Compact Car

Hey guys,

I am looking to get a new 4 door car. So far I have 3 in my list which are Honda Civic Sedan 2012 (automatic), Hyundai Elentra 2013 (automatic) and Dodge Dart 2013.
I want to keep the price range under 22k.
I want to hear your opinion about these car models.

I believe the Honda comes with manual version and the Dodge is manual only. I have been driving automatic since 2004, but I have driven a manual before that when I was learning to drive.
Which one would you prefer automatic or manual and why?

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Comments

thehourman

My co-worker told me not to buy Dodge cars because after a few years they go bad.
When I was driving to work this morning, I noticed that the majority of cars were Honda and followed by Toyota. A very few Hyunda, Volkswagen, BMW and Audi.

Roguetadhg

That's depressing to hear about Dodge's reputation. Yeah, I see a lot of Toyotas, too. A lot of Prii. But they're also said to be reliable, even given the newer design of the engine. Go figure. My next car might just be a Scion.

demonfurbie

Roguetadhg wrote: »

My two corollas, and my RX-8 didn't give me any major issues. I cleaned the Mass air flow sensor for the last corolla at 130k, and it perked right back like nothing happened. Until another corolla totaled it!

sounds like my old nissan i gave to the bro in law and replaced it with a new one

thehourman

I still liking the Dart, but based on the experience of people who have used them I may remove it from my list.

Has anyone have used or driven a Hyundai car especially the Elantra 2013?
What about the reliability of the Hyundai? I like Japanese cars as well, but it seems like the Elantra 2013 has some nice features for the same price.

demonfurbie

i test drove it

it was very nice on the inside but the wheel was wayyyy to sensitive for me , i sneezed and jerked the wheel a little bit and ended up in a whole new lane

i tested about 26 cars all under 18k, what id suggest before buying and after test driving is rent one of the final ones for a day, yea it costs but you can test drive it for a full day to get a real feel of it.

thehourman

I might do that. I know National have Dodge, but not sure about Hyundai.
I always rent when I travel. That's a good idea.

demonfurbie

i rented the elantra from enterprise if that helps

thehourman

Also, if we are going to compare the standard car to a compact car, is there a big difference other than the size of the vehicle.

When I checked my National they don't have a list of the cars. They only states by compact, standard and full size car.
As far as I know that Hyundai is compact.

Roguetadhg

The thing about renting from a company like that is that they don't give a guarantee "what" car. Atleast, Enterprise doesn't.

The safe bet, do a rental from a car lot. Atleast that way you'd rent exactly what you want, trim, and get the feel better. Renting a top model when you want the less trimmed would give the different opinion, and vise versa.

SteveLord

Not every dealer offers rentals though. In fact, I only know of a Ford and a Dodge dealer in my area that do that. Good luck getting a car that just hit the market.

Hypntick

In regards to the found on road dead thing, you have to be certain you get the appropriate year/model of Ford. I did a good bit of homework on my Focus before purchase. Plenty of 200K+ mile vehicles with no major repairs, provided you keep up with your normal maintenance. I've had it for almost 2 years at this point, and it's an 8 year old car with just over 70K on it (had 52K upon purchase). I heard that the 2005+ models had a few issues so that's why I went with an 04.

Thanks for the RX-8 answers, i'm still trying to steer her toward something a bit more economical....without much success.

Roguetadhg

That's one thing I always question about manufactures that just seem wonky... Do they keep to their maintenance sheets? Do they care about maintaining their vehicle, or do they let the car just go on the wayside?

Recent example: I've seen an black charger srt8 with an inside that looks like a hurricane went through, and mold growing from the roof, and tears in the seats. I'd say the owner didn't care much less kept the vehicle in running shape. It might be a reason why it was at the dealership waiting to be worked on.

thehourman

Dang, now I just saw the Nissan Altima SV 2013 and it seems better than the my any cars in my list. However, it starts with 24K.
Just sent an email to the local dealer for pricing quotes.

Also, this morning I received an email from Fitz about the Elantra 2013 Limited with Tech Packages, and according to him it is going to be $23,730. I am not sure if that is a good price for an Elantra.

N2IT

My wife and I love manuals. I don't care if it was a 500 SL, I would want a 5 speed or 6 7 or whatever they make now.

prtech

thehourman wrote: »

Finally just got home. For those who lives in MD, you know how bad is i495. Unfortunately, that's the route I have to take every day.
My first choice was to get a manual car and when I thought of the traffic, I thought the automatic would be better.
My sibling has a Jeep manual and I could probably borrow it for to practice. I could drive a manual vehicle just need practice. I used to drive Civic and L300 van and they were manual vehicles. I still remember how heavy to turn the steering wheel.

The RX-8 and BRZ are both nice cars, but they are 2 door cars.

I drive through 495 everyday and the traffic isn't that bad except when there are accidents. When it's stop and go, I just keep it in gear and hold the clutch.