Umm.. I know you said you've got it narrowed down.. but how bout a scion tC? Also a toyota.. but you can get a BRAND SPANKIN NEW one for $16K.. then there's the xA or xB for around $11 or $13, respectively... Also toyotas, so very dependable.. plus there's finally starting to be an aftermarket for the tC.. can we say turbo'd sleeper?

We just bought a Mazda3 5-door (hatchback) for my wife in October.  It's a 2004 and has the 2.3L engine and a 5 speed.  Very peppy for a four cylinder.  I don't think my Maxima V6 is any quicker (it's an automatic, though).  Downside on the Mazda is that the A/C is marginal - we're having 100F weather here and it's almost not enough A/C.  However, it is sporty and handles well.  Another small issue is the cost of tires.  It has 205/50-17 tires and that size is ONLY available in high performance ($$$) tires.

My "fatherly" advice is to buy a used car - let someone else take the initial depreciation hit.  Personally, I always buy a Maxima that's about 8 years old.  I paid $4800 cash for the one I have now and it still looks good and drives great.  Gas mileage is just as good as the Mazda3.  It is not as sporty, but it's stone-cold reliable and I have no payment on it!

If you can find one - Get a used Suzuki Aerio 5 speed. Quick, cheap, reliable, good mileage, lots of standard features, and it's a Suzuki    I used to sell Suzuki's... I love em. That's why I stopped selling em. Freakin car salesmen suck.

Quote from: SuZuki10 on June 10, 2006, 07:45:20 PM
It's down to the Mazda3 or 6 and Toyota carolla.

Those are both good cars and you wont go wrong with either of them. For the price you're looking to spend, you need to take a serious look at the Honda Fit. In the last 7 years, I've been able to test drive close to 3700 different vehicles. The knowledge I have in terms of vehicle specifications from model year 1999+ is bordering on clinically insane. I have to tell ya, it's a mind boggling car for $14k.

Since you're on the right path with the vehicles you've narrowed down to, I'll let ya know what you can stay far away from. VW/Audi is very first on the list, followed by Volvo and BMW. Those cars may do well in initial quality ratings but always end up on the bad side of the long-term quality ratings. The Toyota Yaris is nice for the price, but it's a new and unproven vehicle. I'm sure it will be fine, but the interior is very cheap compared to its competitors (Fit, xA, Aero, Aveo).

Quote from: roguegeek on June 11, 2006, 12:46:34 AM
...and BMW. Those cars may do well in initial quality ratings but always end up on the bad side of the long-term quality ratings.

I'd like to see something backing that up.  I'm a BMW fan by proven reliabillity alone.  The only issues my 1996 328i has had in nearly 180,000 miles is a coolant leak (draws air in and pushes coolant out from somewhere on the radiator, but I can't find the leak) and my climate control final stage unit has failed ($54 fix).  My 325iS had close to 300k and needed a new water pump...oh my God.  I'd like to see you point me in the direction of another cheap, compact car with more interior room than most import mid-size sedans, ample seating for four realistic and non-humorous people, rear wheel drive, 5spd, disc brakes at all corners, standard power everything, gets 30~35+ mpg with a 200+ hp enginge and handles anywhere near as well.  The come with a full size spare, too...

When you said Ford Fusion I became interested because my Mum has just bought one........and she is 65! Then I thought this dont sound right. Maybe the Fusion in the USA is different to the Fusion we have in the UK. I was right, this is our fusion......the motoring press continualy poke fun at it and its one of the most laughed at cars available here. It looks like a pumped up 4x4 but its 2wd, tiny and wouldnt pull you out of bed on a cold morning!

http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/currentpromotions/fus_promotions/fus_cpromo_main/-/-/-/3

Quote from: john on June 10, 2006, 09:23:29 AM
Toyota Corolla.  Not fancy, but shockingly roomy and has a good ride.  We get 39.x on long highway trips with AC running and about 35 in the city. 

Plus it's a Toyota -dependable.

+1.  Check into the Toyota Matrix.  That's what I drive. 36MPG mixed driving, and it has tons of toom, especially when you throw the back seats down.  I've fit a fill-sized office filing cabinet in mine 

Its funny, you pay half the prices for petrol as we do here in europe so you settle for crappy mpg on your car. Petrol over here is so expensive that nearly all cars which obviously arn't outrageous supercars are capable of 50mph. We don't buy anything which does any less. And we usually buy diesel

Quote from: roguegeek on June 11, 2006, 12:46:34 AM
The knowledge I have in terms of vehicle specifications from model year 1999+ is bordering on clinically insane...

...The Toyota Yaris is nice for the price, but it's a new and unproven vehicle...

Just so you can add a little more to your clinically insane knowlege of vehicles from 1999 and up, the Yaris was actually released by Toyota in 1999 (not in the US...big surprise). So it is hardly new or unproven.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaris

yeah,
the US buying public is pretty fucjing stupid
we had a car in the US in 1990 that got 59 mpg
yeah they quit importing them in 94

but hey we got a new hummer this year....another fucjing turd that gets....9 mpg

they basically took the diesels away from us in the mid 80's  thank you GM for building a hella turdV8 diesel

about the only diesels we have come from VW and MB

every where else gets some really KEWL diesels
there are very few smart cars in the US....snuck across the border from canada

hell, our own vehicles are exported with a diesel option
G caravan come with a diesel in germany
central america gets a diesel liberty

I found a super rare....1994 geo metro with 009700 miles under a tree
it is a turd...yes
but it is averaging 46 MPG

rant of the stupid americans......over for now

94 metro with 9700 miles ... isn't that a smaller motor than the GS ... or less power ... or both ...  ... The high gas mileage is cos its easier to push it up the hills ...  ...
They made those in a convt too ... KEWL ...
Cool.
Srinath.

We need big powerful cars and trucks to make us feel strong, safe, and important. 

oh reccomendation.....
get what ever you want....
stay away from the low end US cars
half of the low end foreign cars are actually made in the US.....first digit in the VIN...1= US BUILT
and are better quality due to higher build standards

a car is an expensive consumeable item
you will loose $ on 99% of all cars
it just depends on how much you want to loose

Quote from: seshadri_srinath on June 11, 2006, 08:23:46 PM
94 metro with 9700 miles ... isn't that a smaller motor than the GS ... or less power ... or both ...  ... The high gas mileage is cos its easier to push it up the hills ...  ...
They made those in a convt too ... KEWL ...
Cool.
Srinath.

yeah 3 cylinder 1000cc 5speed
and the convert has a better final drive.....50-55 MPG

Quote from: Phaedrus on June 11, 2006, 08:28:16 PM
We need big powerful cars and trucks to make us feel strong, safe, and important. 

to compensate for your little..........

Yeah. If we're not comphensating for one thing, we're comphensating for something else. We need SOME way to extend how great we are. I drive a hyundai accent hatchback and a gs500 to comphensate for my big..

And I don't agree that all low end American cars are junk - have you ever driven a mid 80's - early 90's mopar 4 banger kcars? Those things go and go and go and go for like ever. But I don't want to turn Amanda's thread into a domestic vs. foreign car debate. 

yeah, that was then....this is now

the mid 80's 4 banger saved dodge.....and now they make a HEMI again....
isn't the gas guzzlin V8 what almost killed dodge in the early 80's.........

heck a friend just bought a sweet E320 M-B  4 yrs old and 90k
beautiful car....still a box with wheels on it
just like my metro....just bigger payments....mine was the one easy payment plan

Quote from: werase643 on June 11, 2006, 08:19:26 PM
central america gets a diesel liberty

We do get that in the US... but yeah we really need a better selection of cool diesels

honda civic or ford focus (I'm the first to say ford sucks, but the focus is an exception).

Mind the 2000's, though (focus).  Half were awesome...half were shitty.  My sister and I had identicle Focuses...'00 white/grey ZX3's.  In 45,000 miles mine had developed a problem with the cooling fan relay.  In 35,000 miles my sister's caught the nasty tank liner peeling, fuel switch glitch, back seat glitch and an intermittent ignition problem.  They drove theirs like cooters, though...mine I drove governed out the entire time.  Not sure if that had an effect.