New car for the finacee

[KentState]

It's about time to replace her 10 y/o Altima V6 with something a little more reliable, safe and fit for a family. We need something that is a 4door, decent gas mileage on the highway, and somewhat powerful/fun to drive. The cars so far that we are going to look at are the Kia Optima/Hyundai Accent w/2.0T, Ford Fusion/Mazda6, but that's about all we can think of in the sub-30k price range. She would really love a manual, RWD car, but there isn't anything out there that I can think of.

What other suggestions do people have? (not into the Camry or Accord)

 

[desy]

The new 2013 Altima? Its uspposed to be very good and best on fuel in the mid size
Its even cheaper than the outgoing Altima

 

[vi edit]

New Altima, Camry SE, maybe worth looking at a Passat TDI.

 

[A5]

Well the Dodge Charger is RWD, but it doesn't look like they offer a manual anymore. You could also get into a "Base" Chrysler 300 apparently. Both of these are...sub-optimal in the MPG department.

For good highway mileage, you can't really beat a Passat TDI. Also lots of torque and available with a manual if you're so inclined.

I own a 2009 Mazda 6 and really like it. I recently drove a 2012 as a loaner (recall repair) and the steering feel was significantly different, for the worse, IMO. It is also supposedly getting the Skyactiv enhancements for the 2013 model, so you should probably wait on that if you're interested.

The Fusion is getting a complete redesign for 2013, and the new one looks fantastic. I'd have a hard time not waiting for that if I was looking in this class.

The Korean twins (Optima/Sonata) get good reviews, but I haven't driven them.

 

[ViviTheMage]

used CTS-V or 335i?

Both come in 6 speed manual RWD

 

[NutBucket]

Stretch the budget a bit and you can find yourself in a base CTS or maybe a 328i. Maybe CPO?

 

[MovingTarget]

Have you considered the Hyundai Genesis sedan?

 

[PricklyPete]

Passat TDI or V6. Maybe wait 6+ months for the upcoming Chevy SS and hope there is a V6 variant with manual?

 

[rcpratt]

Wait just a few months for the 2013 Fusion.

 

[SilthDraeth]

Wait just a few months for the 2013 Fusion.

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/fusion/...w&gclid=CKiPmZPt7rACFUpeTAodUwkHvA#fullreview

Rear-biased AWD if you get the more powerful ecoboost package. Probably put it around 30k fully loaded.

Sounds like a pretty nice ride.

 

[nerp]

Charger with v6 and 8-speed tranny. 30-35mph highway, 300 horsepower, 4 doors, top safety pick, very nice interior, awesome looks, huge, comfy, great equipment. And Chrysler is building really nice cars these days. Go drive one and post your thoughts here.

 

[Zap]

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/fusion/...w&gclid=CKiPmZPt7rACFUpeTAodUwkHvA#fullreview

Rear-biased AWD if you get the more powerful ecoboost package. Probably put it around 30k fully loaded.

Sounds like a pretty nice ride.

1) Probably no manual transmission.
2) Not enough POWAH!

 

[SilthDraeth]

Charger with v6 and 8-speed tranny. 30-35mph highway, 300 horsepower, 4 doors, top safety pick, very nice interior, awesome looks, huge, comfy, great equipment. And Chrysler is building really nice cars these days. Go drive one and post your thoughts here.

That is one slow vehicle!

 

[SilthDraeth]

1) Probably no manual transmission.
2) Not enough POWAH!

Transmission: 6-speed shiftable automatic

 

[NutBucket]

Transmission: 6-speed shiftable automatic

Meh, not even close to the same thing.

EDIT: IIRC you should be able to a FWD ecoboost Fusion with a 6MT. That would be a great combo even if it is FWD.

 

[DietDrThunder]

If you are getting a loan for this new car, and since she is your fiancee, don't co-sign on the loan. Let the dealership do a credit check on her to see if she has outstanding debt. I had a friend that did this and he saved himself a major headache when he found out that his future wife had over $25K in credit card debt that she neglected to tell him about.

 

[KentState]

Thanks for the input all. I already have a V and she won't push that car even when I suggest it. The idea of a CPO 335i has come up, but not sure if it will be roomy enough. We will give that a look however. We did not talk about the Passat, but is it made in Mexico now or still imported?

I will not buy a regular CTS after owning two myself as I don't trust the long term reliability. I would also lump any Chrysler product in that category as everyone I have experienced has been a troublesome piece of shit. I also haven't seen much in the way of statistical reliability data to make me feel better about the brand.

The Fusion does sound interesting and she loved the pictures of the 2013 update so we may wait. By then we would be married so the loan would be in our names. We do know each other's credit history and have shared so I'm not expecting any surprises.

 

[nerp]

That is one slow vehicle!

haha. MPG.

 

[PricklyPete]

We did not talk about the Passat, but is it made in Mexico now or still imported?

The new Passat is made in Chattanooga, TN. You can get a manual TDI for about $25K that gets 43mpg. Or you can go for the auto-V6 with 280hp starting closer to 29K. If you do check out the Passat...make sure to at least test drive the TDI or the V6. The 2.5 liter 5 cylinder is underwhelming and may turn you off to the car.

The older passat was imported. The Jetta and some Golf (I believe) are made in Mexico.

 

[KentState]

I really wish they made a Passat wagon in the US. She also expressed interest in the Subaru Outback and the new 2013 Altima. We have a long Saturday ahead of us for test driving.

 

[vi edit]

It's not going to win any drag race awards, but by most accounts the new Mazda CX-5 with the 6 speed manual is a very fun to drive little CUV. They have excellent seating/cargo space for the size, handle better than about anything else in their class and pull around 35+ MPG. You can get them for low 20's.

 

[PricklyPete]

I really wish they made a Passat wagon in the US. She also expressed interest in the Subaru Outback and the new 2013 Altima. We have a long Saturday ahead of us for test driving.

I just wish they were selling the Passat wagon over here. The new Passat is a pretty awesome midsize car...a wagon would make it that much better.

The Subaru Outback with the 3.6L flat six engine is pretty nifty if you can get over the garish "wood" interior (which they had a "sport" model with the same engine. Outback is definitely made in the US.

The new 2013 Altima actually looks like a great car...I just don't like the latest look of all Nissans...mostly the lights...but I could get over it pretty easily if the car drove decently.

 

[Zargon]

The new Passat is made in Chattanooga, TN. You can get a manual TDI for about $25K that gets 43mpg. Or you can go for the auto-V6 with 280hp starting closer to 29K. If you do check out the Passat...make sure to at least test drive the TDI or the V6. The 2.5 liter 5 cylinder is underwhelming and may turn you off to the car.

The older passat was imported. The Jetta and some Golf (I believe) are made in Mexico.

and mexico is better than europe. most of the electronic issues of the past 5 years for VW were centered in wolfsburg

 

[KentState]

A car that I completely forgot about is the Regal GS. Seems you can get a 6spd with the turbo engine. She saw one today at the Park and Ride and thought it was good looking. With my GM discount, I may be able to get a good deal on one.

 

[LTC8K6]

There's a 220hp turbo and a 270hp GS.

They pretty much drink fuel in the city at 18/19/20 mpg.

The GS is only rated 27 hwy and the turbo 32.