Minor update: Need suggestions for a new compact/midsize

[Pollock]

So the situation has changed a little. I guess my dad would rather hold off on the SUV. I've also been thinking about midsize sedans - reasonable? Yeah, fuel economy will suffer somewhat, but it'll be a nicer vehicle for not much more money.

I guess this opens it up to the likes of the Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Fusion, Altima, others, in addition to the Civic and Mazda 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: Pollock
So the situation has changed a little. I guess my dad would rather hold off on the SUV. I've also been thinking about midsize sedans - reasonable? Yeah, fuel economy will suffer somewhat, but it'll be a nicer vehicle for not much more money.

I guess this opens it up to the likes of the Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Fusion, Altima, others, in addition to the Civic and Mazda 3.

Thoughts?

You really owe it to yourself to test drive a Fusion SEL with the leather trim. I was very surprised at the quality and handling! The pricing of a used Fusion is also very compelling. If you want new, the 2010 Fusion gets a mild redesign, so haggle hard on new 2009s.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: Pollock
So the situation has changed a little. I guess my dad would rather hold off on the SUV. I've also been thinking about midsize sedans - reasonable? Yeah, fuel economy will suffer somewhat, but it'll be a nicer vehicle for not much more money.

I guess this opens it up to the likes of the Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Fusion, Altima, others, in addition to the Civic and Mazda 3.

Thoughts?

well you have a great list there. i have an 05 accord and its been nothing but perfect for me. engine has been starting the same was, with the same low effort as it did 3.5 years ago when i got it. the interior is innovative and the quality is great. the power is even better, i dont ever have a problem merging in first ahead of cars or passing a car. I've also gotten 34mpg cruising at 60mph.

i also have some modifications to the car:
AEM V2 Cold Air Intake - gives great power and a nice low rumble starting at about 3500rpm and up
AnzoUSA Projectors - about as good as aftermarket projector housing gets.
Lightwerkz 5000 HID - lifetime warranty, comes in a neat little briefcase.
PIAA Foglights - gives me some additional light off to the side when i'm driving up those long dark highways.
Infinity Basslink Subwoofer - not too strong, but enough bass to feel even in my afford.
Hella Twin Tone Horn Kit - to honk the shit out of people that annoy me. like people that cross at red lights.
let me know if you have anymore questions

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: Pollock
So the situation has changed a little. I guess my dad would rather hold off on the SUV. I've also been thinking about midsize sedans - reasonable? Yeah, fuel economy will suffer somewhat, but it'll be a nicer vehicle for not much more money.

I guess this opens it up to the likes of the Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Fusion, Altima, others, in addition to the Civic and Mazda 3.

Thoughts?

If you enjoy driving even slightly, I wouldn't even bother with the Camry. Are we talking new or used?

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: Strk

Originally posted by: Pollock
So the situation has changed a little. I guess my dad would rather hold off on the SUV. I've also been thinking about midsize sedans - reasonable? Yeah, fuel economy will suffer somewhat, but it'll be a nicer vehicle for not much more money.

I guess this opens it up to the likes of the Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Fusion, Altima, others, in addition to the Civic and Mazda 3.

Thoughts?

If you enjoy driving even slightly, I wouldn't even bother with the Camry. Are we talking new or used?

Camry = valium on wheels.

I've got one. It's ok for driving from point A to point B but that's all it does. Looks uninspired, the driving feel isn't bad but it isn't good either, pretty much everything is just blah about it. I got a good deal on it used when I needed a car and it's been ok in the reliability department though my American vehicles have been better.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS


getting any japanese car fixed in NYC is cheaper than getting any american car fixed. THERE ARE ALSO BETTER AFTERMARKET PARTS offeref for those who wish to tune their compact cars (for reasons such as power gain, smoother ride, higher fuel eficiency)

and please, GET STARTED ON MPG. and please start at my Honda Accord V6 gets 34 mpg on the highway with 4 adult male passengers + luggage for 5 days
also please finish with why we should buy american other than they are making good cars starting now," because that doesn't tell us ANYTHING until there have been some long term reliability tests released. which should, in turn, bring up resalve value right?

Your post is so full of fucking BS. American parts tend to be cheaper than your average Japanese imports. Who the fuck cares about AFTERMARKET PARTS. SEE I CAN TYPE IN CAPS AS WELL. DOES IT MATTER OR MAKE A DIFFERENCE. NO.
It doesn't matter to the average joe about aftermarket parts. See they wouldn't be interested in adding a spaceship wing in the back or blue lights in their dashboards. Also an increasingly number of American vehicles share parts or engines with Japanese manufacturers so your point doesn't hold much water anymore nowadays.

MPG. Yes, lets take your beloved Accord. The EPA rating is 22/30 on that car. In fact most people experience less than 30 unless they baby it. It isn't 34mpg like your car does. Your car must be special however. Even my Mazda6 (2005) doesn't get the 31mpg hwy that it's advertised for. I bared get 25mpg in that car and it's in top shape. I do a mixture of highway/city driving so my result is average. Comparatively, many owners report the Malibu getting 36mpg. American trucks SUV's trump Japanese imports in fuel efficiency every which way you look at it. Later domestic vehicles are all really great in the fuel economy area. To be honest, it's the Japanese imports that are getting worse.

Accords are such boring cars. I rented one at Enterprise but returned it for a smaller Jetta which seemed to have a lot more zip.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS

getting any japanese car fixed in NYC is cheaper than getting any american car fixed. THERE ARE ALSO BETTER AFTERMARKET PARTS offeref for those who wish to tune their compact cars (for reasons such as power gain, smoother ride, higher fuel eficiency)

:laugh::laugh: Oh man, where do you come up with this shit? When was the last time you had to get an American car fixed, in NYC (or anywhere)? From the tone of your posts, I would be willing to bet that you have never owned an American car in your life. Tell me, if it were so expensive to fix an American car, then why are all police fleets and most NYC taxicabs American Crown Vics? The repairs and upkeep must be eating the PDs and cab depots alive. :roll:

For the record, I own one domestic car, two Japanese, and one German. Parts for the domestic are the cheapest by far. OEM parts for the Honda are actually closer price-wise to those for the BMW.

And the vast majority of the car buying public doesn't give a shit about aftermarket parts. Aunt Ethel isn't going to hit up the AEM and Greddy websites right when she buys her new Civic. All she wants to do is buy groceries, go to church, and hit bingo night with the girls on Thursday.

But if you still want to focus on aftermarket parts, it makes far more sense to add a few relatively inexpensive bolt-ons to an LSX Vette / F-body or a V8 Mustang, go run 11s / 12s, and then drive home from the track - rather than drop $20k+ on parts to make your 17 second Civic fast and trailer it home, since all of the mods you added made it undriveable on the street.

Unless, that is, you were talking about aftermarket rice mods - in which case, you'd be right. Honda pretty much has the market for park-bench wings, neons, and body kits cornered.

Nobody takes you seriously because you are the definition of the rabid Honda fanboy. You absolutely refuse to approach any sort of car related discussion objectively and rationally. Every chance you get, you say HONDA IS THE BEST EVAR, even when you are completely wrong. Everyone already knows what you are going to say even before you say it.

"What's the best off-road vehicle for rock crawling?"
U CANT GO WRONG WITH THE CR-V OR PILOT

"What's the best car to get and take to the dragstrip?"
S2000 OR CIVIC FTW, BEST AFTERMARKET PARTS LOL

"What's the best car for a road trip?"
CIVIC OR ACCORD, IT IS CHEAPEST TO FIX

...etc.

Seriously, just stop. You're incredibly annoying.

 

[Pollock]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
You can probably get deals. Forget honda/toyota, too expensive. Go for a mazda 3.

Also buy one barely used, then you still have gobs of warranty (mazda certified car should have 100k powertrain--at least my MPV did) and save a ton of money. Mazdas also fall quickly in resale vs honda/toyota, working to your benefit.

Per funyuns if there really is a new mazda3 coming out this spring, wait until it's in the show rooms and then pounce on a last-model, they'll be almost free.

How low do you think I could go on something like this? While the 2010 model is nice, I don't think any part of it warrants several thousands of dollars more than the 2009 models.

At this point I'm mostly thinking either the Mazda 3/6 or Civic/Accord. Might be worthwhile asking, is there any merit to getting a crossover SUV like the Rogue?

Any advice on how to figure out what size vehicle I need?

Edit: not a huge fan of hatchbacks, but I would consider them.

 

[Pollock]

Shameless bump.

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: Pollock
So the situation has changed a little. I guess my dad would rather hold off on the SUV. I've also been thinking about midsize sedans - reasonable? Yeah, fuel economy will suffer somewhat, but it'll be a nicer vehicle for not much more money.

I guess this opens it up to the likes of the Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Fusion, Altima, others, in addition to the Civic and Mazda 3.

Thoughts?

You really owe it to yourself to test drive a Fusion SEL with the leather trim. I was very surprised at the quality and handling! The pricing of a used Fusion is also very compelling. If you want new, the 2010 Fusion gets a mild redesign, so haggle hard on new 2009s.

The Focus SEL is pretty nice. I have a 2009 rental for work and it's fast as hell. I really have to pay attention to make sure I don't screech away from a traffic light. Handling is nice too.