Post: #1

I am looking to buy a car for purely practical reasons for driving in the USA, particularly in and around the cities of the American Southeast and Lower Breadbasket (N Texas up to Nebraska). I do not plan on using it to get tail. That's what game is for.

From what I can tell, the best type of car to suit my lifestyle would be a 4 door hatchback, such as the Mazda 3 hatchback or maybe something smaller like the Honda Fit. My only criteria are:

1. Reliability
2. Low operational costs - fuel efficiency, insurance, replacement parts costs, etc...
   

What's the best 4 door hatchback out there? I am not wedded to any particular brand, but I am inclined to only look at Japanese and Korean manufacturers.

As well, is this the right car to have? Should I consider something else?

Post: #2

Do you want all-wheel drive? I strongly recommend it if you're going to be up north in winter. The downside is you have to be somewhat careful about tire rotations and your spare; a significant difference in tire circumference on one wheel can break things if you drive it very far. Whether or not it's worth the trouble depends on how much time you plan on spending in the north in winter.

Does ground clearance matter?

Are you ever going to need to tow anything, like a motorcycle for example?

Post: #3

(05-18-2016 10:03 PM)weambulance Wrote:  Do you want all-wheel drive? I strongly recommend it if you're going to be up north in winter. The downside is you have to be somewhat careful about tire rotations and your spare; a significant difference in tire circumference on one wheel can break things if you drive it very far. Whether or not it's worth the trouble depends on how much time you plan on spending in the north in winter.

Does ground clearance matter?

Are you ever going to need to tow anything, like a motorcycle for example?

Good questions.

The farthest north that I will ever go is Omaha. Does the weather there require awd? If not, then no. Though if it does I suspect that I will be looking in Subaru's direction.

Ground clearance only matters as far as speed bumps are concerned. My worst journey that I am planning in this car is driving from my apartment building to my anonymous looking office building or helping a friend move.

I am never going to tow anything in this car. If I truly have to tow something, I'll rent.

I work in IT/Finance and am just looking for something that is practical. I figured a 4 door hatchback fit the bill but I may be wrong.

Post: #4

What's the budget?

Post: #5

I'm glad you asked.

My sister just got a 2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon. It is rock solid. She paid an even 20k.

We've been loyal to Acura for years. Great cars. Check it out:

http://www.acura.com/retired-models/tsx-...yLGz5jjkNy

Aloha!

Post: #6

I just bought a Subaru Forester. Not a bad car, doesn't really compare to German cars when coming to material and build quality but nevertheless drives smooth. Only bad thing is the fuel economy, it uses 2x more fuel then normal cars but I still like it.

Post: #7

It depends how much you want to spend, but you really can't go wrong buying a couple year old Mazda 3 like you were already thinking.

They have lots of space inside when you fold down the seats and compared to other economy cars they look and feel sporty enough.

Post: #8

A Ford Escape or a Mercury Mariner. These can be had in front wheel drive versions or all wheel drive. You've got a choice between a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine.

Very reliable, and proven. Economical to maintain and drive.

A bonus with this choice is that the parent company, Ford Motor Company was the only big 3 automaker who had the financial wherewithal to withstand the storm 8 years ago.

Everybody wants to buy a foreign make, but you'll be miles ahead with a proven reliable domestic. And frankly there is nothing wrong with having a little pride in your own country and the companies that reside there. (Even if many parts of the big 3 are outsourced and offshored)

Post: #9

How can you have a 4 door hatchback?

Is this an American term for an estate car?

Post: #10

No, that would be a station wagon.

Most current "hatchbacks" sold in the US are basically compact station wagons. They just use "hatchback" and "wagon" to distinguish between compact and full size vehicles respectively. Or they call the wagons crossovers, as they're not really SUVs but kinda look like it, and the term "station wagon" is generally associated with uncool cars.

Post: #11

I've been driving a Honda Fit since 2008. It's been 100% reliable, requiring only normal maintenance (there are a couple of oddball things like a required valve adjustment at around 110K miles). The only things I've needed to replace are the normal wear-and-tear items. Other than that, I haven't had to replace so much as a light bulb. I'm at 164K miles now and still going very strong. I'd guess my MPG has reduced from the original (real) 34mpg, but it's still quite fuel efficient. I commute about 45 miles round trip and I gas up three times a month.

The original Fit ads said "The Fit is Cavernous." It's somewhat true with the different ways you can configure the back seat and cargo area. I've hauled all kinds of stuff in it, including multiple mountain bikes, big TVs, etc. I live in Phoenix, so I have no need for AWD. Ground clearance is fine for going over the speed bumps in my condo complex. Hondas do need a couple of Honda-specific fluids, so keep that in mind.

The Fit is not a cool car by any means, and the guys at work still occasionally give me shit about it as they get into their giant pickups and sports cars and hop on Harleys. But I'm not a car guy, and it's just my daily urban commuter car, so I don't give a damn about how it looks or any kind of cool factor. It's been a great car and I will drive it until I hit 200K at least.

Post: #12

I just bought a Mitsubishi Outlander last week. Pretty boring but I read a lot of good things regarding reliability and I wanted AWD with 4 doors and cargo space. So far I'm happy with it, if I was to do it again I'd look at foresters also but there's certain year Subaru 2.5 liter engines that have head gasket issues.

Post: #13

Volvo V70 T5 or R. BMW 5 series Wagon. Saab 9-5 wagon. MB E350 wagon.

Post: #14

I'm pretty happy with my Subaru Crosstrek. It's basically just an Impreza on stilts with fancy wheels. The Impreza handles better and gets slightly better gas mileage, while being a couple thousand dollars cheaper base msrp, so if you don't need the extra ~3 inches of ground clearance it's the better choice. I kinda wish I'd bought an Impreza now, since I'm not actually using the car the way I expected.

One thing regarding your choice of AWD vs FWD: if you're going to be making trips up to Omaha from down south in winter, I think AWD is a very good idea. Reason being, you won't have snow tires on the car if you're driving from someplace it's much warmer. On shitty roads, in my opinion you either need some kind of all wheel or four wheel drive, or snow tires. AWD plus snow tires is awesome, but AWD/4WD with all seasons is still worlds better than either FWD/RWD with all seasons.

I've been pretty impressed with both Subaru and Toyota vehicles. When I was living in Alaska the vehicles I saw most often were Toyota Tacomas and various Subaru wagons, and there are loads of even mid-late 90s vehicles still cruising around up there as daily drivers. My family has owned a bunch of Toyotas and they've done very well.

I have little experience with Mazda vehicles but they have a good reputation for reliability. Honda doesn't seem to make a hatchback right now, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Honda either if they had something I wanted.

Generally speaking, I don't like domestic car makers anymore. I've owned and done all the maintenance on six or seven domestic vehicles, all trucks and SUVs, and some of the retarded stuff they included in the designs drove me crazy. Save $1 on the vehicle build cost, make certain repair jobs take 10x longer. Thanks, fuckers.

Maybe el mechanico will weigh in.

Post: #15

Subaru wrx sti hatchback. Mazda speed 3. VW golf/gti/r32.

Post: #16

I agree with the Subaru and the VW. Subaru has had one of the best hatchbacks for a long time.
I personally had a Nissan Versa hatchback in 2007. I could not fit in a Honda Fit (again, 2007). The Versa was a pretty good car. In 2016? YMMV
I hated, absolutely hated the Honda Insight. You couldnt see out the back.

I am not a fan of AWD in comparison to 4WD. But if you are driving economical to Nebraska in the winter having AWD will definitely help.

Post: #17

(05-19-2016 12:08 PM)Perfect Stranger Wrote:  A Ford Escape or a Mercury Mariner. These can be had in front wheel drive versions or all wheel drive. You've got a choice between a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine.

Very reliable, and proven. Economical to maintain and drive.

A bonus with this choice is that the parent company, Ford Motor Company was the only big 3 automaker who had the financial wherewithal to withstand the storm 8 years ago.

Everybody wants to buy a foreign make, but you'll be miles ahead with a proven reliable domestic. And frankly there is nothing wrong with having a little pride in your own country and the companies that reside there. (Even if many parts of the big 3 are outsourced and offshored)

I wouldn't be so quick to tout the "Ford didn't take the bailout" line. While it may have been true in the most recent instance, they definitely have been in the public trough just as much as any of the other automakers.

That, and I would be hesitant to recommend the Escape as reliable for the moment, given the number of recalls.

Post: #18

(05-19-2016 09:14 PM)ivansirko Wrote:  I agree with the Subaru and the VW. Subaru has had one of the best hatchbacks for a long time.
I personally had a Nissan Versa hatchback in 2007. I could not fit in a Honda Fit (again, 2007). The Versa was a pretty good car. In 2016? YMMV
I hated, absolutely hated the Honda Insight. You couldnt see out the back.

I am not a fan of AWD in comparison to 4WD. But if you are driving economical to Nebraska in the winter having AWD will definitely help.

This is how ignorant I am of cars. I thought AWD was just a cool sounding marketing term for 4WD. I thought wrong. What's the difference?

Post: #19

The short answer is 4WD is more offroad oriented and less fuel efficient, and generally found on SUVs and trucks. Part time (you turn it on and off manually) 4WD should not be used except in fairly slippery conditions, and full time systems are uncommon. AWD is better suited to cars for various reasons, more fuel efficient, and designed for use on pavement. AWD vehicles often suck offroad.

The real answer is pretty complicated in detail and would probably be a 2000 word explanation with all kinds of pictures and whatnot. But the fundamental difference between 4WD and AWD is they use different methods to transmit the power between the engine and the axles, and those different methods have a lot of consequences. 4WD vehicles also have a low range option, which is selectable gear reduction to send more torque to the wheels and move slower, which is very useful in certain offroad situations.

Anyway, since you're talking about buying a relatively small hatchback, you're not going to be able to choose between 4WD and AWD. Your options are basically AWD and FWD (front wheel drive). Rear wheel drive should be completely off the table given your intended use, in my opinion, in case you start feeling tempted by a sports car.

Post: #20

AWD:





4WD:

Post: #21

(05-18-2016 11:45 PM)porscheguy Wrote:  What's the budget?

Probably no higher than $20 grand. Not sure yet.

Post: #22

I needed a car here in the UK and I didn't want to pay out the ass in insurance and car tax. I ended up getting a Prius (one of three automatics on the lot).

I used to make fun of Prius drivers too. The irony doesn't escape me.

The one I have is from 2006. Car runs fine, had it up on a lift and it looks to have been well taken car of (had 104k miles when I bought it). I bought it for £2,100.

It has a really low powered engine which means you don't force the car around hard. It's nice and spacious. I was able to put a ton of Ikea stuff in it.

It's cheap to fuel it and goes about 350ish miles before the anxiety to fill up kicks in.

Overall, not a bad car. You could easily get a much nicer model with the money you have budgeted.

Post: #23

A hatchback with 4WD? Not much choice.

Buy a post 2008 Ford Fiesta MK7 if you can get it in the States. I wouldn't look any further, it's a great car.

Post: #24

Subaru Wrx4. Without turbo for your purposes. I happen to think it looks pretty good too.

Post: #25

Yea thats true not many options for a 4WD hatchback without being an SUV.

AWD to me is not a reasonable replacement for 4WD. Then again I am a truck snob. YMMV.

If you were going further north than Nebraska I would recommend an SUV.