Hatchback recommendation?

[slackerinabox]

Cutting to the chase, we're moving from an oversized minivan to an easier to park city friendly car (or keeping both, depending on the trade in value). Mostly just to drop the kid off to school, and park for the day.

Simple bullet points:
* $8k-15k used (i'm ok going as old as 2010 for asian)
* Room for a car seat and a booster seat in the back
* Decent gas mileage
* Decent front leg room
* Nothing flashy, if we keep the minivan we'll keep that in the garage and the hatchback street parked (Queens, Ny)
* Room for 2 strollers in the hatch (one probably's fine, the 4 year old never uses their double)

A simple commuter car, I just don't want any headaches. Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[zerocool84]

Mazda3 is always near the top. You should definitely look at one.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Yeah the Mazda 3 is a great HB and is always high on the list. I have a 2012 Ford Focus HB and absolutely love it, but for city driving a conventional auto transmission is preferred unless you go for a hybrid. I've driven mostly stick but for city driving an auto is the better choice unless you go hybrid or full electric. The DCT (dual clutch transmission) in my Focus is called an auto but it's really an auto shifted manual so not ideal for stop-and-go driving.

I've passed 60K miles on my Focus and my lifetime average is just under 39mpg, but I don't have to do a lot of city driving and often drive in the barren desert here in Utah and can go for miles a modest speed with no traffic lights and little traffic. When I do have city driving the mileage drops down and can drop into the low 20's or even sub 20 -- driving style has a lot to do with it and where you live and drive dictates the style.


Brian

 

[NutBucket]

Two strollers in the back? And car seats? How about a Forester?

The Focus and 3 are just too small in the back.

 

[slackerinabox]

Two strollers in the back? And car seats? How about a Forester?

The Focus and 3 are just too small in the back.

Yeah, I'm thinking I need to break out the minivan when we need the double (which is rarely). I'll sacrifice trunkspace for rear legroom... I'll look into the forester.

the mazda 3 mentioned maked s lot of sense. I saw an accent hatchback on the street and actually seems pretty practical, ditto on the fiesta. Any particular reason the fiesta's so cheap on the resale market?

 

[NutBucket]

Typical American car? Those are really small tho.

 

[Jumpem]

Crosstrek XV.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Ford-C-Max or Prius should be at the top of your list. They are the largest hatchbacks on the market.

The Ford Focus gets rave reviews and made Car & Drivers top ten for its first 2yrs on the market '12 & '13 before the all new '14 Mazda 3 knocked it off the list. Brand new leftover 2015 SE hatchbacks should be right about $15K.

Take your car seat, booster, and stroller to the dealership and see how everything fits.

 

[michal1980]

to fit longer items, the mazda3 sedan will have more flat trunk space. The sedan is 180long, the hatch 175. All 5in of that come from the hatch area.

 

[Brian Stirling]

If you already have the minivan and you're looking for a commuter car a small HB is great. The Focus and Mazda 3 are both great but as I and other mentioned for city driving a hybrid crushes anything but a pure electric and pure electrics aren't practical away from the recharge stations that are mostly limited to the coasts and interstates.

If I could afford several cars I'd love to have one of the Tesla X models like the 90D.


Brian

 

[bamx2]

Toyota Matrix (last year made was 2012 ?).

 

[Kaido]

For $15k, you can buy a Kia Soul base model brand-new.

 

[slackerinabox]

Toyota Matrix (last year made was 2012 ?).

You've won the thread so far. Being that it's discontinued the prices out there for it are killer deals. I can get a 2011 so far below my budget that I won't have to get rid of the minivan (which may be dull but I've pimped out very much to my liking, apple carplay HU and invisible subs including). It's twin is a pontiac vibe, right? Would you think the fit and finish of the vibe is more GM or Toyota influenced? I owned a GM suv and it's full of misaligned plastic and rough surfaces, something my korean cheap car avoided surprisingly.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Honestly a VW golf may be a pretty good fit, but I personally think the Mazda3 is the better option. If you're grabbing an older one maybe even the mazdaspeed.

 

[bamx2]

Yes, I am in a somewhat similar situation and that what I came up with. I will buy the Toyota vs the Vibe. I have been on the look out for the right one for several weeks.

You've won the thread so far. Being that it's discontinued the prices out there for it are killer deals. I can get a 2011 so far below my budget that I won't have to get rid of the minivan (which may be dull but I've pimped out very much to my liking, apple carplay HU and invisible subs including). It's twin is a pontiac vibe, right? Would you think the fit and finish of the vibe is more GM or Toyota influenced? I owned a GM suv and it's full of misaligned plastic and rough surfaces, something my korean cheap car avoided surprisingly.

 

[yoda5]

You can find a higher mileage Lexus CT for $15k. Prius engine and drivetrain.

 

[vi edit]

Look at a mazda5. Much more room than a typical hatch without really being much bigger length wise than a Civic. Kids are easy to load, it has the turning radius of a tricycle, and the milage isn't horrible. It won't pull the same economy as say a Fit or a Mazda3 with the skyactive setup. But it's not atrocious.

 

[z1ggy]

I like my mazda 3 hatch. I have the 2011 "s" trim. I got it in 2014 for ~$16k and it had 30k miles.

 

[Denly]

You may want something slightly larger.

Mazda 5
Golf wagon
VX

 

[Uppsala9496]

You've won the thread so far. Being that it's discontinued the prices out there for it are killer deals. I can get a 2011 so far below my budget that I won't have to get rid of the minivan (which may be dull but I've pimped out very much to my liking, apple carplay HU and invisible subs including). It's twin is a pontiac vibe, right? Would you think the fit and finish of the vibe is more GM or Toyota influenced? I owned a GM suv and it's full of misaligned plastic and rough surfaces, something my korean cheap car avoided surprisingly.

Used to have a 2008 Vibe GT. Inside was IDENTICAL to the matrix I later had as a rental.
Honestly, the only thing that screamed GM was the body styling and Pontiac logo. Everything else was Toyota.

Was a fun little car, but the stiff suspension and low profile tires made for an uncomfortable ride on bad roads.

 

[desy]

Versa hatch
I had an 07
Huge backseat, timing chain instead of a belt, we went with the auto4 over the CVT cause it was cheaper, in my mind proven, and better economy than the manual.

 

[sphenodont]

The '07 Versa hatch was great, but every model year after that they found new corners to cut. It really isn't the same car any longer.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Yeah, I've got two friends that own slightly newer Versas, and I couldn't recommend them.

 

[slackerinabox]

Look at a mazda5. Much more room than a typical hatch without really being much bigger length wise than a Civic. Kids are easy to load, it has the turning radius of a tricycle, and the milage isn't horrible. It won't pull the same economy as say a Fit or a Mazda3 with the skyactive setup. But it's not atrocious.

Interesting choice - the 3rd row is tempting since we may be able to get rid of the minivan entirely. But my wife really wants something small to
Illegally park quickly to run our kid to school, Not sure if a mini-mini van is the right choice

 

[SearchMaster]

The 5 is pretty small considering its occupancy specs. It's narrower than the Focus hatchback and less than a foot longer (the Odyssey, for example, is almost two feet longer than the 5). It's more of a hatchback that happens to have a small third row than a minivan.