I'm in the market for a new(ish) car in the 20k range.

My only requirements are:

1. Great mileage (combined 33+)
2. Automatic
3. Reliable
4. Excellent Cargo space (or oem roof rack)
5. 4doors
6. 6ft male with correct posture can sit in the back seat.



I've ended up at the 2012 Subaru Impreza for meeting all of my requirements and wanted to know what tww's opinion is on value, reliability, etc.

[Edited on April 18, 2012 at 12:37 PM. Reason : f]

4/18/2012 12:35:24 PM

It's slower than the old model which was also slow. However it's gas mileage is vastly improved. I also enjoy the new styling much more than the previous model.

Deal breaker for me is that the only automatic transmission offered is a CVT transmission. Nobody that enjoys driving, even if just a little bit, likes those transmissions. They f*cking suck.

4/18/2012 12:38:15 PM

not in 20k range but its a lexus and meets all the other requirements

http://www.lexus.com/models/CTh/

4/18/2012 12:42:56 PM

^^ I've driven the 2009, 2010 Honda Civic Hybrids, 2012 Prius C, 2010 Prius Two, 2012 Cr-z and didn't really mind the CVT too much. It's definitely worse than a normal automatic while getting onto the highway.

^damn 40mpg?

[Edited on April 18, 2012 at 12:47 PM. Reason : f]

4/18/2012 12:46:23 PM

getting sick of you hybrid people in garage...
you do not like driving if you did you wouldn't be here.
post in tech talk or something.

yes that car meets everything else except its 1.5 times the price... how the hell is that even remotely considerable ?

You do know that those cars are JUNK long before they pay for themselves right?

i use 2k in fuel per year with my car, that means it would be 5 years old by the time it paid the difference if i never used fuel... but wait... it still uses fuel.

if i was getting an econo box i would think focus personally.
it has a decent/fun transmission a little more umph in the pedal and better mileage than the subie (and i drive a turbo subie)

Unless you live where there is snow on the ground more then 40% of the time or plan on driving off road i would not bother with (more like consider) AWD unless the car had over 200hp. Its just going to make the car even slower then it was with worse mileage

4/18/2012 12:55:52 PM

SMSJ

4/18/2012 1:01:31 PM

^ that too lol .


isn't this a rendition of the toyota engine tho ?


[Edited on April 18, 2012 at 1:28 PM. Reason : .]

4/18/2012 1:14:39 PM

Quote :

"I've driven the 2009, 2010 Honda Civic Hybrids, 2012 Prius C, 2010 Prius Two, 2012 Cr-z and didn't really mind the CVT too much. It's definitely worse than a normal automatic while getting onto the highway."

Ah, I see. Well if you have driven all of these cars as potential rides than you don't value driving enjoyment very highly. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, it's just not the ideology of the typical "garage" poster. To us those are all soulless rides (except maybe the CR-Z).

Have you considered the Honda Fit? It gets fantastic fuel mileage, has a huge interior (bigger than anything in the above quote) and is actually a little fun to drive. It passes your requirements with flying colors and in my opinion it's the only high quality product that Honda produces these days.

4/18/2012 1:24:16 PM

Quote :

"Ah, I see. Well if you have driven all of these cars as potential rides than you don't value driving enjoyment very highly. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, it's just not the ideology of the typical "garage" poster. To us those are all soulless rides (except maybe the CR-Z)."

theDuke866 is considering a Prius as well. Make sure you save some of that judging for him

Agreed on the Fit though...that's a great little car. Though,

Quote :

"in my opinion it's the only high quality product that Honda produces these days"

HMSJ?

Quote :

"getting sick of you hybrid people in garage... you do not like driving if you did you wouldn't be here. post in tech talk or something. yes that car meets everything else except its 1.5 times the price... how the hell is that even remotely considerable ? You do know that those cars are JUNK long before they pay for themselves right? i use 2k in fuel per year with my car, that means it would be 5 years old by the time it paid the difference if i never used fuel... but wait... it still uses fuel. "

RAWR RAWR RAWR ANYONE WHO BUYS A HYBRID IS STUPID

4/18/2012 1:35:34 PM

Quote :

"getting sick of you hybrid people in garage... you do not like driving if you did you wouldn't be here. post in tech talk or something. yes that car meets everything else except its 1.5 times the price... how the hell is that even remotely considerable ? You do know that those cars are JUNK long before they pay for themselves right? i use 2k in fuel per year with my car, that means it would be 5 years old by the time it paid the difference if i never used fuel... but wait... it still uses fuel. "

english holmes...we are not all car wizzes

ps: i dint see any mention of fun drive etc in the OP. Lexuses are expensive but under 30k lexus is a first and it gives 40 mpg which is great....i dont care about hybrids but i do care about luxury!

lol again i am a n00b what do i know about cars

4/18/2012 2:07:01 PM

201X Honda Fit does fit all of those requirements. A pretty good contender; I'm just looking for something more "unique". Do you guys have any opinions on Subarus, though?

Forgot to mention, I've tested the 2012 Focus automatic and I would consider it... except it has auto transmission issues. Coming from an e46 automatic... I'm not making that mistake again


[Edited on April 18, 2012 at 2:11 PM. Reason : f]

4/18/2012 2:09:09 PM

10-4

makes sense... i just don't think a 30k car is in the 20k range at all (yes its 29500 something base)

And there still isn't a hybrid that's a smart idea mathematically. (some businesses get tax breaks which changes the story some)

4/18/2012 2:12:35 PM

Quote :

"Do you guys have any opinions on Subarus, though?"

Yeah, not as good as the Fit

4/18/2012 2:26:01 PM

+1 Honda Fit.

4/18/2012 2:46:12 PM

i told you mine...

DON'T GET AWD UNLESS YOU NEED IT.

that being said i have a turbo subaru and i love driving it because of how it drives, but it is not economical nor is it the most reliable car in the world.

fit is a great car, mazda 3 is good mazda 2 is good but too cutesy focus is good

4/18/2012 2:48:04 PM

Quote :

"getting sick of you hybrid people in garage... you do not like driving if you did you wouldn't be here. post in tech talk or something. "

damn, u mad bro?

4/18/2012 3:21:17 PM

^ inorite

Quote :

"And there still isn't a hybrid that's a smart idea mathematically."

Blatantly incorrect, but that's for a different thread.

4/18/2012 3:40:30 PM

i stopped looking at imprezas after '06. now they are bigger, uglier, more comfortable and less driver involved. FTL

off tanget here...but STI had 300hp almost 10 years ago. it still has same HP. what are they doing?

same with evo...



[Edited on April 18, 2012 at 3:41 PM. Reason : i]

4/18/2012 3:40:32 PM

^20 years ago...

a '92 STi had 250hp or 275hp
a ''92 Evo had 244hp

I figured they had to meet homologation rules or something, but I don't know what's holding them back nowadays

4/18/2012 3:58:18 PM

^^the latest Impreza dropped A LOT of weight compared to the previous model. I won't disagree much else though.

4/18/2012 4:22:41 PM

I've seen quite a few Lexus CTh's patrolling the streets lately.

4/18/2012 5:53:36 PM

And they're all slower than a Fit.

4/18/2012 6:46:49 PM

if you're racing in the dirt, get the subaru. if not, get something else.

we dont need another subaru daily driver out there. subaru is race dammit.

4/18/2012 8:25:36 PM

4/19/2012 7:08:20 PM

http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/jetta/2010/features-specs.html?style=101201468

Started looking at 2009-201X VW Sportswagen TDIs. Any thoughts on those?

4/19/2012 9:47:55 PM

LOLWAGON

4/19/2012 10:42:45 PM

If you're not going to take anyone's advice, why do you keep asking for it?

4/19/2012 11:19:09 PM

He is following advice...he's not getting the Subaru.

It's not like he has to go out and buy a Fit tomorrow just because a few people on the internets tell him to.

4/20/2012 9:09:59 AM

WHY NOT

fit is a lil girly but a great car imho.

4/20/2012 9:12:41 AM

mini cooper

4/20/2012 9:21:29 AM

^ i was thinking that earlier but never posted it.

Great car.

And my wife's kia soul is awesome too. Although i'd get the 1.6 for you because it has a timing chain instead of a belt and it doesn't really seem like you are concerned with power.

We get 35 hwy with it and 31/2 around town and we both drive the mess out of the car.
Also hers with the bigger engine and a manual was 18,500 with all the bluetooth/ipod/xm etc options and it was a 2012 when they were still trying to get rid of 2011s so that being said i think you can get her car now for about 1k less loaded similarly. And the little motor/auto combo should hit 35mpg regularly due to
1 being smaller
2 being direct injected
3 the autos do better too

Ohh btw this car has more interior space then my bro in laws crew cab tundra, his fusion, and my legacy. when the 4 of us go places we ALWAYS take the kia unless we need bed space for something.

4/20/2012 9:35:02 AM

ITT, i learned foo1 is murried.

carry on.

4/20/2012 10:01:11 AM

this is why my projects stay pipe dreams lol...

nahh we need a house before i can start ripping into something... doing it at moms just sucks.

4/20/2012 11:44:47 AM

Since when does the Impreza get good mileage? That was one of the reasons I knocked it off my list.

Also. Combined 33 MPG? Combined? That's going to severely curtail your choices. 33 highway is common, but combined not so much.

^^^+1 on the Kia comment though. Soul may be right up your alley. I bought a Forte Koup EX in November and I've been happy with it so far; wish the handling was a little tighter but I didn't want to move up to the SX because the fuel economy on the 2.4 was mediocre. Soul is available with the 1.6 (thrifty) or the 2.0, which gives you 30 more HP without taking too bad a gas mileage hit.

If the Soul doesn't do it for you, you could consider the Forte hatchback (5-door). The 100K warranty is nice either way you go.

[Edited on April 20, 2012 at 12:26 PM. Reason : w]

4/20/2012 12:24:40 PM

My dad has '12 civic. 40mpg on highway. I don't think you can find a more reliable car with great resale value than civic. It's also less than your budget.

Im sure these new Kias are good value and more reliable than older ones, but resale value on them will still suck few years down the road, until the marque gets more recognition....and that will take a decade or so.

4/20/2012 3:38:22 PM

Quote :

"Since when does the Impreza get good mileage?"

Since the new 2012 model came out, that's when.

-new engine
-new transmissions
-new lightweight chassis

This was news 6+ months ago.

4/20/2012 4:16:23 PM

^^ meets all his requirements except for the "excellent cargo space", imo.

however, if he thinks Civic is good for his purposes, but wants something with a bit more luxury, he could go for the Acura ILX, the new Acura sedan, essentially a Civic but with the Acura touch. starts at $26,000, has 150 hp, and gets 35 mpg hwy.

4/20/2012 4:23:36 PM

lol, never thought I'd see someone recommend that 21st century Cadillac Cimarron.

4/20/2012 4:33:18 PM

4/20/2012 6:00:38 PM

Quote :

"Automatic "

Quote :

"Subaru Impreza"

4/21/2012 3:54:19 PM

I have this:



2010 (Impreza) Outback Sport

It fits all of those criteria (gas mileage may sometimes only reach upper 20's, probably due to how I drive). I can't speak for the 2012, but I doubt it's gotten worse.

I love the car to death

4/21/2012 8:26:30 PM