Looking for a new ride

[Miek]

I'm looking to buy, most likely, a mid-sized sedan. Above all else, I want reliability and decent fuel economy. Ideally, I'd like something that's going to last at least a while longer that I'd be paying for it. I've decided that I'm willing to spend up to $30K Canadian Dollars so long as it means I'll be getting something quality-built. I'd also like to keep the purchase to a local dealership so that if something ever did go wrong that could be repaired under warranty, I wouldn't have to drive several hours to the next city to get it fixed. That limits things to the following makes:

• Chrysler/Dodge
• Ford
• GM

• Honda

• Hyundai

• Nissan

• Toyota

The next closest city has most any make you could think of, but the trade off is that it's about four hours away.

 

What I'd really appreciate is any sort of recommendation or experience. Right now, I'm looking between the Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata, mainly. I test drove and liked both vehicles, but I'm still poking around with reading reviews and the like.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Miek

[ccokeman]

The Sonata is not bad really. Its a slick looking car for the money with a standout warranty. In long term testing the Altima seems like the initial good vibes go sour quick. The Dodge Charger is not bad and has a really decent V6 if you choose that route.  

[Waco]

Ford Focus. As much as I dislike Ford, the new ones are pretty awesome.

[Onion]

Ford Focus. As much as I dislike Ford, the new ones are pretty awesome.

 

I was typing a post earlier and forgot to actually post it saying that the new Focus is really nice.

 

I had one for three weeks as a rental and drove it a TON. Did a 1200 mile road trip in a day, and also did a lot of city driving. Gas mileage is great, it's pretty peppy and nimble, has a HUGE trunk (I put a transmission in the trunk and had room left for luggage), seats are very comfy (no back pain on the road trip), and the sound system is great. I averaged 32.5 mpg at 85 mph highway, forgot what my city mpg was. Lower highway speeds like 60 mph would get me over 35 mpg easy when driving to work. 

[Miek]

Ford Focus. As much as I dislike Ford, the new ones are pretty awesome.

 

I currently drive a Ford Fiesta, and the transmission is way more rough than I'd like. Sometimes it just stalls out entirely (it's the six speed automatic). According to reviews, that issue is on the Focus too, and Ford hasn't offered a fix yet. I should also mention that not even two years into owning my Fiesta, the transmission went. Fortunately, it was under warranty. However, my warranty will be up in December.

 

Ford's sort of low on my list to be honest, but I may well end up test driving a Focus and/or a Fusion yet. The Fusion has fairly solid reviews and I really like how it looks. I'd just hope that it'd be a higher build quality than the Fiesta. All things considered, though, the Fiesta IS a small economy car.

 

And about the Charger/V6 thing. I think that a mid-size is about as big as I want to go, and I'd like a 4-cylinder engine. The vehicle will be spending most of its time in the city so I can drive to and from work, but I do a decent amount of highway travel as well. A 4-banger offers a bit better economy than the V6, so I'm leaning that way. The Charger is a nice car, no doubt (my dad actually has an '08 Charger R/T and I love it when I get a chance to drive it), but it's just not quite what I want to own at this point in my life.

 

I'm not totally sure how reliable it would be in the long run, but I really liked the feel of the Altima's CVT when I drove it-- but to be totally honest, the Sonata's 6-speed auto was so smooth that it felt almost the same. When you stepped on it, it didn't wait too long to downshift. In my Fiesta, there's quite a delay, and then it sort of clumsily lurches forward when it grabs a gear.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Miek

[Waco]

Auto transmissions usually suck, so I have no experience with any new ones (I always test drive manuals).

[Onion]

I'm not saying the transmission thing isn't true, but I didn't experience any issues on the focus. Then again, everything feels smooth compared to the Z.

 

How about the new impala? I haven't looked at them but I've heard lots of good things.

 

Edit: Never mind, you don't have a chevy dealer.

 

You should talk to your dealers and see if they can pull a vehicle from another dealer for you, many of them are willing to do that.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Onion

[GabrielT]

I suggest 30 $1000 beaters, for real. You will have WAY more fun with a car that you have no financial attachment to. 

[Onion]

I suggest 30 $1000 beaters, for real. You will have WAY more fun with a car that you have no financial attachment to.

They would probably last longer, too. Price goes up exponentially as quality goes up geometrically.

[IVIYTH0S]

How about the new impala? I haven't looked at them but I've heard lots of good things.

 

Edit: Never mind, you don't have a chevy dealer.

 

You should talk to your dealers and see if they can pull a vehicle from another dealer for you, many of them are willing to do that.

+1, I swore I heard the new Impalas were Epic

I suggest 30 $1000 beaters, for real. You will have WAY more fun with a car that you have no financial attachment to. 

Or this, I support this too!

[Miek]

There actually is a Chevy dealer here. GM, as in General Motors, encompasses Chevy, GMC, Buick, all those makes. I have been looking at the Impala and it's a solid contender.

 

I've been looking at used too, but I just feel more drawn to something newer for things like Bluetooth so I can use my phone hands-free and stream audio. There's also the warranty bit on new cars, too. Most used dealers here don't offer warranty unless it's a factory warranty from the previous owner.

 

Though a little beater would be fun indeed.

[Coors]

You can save a lot of money buying used. Lots of 1-2 year old vehicles with low miles and the first owner is the one that ate the depreciation. A brand new car is worth less the moment you drive it off the lot.