Hatchback recommendation?

[NutBucket]

As long as they're forward facing

 

[Ryland]

As long as they're forward facing

Hmm...I had a mazda Tribute when he was backwards facing so you might have a point.

 

[slackerinabox]

The Mazda5 is not only shorter than other minivans but also narrower, by about 8-10 inches, but only two people can fit in each row of seats. The third row is cramped for non-short adults, as is access to it, but you can also enter the third row between the two seats of the middle row.

I know, it seems very tempting but the crash test ratings are pretty dismal so I"m moving on.

Test driving a few VW's (2011 jetta sportswagen, 2012 passat wagon), mostly because the resale values seem pretty low so it'll be a cheap acquisition, and after a few years we'll trade up. If the VWs suck then we'll try some of the suggestions here, the mazda 3 wagon might be perfect

 

[Zor Prime]

Love my CT200h. It's about as plush as you're gonna get in a hatchback and holds corners really well when you want to fly around them at speed. But it's not gonna win any stoplight races, it does have Prius internals, but Toyota did well with the sport mode programming. One of the reasons I bought it was that it does have Prius internals -- reliable, good MPG, and damn it looks nice.

 

[NutBucket]

If they built a CT200t (with the 2.0 turbo motor) I might be tripping over myself to get to the dealer!

 

[slackerinabox]

Love my CT200h. It's about as plush as you're gonna get in a hatchback and holds corners really well when you want to fly around them at speed. But it's not gonna win any stoplight races, it does have Prius internals, but Toyota did well with the sport mode programming. One of the reasons I bought it was that it does have Prius internals -- reliable, good MPG, and damn it looks nice.

You know, I've seen very affordable Prius- what's the deal with used ones? Does the battery stop holding a charge after a certain amount of time? Also, it never needs to be plugged in, right? City dweller so no easy to access outlets

 

[Ryland]

You know, I've seen very affordable Prius- what's the deal with used ones? Does the battery stop holding a charge after a certain amount of time? Also, it never needs to be plugged in, right? City dweller so no easy to access outlets

Standard Prius' are hybrids meaning that they can use gasoline to recharge the batteries. From what I have been told from a mechanic I know, Prius are great until you have an issue then they become expensive to fix. A customer of his supposedly had to pay $8,000 to replace a battery pack with technician time and having to swap out a related computer. I was looking at a Prius four until I found out about that.

 

[NutBucket]

Generally speaking the Prius is very reliable and the battery easily lasts a few hundred thousand miles. Plus, only a fool pays for a new pack. Rebuilt are just as good and a fraction the price.

 

[slackerinabox]

Generally speaking the Prius is very reliable and the battery easily lasts a few hundred thousand miles. Plus, only a fool pays for a new pack. Rebuilt are just as good and a fraction the price.

Groovy- I'm obviously a car noob - since prius' are relatively new tech, would your average auto shop be able to fix things, or are hybrids typically dealer only repairs? That could get expensive. Also, like aftermarket laptop batteries, is their a chance aftermarket prius cells could be a safety concern? You're right, rebuilt ones are all sub-$1k on ebay, which is completely reasonable.

 

[NutBucket]

To rebuild a pack they pull it apart and test the cells. Defective cells are replaced and the pack is reassembled. There are literally hundreds of cells that make up the pack. It's really not comparable to an aftermarket laptop battery since everything else is oem.

 

[desura]

Ford C-Max here.

It meets all of your conditions and is a hybrid so it gets about 40mpg.

Cheaper for the mileage/year than the Prius as well.

 

[desura]

FYI, if you look on ebay under "prius battery" there are advertised services which will sell you the battery + installation for around $1100.

 

[gus6464]

Mazda 3 hatch trunk space is tiny. My Prius has more than double the amount of room. I have loaded a big ass Bob plus grocery runs from costco and trader joe's in one go in my Prius. A 3 would never be able to fit all that.

Also the Prius is one of the most reliable cars you can buy period.

 

[Midwayman]

http://autoweek.com/article/paris-motor-show/porsche-panamera-wagon-coming-stateside-after-all

This one.

 

[Brian Stirling]

You've won the thread so far. Being that it's discontinued the prices out there for it are killer deals. I can get a 2011 so far below my budget that I won't have to get rid of the minivan (which may be dull but I've pimped out very much to my liking, apple carplay HU and invisible subs including). It's twin is a pontiac vibe, right? Would you think the fit and finish of the vibe is more GM or Toyota influenced? I owned a GM suv and it's full of misaligned plastic and rough surfaces, something my korean cheap car avoided surprisingly.

I also had a Toyota Matrix and I have to say the quality was not what I'd come to expect from Toyota. The front undercar body panels in particular loved to unsnap from the fasteners -- really bad in my book. But it did get pretty good mpg though it did so with a pretty weak engine at less than 130hp. My Focus crushes it easily!


Brian

 

[heymrdj]

I also had a Toyota Matrix and I have to say the quality was not what I'd come to expect from Toyota. The front undercar body panels in particular loved to unsnap from the fasteners -- really bad in my book. But it did get pretty good mpg though it did so with a pretty weak engine at less than 130hp. My Focus crushes it easily!


Brian

Our 2012 Yaris at work does the same with the front bumper. They just replaced fasteners at the dealer.

 

[Leyawiin]

I have two (yep, two) 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS that I bought new in 2011. Absolutely been bullet-proof. The only problem they've had (and it affected both) was the CD player stopped working. That's the only warranty repair either has had in five years of driving. Plus they look good - one of the better looking hatchbacks at the time. I think Mitsu imported them until 2014, but they're pretty rare. I got them cheap and they've been 100% worth it. Oh, I'm 6' 4" and fit fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRqB79Hu53U

Kind of a "meh" response from these guys, but this was new car review. Used they absolutely fit your budget and from personal experience I can say you can just drive and drive one with little fuss or worry. I've never had such reliable cars (and have owned Mazdas and Toyotas).

 

[slackerinabox]

I have two (yep, two) 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS that I bought new in 2011. Absolutely been bullet-proof. The only problem they've had (and it affected both) was the CD player stopped working. That's the only warranty repair either has had in five years of driving. Plus they look good - one of the better looking hatchbacks at the time. I think Mitsu imported them until 2014, but they're pretty rare. I got them cheap and they've been 100% worth it. Oh, I'm 6' 4" and fit fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRqB79Hu53U

Kind of a "meh" response from these guys, but this was new car review. Used they absolutely fit your budget and from personal experience I can say you can just drive and drive one with little fuss or worry. I've never had such reliable cars (and have owned Mazdas and Toyotas).

Appreciate the post - I've seen a few pop up and they're handsome cars. Will check one out!

 

[bamx2]

I just purchased a well maintained one owner 2005 Toyata Matrix with 120k mi for $4000 (took a while to find) . It is far better quality than a Ford Focus of that vintage ( been there working on my friend's car, some choice words for that one) . Of course if you really desire something new with some pep, a new KIA Soul might be worth a look because of what you get for the $. But for me, this car is good enough. It is a Toyota and and at that price I don't have collision insurance and it would be cheap if wanted it .


Quote:
Originally Posted by slackerinabox
You've won the thread so far. Being that it's discontinued the prices out there for it are killer deals. I can get a 2011 so far below my budget that I won't have to get rid of the minivan (which may be dull but I've pimped out very much to my liking, apple carplay HU and invisible subs including). It's twin is a pontiac vibe, right? Would you think the fit and finish of the vibe is more GM or Toyota influenced? I owned a GM suv and it's full of misaligned plastic and rough surfaces, something my korean cheap car avoided surprisingly.

I also had a Toyota Matrix and I have to say the quality was not what I'd come to expect from Toyota. The front undercar body panels in particular loved to unsnap from the fasteners -- really bad in my book. But it did get pretty good mpg though it did so with a pretty weak engine at less than 130hp. My Focus crushes it easily!

 

[bryanl]

since prius' are relatively new tech, would your average auto shop be able to fix things, or are hybrids typically dealer only repairs?

I wouldn't trust the average shop even with a 1965 Chevy. The hybrid part shouldn't be handled except by a dealer or a Prius specialist.

One common hybrid problem misdiagnosed even by dealers is corroded or loose copper bus bars that connect the small batteries into one big battery: http://99mpg.com/mikestips/cleaningthecorrode/