I'll be graduating next month and moving out to Colorado Springs near the end of May/beginning of June to start a new job, and I've decided to sell my '95 Civic and purchase a used car before heading out that way. And, yes, I will be driving whatever car I get all the way out there.
I will likely be purchasing the vehicle in the Indianapolis, IN area, if that helps narrow down my choices. I have no idea if used car pricing varies much in different areas across the nation. I'm looking to spend around or under $10K. However, I have the possibility to bump that closer to around $12K if it would be a much wiser investment.
Here are some things I'm looking for:
1. Must get decent gas mileage. If it will pull ~30mpg or more on the highway and average at least in the high 20s or low 30s, that would be great.
2. Preferably a car...not an SUV (even if small...though something like a Kia Soul is fine), van, truck, etc. I would prefer a 4-door car over a coupe, but coupes are fine. Hatchbacks are OK too.
3. Must have a smooth and quiet ride.
4. Must be comfortable, especially when it comes to lumbar support. As I mentioned, this will be driven for many hours at a time when I move! My back is fairly prone to hurting quickly while driving unless the seats are comfortable and offer proper support.
5. Must accommodate tall people. I'm nearly 6' 4", though I am very slender.
6. Must be reliable and not be too expensive with repairs and such.
To give you a bit of perspective on what I've driven before, my GF has a 2008 Kia Rio. I find the seats to be too firm and uncomfortable, though they offer decent lumbar support. The Soul also had hard seats, as did a newer Forte I looked at.
I recently test drove a 2012 Camry. I thought it was a nice car, but somewhat boring. It was quiet and very comfortable, but almost felt a bit floaty for my tastes. That might actually be a good thing for me in the end, though, if I got used to it. It's certainly better than being too stiff of a ride.
My parents have a 2010 Sentra. I'm not a fan of the looks, but it is very comfortable, quiet, and has a smooth ride. Nissan seems more comparable to Toyota in this regard compared to, say, Honda. I liked that it felt a bit more connected to the road than the Camry I drove, but I also though some of the windows were kind of small. Overall, it's a surprisingly nice car.
I just test drove a 2011 Ford Fusion today. I've been eyeing these, as they look like a potential candidate. I did not find the seats quite as comfortable as the Camry or Sentra, but they weren't bad at all (certainly a step up from my Civic or my GF's Rio). Plenty of head and leg room. Comfortable. Fairly quiet, though the engine could be a bit loud and was slightly jerky when shifting. I thought it drove pretty well, though. My main complaint was the speedometer, since it only has increments of 20mph posted with no intermediate dashes from what I could tell. That made it difficult to gauge how fast I was actually driving. But when I looked at photos online, there appear to be dashes that I did not see while test driving...?
I've been eyeing the Fusions because I can get a newer model with lower mileage than I could from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc. I could get a 2010 or 2011 for $12-13k, and that's the type of situation when I think stretching my budget would be appropriate. And while they're somewhat plain, I find them stylish enough.
Based on all of this, I'd be very grateful for any suggestions! And don't be afraid to mention something even if it doesn't fit all of the criteria.
I will likely be purchasing the vehicle in the Indianapolis, IN area, if that helps narrow down my choices. I have no idea if used car pricing varies much in different areas across the nation. I'm looking to spend around or under $10K. However, I have the possibility to bump that closer to around $12K if it would be a much wiser investment.
Here are some things I'm looking for:
1. Must get decent gas mileage. If it will pull ~30mpg or more on the highway and average at least in the high 20s or low 30s, that would be great.
2. Preferably a car...not an SUV (even if small...though something like a Kia Soul is fine), van, truck, etc. I would prefer a 4-door car over a coupe, but coupes are fine. Hatchbacks are OK too.
3. Must have a smooth and quiet ride.
4. Must be comfortable, especially when it comes to lumbar support. As I mentioned, this will be driven for many hours at a time when I move! My back is fairly prone to hurting quickly while driving unless the seats are comfortable and offer proper support.
5. Must accommodate tall people. I'm nearly 6' 4", though I am very slender.
6. Must be reliable and not be too expensive with repairs and such.
To give you a bit of perspective on what I've driven before, my GF has a 2008 Kia Rio. I find the seats to be too firm and uncomfortable, though they offer decent lumbar support. The Soul also had hard seats, as did a newer Forte I looked at.
I recently test drove a 2012 Camry. I thought it was a nice car, but somewhat boring. It was quiet and very comfortable, but almost felt a bit floaty for my tastes. That might actually be a good thing for me in the end, though, if I got used to it. It's certainly better than being too stiff of a ride.
My parents have a 2010 Sentra. I'm not a fan of the looks, but it is very comfortable, quiet, and has a smooth ride. Nissan seems more comparable to Toyota in this regard compared to, say, Honda. I liked that it felt a bit more connected to the road than the Camry I drove, but I also though some of the windows were kind of small. Overall, it's a surprisingly nice car.
I just test drove a 2011 Ford Fusion today. I've been eyeing these, as they look like a potential candidate. I did not find the seats quite as comfortable as the Camry or Sentra, but they weren't bad at all (certainly a step up from my Civic or my GF's Rio). Plenty of head and leg room. Comfortable. Fairly quiet, though the engine could be a bit loud and was slightly jerky when shifting. I thought it drove pretty well, though. My main complaint was the speedometer, since it only has increments of 20mph posted with no intermediate dashes from what I could tell. That made it difficult to gauge how fast I was actually driving. But when I looked at photos online, there appear to be dashes that I did not see while test driving...?
I've been eyeing the Fusions because I can get a newer model with lower mileage than I could from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc. I could get a 2010 or 2011 for $12-13k, and that's the type of situation when I think stretching my budget would be appropriate. And while they're somewhat plain, I find them stylish enough.
Based on all of this, I'd be very grateful for any suggestions! And don't be afraid to mention something even if it doesn't fit all of the criteria.
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