car shopping
Feb. 17th, 2004 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioWord from the highly-competent mechanic who does all my car work (and, most immediately relevant, inspections) is that I will be buying a new car this year. Not surprising, but it's a pity. I had been hoping to hold onto the current car for a couple more years while waiting for field of hybrid offerings to get larger.
I've been paying attention to the car write-ups in Consumer Reports; alas, I think I will need to make a decision before the big 2004 buying guide comes out. That's unfortunate but not catastrophic. I mean, that's what the interim articles and the Internet are for. :-)
Because all knowledge is contained on LJ ( :-) ), I'll go ahead and list my requirements in case any of y'all have suggestions. My current "investigate these" list is: Mazda (what I have now), Toyota Prius, the new Honda hybrid, and I'd kind of like to find a US-made option too. I don't think there's anything that anyone could say to get me to look at a Saturn; my husband has had too many problems with his, and it's also uncomfortable.
The car will be mainly a commuter car, but a couple times a year I need to be able to stuff lots of crap into it and go on vacation, so it can't suck in terms of cargo capacity. Hatchbacks are good. I was going to say it has to be a hatchback, but maybe there's something else out there that meets all my needs, so I'll just leave it at a strong, strong preference for hatchbacks.
Visibility must be excellent. (This is the other area where my current hatchback totally rocks.) I want to look in the rear-view mirror and see the rear view, not car parts. I want to glance over my shoulder and see what's coming up in the adjacent lane, trivially. That sort of thing. Most sedans and all station wagons that I have driven (albeit not a large sample size) have been inadequate in this area.
I prefer smaller cars, within the parameters given above. They're more maneuverable (city parking, yay), and they tend to be more fuel-efficient.
It should handle snow and ice reasonably, because this is Pittsburgh.
I would, naturally, like it to not suck when it comes to comfort, fuel economy, safety, maintenance, and all the usual small stuff. But I think most of what I'd be considering will be ok for most of this.
What other cars should I be looking at?
I've been paying attention to the car write-ups in Consumer Reports; alas, I think I will need to make a decision before the big 2004 buying guide comes out. That's unfortunate but not catastrophic. I mean, that's what the interim articles and the Internet are for. :-)
Because all knowledge is contained on LJ ( :-) ), I'll go ahead and list my requirements in case any of y'all have suggestions. My current "investigate these" list is: Mazda (what I have now), Toyota Prius, the new Honda hybrid, and I'd kind of like to find a US-made option too. I don't think there's anything that anyone could say to get me to look at a Saturn; my husband has had too many problems with his, and it's also uncomfortable.
The car will be mainly a commuter car, but a couple times a year I need to be able to stuff lots of crap into it and go on vacation, so it can't suck in terms of cargo capacity. Hatchbacks are good. I was going to say it has to be a hatchback, but maybe there's something else out there that meets all my needs, so I'll just leave it at a strong, strong preference for hatchbacks.
Visibility must be excellent. (This is the other area where my current hatchback totally rocks.) I want to look in the rear-view mirror and see the rear view, not car parts. I want to glance over my shoulder and see what's coming up in the adjacent lane, trivially. That sort of thing. Most sedans and all station wagons that I have driven (albeit not a large sample size) have been inadequate in this area.
I prefer smaller cars, within the parameters given above. They're more maneuverable (city parking, yay), and they tend to be more fuel-efficient.
It should handle snow and ice reasonably, because this is Pittsburgh.
I would, naturally, like it to not suck when it comes to comfort, fuel economy, safety, maintenance, and all the usual small stuff. But I think most of what I'd be considering will be ok for most of this.
What other cars should I be looking at?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-17 11:49 pm (UTC)- I got automatic windows so that I could defog the passenger side window while driving. The gasket isn't quite tight enough to do that effectively. However, rolling down a foggy window still works.
- The slide on the heat/A/C control has a few catch spots while adjusting it, it feels like a cheap 59-cent part that will one day break off and leave me with an expensive repair bill.
- The cupholders... well, it was a nice thought, but they don't work very well.
- My first car, a hatchback, had a rear washer/wiper, a luxury that I miss (though coupes don't need them as much as hatchbacks.)
- A number of folks who've borrowed the car have commented on how uncomfortable the seats are.
Re:
Date: 2004-02-18 10:17 am (UTC)Heh. Good point. Maybe brand isn't an indicator of anything after all. :-) (How do you find out?)
Thanks for the comments on the Civic!