Small / Mid Sized Sedans

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Anyone have experience with 2017/2018 Honda Civic / Kia Forte / Hyundai Elantra / Mazda 3 / Nissan Sentra / Subaru Impreza or other similar small sedans?

 

Car is going to be for light urban use. Not going to put up a lot of miles but they will be 25-45 MPH urban stop/go traffic. And it's Erie so there's also the winter to contend with

[RaoulDuke79]

If you're dealing with weather, I'd go with a Subaru for the AWD. I had an imprezza for a decade and loved the car, but that was back when they first came out.

Edited August 26, 2017 by RaoulDuke79

[Augie]

I don't have first hand knowledge, but I will admit I was quite surprised by all the Subaru love in another thread. I personally like Toyotas.

[/dev/null]

I don't have first hand knowledge, but I will admit I was quite surprised by all the Subaru love in another thread. I personally like Toyotas.

The car is for my Dad whose 2006 Accord got smashed up pretty bad (he's fine). Insurance company has him in rental Camry but he doesn't like it

[Augie]

The car is for my Dad whose 2006 Accord got smashed up pretty bad (he's fine). Insurance company has him in rental Camry but he doesn't like it

I had a couple Camry's with the latest going to my son. When it came time to replace it they had gotten strangely a little smaller (I think?) and less loveable. I'm in an Avalon now (as my wife had jsut done all the research to get one for her mother), and I LOVE it.

My mom had an Accord when I had a Camry, and hers seemed like a cheap tin can. I like Hondas, but that was an obvious difference. Lightweight doors and just not as substantial as a Toyota, IMO. The CRV's look great though.

 

 

P.S. - Glad your dad is fine! That's the most important thing!

[Yo no se]

Go with the Subaru. Great in winter, the two I've had never let me down.

[zevo]

I just purchased a subaru WRX...absolutely amazing...love the grip of the road...looking forward to winter

[Alaska Darin]

What's the budget?

[thebandit27]

I've had two Elantras in a row.

 

Great cars. Very dependable and a good ride.

[/dev/null]

What's the budget?

$20k area

 

Nothing preferably, he wants the Accord repaired but suspect it's going to be totaled

[LeGOATski]

Mazda 3

 

For urban use, even in weather, you don't need AWD. FWD does just fine. So the AWD factor is neutralized here.

 

Mazdas are great cars and the interior quality of the new 3 is a cut above the rest.

[Alaska Darin]

Used Audi A3 or A4. Should be able to get into one under 30k miles that's no more than a couple years old. Much nicer car and will have lower TCO.

[LeGOATski]

Used Audi A3 or A4. Should be able to get into one under 30k miles that's no more than a couple years old. Much nicer car and will have lower TCO.

How do you figure?

 

Repairs on an Audi will cost more. Plus, they have a turbo.

[Alaska Darin]

How do you figure?

 

Repairs on an Audi will cost more. Plus, they have a turbo.

Consumer reports ranks Audi as the third most reliable brand, just above Mazda and just behind Toyota and Lexus. I like how the Lexus' ride but their sedans are just plain ugly. I keep my cars for at least 10 years and have never had a "repair" that wasn't covered completely by warranty. Generally if you buy a family type care, don't beat the piss out of it, and follow the scheduled maintenance you aren't going to have many problems.

 

The answer to questions like the one posed is never as simple as it seems. It depends on many factors. If you get a CPO used German car with maintenance covered for 4 years and then exchange the car, you're going to end up more satisfied than if you did the same thing with the average U.S. or Japanese manufacturer. It'll most likely be cheaper in that term too because the cars tend to depreciate much less.

[unbillievable]

Consumer reports ranks Audi as the third most reliable brand, just above Mazda and just behind Toyota and Lexus. I like how the Lexus' ride but their sedans are just plain ugly. I keep my cars for at least 10 years and have never had a "repair" that wasn't covered completely by warranty. Generally if you buy a family type care, don't beat the piss out of it, and follow the scheduled maintenance you aren't going to have many problems.

 

The answer to questions like the one posed is never as simple as it seems. It depends on many factors. If you get a CPO used German car with maintenance covered for 4 years and then exchange the car, you're going to end up more satisfied than if you did the same thing with the average U.S. or Japanese manufacturer. It'll most likely be cheaper in that term too because the cars tend to depreciate much less.

 

Never buy a car for the resale value.

 

And how is an Audi in the 20k range?

[WhoTom]

We have a "no frills" Toyota Corolla for daily local driving. (It's American-made, by the way, with mostly US parts. That's important to me.) We're happy with it, even after 8 years and about 90k miles. I have a friend who has the same model - he just rolled his over to 400k miles. (He has a long commute to work.)

[LeGOATski]

Consumer reports ranks Audi as the third most reliable brand, just above Mazda and just behind Toyota and Lexus. I like how the Lexus' ride but their sedans are just plain ugly. I keep my cars for at least 10 years and have never had a "repair" that wasn't covered completely by warranty. Generally if you buy a family type care, don't beat the piss out of it, and follow the scheduled maintenance you aren't going to have many problems.

 

The answer to questions like the one posed is never as simple as it seems. It depends on many factors. If you get a CPO used German car with maintenance covered for 4 years and then exchange the car, you're going to end up more satisfied than if you did the same thing with the average U.S. or Japanese manufacturer. It'll most likely be cheaper in that term too because the cars tend to depreciate much less.

So, you can buy a 2 year old Audi, drive it for 10 years and all your maintenance will be covered by warranty....

 

Maybe I've missed something here, but...how?

 

I see what you're saying on your second point, but you're going to spend more for the car and satisfaction is subjective

[Augie]

We have a "no frills" Toyota Corolla for daily local driving. (It's American-made, by the way, with mostly US parts. That's important to me.) We're happy with it, even after 8 years and about 90k miles. I have a friend who has the same model - he just rolled his over to 400k miles. (He has a long commute to work.)

Toyota makes a very good car at a very fair price.

[Alaska Darin]

So, you can buy a 2 year old Audi, drive it for 10 years and all your maintenance will be covered by warranty....

Maybe I've missed something here, but...how?

 

I didn't say that.

I see what you're saying on your second point, but you're going to spend more for the car and satisfaction is subjective

Initial cost is only a single factor in the total cost of ownership.

And how is an Audi in the 20k range?

There are plenty of Audis, BMWs, and Mercedes-Benz' that are less than 4 years old with under 30k miles in the $20k range. The internet is your friend.

Never buy a car for the resale value.

 

Never use absolutes. I bought a C5 Z06 a few years ago with about 25k for a little over $20k. It was such a good deal, I couldn't pass it up. The car is worth more today than I paid for it. And total cost of ownership all but demands you consider resale value BEFORE you buy a car.

[/dev/null]

Thanks for the input

 

Dad's set on a new car and seems really impressed with the Elantra but is also looking at the Civic. He hasn't check out the Subaru's yet but I've been nudging him to at least give them a test drive.