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Recommendation for a used subcompact

mooncancook

mooncancook

Platinum Member
Looking for a used subcompact to replace a totaled '15 Nissan Versa Note for an elderly person. Budget is around $10k. Definitely not another Versa because that car was not mechanically reliable. I am thinking about '15-'16 Honda Fit, but it has CVT and I am not sure how reliable is the Honda CVT. Prefer subcompact because it's easier to maneuver.

Anyway, here's the priorities:
1. Reliability
2. Safety
3. Gas mileage

Thanks.
 
chevy volt if you have a place to plug in at home. Best small car ever. very little battery degradation over time/miles.
 
Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. Probably your best bet, although with an elderly person, I'd check to see if getting out is easy. You'd be surprised how difficult it becomes to lift yourself out of a sedan as you age...arthritic hips/knees, etc.
 
A couple years ago I convinced my folks not to get another sedan because of potential ingress/egress issue. Even though they're in good shape for their age they tell me they are glad they went with a CR-V. Added bonus is it is quite a bit shorter than a mid size sedan which fits in the garage much better.
 
look at Hyundai Elantras. Local dealer here dumps them for $12k to $15k constantly. I haven't done any actual research on reliability but overall I know they have improved massively and they still have that 10 year 100k mile warranty. Guy I work with was thinking about picking one up over the Thanksgiving break.
 
I had an Elantra rental for a few weeks recently and it was very non-offensive. It was worlds better than the last Sentra I was sentenced to a couple years ago.

I would consider one if I was in the market for a vanilla car.
 
If you're not opposed to manuals that would give you a slight edge in reliability and fuel economy. Avoid CVT whenever possible imo.

Veloster non-turbo is a decent option as well, or a Fiesta ST.
 
my coworkers veloster turbo is kinda hard to get out of, only slightly better than a miata. The back seat on the veloster is easier to get out of, but there's not much leg room.

if mpg isn't too big of a concern the kia soul is also a good option. The older souls get ~24/30 mpg.
A bit over budget, but the kia niro is also nice.
 
honda and toyota CVT are great (they make their own), Jatco CVT however have issues, subbaru hyundi nissan vw bmw mazda landrover jaguar and more are made by jatco.. wouldnt trust those at all many problems and expensive to fix. Honda seems to eek out more power and gas mileage but toyota are a little more smooth of drive just my opinion.
 
herm0016 said:
chevy volt if you have a place to plug in at home. Best small car ever. very little battery degradation over time/miles.
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Best small car ever, I suppose, if your criteria are that it be a plug in hybrid and made by Chevrolet. Consumer reports rates it at only average reliability. Also quite expensive.
 
EXCellR8 said:
If you're not opposed to manuals that would give you a slight edge in reliability and fuel economy. Avoid CVT whenever possible imo.

Veloster non-turbo is a decent option as well, or a Fiesta ST.
Click to expand...

I have had two cars with CVT and have had no problems with either one. Obviously that does not prove they are reliable overall, but in general I think CVTs have gotten a worse rap than they deserve.

As to the OP's question, if one wants a reliable, safe, economical compact, that just screams Toyota Corolla. They are top rated for reliability, economical, and have a comprehensive suite of safety features standard for the last few model years.
 
A 10K Corolla will probably offer the best deal overall.
Simple, cheap to own cars that are roomy enough for 4 adults and their stuff. At 10K, you are probably going to find lower mileage Corollas vs the competition. Very low cost of ownership, cheap to maintain and insure which will be critical for retiree's shopping in that budget. I believe that the cost to insure a Corolla will be cheaper than the competition.
If the Corolla is a no go for whatever reason then Civic or Elantra...just make sure the Elantra has the 1.8 and not the 2.0 (timing belt vs Timing Chain).
Stay away from any car that has a timing belt.

If something higher up is required, then you are looking at high mileage CRV's and RAV4's. I wouldn't rule out a Hyundai Tuscan or Santa Fe. However, once you get to the point where physical issues are driving the pruchase, seat comfort is going to come into play and the field of options are going to have to be expanded. A CRV may seem like the default choice until Grandma find the seat to be uncomfortable vs a Chevy or Ford.

Speaking of Ford, the older Escape Hybrids that would fall into your budget are apparently the one car that Ford built right. The interior may offend the "mah materials" crowd but it looks like Escape hybrids are super cheap to own and troublefree.
 
NutBucket said:
I had an Elantra rental for a few weeks recently and it was very non-offensive. It was worlds better than the last Sentra I was sentenced to a couple years ago.

I would consider one if I was in the market for a vanilla car.
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Elantra and Kia Forte are quite decent compacts, and have a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty, so not a bad choice. The Corolla is more reliable and has a more comfortable ride though.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. Manual is definitely out of the question. I will look at used Corolla or Civic also, but I still prefer smaller cars like Fit and Prius C. The reason is that with a bigger car she'll scratch the bumper on that support column at her parking spot in no time. She can manage it a lot better on smaller car like the Versa. Cars like the Mini or Fiat 500 would be perfect in size but I wouldn't trust their reliability.
 
mooncancook said:
I don't think I can find one at around 10k
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Man, these restrictions suck. Any car that's as new as or newer than your Versa is going to be either more expensive than $10k, or no more reliable than the Versa. A well-designed older car (like, say, a 2011 Corolla) CAN be more reliable, but you're going to be spending money fixing wear items more often if you want to keep it that way.

Speaking of which, are there any geographical concerns or issues with local dealerships/mechanics that are a problem? My grandparents aren't huge Ford fans, but they're on their fourth one, mostly because they live out in the sticks and have to drive three towns over to buy anything else. (They'd still be on their second if those cretins at the dealership could fix anything that wasn't an F-series pickup. But I guess a three year old Hybrid with a busted computer is basically unfixable, right? Having to have it fixed multiple times and then totaling it out would be totally normal. Dumbasses.)

All that bitching aside, I'd take a good look at a new (not used) Mitsubishi Mirage. It's got a CVT, and is likely to have similar problems to the Nissan in the reliability department, but a 10 year powertrain warranty (if you're the original owner) is a nice counterbalance to that.

A quick search shows a couple new ones near me listed for $12k, with oodles more for $13k, so that might be a stretch goal, or maybe something you can get a deal on if you corner a desperate salesperson towards the end of the month. (You could talk to your bank too - often you can get better financing or lower interest rates for a new car than for a used one, which will offset some of the additional costs.)
 
NutBucket said:
What about an HR-V or similar size crossover? Higher seating is much easier for ingress and egress.
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They also have a higher step-in height though, so be aware of that. My wife is older and very short, and has a difficult time stepping up into an SUV. That is why I got an Impreza instead of a Crosstrek/HRV, etc.
 
ondma said:
They also have a higher step-in height though, so be aware of that. My wife is older and very short, and has a difficult time stepping up into an SUV. That is why I got an Impreza instead of a Crosstrek/HRV, etc.
Click to expand...

Supposedly the crown vic/grand marquis/lincoln town car are good for shorter older people. They're not that great on gas and they're big cars though. Nice, cheap and pretty easy to find V8 rwd cruisers though.
 
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