Need a new car, don't really care for cars

[Jkmetal23]

Morning;


I'm getting ready to pawn off the 09 Hyundai Sonata GLS. 170,000 miles is a hell of a run. I mean it works and it passed inspection until 2022, but I'm long past the point that any major issue could wind up costing more than the value of the car to fix. My brother is a bit of an old car 'collector' and he's had interest in this being the new beater of the family.



So, I'm moving on. And, unlike many of you who post in these forums, I'm not really a fan of cars per se. Maybe its a class thing, as myself being on the lower end of the class scale, but a car is not a fun thing but something I don't want to hurt me financially. Not interested in large car payment, speed, fun, leather, cool factor, nothing. Its needs to ****ing start, keep me warm in the winter, take 15,000+ miles a year and ideally I'd like all of the lights to be easier to replace than my Sonata (lol third brake light)


To this end: the short list


Toyota Corolla (2016-2018): This is the top of the list, but only by virtue of personal experience. I drove a rental version of this car from in a 1000 mile business trip in 2019, with my boss riding passenger and a decent amount of luggage. I was super impressed all around with this thing. To me, there was nothing it didn't do well, from the drive, to space and even features.



Toyota Yaris (2014-2017): I've always wanted a hatchback. This is one of the highest rated of the past 10 years as far as lack of complaints. And really, considering my first car was a 1995 Mercury Sable Wagon, EVERYTHING ELSE IS GOOD (lol).



And basically thats it. I'm willing to take suggestions on small cars from 2015-2017, Chevy Spark, Sonic, Fiesta, Fit. If you have experience, please let me know. I'm not looking at sedans bc although my Sonata has treated me like a prince, its a lot of wasted space for just myself and GF.


I should add that my budget is 10,000 to 13,00. I will be putting 5,000 down on the car.

[Elysian]

Yaris' are pretty small, even compared to a Corolla. Corolla's are great cars, really can't go wrong with that. I've had a Corolla loaner in the not too distant past, and for an point A to B car it's definitely one.

[Mahjik]

Have you also considered a Mazda3 hatchback? Something like:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2389/overview/

[Jkmetal23]

Originally Posted by Mahjik

Have you also considered a Mazda3 hatchback? Something like:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2389/overview/

I have. My father had a Mazda 626 when I was a kid (he kept it until 2016 when the frame rotted out).



The prices are not awful, but I don't have any personal experience and I'm not certain how reliable these cars are, as some of fords small cars from the last 10 years have had serious transmission issues.

[Munkus]

+1 for Corolla. 170,000 miles on a Corolla is just breaking it in.

[Jkmetal23]

Originally Posted by Munkus

+1 for Corolla. 170,000 miles on a Corolla is just breaking it in.

I guess.... 170.000 is a lot for any car.



I'm leaning heavily corolla but the hatchback idea is in my head now.... Idk what I'd even do with one different...

[Sasquach]

Originally Posted by Jkmetal23

I guess.... 170.000 is a lot for any car.



I'm leaning heavily corolla but the hatchback idea is in my head now.... Idk what I'd even do with one different...

Find yourself a Scion IM or a Corolla IM, and get the best of both worlds (a Corolla hatchback!)

Scion iM only came in 2016 cuz the Scion brand died afterwards and then got incorporated into the Toyota lineup and renamed to Corolla IM. Corolla iM is in 2017 and 2018 before the 2019 redesign was replaced by a Corolla Hatcback.

The advantage of a Scion im is that it IS a Corolla (despite its name) and can be had pretty cheaply. it doesnt have any of the safety systems the newer cars have either (those came in 2017+) so its purely basic transportation.

I have one and I like it. Its bigger than a Yaris, it gets great gas mileage, its a little bit smaller inside than a Corolla sedan (shorter wheelbase i think?), interior is the same as the corolla, powertrain is the same as corolla. so yeah its a corolla hatchback lol.

[Mahjik]

Originally Posted by Jkmetal23

I have. My father had a Mazda 626 when I was a kid (he kept it until 2016 when the frame rotted out).



The prices are not awful, but I don't have any personal experience and I'm not certain how reliable these cars are, as some of fords small cars from the last 10 years have had serious transmission issues.

https://www.mazda3forums.com/threads...262153/page-11

[Jkmetal23]

Originally Posted by Sasquach

Find yourself a Scion IM or a Corolla IM, and get the best of both worlds (a Corolla hatchback!)

Scion iM only came in 2016 cuz the Scion brand died afterwards and then got incorporated into the Toyota lineup and renamed to Corolla IM. Corolla iM is in 2017 and 2018 before the 2019 redesign was replaced by a Corolla Hatcback.

The advantage of a Scion im is that it IS a Corolla (despite its name) and can be had pretty cheaply. it doesnt have any of the safety systems the newer cars have either (those came in 2017+) so its purely basic transportation.

I have one and I like it. Its bigger than a Yaris, it gets great gas mileage, its a little bit smaller inside than a Corolla sedan (shorter wheelbase i think?), interior is the same as the corolla, powertrain is the same as corolla. so yeah its a corolla hatchback lol.

I'll keep that in mind, especially if I like the price. I looked at the Corolla IM but the price premium compared to other models was a bit of a turn off.

[Jkmetal23]

I just had a stupid: Scion IQ looks cute. I'd probably be better off hitting myself in the balls again and again than getting one of those.



Scion IM looks good, harder to find. Corolla IM that I have seen are a bit above what I want.


Mazda 3 is now on the radar! I forgot to mention that in highschool I had a Mazda Protege that I totaled. (Like in 2005). So.... that brings back memories.

[Mahjik]

https://www.motor1.com/reviews/42780...ck-comparison/

[Nunz]

That Mazda3 looks so sleek! What a nice design.

[Silent-Runner]

Mazdas are reliable nice cars, at least from my experience. Had a 929 when i was young -.-

[Notbilly]

Originally Posted by Jkmetal23

... and ideally I'd like all of the lights to be easier to replace than my Sonata (lol third brake light)

I have a 2008 Mazda 3 which I love, and I will someday replace with another Mazda 3, most likely. I'm very attached to that line of cars.

However, I gotta admit that they are a pain in the ass to work on for a lot of the little DIY fixes (replacing headlights, cabin air filters, etc.).

Toyota does a much better job at making the simple jobs simple.

[OverclockN']

The Mazda 3 looks fantastic.

[bob saget]

'11 corolla here. absolutely *******g bulletproof. last time i talked to my mechanic about the "new" corollas was several years ago and he was saying they aren't as good now but maybe the latest gen is bulletproof as well...

[KAC]

Get a Corolla but ensure interior is not falling apart or has discoloration.

[bob saget]

yep.

i like how mine has pushbutton start. it might be common now but even so a ton of cheaper cars now dont have it from what i've seen.

[Jkmetal23]

Originally Posted by OverclockN'

The Mazda 3 looks fantastic.

I like the look.... I feel like I have my heart set on the corolla for some reason. I should be more flexible.

Originally Posted by bob saget

'11 corolla here. absolutely *******g bulletproof. last time i talked to my mechanic about the "new" corollas was several years ago and he was saying they aren't as good now but maybe the latest gen is bulletproof as well...

As far as I know the new ones have CVT trans. Nissan had issues with their CVT transmissions and they were suspect industry wide for a while. Now, I think that the 2016 and later corolla with the CVT has enough years and miles to be reliable, as far as that goes.



I did think about focusing on finding a corolla with the 4 speed auto....

[acroig]

Originally Posted by Jkmetal23

I have. My father had a Mazda 626 when I was a kid (he kept it until 2016 when the frame rotted out).

Mazda is very reliable, good warranty and way more fun to drive than a Corolla, IMHO.

[Sasquach]

Originally Posted by Jkmetal23

I like the look.... I feel like I have my heart set on the corolla for some reason. I should be more flexible.






As far as I know the new ones have CVT trans. Nissan had issues with their CVT transmissions and they were suspect industry wide for a while. Now, I think that the 2016 and later corolla with the CVT has enough years and miles to be reliable, as far as that goes.



I did think about focusing on finding a corolla with the 4 speed auto....

Its only the Nissan CVT's that were trash (and early Minis).

The Toyota CVTs are fine. They're made in-house more or less by their Aisin transmission company. Nissan sources theirs from a company called Jatco. Toyota has been using CVT's in the Prius forever and as far as i know they haven't had any real issues.

My main problem with CVT's is that they completely suck any semblence of entertainment out of the car.
In terms of entertainment value on a scale of 1-10, a manual would be a 8-10, an auto trans somewhere between 5-7 (conventional or dual clutch) and CVT's are 0.

I think Toyota offered 4 speeds for awhile on the 2014-2016 (dont remember the year range) era corollas, but only with the really base cars that were destined for rental fleets.

[Elysian]

I wouldn't be afraid of the CVT, Toyota makes good ones and you're not looking for a fun car anyways, so CVT would be ideal for you.

[Jkmetal23]

Originally Posted by Sasquach

Its only the Nissan CVT's that were trash (and early Minis).

The Toyota CVTs are fine. They're made in-house more or less by their Aisin transmission company. Nissan sources theirs from a company called Jatco. Toyota has been using CVT's in the Prius forever and as far as i know they haven't had any real issues.

My main problem with CVT's is that they completely suck any semblence of entertainment out of the car.
In terms of entertainment value on a scale of 1-10, a manual would be a 8-10, an auto trans somewhere between 5-7 (conventional or dual clutch) and CVT's are 0.

I think Toyota offered 4 speeds for awhile on the 2014-2016 (dont remember the year range) era corollas, but only with the really base cars that were destined for rental fleets.

I did see a few 2014s and 2016 with 4 speeds.


So, I'm pretty set on either the corolla or mazda 3.


Now I have to contend with current used car prices. This is making me think very dark thoughts about car dealerships, sales people, the selfishness of other human beings and how shitty everything is. Now I remember why I held onto my old car for so long....

Originally Posted by Elysian

I wouldn't be afraid of the CVT, Toyota makes good ones and you're not looking for a fun car anyways, so CVT would be ideal for you.

I didn't mind the CVT on the Corolla rental car I drove and it seems fine. I'm just wary of Nissan CVTs, as the market is full of Nissan versas with questionable transmissions.

[OverclockN']

Now I have to contend with current used car prices.

Yeah, they seem to be up substantially for most cars that I've looked into.

[Silent-Runner]

Originally Posted by acroig

Mazda is very reliable, good warranty and way more fun to drive than a Corolla, IMHO.

same here, but to be honest, the Corollas are almost indestructible, you have to give em that. Personally, i'd get a Mazda, but that's because of my taste, not that they are superior on the tech side.

[acroig]

Originally Posted by Silent-Runner

same here, but to be honest, the Corollas are almost indestructible, you have to give em that. Personally, i'd get a Mazda, but that's because of my taste, not that they are superior on the tech side.

Agreed.

[Trunks0]

They can be indestructible. Always worth checking reviews and long term reports for a given model year or series. Even Corolla's have model years/series you want to avoid.

[Jkmetal23]

Originally Posted by Trunks0

They can be indestructible. Always worth checking reviews and long term reports for a given model year or series. Even Corolla's have model years/series you want to avoid.

I've been checking on car complaints.com. Nothing bad or good regarding the 2017-2018 corolla's yet. 2016 is rated as good.



I reluctantly put the Honda Civic on the list. Why not? If there is a deal I'll take it.



Considering the Hyundai Elantra... Need to check the years tho.

[bob saget]

Originally Posted by Elysian

I wouldn't be afraid of the CVT, Toyota makes good ones and you're not looking for a fun car anyways, so CVT would be ideal for you.

this is my thinking. ours gets a little lurchy sometimes when pulling off from a dead stop. thats really the only thing. overtaking at highway speeds is very adequate.

[Sasquach]

Originally Posted by Jkmetal23

I've been checking on car complaints.com. Nothing bad or good regarding the 2017-2018 corolla's yet. 2016 is rated as good.



I reluctantly put the Honda Civic on the list. Why not? If there is a deal I'll take it.



Considering the Hyundai Elantra... Need to check the years tho.

Honda fit might be worth checking out. I used to have a 2015 model. Its a small car like the yaris but the packaging is wizardry. Its best attributes were the interior space and the gas mileage. I think its probably one of the absolute best subcompact cars out there.