Quiet car in the used, non-luxury segment, hatchback preferred

[NutBucket]

No but I could have easily sold it for that much.

 

[_Rick_]

Re topic: A Volvo C30 might be worth a test drive, if there are any around that fall into budget.

 

[slatr]

I rented a Mazda2 on a trip recently and was very impressed by it.

It handled and rode very well.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Well, if you were thinking Subaru, they are really great cars, but, my 08 forester is anything but quiet. (loud idle during cold weather & decently loud road noise.) That said, I really love my car.

 

[jaedaliu]

to me, quiet, comfortable, and easy to drive is my 05 Camry. (or my 98 Maxima before I ran into a wall) Thinking of the hatchback segment, you're pretty limited on the more comfy vehicles. Audi may make a comfortable, quiet A3 (5 door in US) or Volvo. But I can't think of many couch on wheels that are hatches.

 

[kitatech]

Jaedaliu:
Glad you agree with my assessment of the Camry...I got mine for its trade-in valuation because the dealer feared it wouldn't find another buyer of a stick here in south Florida where stick-shifters prefer Hondas/Mazdas and Camry owners are more the AT type.

 

[NutBucket]

That's also because the MT in the Camry is terrible compared to what you get from Honda.

 

[jaedaliu]

That's also because the MT in the Camry is terrible compared to what you get from Honda.

Well, yes. In every direct competition between Toyota and Honda on similar segment cars, the Toyota is going to be more of a couch on wheels, and the Honda is going to be more of a driver's car.

That all being said, if you're looking in the medium-full size sedan class and up in a hatch, the only more recent car I can think of is the Accord crosstour. It's possible the Matrix/vibe will meet your needs in comfort and silence, but if it doesn't, the leg up on that would be honda's accord hatch.

 

[bigi]

Penny, you just described my 2005 Camry LE...dead quiet interior, silky-smooth 4cyl engine, (same can be said of the clutch/manual tranny), tight suspension and body structure, 24+/34+ mpg and burns no oil....I got mine last Oct. with 100k miles for $7K out the door....

The 2005/2006 are among the best model years for the Camry....better than the 2007-2011 series.

Cool. Manual Camry. I did not realize they still exist. I had 1996 MT Camry and it was a fine car.

 

[bigi]

And in terms of quietness, nothing for the price can beat 95 Camry. Nothing.

 

[kitatech]

Cool. Manual Camry. I did not realize they still exist. I had 1996 MT Camry and it was a fine car.

Sadly, Toyo missed the boat by not putting an MT together with the 6cyl engine in the SE...and worse, there's NO MT available for the Camry at all any more.

 

[NutBucket]

For the two people that bought them? They probably sold more Camry coupes (before the Solara) than they did MTs. Its completely pointless for Toyota to offer it.

 

[phucheneh]

That's also because the MT in the Camry is terrible compared to what you get from Honda.

Maybe I'm going too much off of worn-out examples, but Honda and Toyota have some of the the most terrible vague shifters I've ever encountered (on FWD's). I've driven some that weren't THAT old, and they still seemed like piles of mush.

They work fine and all (and the transmissions themselves aren't bad), I just don't notice much difference in shifter (or clutch) feel.

Also, why is this thread about fairly old cars when OP listed '15k' and '2009' as preferences? Seems like he basically just wants a reliable, less than five-year-old car in the 10-15k range. The next biggest factor is probably size. He can get an almost-new subcompact hatch if he wants to go that route.

 

[Rallispec]

Why has the Mazda 3 not been mentioned? That'd probably be the only hatch in that price range I'd consider - unless you can find a 2010+ Focus.

 

[Throckmorton]

There's a Mazda 6 hatchback

 

[NutBucket]

I like the look of that 6 hatch a lot. The 6 wagon is pretty nice as well. Aside from the ugly Malibu Maxx I think that about covers your all your choices for a mid-size hatch/wagon that isn't German.

 

[Spicedaddy]

08-09 Rabbit or Audi A3 of those years. The A3 will be less noisy, but it's more expensive.
The GTI is soundproof, but it has a noise pipe so you can hear the engine. (you can take it off)

Generally, german cars will be quieter. If you go japanese, go for the luxury brands (Lexus, Infiniti, Acura...) A Mazda 3 or recent Camry are not quiet IMO.

The biggest difference will be the tires. Get 15 or 16 inch wheels with tires that are known to be quiet. For example, my 18" summer tires are noisier than my 16" winters, and winter tires aren't known to be quiet...

 

[Blackjack200]

Maybe I'm going too much off of worn-out examples, but Honda and Toyota have some of the the most terrible vague shifters I've ever encountered (on FWD's). I've driven some that weren't THAT old, and they still seemed like piles of mush.

My mom has 2001 or 2002 Camry with a stick. I generally love driving MTs, but shifting that thing is like pushing a spoon around in a big bowl of gum. WTF. The clutch feels horrible too.

 

[NutBucket]

Thank you for that perfect description of shifting/driving an MT Camry.