i need a new car help me pick

myfitnessnmhoy

If fuel mileage is important, I have a ten-year-old VW Jetta Diesel and love it. However, when we went to shop last year for a new car for my wife, we chose a Toyota Prius and really like it. It wasn't cheap, but when you consider all the traction control gimcrackery that comes with the package (which comes in handy in Maine!) the price was pretty competitive with similarly-sized and equipped vehicles that got much poorer fuel mileage.

jerbear1962

Depending on where you live and how you drive. What kind of weather do you put up with and what kind of money you want to spend on upkeep.
I like a lot of different cars
The Hyundai Genesis is a real nice car, expensive but nice
The Ford Escape is practical and able to carry
The Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger both fun to drive and sporty.
Chevy Camaro one of the only Chevys I like.
Good luck on what you decide.

enid42

I apologize in advance to the length of my post.

We knew that we needed to buy a car for a while before our purchase, so I read everything that I could find.
Basics:

Check out new car websites and find, at least, 3 cars that meet your needs. Do not pick one manufacturer or car immediately and understand that you may very well change your mind once you drive a car. There were a few cars that we loved until we got in them. We had to go back to square one and find new cars. (We wanted decent gas mileage and enough room to put our camping gear)

We went to the credit union and got pre approved. We knew what our payments would be. We didn't rely on the person selling the car to provide us with that info and we didn't get taken.

Spend, at least, two full weekends purchasing a car. This is important. Do not let anyone pressure you and don't fall in love with the car. Other than your home, this is one of the major purchases that you will be making. My friend jokes that this is a long term relationship, not a one night stand.

Regard the salespeople like you would a cult. These people learn how to manipulate, try to form "bonds" over things you have in common and generally behave in ways that you don't see in normal life. You are probably on a diet, since you are on MFP, and they try to keep you even when you tell them that it's time for you to eat. Anything that looks like a weakness will be something to exploit. I don't hate car salespeople and some people are more ethical than others but over two full weekends of car lot visiting will give you some good stories to tell, I promise!

Don't do the four square. Don't talk payments, talk price. You know how kids negotiate on a later bedtime? How they try to break you down until you want to give up just to end it? That's how negotiations are with a car dealership. I just kept telling myself that the car payments would be less the more that I did this.

As other people have mentioned, the used cars are holding their value longer because people are not buying cars every few years and trading them in. Expect to spend longer, if you plan on trying to buy a 2-3 year old car.

All that said, I like these cars but that's just based on our needs, which may not be your needs
http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/mazda5/
http://www.dodge.com/en/2012/caliber/
http://www.cars.com/toyota/matrix/2012/
http://www.cars.com/suzuki/sx4/2012/
and all the subarus

Heaven71

2000 Pontiac Firebird.

I know for a fact it's safe.
Good size inside and out with space versatility for luggage.
T-Tops!
It has enough power to make her quick but still gets great gas mileage.
She's BEAUTIFUL, sleek and sporty.
Major importance....she is the most comfortable car in the world...IMO

I love my FLYERBIRD
I can't imagine driving anything else and will have another when this one is gone.

OH and since you're Canadian... She was built in Canada and has a Traction Control System built in.

TrimAnew

I love my Honda Civic. My car before this was a Civic as well (which was totaled when I was t-boned by a 1980-something Dodge pick up truck. I was bruised from my seat belt, but otherwise safe and sound). I wasn't planning to buy a new car, but the used ones were more expensive than new, so I ended up buying new. I was fresh out of college and needed my folks to co-sign so they helped me narrow my list quickly, which is why I didn't even look at some brands at all.

Good gas mileage, holds up well, drives smooth, etc. I'm 5 foot tall and have great visibility out all of my windows.

Having said that, hubby can't drive it because the steering wheel makes him feel cramped. You'll likely need to test drive different cars to see what feels comfortable to you that is also in your price range and suits your needs.

When I was searching for my replacement car after the accident, I did look at other brands and models.

Kia vehicles all felt very cheap inside, but the price was nice. Still, I felt like it would fall apart on me because it was so much thin plastic.

Toyota I hated. I couldn't see worth a darn out of the Camry's rear view window, and the salesman was a no good lair and a terrible chauvinist. That fool tried to tell me that the car was best in it's safety class, when already knew the Nissan was really the safest for the class and he got mad at me when I showed him his error. Then he directed all of his conversation to my father, who was only present because I need someone to co-sign my loan (I was fresh out of college and had only been in my job a week, so I had little credit history). My father keep repeating, "the car is for her" "she's buying" but the salesman didn't take the clue. Little did he know that my significant other, who was tagging along in the background was also in the market for a car. When the salesman repeatedly ignored me, and instead talked to my SO and my father, the salesman lost a possible sale with me and a second with my SO (now husband).

(Hubby says you can tell a lot about a company by how they treat a woman.)

I liked the Nissan dealership but the car wasn't a good fit for me.

Ford was ok. I'd driven a Ford Ranger manual transmission pick up truck in high school that was a lot of fun (I do like stick shifts), but the Focus felt a little cheap as well for the price and I don't think the gas mileage was as good, or something like that. I don't remember much about why I didn't pick a Nissan or Ford. I just remember I didn't hate them like I did the Toyota place.

My folks had gotten a lemon of a minivan from Dodge previously, so that's probably why we didn't pay much attention to Dodges. My SO had a Charger as a rental car for a couple weeks. I didn't drive it, but it had nice power. One thing that I thought was bizarre about it was that it had stylish blue lights for the cup holders but no light whatsoever for the glove box. Finding your drink would be easy, registration not so much. It felt really big too.

SUVs, trucks, vans, etc weren't in my needs and I don't really like driving big vehicles anyway. We didn't really consider GM, Subaru, Jeep, Mazda, BMW, etc for test drives, but I don't remember why.

I seriously considered the Honda Fit, but it had no real power to "get up and go" on the on-ramp to the interstate.

In the end, I got the same car I'd had before the accident, just a few years newer. Salesman there was very friendly and relaxed and not pushy at all. He said he liked working at Honda because he didn't really have to sell the car. The cars sold themselves and when someone showed up to test drive a Honda, they generally already knew that's what they wanted.

As for SO, he liked the Honda as well, but for price reasons went with the Hyundai Sonata with a few upgrades instead of the Honda Accord. It seems to have been a good move for us both. I've always gotten great service when I take my Civic in for maintenance too, especially since I bought the maintenance package. (aka, my maintenance for 100,000 miles is built into the cost of the car. When I take it in for regular tune up I don't get charged anything or have any surprise bills because the car payment and maintenance are bundled together.)

I've had my current Civic 4 years and put 30,000 miles on it (18,000 of those I put on it in the 1st 9 months when I had a terribly long commute). So I'll probably have it awhile, assuming no one else runs a stop sign on me.

MMAQueen

I love my 2012 hyundai accent hatch back. It gets great milage, it's comfy for long road trips, the trunk is a decent size. and if I need it to, it can accelerate pretty well.

You should check out consumer reports. they have a great car comparison tool.

funny. the add on my page is now for the 2013 accent.

If your on a budget this is a great car. cheaper then the other "hot hatchbacks" on the market, and the only one that really rates higher is a vw golf, which is at least 10k more.

PibblesRun

When I had to buy a new car, I still wanted something sporty because im not into the mom type cars, but I also needed something big enough for a baby. Went with a Dodge Charger, the 6 cylinder 3.5L engine. Not the greatest on gas...about 18mpg city (which is mostly what I drive) like 22 highway, but Its worth it to me! I got the sporty feature and its nice and roomy and fits a baby perfectly! Trunk is huge...drives great!

drailine

I own a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 (manual) with 224,000+ miles on her and I love it. Everyone wants me to trade her in because of her age and mileage; but I've never had any problems with it. If my son gets his license this year, I'll give him this car and buy the new Ford Focus ZXT (manual).

Begood03

I would suggest a Ford Focus. They are well built, and get pretty good mileage.

medibrat

I'm on my second Honda Civic and love it to bits. The last one did me 340 000 km with no major problems. This one is new, and gets fantastic mileage (650-700km/tank of fuel). Great car for the money. Highly recommend it!

herrhitman

Subaru Forester. Since you've got dogs, might have kids, and live in Canada. I have an Impreza now (and have had it for 10 years), but if I ever got dogs or kids, I'd get the Forester.

AlbaAngel25

I currently drive a Mercedes CL500, and its a beauty. I don't drive all too much (new to the GTA- Greater Toronto Area), so the gas isn't crazy yet lol. Its a beautiful ride so smooth and pretty. Before this car though, I drove a Honda. I LOVE my honda, even to this day....even though it was a 1995 haha.. It had soooo many clicks, and it just kept right on driving. Those cars are attractive and built to last!