Looking for a new car

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cyfan964

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2006
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I bought a Mazda 6 a couple of years ago and love it. Good gas mileage, smooth ride, and I think the body is sharper than most coupes.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
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I bought a Mazda 6 a couple of years ago and love it. Good gas mileage, smooth ride, and I think the body is sharper than most coupes.

Agree and you don't see one on every other block. Although there is a new one of these coming out also.
 

cyclonedave25

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jul 10, 2007
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Chicago, IL
I should have clarified, I didn't mean "brand new" car. I meant new to myself. Looking at 2010 or newer.
 

Sousaclone

Well-Known Member
Apr 29, 2006
1,795
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North of Seattle
Check out a Mazda 3 (sedan or hatch). I've got an '04 hatch that's been a very good car to me. They are pretty well built and have a fairly nice interior.
 

nicmilani

New Member
Mar 24, 2006
20
2
3
Imprezza Wagon is sweeeeetttttt ... you'll love driving it in the snow. I would research on Consumerreports.org ... they are very accurate in their quality assesment. Also, if you decide to buy new and you are looking at a GM or Ford, let me know once you've decided on a model via PM and I can probably get you a friends and family discount code.

Also, for what it's worth, I've sworn off new cars. I buy used with about 40K of good miles on them (well maintained, synthetic oil, carfax). The total cost of ownership is lower. Some people love having a new ride, which I get ... new cars i've bought have just frustrated me (cost vs. value). If you find something 3 years old the car has done most of its depreciating... let someone else pay for that. Food for thought.
 

BringBackJohnny

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2009
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Ames
Put my vote in for the blue oval and the Fusion they good clean lines and not that goofy bubble up poofy body look of the Japanees makers. Ford has really improved their build quality over the last several model cycles as well. Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion are all will built autos in the smaller range.

2nd choice would probably be the Kia Optima.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,690
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I should have clarified, I didn't mean "brand new" car. I meant new to myself. Looking at 2010 or newer.

Being a car guy I shouldn't say this but if my budget was limited to $20K, I wanted something roomy, well equipped, reliable, high resale, good gas mileage, etc. I'd probably go with a 2010/2011 Accord EX-L.

They are boring to look at and you'll see your exact replica every 10 feet but they are probably the best bet for the money. Lets also be honest and say that none of the sedans in the $20K price range are going to knock of your socks when it comes to styling. If you're trying to make a statement you don't buy a $20K family sedan.

In 5 years you'll still have a car that has a high resale value. The 2.4l 4 cylinder is tried and true. The interior holds up well. Honda has sold millions of Accords and there are very few complaints. Now compare that to the truck thread a few weeks ago and nearly everyone knew someone that had major powertrain trouble. The only major problems I've ever heard about the Accord was transmission issues about 12 years ago in some 6 cyl models (also Acura) and that was for a couple of years.
 

ISUonthemove

Well-Known Member
Jan 31, 2007
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Altoona
AWD is awesome! Until you have to replace 1 tire, and find out you can't replace just 1 tire on an AWD vehicle. You must replace them all.
 

TheAdmiral

Active Member
Oct 1, 2009
285
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Minneapolis, MN
I was going to get a coupe, but have decided to go with a sedan for its practicality.
I have these in mind:
Chevy Cruze
Honda Accord
Mitsubishi Lancer GTS

Anybody have any experience with these?
I'd like to stay around $20,000.
Obviously, the Accord is probably the most reliable.
The Chevy Cruze gets great MPG.
And the Mitsubishi Lancer looks sweet.

I can't decide. HELP!! Any other sporty sedans that I should take a look at?
I think I'll add the Kia Optima to the list too.

I bought a 2010 Lancer DE last christmas time. I like it alot. I have the super basic model so it doesn't come with cruise control which is the only real problem I have with it. It runs well, looks cool, and gets pretty good gas mileage. Bought it new for around 14,500 which was the major reason behind my purchase.
 

Entropy

Well-Known Member
Oct 27, 2008
8,757
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Cedar Rapids, IA
I bought my wife a 2011 Ford Fiesta in the fall of 2010. We've put ~21000 miles on it, and other than a faulty ignition module, it's been flawless. Avg. mpg is ~38 (we use it mainly for highway trips) and have even seen as high as 45. Sync is awesome, great bluetooth system, comfortable yet sporty on the back roads.

I'm currently driving a Mazdaspeed6 that I'm considering getting rid of to get the new Ford Focus ST when it drops.
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
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Sep 4, 2011
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Not exactly sure.
One of those Smart cars would get you some good gas mileage, unless you're going into a headwind. They are cheap, basically a golfcart with doors. It's a two door so it has to be sporty.

If you would buy one, its been nice knowing you.
 

labontefan31

Active Member
Oct 20, 2009
246
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Ames/Monticello, IA
I'm looking into getting a Chevy Cruze myself. My advice is that you do a youtube search of each vehicle you're looking at to get a good in depth look.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqY3z54AnAs]Chevrolet Cruze Video Review - Kelley Blue Book - YouTube[/ame]