me. It was the cheapest I've looked at, and I'd rather eat ramen for a few meals a week and get a slightly nicer car. For not much more $, the competition is pretty fierce.

The Sonic didn't make me excited. I think it is kind of ugly, so it has to be great elsewhere to change my mind, and I don't think it is. Hard to specifically identify, but shallow-me points to looks primarily. Plus I didn't think the interior was as nice as the Fords or Hyundais.

Once wildcard I haven't looked at yet is Kia. Any inputs from the BITOGers?
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
How about a new Corolla?


Another one I've considered but seems just out of my price range. Pretty nice, good reviews, but I'd really prefer a hatchback if possible. If they made a Corolla wagon/hatch it would be in contention for sure.
 
If you appreciate good dynamics, you'll probably hate a Corolla.

Actually, that reminds me of another option: '06-'11 Civic Si. No hatchback available, but it's reliable and economical, and it has just about the best driving dynamics you can get in this segment.

Barring that, the Mazda 3 is probably the best choice.
 
40miles a day? 10k per year? I'm not sure the gas savings is there. Just to play devils advocate here. You have a backup vehicle, so can you make by with a lesser (cheaper) car?

What kind of commute? all 40 on highway, or stop n go?
 
Originally Posted By: supton
40miles a day? 10k per year? I'm not sure the gas savings is there. Just to play devils advocate here. You have a backup vehicle, so can you make by with a lesser (cheaper) car?

What kind of commute? all 40 on highway, or stop n go?


Here is my math, excluding maintenance costs:

I estimate 12k miles a year I will drive...likely more, but I want to be conservative.

12,000/10 mpg = 1200 gallons per year. At $3, I'm at $3600 per year.

12,000/35 mpg = 342 gallons per year. At $3, I'm at $1050 per year.

Over my 3 years of school just in gasoline, I'm saving $7,650.

The 20 year old Suburban has not been a reliable vehicle. I do my best to keep up with preventatives, but a lot of it is unpredictable. I've probably put $3k in repairs over the last 2 years, and at 136k miles, I expect more.

I'm wanting something supremely reliable and completely stress-free. Driving 40 miles a day in Houston traffic in a 20 year old suburban will prove to be neither.

My wife and I have talked about a cheaper car, but we've saved over the last 8 years and want to get something without reliability concern. She needs her car (the Infiniti in my signature) for close to the same amount of driving I need per day.
 
I totally hear you--my Jetta has become my backup car to... two very reliable cars? does not make sense for my case, yet I am not going to start driving my 19mpg truck 30k per year. For me, a cheap well used car would make sense, as I have a good reliable backup--but at some point repairs and headache outweigh a cheap but unreliable car.

Just making the case for more used, but like you, I'd rather pay extra and stave off the expected repairs for as long as possible.
 
I'd quite honestly try to stretch the budget to $17-18k if it's at all doable. That will open up a lot more new options.

What about a Mitsubishi Mirage?
 
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