looking to buy $15k or less 2008 or newer grocery getter *plz help*

[Arkaign]

Yeah anyone in the market for a car with that description owes it to themselves to at least go test a Fusion. It's a great car, seriously.

 

[CurseTheSky]

4 cyl Fusion (manual and auto available). You should be able to find a used 2008ish with ~20-30k miles for $12-13k or so. Perhaps less.

Yes, it's a larger car than the Civic, Focus, etc. If you ever have to bring home a load of groceries and a larger item (bike, shelves, desk, bookcase, etc.) you'll really appreciate it though. I was stunned at how big the trunk is. Fold down rear seats are FTW too.

If you're a fan of phones, MP3 players, and general gadgets, look for one with the Sync package.

 

[CraigRT]

Terrible suspension for 2010 in the Elantra? weird.. I had an 09 or 08 not sure which when I came home from the east coast last year. It was a surprisingly nice little car. Excellent MPG as well.

 

[msi1337]

we ended up buying a 2010 Honda Civic LX with manual transmission.

paid $16k out the door with GAP, extended warranty and 1.9% APR..not too shabby!

to all the ford fusion lovers, it was nice..they just didnt have stick shift and my wife wanted that.

 

[yh125d]

Not bad at all. Did you test a 3?

GAP was probably unnecessary, considering Hondas legendary resale value, assuming you had a down payment of at least 1k

 

[zCypher]

I used to hate Ford, and I can vouch that the Fusion is awesome. The Smart is a piece of shit though, sorry. The entire thing feels flimsy, interior feels cheap as hell, the breaks feel very spongy (I drove several new ones and they were all the same), not confidence inspiring.

Given the pathetic size, crappy feeling and disgusting performance, even if the price was good (which it's not), it still wouldn't be worth it over any other subcompact. I'd buy a Yaris before the Smart, and I really don't like the Yaris.

Sorry, back to the Fusion. When you get in the Fusion, you get a surprising feeling of refinement, everything feels high quality and the ride is nice and smooth. Every one I drove, drove exactly the same... None had any immediately noticeable defects as some cars do.

The Mazda 3 and 6 are great cars too, but I don't particularly like them for some reason. They are good though technically.

Edit: Oops, didn't see your latest post. I'm sure you will be pleased with the Civic. Thank you for not buying a Smart!

 

[msi1337]

to answer the questions about whether I tested a Mazda 3, I don't have to test it! I personally drive a 2008 Mazda 3 i sport!!

she wanted to stick with honda though, and it was very hard to find stick shift cars locally.

 

[SandEagle]

buddy of mine bought an 07 civic sedan lx with 22K miles on it for 12500, not including TTL. go with honda, they'll hold their value and will last longer than a fusion. fusion is bland in styling; the civic interior is great

 

[StageLeft]

Fusion definitely exists in manual but I understand if it was hard to find one.

 

[hans007]

i think a nissan versa is a pretty good choice. the hatch especially would have pretty decent space . a decent one with the bigger engine is maybe $14k msrp.

 

[HarryLui]

car she wants:
2008 or newer
$15,000 or less (after warranty, tax, tags, etc.)
prefer stick, but auto is okay too
good gas mileage

we don't have any particular brand preference, just looking for the best we can get for the money, closer to $10K would be divine as well.

Lol, out of that list, only two remained true after the car is bought.

 

[vshah]

Lol, out of that list, only two remained true after the car is bought.

i see 3...2010, stick, gas mileage? i suppose the latter is subjective

congrats OP, go join www.8thcivic.com for good tips and tricks. (like how to disable the auto door locking shenanigans if you want to)

 

[HarryLui]

i see 3...2010, stick, gas mileage? i suppose the latter is subjective

He said, "auto is ok" but really, it wasn't. So, back to 2.

prefer stick, but auto is okay too

to all the ford fusion lovers, it was nice..they just didnt have stick shift and my wife wanted that.

 

[vshah]

He said, "auto is ok" but really, it wasn't. So, back to 2.

but he got a stick...

 

[iGas]

Try craigslist for a used 2008~2009 Elantra, Corolla, Mazda3, Focus, or Cobalt.

Last year, my first choice for a used car was an Elantra or Sonata, but I settled for a 07 Camry SE with low mileage that were priced similar to a 08/09 Sonata/Elantra.
Elantra looks great inside & out with a bit of driving spunk to it, and the warranty period is longer than the competitions.

 

[purplehippo]

You might want to consider buying a new Pontiac. Here in Oklahoma they have turned all their Pontiacs into lease cars but are selling them straight out at $7000 off MSRP. You can get a new car for around $9000 like a Vibe.

 

[obamanation]

Kill the thread...the op already bought the car..