car shopping

[cellio]

Word 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?

Comments

[murmur311.livejournal.com]

if you're looking at the honda hybrid i'd also look at the civic. hondas are good cars and you can't really go wrong with them. comfortable, good mileage, handle well in the snow. my sister has a 2003 civic that is nice- small enough, but not TOO small. i have an 89 accord. they also last a long time.

[queenmabwords.livejournal.com]

I think you should wait until the next car to buy a hybrid. The kinks will be worked out by then. I suggest the Aveo (http://www.chevrolet.com/aveo/) for your next purchase.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

I like my brand-new Toyota Matrix. However, it probably fails the "visibility excellent" test as the left rear passenger's headrest does create a partial block of one corner of the rear mirror area.

However, it's reasonably fuel efficient (though if you go for AWD as I did that'll eat into your mileage a little), it's a hatchback or mini station wagon depending on your point of view, it has lovely headroom, and it does have a nice big cargo area, especially when the seats are folded.

I considered a hybrid, but could not get a Prius to test-drive, and have a strong preference for Toyotas.

[rectangularcat]

Subaru Outback or Forester? They are small - *gasp* SUV's but really good on gas and very well made. Steve's family swears by them - they bought the 2nd Forester in Vancouver when it came out in 97 and have been very very happy with it. That may be too expensive or big for you though

I love Toyota myself (being an owner of a 9 year old Tercel) - the Matrix is very interesting but I have not test driven it. We are looking at changing in the Tercel soon as it won't be a really good mountain car and looking at mostly the same parameters as you - although we'd prefer that it wasn't US made (I think I'm going to get in political hot water over that one)

Re:

[rectangularcat]

Funny I wrote that before looking at the other comments. Think how cool to know you own a bit of Matrix!

[sk4p.livejournal.com]

I really love my Toyota Echo. It's got amazing mileage, low maintenance, great visibility, and is really cheap in spite of that. It is, however, a bit small, so that might be a problem.

[zare-k.livejournal.com]

V took the new Prius on a test drive and was very pleased with it, so she put in an order a couple of months ago. However, they have yet to deliver the car since the demand for them is so high. Don't know if this will still be a problem by the time you're ready to purchase, but something to keep in mind.

I've been very happy with my Jetta, and since you prefer the hatchback body style maybe a Golf would be worth looking at?

[amergina.livejournal.com]

I love my civic. I have the coupe, but it does come in a hatchback. I have had no maintenance problems with it, and it's still going strong at 8 year/103000+ miles. The gas millage is just starting to fall into the 32 mpg stage. Sigh. I used to get close to 40 at one point. It's old age, I think.

Tofi has a honda hybrid, I believe.

for kicks...

[ironangel]

...you may want to check out the 2004 auto show. Even if you don't want a new 2004, there may be other things there that spark your interest.

dano and I are going this weekend, mostly cause I suspect it will be my one and only chance to see a 2004 aniversary edition Mustang coupe up close and personal ;)

[schulman.livejournal.com]

I'm another happy Toyota owner. My '93 Camry is dull, but remarkably reliable.

You might take a look at the Car Talk Test Drive (http://www.cartalk.com/content/testdrives/) archive. The reviews there hit a lot of useful points like visibility, usability, and how easy it is to let a dog in and out of the test vehicles. :-)

[zare-k.livejournal.com]

Ooh! When/where is it? I want to see the shiny cars.

Input from an acquaintance of mine

[dmnsqrl.livejournal.com]

An engineer recently graduated from college who was pretty deeply involved with an 'alternative energy' engine project his senior year and who got a hybrid car for himself within the last six months.

I asked for his thoughts and he replied

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid:

Warm weather - 48mpg
Cold weather - 38mpg
Handling in bad weather - excellent
Accelleration - excellent
Interior space - Civics have excellent interior space
in both the front and rear
Trunk space - wide but not deep
Price - (as of Aug last year) $21,000 after taxes and
registration

I hope that might be of some help

Re:

[cellio]

Thanks for the tip about Aveo. Seems to be worth looking into, yes.

Re:

[cellio]

I like my brand-new Toyota Matrix. However, it probably fails the "visibility excellent" test as the left rear passenger's headrest does create a partial block of one corner of the rear mirror area.

Did you know that those headrests pop out? I complained about that and the guy reached in and solved the problem. :-) (I figure if I actually *have* rear passengers we can put 'em back in, but I almost never do.)

Re:

[cellio]

My first car was a Toyota (a Corolla), and it was a good car. I did look at Toyota when I bought the Mazda, though I don't remember what I saw or why I didn't buy it. But it's looking good this time around.

I think I'm going to get in political hot water over that one

Not from me -- different strokes for different folks and all that.

Re:

[cellio]

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't thought to look at VW, but the Golf does look like it could be a good match.

Re:

[cellio]

True -- Civic has a good track record and is worth looking at too.

Re: for kicks...

[cellio]

Thanks! Possible project for Sunday. :-)

Re:

[cellio]

Here -- looks like it runs through Sunday.

Re:

[cellio]

Thanks! That looks like a really useful site.

Re: Input from an acquaintance of mine

[cellio]

Thanks! That definitely helps; Consumer Reports liked the Prius better, but there won't be any for sale in Pittsburgh for 5-6 months, so I'm going to take a look at the Honda. Glad to hear good things about it!

[queenmabwords.livejournal.com]

It's what I would get if there was just me in the picture. It reminds me of my Geo I had years ago, when the Geo first came out and was cheap and good. I drove all over in it, and had a ton of fun! And the gas mileage was terrific!

Wjat

[miz-hatbox.livejournal.com]

Lots of "foreign" cars are made in plants right here in the states, and lots of foreign and American cars alike use overseas parts, so you aren't necessarily taking away American jobs if you buy a car with a foreign brandname or saving American jobs with an American brandname.

Besides, there are lots of cars that are rebranded by more than one automaker, so you might have a Mazda model and a Chevy model that are exactly the same except for slightly different trim. (The 323 was a prime example, but I forget which American car was the same one with a different name)

Re: Wjat

[miz-hatbox.livejournal.com]

Gaack! Sorry, that subject was supposed to be, "What's in a brandname? A VW by any other name would still drive as, um, sweet"

[aliza250.livejournal.com]

The last time my father mentioned his preference for buying American cars I pointed out that my Honda was made in Ohio while his Ford was made in Mexico. :-) I'm very happy with my Honda (1998 Civic coupe, auto everything.) The things that bug me about it:
- 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.

cz_unit has a Prius and is very happy with it.

Re:

[cellio]

Thanks for the tip! I definitely want to look at one of these; it looks from the pictures that it would be big enough, and I don't want huge. :-)

Re: Wjat

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

there are lots of cars that are rebranded by more than one automaker

Yes, the Geo Prizm (later Chevy Prizm) that I had until last month was a rebrand of the Toyota Corolla. It got great mileage and needed very little work, until the end days. In November, my Chevy dealership said "you are now in the market for a new car." (118K miles - when I'd been hoping to get to at least 150K)

And the Pontiac Vibe appears to be the same as the current Toyota Matrix.

Re:

[cellio]

Thanks. I'll definitely give the Civic a look (and anything else similar the dealer suggests). I hope to see Hondas tonight.

Re: Wjat

[cellio]

That's a good point. Thanks.

Re:

[cellio]

The last time my father mentioned his preference for buying American cars I pointed out that my Honda was made in Ohio while his Ford was made in Mexico. :-)

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!