Which car should I get out of the following? (USA)
Replies
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Ford quality went way up a few years ago. More recently they've raised the bar on comfort items - like the Synch sound system, which links to your smart phone. Lots of systems do it, I think the Synch does it best.0
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No to the Maza or the Fix Or Repair Daily (FORD).0
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I have a 2010 Ford Focus and really love it. I've put almost 60k miles on it already (long commute) and with regular maintenance (I played two dealerships against each other and got a 3 year service contract free) it's running perfectly.
You mentioned renting a car so I'll put the idea out there... Contact your local car rental agencies and see if they have current models of these cars in stock for rent. Rent each one for a day or two so you can really get a feel for it and see which one you like the best.
FYI, not sure what's out there currently for the Focus but a year or two ago they did a 5 door/hatchback model that was super cute and sporty looking.0 -
My very first car was a Dodge Dart, back in the olden days. :bigsmile: Loved it!
I like the new style of the Dart...alas, my top mechanic of a husband snorted with derision when I suggested getting one.
I suspect he snorted because it wouldn't tow his boat, which is why I ended up with a V-6 Equinox.0 -
All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
a) Mazda3: Pretty good little car. A friend of mine has a new ('12?) one and loves it. Fun to drive and great gas mileage.
b) Dodge Dart: I haven't driven one, and don't know much about them.
c) Ford Focus: I drove a rental and just plain hated it. Sluggish, bad visibility, and not that nice in general. Just no.
d) Hyundai Elantra: Hyundai, in particular the Elantra, has really improved over the past few years. (They kinda had a bad name a few years back.) They're pretty good little cars now. I have a Hyundai (Genesis Coupe, though) and I love it.
Out of the ones you listed, honestly I would probably go with the Mazda3, thought the Elantra would be a fairly close second.0 -
LOL to the responses about buying American. It isn't the 1980's anymore and the automotive manufacturing landscape is increasingly global. The most domestic vehicle is currently the Toyota Avalon. Out of those 4, only the Mazda is not assembled in the United States and it's domestic parts content is very low. Dodge is now owned by Fiat and the Dart is based off of a modified Fiat platform.
Another LOL to the typical Dodge junk, Fixed or Repaired Daily. Pretty much any modern car will be reliable. The differences in reliability between cars are increasingly small, and Dodge has seriously stepped up their game in the past couple years. The parts cost will not affect you as you plan to lease, and the parts costs are comparable on most modern common cars (there was definitely a marked difference in the past). The 2.0 and 2.4 in the Dart are GEMA engines which are a shared design with Hyundai and Mitsubishi (each version is different) and I haven't heard of any problems with this engine.
FYI, so you have a reference of where I come from in my views, I personally own a 2005 Mazda3 5 door (daily driver) and 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged (race/fun car). I am a Mechanical Engineer, keep up on automotive news, do automotive racing, and do almost all my own vehicle repairs, upgrades and maintenance. I also travel for work often and spend my fair share of time in rental cars.
I think you will be fine with whatever you choose, but my personal feelings on each of them:
Mazda3: Best driving and handling car of the choices if you enjoy a sportier car. The 2.5 is thirsty though, I recommend the new 2.0 Skyactiv
Dodge Dart: Have not driven one, but I think they look very sharp. This car looks like a HUGE step up from previous efforts. I have heard that the 1.4 Turbo variant doesn't live up to expectations though.
Focus: I really like the new Focus, although think the interior is overdone and hate the automatic in it. Be sure to test drive the car in low speed stop and go situations to make sure you are okay with how it drives. The automatic is a dual clutch setup and it can be clunky at low speeds and feels like it lags to me.
Hyundai: Driven this one. Good value, but not very sporty at all. Seems to look better on paper than executed.
You mentioned the Chevy and Kia were out, but have you looked at them yourself? I have a new Cruze as a rental and it impressed me. The 1.4 turbo was a honey of an engine. I would have never recommended any of Chevy's small cars in the past, but the new Cruze is actually nice. Kia and Hyundai are under the same parent company and the Kia is almost the same car underneath. I think the Kia looks better myself.
And just no to the Corolla. This car is just not competitive for what it cost and seems to sell on name recognition alone.
One last thing, why a lease? Doing a lease versus buy calculation, it is better in the long run to purchase the vehicle in every case I've seen.0 -
I have a 2010 Mazda3 2.5S and it's been a pretty good car. Have about 40,000 miles on it now and, other than new tires and regular oil changes and maintenance, I haven't had to do anything to it. I have the 5 door hatchback. You can get a lot of stuff in it when you fold the seats down. I did test drive a 4 door Mazda3 with a smaller engine (1.8, IIRC) and hated it - it was very unresponsive. I like my car to move when I put my foot down! I do not get great gas mileage from the 2.5, but then I don't exactly drive economically. I don't know what the newer "skyactiv" engines are like.
Bottom line though, you really do need to test drive them! Do they feel good to you, and the way you drive? Can you see all round? Are the switches and buttons where you like them? Do they have the toys you'd like, like Bluetooth, stereo, GPS or whatever? Do they have maintenance plans or oil changes included in the lease? Are the leases all for the same # of miles per year - and is that # enough for you? It costs something like 10 cents per mile or more to go over your allowance, and that could work out very costly.
Finally - other than the lease/purchase debate, think about buying used. A brand new car loses something like 30% of its value the second you drive it off the lot. A gently used older car might give you more bang for your dollars.0 -
All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
Wow....you deliver cars! Clearly you're an expert! LOL at you for calling Ford the worst......then telling her to buy a Chevy....wow0 -
I have a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. It's the hatchback version, and I LOVE IT. I have no idea why they called it GT, which eludes to *fast*, because it's no faster than any of the other Elantras, but there you go.
I'm also in Houston, FWIW. Not sure that matters, heh.0 -
All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
Wow....you deliver cars! Clearly you're an expert! LOL at you for calling Ford the worst......then telling her to buy a Chevy....wow
What exactly is wrong with Chevy?0 -
I had a Mazda3 hatchback that I loved. So much, that when it was time to replace it, I got another one - love it too! And get the sunroof - essential.0
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All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
Wow....you deliver cars! Clearly you're an expert! LOL at you for calling Ford the worst......then telling her to buy a Chevy....wow
What exactly is wrong with Chevy?
What exactly is wrong with a Ford?0 -
I just bought a 2010 mazda3 a year ago and love it! Haven't had any issues with it besides routine care and it's not complex to drive. Sporty enough your BF will like it. Go mazda!0
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All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
Wow....you deliver cars! Clearly you're an expert! LOL at you for calling Ford the worst......then telling her to buy a Chevy....wow
What exactly is wrong with Chevy?
What exactly is wrong with a Ford?
If you want to bring up the past, a plethora of problems plagued Fords. In fact, we'd be here all night discussing them.....however in the last 5 years or so, they've stepped up their quality in a major way.0 -
All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
Wow....you deliver cars! Clearly you're an expert! LOL at you for calling Ford the worst......then telling her to buy a Chevy....wow
Well.. when you personally drive the cars and then have many of them break down on you along your way (returning them to their original rental companies).. yeah, you get an idea of what's good and bad.
Do you realize that car rentals are usually newer? And they're maintained? Wouldn't that be a good bases for what is a good and bad car? Especially, considering, that these new and maintained cars all have different lives? As in,: some go on forever and some don't.
And why laugh about Ford being the worst and then my suggestion of Chevy? Chevy has had some of the highest resell ratings for the past few years. Ford was knocked down into the average category. Sure, Ford is one of the highest selling but no one buys it back- meaning there's something that makes people wary of it (it's sh**.)0 -
Ford focus 100%. I'd also consider a ford fusion.0
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All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
I second all of that! I have a lot of personal experience with Chevys and only recently have I had to take care of any minor issues with my '99 Chevy. A Ford is bad for problems, I know a lot of people love them, but the parts for them are expensive...Hondas have issues with their oxygen sensors...even after they are replaced. My hubby is a mechanic and he said that the Hyundai Elantra used to be crap...but they are getting to be so much better and are much better cars than they used to be. Since you are only leasing for about 3 yrs I say go with D.0 -
LOL to the responses about buying American. It isn't the 1980's anymore and the automotive manufacturing landscape is increasingly global. The most domestic vehicle is currently the Toyota Avalon. Out of those 4, only the Mazda is not assembled in the United States and it's domestic parts content is very low. Dodge is now owned by Fiat and the Dart is based off of a modified Fiat platform.
Another LOL to the typical Dodge junk, Fixed or Repaired Daily. Pretty much any modern car will be reliable. The differences in reliability between cars are increasingly small, and Dodge has seriously stepped up their game in the past couple years. The parts cost will not affect you as you plan to lease, and the parts costs are comparable on most modern common cars (there was definitely a marked difference in the past). The 2.0 and 2.4 in the Dart are GEMA engines which are a shared design with Hyundai and Mitsubishi (each version is different) and I haven't heard of any problems with this engine.
FYI, so you have a reference of where I come from in my views, I personally own a 2005 Mazda3 5 door (daily driver) and 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged (race/fun car). I am a Mechanical Engineer, keep up on automotive news, do automotive racing, and do almost all my own vehicle repairs, upgrades and maintenance. I also travel for work often and spend my fair share of time in rental cars.
I think you will be fine with whatever you choose, but my personal feelings on each of them:
Mazda3: Best driving and handling car of the choices if you enjoy a sportier car. The 2.5 is thirsty though, I recommend the new 2.0 Skyactiv
Dodge Dart: Have not driven one, but I think they look very sharp. This car looks like a HUGE step up from previous efforts. I have heard that the 1.4 Turbo variant doesn't live up to expectations though.
Focus: I really like the new Focus, although think the interior is overdone and hate the automatic in it. Be sure to test drive the car in low speed stop and go situations to make sure you are okay with how it drives. The automatic is a dual clutch setup and it can be clunky at low speeds and feels like it lags to me.
Hyundai: Driven this one. Good value, but not very sporty at all. Seems to look better on paper than executed.
You mentioned the Chevy and Kia were out, but have you looked at them yourself? I have a new Cruze as a rental and it impressed me. The 1.4 turbo was a honey of an engine. I would have never recommended any of Chevy's small cars in the past, but the new Cruze is actually nice. Kia and Hyundai are under the same parent company and the Kia is almost the same car underneath. I think the Kia looks better myself.
And just no to the Corolla. This car is just not competitive for what it cost and seems to sell on name recognition alone.
One last thing, why a lease? Doing a lease versus buy calculation, it is better in the long run to purchase the vehicle in every case I've seen.
First of all, thanks for taking the time to actually try to be helpful!!
So um regarding leasing, I'm going to be a college grad and don't really have the money/credit to buy a car. And since I have no clue what I want, and I'm not an experienced enough driver to make a good decision, I don't want to have to commit to a car. So I feel like the lease is just a long test haha. Also, I don't know **** about cars, so I'd rather lease so all the repair issues are the dealer's problem, not mine. I'm also an engineer (chemical) and so I'll have a decent salary so I think I'd prefer paying more, but having less of a hassle. After this lease, maybe I'll feel more confident about buying one. And even though the BF will be driving it for the most part, he would only be doing so when he visits. He lives in the UK. My parents will be in NJ (me in TX). I don't wanna be on my own with car problems!
My Aunt has a Cruze, and I've looked at them online. I like them, but they're not sporty and I don't think my boyfriend had any interest. If I was just buying for myself, it would probably be at the top of my list. But I'm hoping to walk to work and use the car as little as possible! Also I think I remember it being pricey. Maybe low at first, but once you added a few features it went way up whereas the others didn't really.
Kia I really didn't look into. Again BF was against them from the start, I don't particularly like the way the cars look, so I didn't bother. I'm already overwhelmed with like the ones we are looking at so I'm trying to eliminate ones to look at. (Also have a dislike for volkswagen which I'm glad hasn't been mentioned - at least in the posts preceding yours.
A few friends have recommended the Elantra - no one here seems to like it, but I like it. I know the bf doesn't love how it looks, and the ones he does like aren't more expensive, so I'd rather please him, but haven't ruled it out either.
We both love the dart, but neither of us have seen it in person or driven it. That'll probably be our first stop. BF likes the look of the Focus too. I don't like it, but don't really mind. I think I remember it having more trunk space which appealed to me, but I'm not sure if this will matter.
I always thought Mazdas were cute, and the reviews seem to be good, so I'm keeping the mazda3 on the list, but BF wasn't too impressed. We'll see when he drives it though.
I don't feel like any of them are a bad choice, but that just makes it a harder decision.0 -
I have a 2010 Mazda3 2.5S and it's been a pretty good car. Have about 40,000 miles on it now and, other than new tires and regular oil changes and maintenance, I haven't had to do anything to it. I have the 5 door hatchback. You can get a lot of stuff in it when you fold the seats down. I did test drive a 4 door Mazda3 with a smaller engine (1.8, IIRC) and hated it - it was very unresponsive. I like my car to move when I put my foot down! I do not get great gas mileage from the 2.5, but then I don't exactly drive economically. I don't know what the newer "skyactiv" engines are like.
Bottom line though, you really do need to test drive them! Do they feel good to you, and the way you drive? Can you see all round? Are the switches and buttons where you like them? Do they have the toys you'd like, like Bluetooth, stereo, GPS or whatever? Do they have maintenance plans or oil changes included in the lease? Are the leases all for the same # of miles per year - and is that # enough for you? It costs something like 10 cents per mile or more to go over your allowance, and that could work out very costly.
Finally - other than the lease/purchase debate, think about buying used. A brand new car loses something like 30% of its value the second you drive it off the lot. A gently used older car might give you more bang for your dollars.
Thanks for the list of questions to keep in mind for test driving. I've never test drived anything so don't even know what to look for. I'd be just too afraid of crashing it lol.
Regarding leasing, I explained my reasoning in the post before, first paragraph of my response. I'd consider buying used if there was a warranty, and I emailed a dealership about that, they said they'd look into it, but never got back with an answer. And I didn't care enough to follow up. I'll ask again when we finally make it to the dealerships!0 -
I have a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. It's the hatchback version, and I LOVE IT. I have no idea why they called it GT, which eludes to *fast*, because it's no faster than any of the other Elantras, but there you go.
I'm also in Houston, FWIW. Not sure that matters, heh.
HELLO FUTURE NEIGHBOR!
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The mazda will never stop running. I recommend it.0
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I have a 2010 Mazda3 2.5S and it's been a pretty good car. Have about 40,000 miles on it now and, other than new tires and regular oil changes and maintenance, I haven't had to do anything to it. I have the 5 door hatchback. You can get a lot of stuff in it when you fold the seats down. I did test drive a 4 door Mazda3 with a smaller engine (1.8, IIRC) and hated it - it was very unresponsive. I like my car to move when I put my foot down! I do not get great gas mileage from the 2.5, but then I don't exactly drive economically. I don't know what the newer "skyactiv" engines are like.
Bottom line though, you really do need to test drive them! Do they feel good to you, and the way you drive? Can you see all round? Are the switches and buttons where you like them? Do they have the toys you'd like, like Bluetooth, stereo, GPS or whatever? Do they have maintenance plans or oil changes included in the lease? Are the leases all for the same # of miles per year - and is that # enough for you? It costs something like 10 cents per mile or more to go over your allowance, and that could work out very costly.
Finally - other than the lease/purchase debate, think about buying used. A brand new car loses something like 30% of its value the second you drive it off the lot. A gently used older car might give you more bang for your dollars.
Thanks for the list of questions to keep in mind for test driving. I've never test drived anything so don't even know what to look for. I'd be just too afraid of crashing it lol.
Regarding leasing, I explained my reasoning in the post before, first paragraph of my response. I'd consider buying used if there was a warranty, and I emailed a dealership about that, they said they'd look into it, but never got back with an answer. And I didn't care enough to follow up. I'll ask again when we finally make it to the dealerships!
Buying or leasing a car is always a harrowing experience!
Assuming all the cars you are looking at will be equally reliable, I'd say then that the final choice is going to be personal preference! Sit in it before you drive, and get a feel of where everything is. Do you like the look of it? Do you like the colors available on the lot?
I would suggest making a table of all the things you would ideally like in a car - possibly the things I mentioned above, plus a good AC if you are in Texas; do you want leather seats? Trunk space? Room in the rear for passengers etc. Take it with you when you go test driving, and fill in the blanks. Are these going to cost you more for one car, but standard on another?
Figure out your $ before you go. How much can you afford vs how much you'd actually be willing to spend.
What deals are out there now? Look in your local paper/dealer websites and see what they are advertising. Remember - these deals are usually for a base model - if you want more features, the price can go up fast. Also, they often say "Oh, we only had one in stock at that price" and try to up-sell you. Stick to your guns, and don't be afraid to negotiate! Walk away if you don't feel comfortable.
You mentioned maintenance in your other post: most leases are going to require you to pay for routine maintenance. You can get leases where this is covered, but you might pay more up front.
Finally - if you are the one leasing it; get something you like! Take your BF's opinion into account by all means, but don't get a car for him unless he is the one paying for it. Boyfriends come and go, but you'll be stuck with the car til the end of the lease!0 -
Another (possible) factor to consider is the air-conditioning. I live about an hour away from Houston on the coast and the summers here are absolutely brutal.
(...but we never have to shovel snow and can wear shorts in January!)0 -
I spent about half of my career in the auto finance industry, albeit I’ve been out for 6 years. I remember noticing that a lot of residual risk professionals (guys who project the value of the car at the end of a lease) drove Mazda’s.0
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All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
Stay away from Chrysler (Dodge) products. Mazda3 is a great car for a great value. Ford Focus is a great car but the automatic transmission is not very smooth and feels jerky. I have several coworkers with an Elentra and they love them. The new Hyundai's are too feminine in their aesthetics, I'm sure your boyfriend would agree.
Bottom line - Mazda3 or Focus. The Mazda will be a better value (price for the options).0 -
All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
As a ravenous car fanatic who used to deliver cars from one place to another (for rentals).. none of these. Ford is possibly the worst- for all the American hoo-ha over it, that brand has the most problems. Hyundai (a sh*** foreign brand..) is a second and Dodge is an easy third (Dodge is notorious for never fixing certain problems). Mazda, although Ford has 3% in it, is the lesser of the evils.
Have you considered a Honda Civic? A Kia Soul? Anything Toyota or Chevy (which is in the top 5 the last few years.. and my top choices from experience, alone.)
But, I can understand that you like what you like.
You do realize that Kia and Hyundai are the same company, don't you?0 -
All 2013, for a 2-3 year lease
a) Mazda3
b) Dodge Dart
c) Ford Focus
d) Hyundai Elantra
Background:
I'm a chick. I can barely drive an automatic, never mind a stick. I'll be sharing the car with my boyfriend who is a guy and likes fast cars. We'll be living in the Houston, TX area.
Stay away from Chrysler (Dodge) products. Mazda3 is a great car for a great value. Ford Focus is a great car but the automatic transmission is not very smooth and feels jerky. I have several coworkers with an Elentra and they love them. The new Hyundai's are too feminine in their aesthetics, I'm sure your boyfriend would agree.
Bottom line - Mazda3 or Focus. The Mazda will be a better value (price for the options).
Actually so with my company I get discounts from Ford and Chrysler. Focus and Dart would both have discounts, more of a discount on the Focus it seems. No discount on Mazda or Hyundai. So I think I'll be deciding between those two, but the more I think about it, the more I want the Dart. I'll/BF will test drive both to be sure though.
I like how the Elantra looks (along with the Mazda3 and Dart), and I have 2 guy friends who own and like them. BF didn't hate or love it. I still want to keep it on my list, but may not be worth it if I get discounts for the other two.
Also, I'm getting annoyed with so many people saying not to buy Ford or not to buy Toyota, etc. I want feedback on the cars I'm actually looking at, not what the companies were like ten years ago! I know everyone has their personal favorites and dislikes, but I don't care and it's not helpful. If you're going to tell me a brand is crap then back it up facts and reasoning regarding the car I'm looking at or at least something recent.
Thank you. End rant.
I really do like the Mazda3, and it seems like this might be a good choice, but idk if I'll be able to take it too seriously if there's no discount for me. Also looks like there's no dealership in my city. I'd rather be closer to one in case of a problem. There is a Dodge and Ford by me, but I suppose I should keep in mind that I'll only be living in my city for 2 years before my office moves and then it won't matter.
One more quick rant. I want the Aero fuel efficient dart, but it needs premium fuel. So much for savings!0 -
I have a 2010 Mazda3 2.5S and it's been a pretty good car. Have about 40,000 miles on it now and, other than new tires and regular oil changes and maintenance, I haven't had to do anything to it. I have the 5 door hatchback. You can get a lot of stuff in it when you fold the seats down. I did test drive a 4 door Mazda3 with a smaller engine (1.8, IIRC) and hated it - it was very unresponsive. I like my car to move when I put my foot down! I do not get great gas mileage from the 2.5, but then I don't exactly drive economically. I don't know what the newer "skyactiv" engines are like.
Bottom line though, you really do need to test drive them! Do they feel good to you, and the way you drive? Can you see all round? Are the switches and buttons where you like them? Do they have the toys you'd like, like Bluetooth, stereo, GPS or whatever? Do they have maintenance plans or oil changes included in the lease? Are the leases all for the same # of miles per year - and is that # enough for you? It costs something like 10 cents per mile or more to go over your allowance, and that could work out very costly.
Finally - other than the lease/purchase debate, think about buying used. A brand new car loses something like 30% of its value the second you drive it off the lot. A gently used older car might give you more bang for your dollars.
Thanks for the list of questions to keep in mind for test driving. I've never test drived anything so don't even know what to look for. I'd be just too afraid of crashing it lol.
Regarding leasing, I explained my reasoning in the post before, first paragraph of my response. I'd consider buying used if there was a warranty, and I emailed a dealership about that, they said they'd look into it, but never got back with an answer. And I didn't care enough to follow up. I'll ask again when we finally make it to the dealerships!
Buying or leasing a car is always a harrowing experience!
Assuming all the cars you are looking at will be equally reliable, I'd say then that the final choice is going to be personal preference! Sit in it before you drive, and get a feel of where everything is. Do you like the look of it? Do you like the colors available on the lot?
I would suggest making a table of all the things you would ideally like in a car - possibly the things I mentioned above, plus a good AC if you are in Texas; do you want leather seats? Trunk space? Room in the rear for passengers etc. Take it with you when you go test driving, and fill in the blanks. Are these going to cost you more for one car, but standard on another?
Figure out your $ before you go. How much can you afford vs how much you'd actually be willing to spend.
What deals are out there now? Look in your local paper/dealer websites and see what they are advertising. Remember - these deals are usually for a base model - if you want more features, the price can go up fast. Also, they often say "Oh, we only had one in stock at that price" and try to up-sell you. Stick to your guns, and don't be afraid to negotiate! Walk away if you don't feel comfortable.
You mentioned maintenance in your other post: most leases are going to require you to pay for routine maintenance. You can get leases where this is covered, but you might pay more up front.
Finally - if you are the one leasing it; get something you like! Take your BF's opinion into account by all means, but don't get a car for him unless he is the one paying for it. Boyfriends come and go, but you'll be stuck with the car til the end of the lease!
So I think I've been convinced to buy instead of lease. But you're response is still super helpful thank you! And don't worry, I have no problem saying no to my BF. Especially when he wants the trims that look cool but don't actually add anything to the car besides cost! He's not getting a Dart GT unless he's paying for it! But um, he's also not going anywhere. He may get kicked out of the country and have to go back to the UK for a bit, but he'll be back or I'll move to him! 0 -
You may be able to get just as good of a deal through regular negotiations, depending on the supply/demand of a particular model, so I would look at all of them before cutting choices just based on whether a discount is available through work. You have narrowed it down to 4, so it should not take much time to look at all of them.Actually so with my company I get discounts from Ford and Chrysler. Focus and Dart would both have discounts, more of a discount on the Focus it seems. No discount on Mazda or Hyundai. So I think I'll be deciding between those two, but the more I think about it, the more I want the Dart. I'll/BF will test drive both to be sure though.
I like how the Elantra looks (along with the Mazda3 and Dart), and I have 2 guy friends who own and like them. BF didn't hate or love it. I still want to keep it on my list, but may not be worth it if I get discounts for the other two.
Also, I'm getting annoyed with so many people saying not to buy Ford or not to buy Toyota, etc. I want feedback on the cars I'm actually looking at, not what the companies were like ten years ago! I know everyone has their personal favorites and dislikes, but I don't care and it's not helpful. If you're going to tell me a brand is crap then back it up facts and reasoning regarding the car I'm looking at or at least something recent.
Thank you. End rant.
I really do like the Mazda3, and it seems like this might be a good choice, but idk if I'll be able to take it too seriously if there's no discount for me. Also looks like there's no dealership in my city. I'd rather be closer to one in case of a problem. There is a Dodge and Ford by me, but I suppose I should keep in mind that I'll only be living in my city for 2 years before my office moves and then it won't matter.
One more quick rant. I want the Aero fuel efficient dart, but it needs premium fuel. So much for savings!
How far is the Mazda dealership from you? They are more sparse, so you may not have one where you move as well, unfortunately. Luckily something that would require the dealer is pretty rare. My Mazda is at 105k or so and I've only had a few items that I had to go to the dealer for, shocks, a valve in the emissions system, and a thermostat assembly. Each time I bought the factory parts from online dealers as the prices are MUCH better. I did the work myself, but those are repairs which an independent shop could easily do.
The Aero model uses the 1.4 turbo, and that is the engine in my earlier post that I mentioned not receiving very good reviews. It was laggy and the mileage doesn't seem to pan out in real world driving. Add that to the added cost of that option and the requirement for premium fuel, and it doesn't add up. I think you will find the model with the 2.0 will better serve you. The Cruze also has a 1.4 turbo, but it is much better executed.
Best of luck, and if you haven't done negotiations before, it helps to have a good negotiator come in Look at them all and don't let them pressure you. Don't fall in love with a car and don't be afraid to walk away. Keep us updated on what you pick. 0 -
Pretty sure we're going with the Mazda 3 5-dr iTouring + preferred package. 0
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