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Where should I start for a new midsize sedan?

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Born2bwire

Born2bwire

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I'm moving to the United States in a month and I'm still a bit fuzzy on my car situation. I have a 2002 Nissan Altima that I gave to my sister a few years back that is waiting for me. But I'll have to wait a few months, fly 800 miles to pick it up and drive it back. My folks were floating the idea that instead they sell the car, wire me the money and I could buy me a new car where I'm moving to. It's tempting but I find what they stated the blue book value ($7K-$8K) to be laughable. I'm not sure what I would get on a sale or trade in (my sister backed it into a parked car... I know... and they told me they replaced the rear bumper, the front bumper had a dent and there were some small scratches on one of the side panels).

Either way, I can put down maybe around $10K cash plus whatever the sale price would be and get a car loan for the rest. But not having driven or been in the States for years I'm not sure where to start in terms of looking at cars.

I'm figuring on a new midsize sedan. I wouldn't mind getting another Altima but I would like to know what other cars you guys would recommend in say up to around $25K?
 
Oh whoops, forgot to ask. There is one thing I am interested about with the Altima is that they're using CVT's now. I know that some of the manufacturers are using them on hybrids but is this something that would matter here?
 
Well, the improved gas mileage with a compact is appealing. However, for the last decade I had a midsize and that was great for my needs. At the time, I wanted the larger car because I would be moving back and forth a lot in addition to the nicer and smoother ride. I also do not know if I want to be saddled with a compact 5-10 years down the road. Finally, when I price out a compact, say the Civic, I almost price it up to the base for a midsize to get the basic equivalent features that I want (A/C, four wheel disc brakes, CRUISE CONTROL??? that still isn't a standard on some of these things???) though admittedly it does add a bunch of other features but I am not interested in paying for those if I have to.

I might keep in mind to test drive some of the compacts when I get in but I'm still a bit prejudiced from my impressions when I bought my Altima in 2002.
 
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compacts: elantra, civic, corolla, mazda3, cruze, focus, golf, jetta, impreza

mid size: altima, fusion, camry, accord, mazda6, sonata/optima, passat, legacy

loooooooooooooooooots of choice

a compact now is what a mid size was ~10-15 yrs ago

edit: I'm sure there are some I've left out
 
If I were you, I would take a real hard look at the Chevy Cruze ECO and Hyundai Elantra. Both seem to offer the best bang for the buck with exceptional fuel economy and nice features standard.
 
Check out the Sonata and also the Elantra (even though it's a bit smaller). Both great cars, though I've never owned a Hyundai. Both well equipped, great on gas, great warranties, and Hyundai quality is actually quite decent now. You can't go wrong with an Altima, though it's getting long in the tooth despite a 2010 semi-refresh. Nissan, however, is having great incentives at the moment, or was recently, so it's worth looking into.

I would skip the cruze eco because its MPG is hardly better than the normal cruze but $1500 (?) more expensive.

For what it's worth Consumer Reports named Elantra their number one in that category. In the midsize if I recall correctly the Altima V6 was top, then 4 cylinder, then accord, then Sonata, though the sonata may have been third.

CVT in the Altima is just fine. At very first when they were in Muranos they had some growing pains, but now Nissan is using them basically across the board and have hundreds of thousands (if not a couple million?) on the roads, no worries about them. They do drive a bit different, maybe you'll like it, maybe not.

You'll get around $3k on your car trade in, I'd guess, depending on miles/condition. $7-8k is laughable, you'll never come close.
 
autoblog just did a review on the cruze eco. they picked it over the jetta and the civic. It also bested the civic in city driving.
 
I had not really considered the Cruze mainly because I did not like the feature set. The Cruze ECO seems a bit stingy. I have to add the compact spare tire and the cruise control. Compared to the Focus hatchback SEL which costs just slightly more I feel like I am getting more. Don't know if I would want to cut back that much just for five more mpg on the highway. I might feel different if I see them in person but the idea of moving from the midsize sedan to a compact hatchback to save on gas costs is becoming more appealing now that I think about it.
 
Born2bwire said:
I had not really considered the Cruze mainly because I did not like the feature set. The Cruze ECO seems a bit stingy. I have to add the compact spare tire and the cruise control. Compared to the Focus hatchback SEL which costs just slightly more I feel like I am getting more. Don't know if I would want to cut back that much just for five more mpg on the highway. I might feel different if I see them in person but the idea of moving from the midsize sedan to a compact hatchback to save on gas costs is becoming more appealing now that I think about it.
Click to expand...
Remember the Cruze Eco only gets its higher mileage figures in a manual transmission configuration. If you want/need an automatic its mileage is still 3 mpg worse in both city and highway than the Elantra.

fueleconomy.gov for all your mileage figures 🙂
 
The Elantra has no spare at all. Run flat tires and a can of fix-a-flat, and a tire pump.
If you try and get a spare from the dealer, it won't fit under the mat and will cost you 300 plus. Get one from a wrecking yard instead.
 
20 posts and everybody has a different opinion on what to look for. Cars in these segments are extremely similar to each other -- same size, features, and price (plus or minus a grand). Test drive a bunch in a similar price range and get the one that appeals to you the most.
 
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