So as some of you know my daily driver is a 2003 toyota corolla. It came up for state inspection this month and I knew the news was going to be bad because the left rear tire was nearly bald on the outer edge (whereas the other three were just fine). And by bald I mean down to the steel belt.
Took it to the shop to be inspected, and as expected it failed. Both rear struts are shot, which is what lead to the odd tire wear. Front struts were "going" too, and the front and rear brakes just barely passed and will need to be replaced in a few months. Mechanic also recommended replacing the plugs because they are "clearly" fouled (I find this plausible because the original plugs are in the car and I am seeing 3-5 MPG less than I am used to seeing with the car). AC is on the fritz too and the mechanic said the compressor was completely shot and would have to be replaced to get it going.
Anyway, the end result is that ~$2k of work would be needed to put the car in safe condition again. Being the cheap bastard I am I was tempted to ok the work, but I ultimately decided not to do it. Mainly because the vehicle has ~$170k miles on it. Toyota's run forever but at that mileage any number of things can go wrong, particularly when a car is 12-13 years old.
Anyway, I am now in the market for a new daily driver. Only problem is I cannot decide what to buy. Any suggestions? Here are the stats/requirements:
1. Must be a Sedan
2. Must get >30MPG highway (I have a long commute 3 days a week)
3. Must have a useable back seat (I have two small kids, so car seats are a consideration).
4. Budget Sub-40K. Would prefer sub-30K.
5. Must have bluetooth streaming audio (weird requirement I know, but I currently stream audiobooks from my phone to a bluetooth speaker and I would much prefer to use my car's radio).
6. Would prefer leather trim. No need for nav.
7. I can buy just about any car I want outright but financing is so cheap right now that I will probably finance at least a part of the cost. Anyway I will be trading in the corolla (hoping to get 2k for it) and I will either be trading or selling my truck (2003 F150 supercrew lariat) as well (hoping to get 9-10k for the truck, which is amazingly clean for its age). So - hoping to have 10-12k in trade and will put another 5-6k down. Finance the rest.
Below are the cars I have considered and/or driven and my thoughts on them:
Non-luxury sedans:
1. Honda Accord Sedan - EX-L or EX-L hybrid - Pros- Surprisingly comfy. Good gas mileage. Honda reliability and resale value. Cons - Seats were still a bit uncomfortable for me. Leather trim was pretty cheap looking (as it is in all honda's), but other materials were pretty nice.
2. Nissan Altima 2.5 SLE - Pros - Nice interior and technology. Good highway MPG. Meh - Feels a lot like my wife's Murano, which is both good and bad. CONS: CVT durability is a concern. I also do not particularly care for how the CVT feels when accelerating. Too much of a delay between when the gas pedal is depressed and when the car responds. Nissan resale value sucks too.
3. Hyundai Sonata Sport 2.0T - Pros - Turbocharged engine is pretty zippy. By far the nicest driving chracteristics of the non-luxury sedans I have tested. Hyundai warranty is very nice as well. Cons - Backseat seems smaller than the nissan and the accord, which is a concern as I envision my son or daughter kicking me in the back all the time. Never owned a Hyundai because, well, its a Hyundai. I know the brand has come quite a ways, but I still remember when it sucked big time,
Luxury Sedans:
1. BMW 328i (driven) - Pros - Looks nice. Great driving characteristics. "Whoa" acceleration once the turbo kicks in. Cons: Too expensive. I would have to lease the car and I drive too many miles to make it worth it. I would likely earn many speeding tickets in the car. Pretty small interior.
2. Audi A4 - Comparable to the BMW as far as driving feel goes. But too small. A6 is sized better but is too expensive.
edit
Test drove a 2013 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T (leftover) today. The sonata had a ton of pep and was a lot of fun to drive, but the interior felt cramped and too much like my old corolla. The 2015 redesign looks more interesting and I might go back to test it out, but the 2013 is a no go.
Also test drove a Mazda 6 grand touring today and I was pleasantly surprised. That car offers quite a bit for the money, though some of the features (i.e., adaptive cruise control) I would never trust enough to use. That said it had plenty of power for me, interior was very roomy and well appointed, car was spooky quiet at highway speed (again, relative to my corolla), etc. All good things. Infotainment system was a bit wonky as others have mentioned. It really seems like it was an afterthought. Especially given the high amount of care that obviously went into engineering the rest of the car. All in all I liked the car a lot.
Edit 2
Update 2 - So I spent the last few days test driving more cars. Drove a: (new) hyundai azera, (new) honda accord, (new) toyota camry, (used) lexus IS, (used) lexus ES, (new) subaru legacy, (new) Acura TLX, and (used) Acura TSX.
Strongly leaning towards a used TSX. There is 2011 listed near me with ~25k miles and the tech package for under 20 grand. Its not the best gas mileage wise but it is fun to drive and the highway mileage isn't terrible (30-34 highway). Also, being a Honda the TSX should be pretty darn reliable. Yes, I know it needs premium gas. This is my way of having a little fun while still being somewhat pragmatic.
Another benefit of buying the used TSX is that I get to keep my truck, which I was planning on selling (in addition to trading in the corolla). That also means that the TSX does not need to be a full size car, because I have the truck for days when a bigger vehicle is needed. Double plus good.
Took it to the shop to be inspected, and as expected it failed. Both rear struts are shot, which is what lead to the odd tire wear. Front struts were "going" too, and the front and rear brakes just barely passed and will need to be replaced in a few months. Mechanic also recommended replacing the plugs because they are "clearly" fouled (I find this plausible because the original plugs are in the car and I am seeing 3-5 MPG less than I am used to seeing with the car). AC is on the fritz too and the mechanic said the compressor was completely shot and would have to be replaced to get it going.
Anyway, the end result is that ~$2k of work would be needed to put the car in safe condition again. Being the cheap bastard I am I was tempted to ok the work, but I ultimately decided not to do it. Mainly because the vehicle has ~$170k miles on it. Toyota's run forever but at that mileage any number of things can go wrong, particularly when a car is 12-13 years old.
Anyway, I am now in the market for a new daily driver. Only problem is I cannot decide what to buy. Any suggestions? Here are the stats/requirements:
1. Must be a Sedan
2. Must get >30MPG highway (I have a long commute 3 days a week)
3. Must have a useable back seat (I have two small kids, so car seats are a consideration).
4. Budget Sub-40K. Would prefer sub-30K.
5. Must have bluetooth streaming audio (weird requirement I know, but I currently stream audiobooks from my phone to a bluetooth speaker and I would much prefer to use my car's radio).
6. Would prefer leather trim. No need for nav.
7. I can buy just about any car I want outright but financing is so cheap right now that I will probably finance at least a part of the cost. Anyway I will be trading in the corolla (hoping to get 2k for it) and I will either be trading or selling my truck (2003 F150 supercrew lariat) as well (hoping to get 9-10k for the truck, which is amazingly clean for its age). So - hoping to have 10-12k in trade and will put another 5-6k down. Finance the rest.
Below are the cars I have considered and/or driven and my thoughts on them:
Non-luxury sedans:
1. Honda Accord Sedan - EX-L or EX-L hybrid - Pros- Surprisingly comfy. Good gas mileage. Honda reliability and resale value. Cons - Seats were still a bit uncomfortable for me. Leather trim was pretty cheap looking (as it is in all honda's), but other materials were pretty nice.
2. Nissan Altima 2.5 SLE - Pros - Nice interior and technology. Good highway MPG. Meh - Feels a lot like my wife's Murano, which is both good and bad. CONS: CVT durability is a concern. I also do not particularly care for how the CVT feels when accelerating. Too much of a delay between when the gas pedal is depressed and when the car responds. Nissan resale value sucks too.
3. Hyundai Sonata Sport 2.0T - Pros - Turbocharged engine is pretty zippy. By far the nicest driving chracteristics of the non-luxury sedans I have tested. Hyundai warranty is very nice as well. Cons - Backseat seems smaller than the nissan and the accord, which is a concern as I envision my son or daughter kicking me in the back all the time. Never owned a Hyundai because, well, its a Hyundai. I know the brand has come quite a ways, but I still remember when it sucked big time,
Luxury Sedans:
1. BMW 328i (driven) - Pros - Looks nice. Great driving characteristics. "Whoa" acceleration once the turbo kicks in. Cons: Too expensive. I would have to lease the car and I drive too many miles to make it worth it. I would likely earn many speeding tickets in the car. Pretty small interior.
2. Audi A4 - Comparable to the BMW as far as driving feel goes. But too small. A6 is sized better but is too expensive.
edit
Test drove a 2013 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T (leftover) today. The sonata had a ton of pep and was a lot of fun to drive, but the interior felt cramped and too much like my old corolla. The 2015 redesign looks more interesting and I might go back to test it out, but the 2013 is a no go.
Also test drove a Mazda 6 grand touring today and I was pleasantly surprised. That car offers quite a bit for the money, though some of the features (i.e., adaptive cruise control) I would never trust enough to use. That said it had plenty of power for me, interior was very roomy and well appointed, car was spooky quiet at highway speed (again, relative to my corolla), etc. All good things. Infotainment system was a bit wonky as others have mentioned. It really seems like it was an afterthought. Especially given the high amount of care that obviously went into engineering the rest of the car. All in all I liked the car a lot.
Edit 2
Update 2 - So I spent the last few days test driving more cars. Drove a: (new) hyundai azera, (new) honda accord, (new) toyota camry, (used) lexus IS, (used) lexus ES, (new) subaru legacy, (new) Acura TLX, and (used) Acura TSX.
Strongly leaning towards a used TSX. There is 2011 listed near me with ~25k miles and the tech package for under 20 grand. Its not the best gas mileage wise but it is fun to drive and the highway mileage isn't terrible (30-34 highway). Also, being a Honda the TSX should be pretty darn reliable. Yes, I know it needs premium gas. This is my way of having a little fun while still being somewhat pragmatic.
Another benefit of buying the used TSX is that I get to keep my truck, which I was planning on selling (in addition to trading in the corolla). That also means that the TSX does not need to be a full size car, because I have the truck for days when a bigger vehicle is needed. Double plus good.
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