Brief impressions of cars

[cjsmith]

Advantages

• Toyota Corolla: I know how reliable these cars are.
• Toyota Yaris: Ditto, plus MPG to rival some hybrids.
• Honda Fit: Man, the STORAGE SPACE. This thing is a hauler.
• Honda Civic: The only decent cup holders I have seen since I began looking. Nifty dash design.
• Honda Civic Hybrid, 2005 used: Yellow stickers are transferable. Different nifty dash design.
• Subaru "Impreza Outback" (no, not the Outback): All-wheel drive. Also, decent stereo. Also, available in a pretty color. Also, 2006, and they're eager to get it off the lot.

Disadvantages

• Corolla: Ugly. Mirrors don't fold. Dumb climate control interlocks.
• Yaris: All of the above and uglier.
• Fit: There is one of these on the entire peninsula and I will not decide this instant.
• Civic: Seat fold-down design nearly pessimal: trapezoidal opening from trunk aims everything at the center, and in the center, there's a big metal protrusion out of the back of the seat.
• 2005 Civic Hybrid: High mileage for its age. Dumb climate control interlocks. SEAT DOESN'T FOLD AT ALL; cannot haul anything. Used car means I would have to haggle, at which I suck.
• Impreza: Low MPG. Can't pop the hatchback even from inside the car.

I also failed to drive the Subaru Impreza WRX wagon: the seat design is a deal-breaker, and it's so sporty that the insurance on them is high.

Disadvantages of ALL of these

• Big, big, big. Significantly wider than my mangled car. Awkward turning radius compared to my mangled car.
• Impossible to get a keyfob that will pop the trunk.
• Impossible to get (without ripping the whole radio out and replacing it) the ability to play a cassette.
• No room for a full-size spare.

Comments

[allanh.livejournal.com]

*blink* *blink* You're still welcome to test-drive my 2005 Prius.

I'm not selling it, but other than not having an MP3 player audio jack, it's functionally equivalent to the current (2006) model.

The Prius does have cup holders (front and rear), has rear seats that fold down, lots of cargo space, and came with a 6-disk CD changer that had a cassette deck. I haven't checked the spare storage space to see if its full-sized or not, and there's no way to pop the trunk with a keyfob.

On the other hand, with the Prius keyless entry system, you just put your hand on the trunklid and lift. It unlocks itself for you. Ditto either of the front doors; touch the handle, and the car unlocks.

[ambar.livejournal.com]

The spare isn't full-sized. (I've lost count of how many flats I had to change on the stock tires, but it was above 2.)

Huh. Good point, and thank you!

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Is there enough room to put in a full-sized spare? I haven't checked. (After 18 months of trouble-free usage, I haven't really felt the need to.)

I'm preparing to buy new tires very, very soon, and if I can fit a full-sized spare in there, I'll buy 5 of 'em.

Re: Huh. Good point, and thank you!

[ambar.livejournal.com]

I don't think you can fit a full-sized spare in -- I had enough trouble wedging the deflated tire in as it was.

However, I don't find driving on the donut terribly limiting, since I try to stick to 55 on the freeway (for mileage purposes) even with 4 good tires. So I haven't tried.

Concievably you could stock a full-sized spare and an air compressor, if you really hate donut tires and are the stubborn type. :-)

Re: Huh. Good point, and thank you!

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Me? Stubborn?

[Waiting to hear CJ start laughing hysterically any moment now...]

Re: Huh. Good point, and thank you!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

If it takes one to know one, then we can both look at each other and chuckle!

Re: Huh. Good point, and thank you!

[airporter.livejournal.com]

I'm umpty-hundred miles away, and I'm snickering.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I've test-driven the later model Prius already, although not in this current round of franticness. My main beef with it is it is way too big for me. It's inches wider than anything I've listed above. It is also significantly pricier than anything listed above :-).

The cassette though... dang. Very few cars these days seem to be offering those. Nothing in the $20K and under range, near as I can tell.

[ambar.livejournal.com]

To be fair, factory stereos are generally considered to be a joke by the audio geeks I know, so having a replacement installed that does Just What You Want is a pretty minor modification. BTDT (although not in my Prius :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the price, really, but I do mind the conversion of a car not worth breaking into to a car very worth breaking into. At least that's what I'm told. It's one of the big mistakes I made with my Corolla. I lost about four car stereos (and my first flight logbook with my first pilot license in it) for that folly. :-/

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I bought the Prius because the Honda Civic Hybrid didn't have folding seats.

I'm a little puzzled by your keyfob comment, since the Prius fob does pop the hatchback (well, unlocks it, doesn't physically make it go *sproing*) and I would think all the Toyotas would work the same way.

Oh, yeah, and the Prius can give you a cassette player.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*nod*. The folding seats are a noticeable limitation. The Civic Hybrid is also "not as hybriddy" in a sense; the gasoline engine is dominant. Its MPG is not as good as the Prius -- it's in the Honda Fit kind of range. Except it qualifies for stickers.

(well, unlocks it, doesn't physically make it go *sproing*)

Right - near as I can tell, that's what they all do. A couple people said to me that if I got the fob at all I would really regret not making the trunk lid (or hatchback) go sproing. I guess I'm going to go ahead and regret that. :-)

And yeah: the cassette. Grmplgfrble.

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

sounds like you had a busy day!!! i'm definitely taking you car shopping with me next time ... you're paying attention to all sorts of things i've never considered. last time, i just wanted a new car, i literally walked into the dealership and said 'hi, i want to buy a sunfire' without knowing that much about it.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm one of those people who takes eighteen miiiiillion years to make a decision -- but then once it's made I'm happy with it for a long time. There are advantages to being a bit quicker to do things! :-)

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

really, you should spend at least two minutes contemplating any purchase over $5k. ;-) lots of little things on this car i didn't even THINK about that i notice now that i own it.

but then once it's made I'm happy with it for a long time.

which is good. if i could afford it, i'd replace my sunfire in a heartbeat.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

This will be one of the largest purchases of my life. The airplane wasn't nearly so much money. *sigh*...

What would you rather have that the Sunfire doesn't provide? What irritates you or doesn't do what you need?

[gdmusumeci.livejournal.com]

I was surprised that the Civic can't open the trunk from the key (my S2000 (http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=S2000) can), so I did some research on your behalf: that feature comes with the EX trim only. Incidentally, some friends of mine bought a Fit recently and really adore it.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh interesting -- my brochure agrees with you: the EX can do that! Today's salesman didn't know that. Heh. :-)

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

I love my Saturn ION. Doesn't hold a full-sized spare, but it does have keyless trunk-popping (I *love* that) and the trunk space is *huge* for such a small car, gets pretty good mileage, has a terrific safety record, has a great turning radius (better than the Tahoe, which, for such a tank, will turn on a dime) and I love the instrument panel being in the middle instead of through the steering wheel. I don't know whether you can get one with a casette player, but MP3 is, afaik, standard.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

If I went with a Saturn the ION would probably be the best fit for me! It's small and agile, and it has a lot of the features I would want. Sadly, I've seen Rob through two Saturns (and quite a few years without a car and now over a year on his new Solara) all during the lifetime of my sweet little Corolla, so I am probably a bit biased against the longevity of Saturns. I'm hoping to avoid this whole car decision for another couple of decades again. I know, I'm a wuss.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, I will not have it! You are so far from being a wuss that I struggle to find the words to say how much!!

We had this *great* Volvo station wagon that just ran and ran and ran, but the gas mileage sucked so I finally sold it.

So far, my Saturn Experience has been stellar. But I've had the car all of 18 months, so we'll just have to see. I did buy the extended warranty and the car care thingie, which means I've already pre-paid for all the standard maintenance. They didn't sing me out of the dealership, but they all stood in the doorway and waved as I drove the car away :):). And I'm told that I can stop by any Saturn dealership in the world and get a free doughnut and some coffee, but that I should try to hit them early if I want a jelly doughnut :).

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Well, ok, I'm a wuss in certain limited and specific ways. To wit, multi-ten-thousand-dollar decisions made quickly, or haggling. :-) :-)

Interesting that you sold the car because of the mileage. One of the cars I'm currently considering has noticeably lower MPG than the others. Food for thought.

The tradition of the doughnuts and coffee sure is a welcoming one! I definitely like the way Saturn dealerships treat their customers, past and current both. When Rob bought his first Saturn I told myself I would never deal with a "regular" car dealer again. I am relieved that few dealerships I see today are like the ones I saw seventeen years ago.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

My Saturn just hit the 10-year mark (137,000mi), and is still doing well. I plan to keep it for many more years. :)

Plus I put a Darwin Fish over my trunk keyhole 'cause the keyfob takes care of opening it. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh interesting. Rob's just kept falling apart! I think it took them about a week to start rattling in various places. However, I'm more willing to do major maintenance when indicated, while he's more willing to trade in the car and buy another. That accounts for a chunk of the difference between his Saturn longevity and my Toyota longevity, I'm sure.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

We love our Scion XB. It is small but has tons of room to haul stuff. Mileage is good--we get over 30 consistently even when commuting in stop and go, driving in town, using the AC etc. And at 14K the price was right. If you want to go smaller, the XA might be a good option.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Wow, I perceive the XB as huge! I guess it is *tall* but not necessarily *wide*; I should go look that up. The price sure is right. Is yours a really bouncy car? I got one as a loaner from the service place once, and if I remember right I needed much better support undergarments -- perhaps it was just that specific car!

[irascignavojo.livejournal.com]

Take your time to decide this, no need to rush the decision.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Good point. My only rush is the desire to have it done so that I don't need to think about it any more.

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

The lack of a trunk release on the fob is something that Dan really doesn't like about the Civic (we have the mid-trim line, not the high one), but it can be released from inside at least.

The cup holders are fabulous, yes. And the fact that you can cover them and use it as a resting place for other stuff is great, too. The dash is very cool. I love driving it, it's so much peppier than my Legacy wagon.

We haven't had to use the fold-down seat for anything, but we do have the wagon for that so it wasn't a big consideration.

I've been rather pleased with the turning radius of the Civic, it's comperable to the one on my wagon, which kicks serious butt.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like the Civic! Which model year do you have?

I am stunned that no other cars I've looked at so far have any attempt to make the cup holders good. It doesn't take much, people! A couple of plastic bits and springs, or a ring of rubber tabs -- probably a host of other ideas would work too. I guess I can add my own ring of rubber tabs. :-)

The turning radius of all these cars on the list seemed very comparable to me. (I'm surprised that the Fit wasn't far better than the Civic, given its significantly shorter wheel base.) That takes one variable out of the equation!

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

We have a 2006. Had to scrounge around for it, too :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've found a dealer with a supply. If I meet him out by the old warehouse he might slip me some of the good stuff...

cupholders

[eichin.livejournal.com]

One thing that amused me about the mini cooper: the cupholder has an icon of a circle-slash around a wine glass :-) (It only has two cupholders total, one on the dash and one at the back of the console.)

(Pretty sure it isn't the car you're looking for, though I did get 32mpg on a weekend trip to Maine... though I should mention theautochannel.com's "rank cars by specs" page, which was surprisingly useful for sorting through the industry. Looks like you're past that stage, and you don't need to *widen* your search :-)

Re: cupholders

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that's cool. :-)

The Mini definitely caught my eye due to size. It's the only small car left in the US, not counting roadsters. A bit rich for my blood though!

Thanks for the rankings page -- it'll save me some time building the big gory spreadsheet!

Re: cupholders

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

re: too rich: now I am seeing lower prices. Earlier I was seeing stuff up close to $30K. Confused I am. Oh well...

Re: cupholders

[eichin.livejournal.com]

The modern "Mini" actually covers a broad range - I got my Cooper Convertible, CVT automatic, with winter package and fancy interior for just under $30k - the Cooper/S "sport" has a bigger engine and costs more, the manual costs less, the non-convertible costs less, and the options can be dropped. "winter" doesn't actually include the fancy DSC traction-control package, either (ABS is standard of course.) Pretty sure you could run anywhere from $25k to $35k just on configuration of a new car :-)

(I do really enjoy the car, as evidenced by all of my road trip stories - and warranty service has been good, but I'll note that it's also been *necessary* - new front windshield and new fuel pump in the first 20k miles. I love the fact that I could arrange everything (service appointments, the test drive, random questions) by email, though that's dealership-specific and probably getting a *lot* more common.)

Re: cupholders

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure you could run anywhere from $25k to $35k just on configuration of a new car :-)

*grin* Believable! (And yeah, that does put it higher than anything else I'm currently considering.)

I'm glad you're enjoying the car! If warranty service has been necessary this early, what would you predict the useful lifespan of the car might be? Is it a case of getting everything shipshape early on, or is it going to degrade, do you think?

And I gotta give it a thumbs up for daring to be small. That's very unfashionable these days, apparently. (Heck, the BEETLE is really wide.)

Re: cupholders

[eichin.livejournal.com]

Well, the window was a "stress fracture" (the crack was top center above the mirror, from the edge - not an impact, but an assembly defect - so it isn't expected to happen again.) The fuel pump is a little more odd, I'll have to see how that one does.

As far as overall construction, it doesn't rattle; it creaks a little bit when I have it in sunroof mode (but not full-closed or full-open.) BMW's are notable for being high maintenance (and expensive maintenance) though.

Not sure I have any real basis for prediction; I've had an odd mix of cars and haven't really driven anything full-time for more than five years at a time...

The fact that it's small is how I found it -- when I originally looked it was because someone had pointed out the database, and I realized that I could use "sort by wheelbase" as a substitute for "sort by how easy it is to park in cambridge" :-) I think it does well by being small*est* (while still being comfortable.) It also gets talked about as the "anti-Hummer", another marketing win...

Re: cupholders

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I realized that I could use "sort by wheelbase" as a substitute for "sort by how easy it is to park in cambridge" :-)

Yes, this. Exactly.

I can still remember one time I was meeting a large group at a popular restaurant in a way-too-trendy little town around here, and there was a coveted beautiful parking space right across the street that was still... well... mostly available. One of those big dumpsters was taking up a chunk of it and no one would put a car in what was left. The nearest other parking space was guaranteed to be at least a mile away, so I looked at the 2/3 of a parking space, proudly claimed that I had only 2/3 of a car, and parked in it. My passengers were suitably impressed.

I'll miss that capability. :-/