7-1 update...Focus Bought!

[vi edit]

Considering a 3rd car to spread out miles, give me a much more economical beater than my 22MPG average I'm getting from my van, and also get something a little more funky and fun to drive. We've put almost 50,000 miles(combined) on our two cars in the last two years. Hoping to have a third to spread the love and keep my fleet a little younger, longer.

Looking at the little Sonic hatchbacks. In the LTZ trim with the 6spd manual 1.4 turbo they are pulling close to 40MPG on regular gas. No premium needed. The seem like spunky little cars that are fairly fun to drive and offer a nice combo of economy, function, and fun. It hits most of the important checkboxes.

Local dealer has a 2012 w/ 21k miles on it that I think I could get for around $15.5k. A brand new one can be had for around $18k. Not a huge savings, but a savings none the less.

Reviews on most sites seem good. Owner reviews seem to be mostly positive, especially in this particular configuration. I'd rather have a GTI, but the little Sonics are about $5-10k cheaper depending on options/year and get a lot better economy and don't require premium.

I want to like the Focus but it's virtually impossible to find a manual, SE hatch that isn't a $25k+ ST. And I don't really care for the Fiesta or Mazda 2.

***6/26/13 Update***

Change of plans. Getting some pretty incredible pricing quotes back on 2013 Focus Hatchbacks. Looking at a Ruby Red SE w/ winter package and the leather package for right around $20k out the door. The Focus is better equipped than about anything else (new) that I've looked at in that price range, has decent (although not great) fit and finish. And it drives great. I'm amazed the most at how quiet the interior is. I'd be grabbing a manual transmission because I want a more entertaining drive and because that Powershift auto in there is a pile of shit. Drove one of them today just to get another spin around town to see how it felt and they put me in an auto one. The delay in how it responds from a stop is not only infuriating, but also a terrible safety hazard. Manual transmission is the only way to fly in these things.

My only real complaints with the car are the back seat being terribly snug, but it's doable for as often as I'd have my kids back there and the base sound system is pretty crappy. Not real impressed with that and by most accounts the $1500 step up to the Sony bundled with MFT is definitely not worth it. It's supposed to be pretty painful to upgrade aftermarket too.

Tempted to sign papers, but also gunshy. There's a pile of awesome cars out & coming out soon but I'm kinda scared with some of the new tech and features going into them. Long term DSG reliability and costs scare me. Added complexity of a turbo. Sludge issues with direct injected gas. The crazy engineering that goes into engines like Mazda's Skyactiv, ect. There's a bit of an allure to the fairly basic 2.0L mated to a simple 5 speed manual transmission in the Focus that is comforting. It seems like a decent combo of economy and enough spunk to get out of it's own way (0-60 in under 8 seconds by most autorags).

7-1-13: Focus Aquired!

Couldn't pass up the $5,000 in savings on these things going on right now. It's got about every option I'd want in a car (other than the "more power!" one) and is a great combo of fun, functional, and economical. Also gets lot's of looks . Price was a little under $19k + TTL. Ruby Red, 201a leather pack, winter package, and machined wheels.

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e46bb480e134a82a#cid=E46BB480E134A82A&id=E46BB480E134A82A%214218

Will likely be adding a tint at some point.

Back into a manual rower again:
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=E46BB480E134A82A&id=E46BB480E134A82A!4219

Sorry for the crappy pics...it's been raining almost all weekend.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Fit?

 

[vi edit]

Fit?

My Dad has one. Sonic is punchier, more refined, gets better milage and optioned a little more interesting. Fit is due for a refresh to get it up to snuff with the rest of the class. It still offers some of the more flexible storage options.

 

[NutBucket]

Sounds like fun to me. I would definitely be looking at the Sonic if I was in the market for a small car.

Honda is officially complacent with the Fit...but then again they have a history of complacency.

 

[smackababy]

My girlfriend has one (not in that configuration) and she loves it. It has a decent amount of room for how small it is but it doesn't have too much get up and go. I am sure the one you're talking about would drive a lot better though.

 

[Vic Vega]

A coworker has one as a commuter, he seems to like it. I rode in it, pretty nice little car actually.

 

[vi edit]

I'd love to look into the "RS" trim as the little extra bling looks kinda fun. But the gearing changeup takes the highway MPG from 40 down to 34

Kind of unfortunate because you don't get any extra power in that trim, just a bit tighter ratios between gear to keep that tiny turbo on boil a little bit more.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

The fit storage keeps me from having to drive my truck around most of the time. It wouldn't do me much good to have a tiny car that is good just for taking me from point a to b. The mileage is a little lower than the other offerings but then again its got more storage room/size so something has to give. I think not having to break out the big vehicles would probably even out the lower mpg over the long haul. The other small cars I drove were much too small for me. I didn't get the same impression with the fit which would also factor in when you decide which vehicle you're taking that day. Also visibility is insane on the fit. It's like looking out of a glass bubble which is awesome when vacationing. I like to take in all the scenes of wherever I'm visiting.
It's my vacation car. Great visibility, good mpg, plenty of room for all the luggage and what not. Folding seats so my ice chest can sit right behind us for a snack on the road.

 

[iamwiz82]

I show 35MPG for LTZ and 34 for RS. Fuelly doesn't really give us any clue because there is no breakdown by engine model (other than cylinder/fuel) and submodel.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Sounds like fun to me. I would definitely be looking at the Sonic if I was in the market for a small car.

Honda is officially complacent with the Fit...but then again they have a history of complacency.

Try driving the small vehicles before throwing out cliches. Honda isnt a numbers stat winner. It absolutely wins in real life driving and usability. I tried them all. The honda was a step above. Try reading the reviews and you'll see the fits are number 1 or 2 in all the small car shootouts.

 

[iamwiz82]

Try driving the small vehicles before throwing out cliches. Honda isnt a numbers stat winner. It absolutely wins in real life driving and usability. I tried them all. The honda was a step above. Try reading the reviews and you'll see the fits are number 1 or 2 in all the small car shootouts.

As always you sound quite impartial. :thumbsup:

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

As always you sound quite impartial. :thumbsup:

I just bought the damn fit 2 months ago. I am very confident in what I say cause I just researched the small car market thoroughly and ended up with the fit.
I can say with confidence it is the best small car on the market.

 

[vi edit]

I show 35MPG for LTZ and 34 for RS. Fuelly doesn't really give us any clue because there is no breakdown by engine model (other than cylinder/fuel) and submodel.

LTZ is standard with the 1.8 which is less efficient than the 1.4t. That's an option you can add to that trim. The 1.8 gets 35MPG, the 1.4t gets 40MPG and is more peppy. Double win!

 

[Jimzz]

Try driving the small vehicles before throwing out cliches. Honda isnt a numbers stat winner. It absolutely wins in real life driving and usability. I tried them all. The honda was a step above. Try reading the reviews and you'll see the fits are number 1 or 2 in all the small car shootouts.

Looks like a fanboy got his panties in a twist.

 

[NutBucket]

Try driving the small vehicles before throwing out cliches. Honda isnt a numbers stat winner. It absolutely wins in real life driving and usability. I tried them all. The honda was a step above. Try reading the reviews and you'll see the fits are number 1 or 2 in all the small car shootouts.

I know about small cars. I have a Honda CR-Z. Its one of the least practical small cars on the market but I love the thing. Cheap to run, 40mpg and is actually pretty fun to drive.

I'm not suggesting the Sonic is absolutely better than the Fit but it certainly looks better on paper plus its EASY to make more power with the turbo motor.

 

[vi edit]

I'm not suggesting the Sonic is absolutely better than the Fit but it certainly looks better on paper plus its EASY to make more power with the turbo motor.

Do you know of any reputable tunes for the 1.4t?

 

[Viper GTS]

Have you driven it yet? Granted you are comparing it to a van but I didn't think it lived up to its promise of fun to drive.

I really disliked the high seating, felt like driving while sitting on a bar stool. It's probably relatively normal for the segment but just felt really wrong to me.

How's your daily commute? The Fit EV and Leaf lease deals are really intriguing to me if you can deal with the ~80 mile ranges. The math gets very interesting if you have much of a commute at all, particularly on the Fit with the unlimited miles.

I know you are pretty rural though so that may not work for you.

The CR-Z, by the way, was a lot of fun to drive - far more so than the Sonic. I very nearly bought one. It just feels infinitely sportier even if it's not very powerful or fast.

Viper GTS

 

[NutBucket]

vi, I believe the company that you want to look at for tunes is Trifecta. I think they're hitting almost 200hp without changing any parts? Not 100% sure on that one.

Viper, I believe basically any B-car is going to have a fairly upright seating position. You just cram 5 people into a short car without it. Can't comment on the sportyness of the Sonic. Magazines and other reviewers seem to like it.

 

[IGemini]

I got to drive every Sonic trim as a swap driver in the last year or two. The shifting feels sluggish compared to their other models, but the LTZ manuals weren't as bad. "Fun to drive" is subjective since I don't particularly enjoy driving stick, but modern GM clutches tend to have virtually nonexistent friction points and that's what I learned on. If you haven't test-driven one yet, go for it and see how it works for you.

 

[xanis]

I have an LTZ hatchback, but with the 1.8L and an auto. The automatic transmission that they stuck in this thing is pretty bad, and I regret not getting the manual trans. It seems to have plenty of pep, though, so it's all good. I'm getting about 26 city/30 highway currently.

EDIT: Just saw you're thinking about a used. There were a couple of recall items on the '12s, so make sure you check on that.

 

[leper84]

Given no choice of a fiesta, I would personally buy a complacent, stagnant Fit over a Sonic any day...

 

[NutBucket]

Because....?

 

[MixMasterTang]

I have a Chevy Cruze Eco with the 1.4l and 6-speed (which is geared slightly different). It has a decent amount of pickup but can be sluggish when the A/C is on forcing you to rev it a little higher than normal to compensate. Overall I do like it and the Manual transmission is one of the better I have driven overall and probably the best out of any economy car that I've driven.

 

[vi edit]

I'm not too worried about a few cubes of storage between the fit & the sonic. The only thing it needs to be big enough for is to get some booster seats in the back for my kids to use on occasion. I've got my van for anything of significant size.

And the kid thing nixes the idea of a CR-Z. No back seat is a no go.

I would love to have an EV as they are perfect for 95% of my driving. But the Fit EV isn't available in Illinois. And the Volt while very cool and intriguing is just too much money down for what I want. Leasing is off the table in IL. IL is a shitty state to lease in as you pay tax on the full MSRP of the vehicle. So best case in the Volt I'm paying sales tax on $33k which is over $2000, plus a $2600 down payment. That's already 1/3 the cost of the sale price of a used Sonic. Math just isn't there.

 

[MixMasterTang]

I'm not too worried about a few cubes of storage between the fit & the sonic. The only thing it needs to be big enough for is to get some booster seats in the back for my kids to use on occasion. I've got my van for anything of significant size.

And the kid thing nixes the idea of a CR-Z. No back seat is a no go.

I would love to have an EV as they are perfect for 95% of my driving. But the Fit EV isn't available in Illinois. And the Volt while very cool and intriguing is just too much money down for what I want. Leasing is off the table in IL. IL is a shitty state to lease in as you pay tax on the full MSRP of the vehicle. So best case in the Volt I'm paying sales tax on $33k which is over $2000, plus a $2600 down payment. That's already 1/3 the cost of the sale price of a used Sonic. Math just isn't there.

Have you looked into the Illinois tax credit for electric vehicles? With up to 4000 locally, 7500 federally and 5000 cash incentives from GM it brings the total down to a reasonable amount (but yeah the up front sales tax will be double or triple what a sonic would be).