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

[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. :-/