Which car should i get

[dbot]

I've narrowed it down to 4 choices (all new 2012 models):

1) Subaru Impreza with Nav - MSRP is about 22,800. they have 1.9 interest financing. Im sure I can talk this down to just below 20k.

2) Ford Focus with Nav - Internet price quote of 21,500

3) Honda Civic with NAV - EX with Nav is about 23,600 and a SI with Nav is about 24,800.

4) Hyundai Elantra with NAV is 24,000

I'm sure I can talk most of these prices down to just below 20k.

I guess the question is factoring in maintanence packages that dealers are offering, warranty and reliability. Which one should I go for!?

People who own these cars already, what's your experience?

 

[jlee]

Have you driven any of them yet? If so, what are your thoughts? If not, go do that.

 

[desy]

Yep all 4 are good
I'd get the Sub if you are in mountains and snow but time to drive and see what you like!

 

[CraigRT]

Focus.
New Civic is not so great, (Si is pretty quick though) Hyundai is still meh to me, and I just don't like the Subaru at all. Of course that is just my preference.

Also I was only able to haggle a few hundred from my Honda dealer. They just do not haggle on their cars, their belief seems to be if I don't pay full price, someone else will. I could not imagine being able to get a new Si for under 20K. If you do, tell me the dealer, cause I'll there and get me an Si.

 

[exar333]

All are good options. The Subaru would be better if you are in a northern area with a lot of snow, otherwise it's a draw. Drive them and get the one you prefer.

 

[Jeff7]

rh71 had asked for my thoughts on my Impreza a little while ago. I can PM that review to you if you'd like. (Well, 2 PMs....they're limited to 10,000 characters, apparently. )
(Or just post it in its own thread; I didn't know if the Internet needed another "My review of..." post though.)


If you're some place that gets a lot of snow, word on the street is that AWD is nice. This winter was snow-free, as far as Erie's concerned. I wouldn't have had trouble driving with a FWD car; a RWD car probably would have been fine, too. And I've never skidded a car on rainy roads, so I don't have much to compare to there either.

Price: I only got $800 off sticker. I bought mine back in January, when there were still supply issues, and before they had even kicked off their advertising campaign. And I have zero negotiating skills. Bleh. :\

 

[SpatiallyAware]

rh71 had asked for my thoughts on my Impreza a little while ago. I can PM that review to you if you'd like. (Well, 2 PMs....they're limited to 10,000 characters, apparently. )
(Or just post it in its own thread; I didn't know if the Internet needed another "My review of..." post though.)


If you're some place that gets a lot of snow, word on the street is that AWD is nice. This winter was snow-free, as far as Erie's concerned. I wouldn't have had trouble driving with a FWD car; a RWD car probably would have been fine, too. And I've never skidded a car on rainy roads, so I don't have much to compare to there either.

Price: I only got $800 off sticker. I bought mine back in January, when there were still supply issues, and before they had even kicked off their advertising campaign. And I have zero negotiating skills. Bleh. :\

I would love to read your impressions, this is the perfect place for it IMO.

 

[disappoint]

If you're some place that gets a lot of snow, word on the street is that AWD is nice. This winter was snow-free, as far as Erie's concerned. I wouldn't have had trouble driving with a FWD car; a RWD car probably would have been fine, too. And I've never skidded a car on rainy roads, so I don't have much to compare to there either.

As far as snow is concerned:

AWD is for pussies.
RWD is for psychos.
FWD is where it's at.

Now that we got the cliffs out of the way:

I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. My car is FWD. I can go the speed limit around turns and never even come close to skidding. Not kidding.

Modern cars with FWD, ABS, traction control and stability control is all you need in the snow. Also, keep in mind ALL cars no matter what-wheel-drive they are have 4 wheel brakes, so your stopping distance isn't going to improve with AWD. If you want to be SAFE in the snow AWD isn't going to help you. Now if you want to enter into a rally car race in the snow then you need AWD. But then you won't be driving a consumer vehicle, you'll be driving a heaviliy modified race car.

Other cons against AWD:
It's heavier,
heavier means worse handling, longer stopping distances and slower acceleration or worse fuel economy
it wastes more fuel,
it has more potential mechanical issues,
it's costlier to fix when it does,
it's cost up front is higher which means a similarly priced car is cutting corners somewhere else.

 

[jlee]

As far as snow is concerned:

AWD is for pussies.
RWD is for psychos.
FWD is where it's at.

Now that we got the cliffs out of the way:

I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. My car is FWD. I can go the speed limit around turns and never even come close to skidding. Not kidding.

Modern cars with FWD, ABS, traction control and stability control is all you need in the snow. Also, keep in mind ALL cars no matter what-wheel-drive they are have 4 wheel brakes, so your stopping distance isn't going to improve with AWD. If you want to be SAFE in the snow AWD isn't going to help you. Now if you want to enter into a rally car race in the snow then you need AWD. But then you won't be driving a consumer vehicle, you'll be driving a heaviliy modified race car.

Other cons against AWD:
It's heavier,
heavier means worse handling, longer stopping distances and slower acceleration or worse fuel economy
it wastes more fuel,
it has more potential mechanical issues,
it's costlier to fix when it does,
it's cost up front is higher which means a similarly priced car is cutting corners somewhere else.

If AWD means slower acceleration, you bought the wrong car. :whiste:

 

[DVad3r]

Focus.

 

[JCH13]

Of those, Civic Si, it's quite a fun car to drive and will hold a very solid used value.

Any reason you skipped the Mazda 3, Corolla, and VW Golf?

Also, drive wheels won't affect your ultimate cornering grip. Tires will do that. Drive wheels only determine how you hit guardrail if your right foot gets too happy.

 

[Viper GTS]

As far as snow is concerned:

AWD is for pussies.
RWD is for psychos.
FWD is where it's at.

Now that we got the cliffs out of the way:

I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. My car is FWD. I can go the speed limit around turns and never even come close to skidding. Not kidding.

Modern cars with FWD, ABS, traction control and stability control is all you need in the snow. Also, keep in mind ALL cars no matter what-wheel-drive they are have 4 wheel brakes, so your stopping distance isn't going to improve with AWD. If you want to be SAFE in the snow AWD isn't going to help you. Now if you want to enter into a rally car race in the snow then you need AWD. But then you won't be driving a consumer vehicle, you'll be driving a heaviliy modified race car.

Other cons against AWD:
It's heavier,
heavier means worse handling, longer stopping distances and slower acceleration or worse fuel economy
it wastes more fuel,
it has more potential mechanical issues,
it's costlier to fix when it does,
it's cost up front is higher which means a similarly priced car is cutting corners somewhere else.

While individually all of your points are likely valid (or at least defensible), you're reaching the wrong conclusion.

Have you ever driven an AWD car on a regular basis? If so you'll come to appreciate how absolutely predictable they are no matter the weather. Rain, snow, dry pavement, they just do exactly what you expect to them to with no fuss. I'm speaking specifically of manual tranmission, 50/50 power split symmetrical AWD (basically Subaru), not the 90/10 BS that most manu's call AWD.

Any perceived deficiency in gas mileage or weight is more than made up for with great vehicle dynamics.

I own both a high powered RWD car and a (fairly) high powered AWD car. I have been through six cars since my last FWD car and I will never own another. The driving dynamics are simply worthless.

If you view your car as nothing but an appliance then yes there are tons of great FWD options out there for you. If you actually care about how your car drives you'll get something else.

Viper GTS

 

[dbot]

rh71 had asked for my thoughts on my Impreza a little while ago. I can PM that review to you if you'd like. (Well, 2 PMs....they're limited to 10,000 characters, apparently. )
(Or just post it in its own thread; I didn't know if the Internet needed another "My review of..." post though.)


If you're some place that gets a lot of snow, word on the street is that AWD is nice. This winter was snow-free, as far as Erie's concerned. I wouldn't have had trouble driving with a FWD car; a RWD car probably would have been fine, too. And I've never skidded a car on rainy roads, so I don't have much to compare to there either.

Price: I only got $800 off sticker. I bought mine back in January, when there were still supply issues, and before they had even kicked off their advertising campaign. And I have zero negotiating skills. Bleh. :\

I would love to here your review of it. I'm sure the other board members wouldn't mind either

 

[dbot]

Of those, Civic Si, it's quite a fun car to drive and will hold a very solid used value.

Any reason you skipped the Mazda 3, Corolla, and VW Golf?

Also, drive wheels won't affect your ultimate cornering grip. Tires will do that. Drive wheels only determine how you hit guardrail if your right foot gets too happy.

I own a GTI right now and so far it has been great. No major issues; however i just hit 75k and the electronics are started to cost me a bit. The clock spring just went out and cost a good amount to fix, the AC had issues. I'm just expecting more to come with my history driving VW's. I can trade it in for a little over 12K so i want to bite while I can.

Never been a big fan of Mazda and Corolla just doesnt seem to really have enough power. If I was going to get the corolla, I would get the civic EX instead.

 

[50 mpg by 2012]

^^^

After 17 years in Poughkeepsie/East Fishkill, NY ... I agree. Snows 10 to 18 inches were relatively common then.

Never found a problem with 2WD ... except twice ... even including driving a 2 mile unplowed logging trail to bypass 4 hours of snow bound traffic leaving work on snow shutdown days.

My first problem experience shortly after moving there ... driving in the recessed neighborhood garbage dump on top of 9 inches of iced over snow. When I stopped to unload, the warm tires broke through the ice crust, dropping the car into 9 inches of snow with about 1/2 inch of ice crust. Solution - stamp out a snow ramp back to the top of the ice crust and simply drive out.

The second, I accidently overshot the road into the opposite ditch while backing out of our driveway ... really sloppy on my part. Only excuse ... ditch was not visible because it was filled with snow to road level compliments of the county snow plow. Simlpy jacked the back of the car up above road level and pushed the car off the jack, 5 minutes ... and away.

The stopping part is the important thing!

Saw many a vehicle that was easily started on snow SLIDE to collision at the bottom of a grade. I remember an icing event that resulted in a mile long collision, 100s of vehicles, on a very long grade of the Taconic State Parkway ... near Peakskill, iirc.

Driving on snow and ice are somewhat like hypermiling ... aggressiveness is NOT your "friend". IF you can't get to the main roads with 2WD ... maybe the trip is NOT worth the risks.

My experiences/thoughts ... but, it is YOUR decision what is BEST for you and yours.

 

[dbot]

Yea I'm leaning toward the subaru just incase i ever need the AWD. I live in MD and we don't get snow often but 2 years ago we got slammed with like 2 feet of snow and I was stuck with my GTI.

Only thing holding me back is with the AWD tranny, so much more can go wrong and I don't think they've improved their interiors since 2005

Anyone know what the extended warranties are like with Subaru?

 

[JCH13]

AWD is wild overkill for freak storms like that. Frankly, I would just stay home. Too many idiots on the road to risk it.

 

[disappoint]

Have you ever driven an AWD car on a regular basis? If so you'll come to appreciate how absolutely predictable they are no matter the weather. Rain, snow, dry pavement, they just do exactly what you expect to them to with no fuss.

My FWD car is absolutely predictable no matter the weather, rain snow or dry pavement.

Any perceived deficiency in gas mileage or weight is more than made up for with great vehicle dynamics.

My FWD car has great vehicle dynamics. It's not a sports car, although it does have somewhat stiff sporty suspension.

I own both a high powered RWD car and a (fairly) high powered AWD car. I have been through six cars since my last FWD car and I will never own another. The driving dynamics are simply worthless.

Are you sure the driving dynamics of the FWD car wasn't worthless because of it's suspension? Are you driving on a race track?

I agree a FWD car will not put the power down as well as AWD if you're driving at the limit of your tire's grip. If you're doing that on public roads in traffic you're doing it wrong.

 

[fbrdphreak]

As far as snow is concerned:

AWD is for pussies.
RWD is for psychos.
FWD is where it's at. Listen to this guy - he is clearly an expert at talking like an expert on the internet.

Now that we got the cliffs out of the way:

I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. My car is FWD. I can go the speed limit around turns and never even come close to skidding. Not kidding.

Modern cars with FWD, ABS, traction control and stability control is all you need in the snow. Also, keep in mind ALL cars no matter what-wheel-drive they are have 4 wheel brakes, so your stopping distance isn't going to improve with AWD. If you want to be SAFE in the snow AWD isn't going to help you. Now if you want to enter into a rally car race in the snow then you need AWD. But then you won't be driving a consumer vehicle, you'll be driving a heaviliy modified race car.

Other cons against AWD:
It's heavier,
heavier means worse handling, longer stopping distances and slower acceleration or worse fuel economy Assuming two cars are equal. None of them are.
it wastes more fuel, See above
it has more potential mechanical issues, This isn't 1964.
it's costlier to fix when it does, See above post.
it's cost up front is higher which means a similarly priced car is cutting corners somewhere else. Isn't it fun to post baseless statements on the internet?

FUD post is FUD

 

[uclabachelor]

As far as snow is concerned:

AWD is for pussies.
RWD is for psychos.
FWD is where it's at.

Now that we got the cliffs out of the way:

I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. My car is FWD. I can go the speed limit around turns and never even come close to skidding. Not kidding.

Modern cars with FWD, ABS, traction control and stability control is all you need in the snow. Also, keep in mind ALL cars no matter what-wheel-drive they are have 4 wheel brakes, so your stopping distance isn't going to improve with AWD. If you want to be SAFE in the snow AWD isn't going to help you. Now if you want to enter into a rally car race in the snow then you need AWD. But then you won't be driving a consumer vehicle, you'll be driving a heaviliy modified race car.

Other cons against AWD:
It's heavier,
heavier means worse handling, longer stopping distances and slower acceleration or worse fuel economy
it wastes more fuel,
it has more potential mechanical issues,
it's costlier to fix when it does,
it's cost up front is higher which means a similarly priced car is cutting corners somewhere else.

Your username is relevant in this post.

 

[exar333]

As far as snow is concerned:

AWD is for pussies.
RWD is for psychos.
FWD is where it's at.

Now that we got the cliffs out of the way:

I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. My car is FWD. I can go the speed limit around turns and never even come close to skidding. Not kidding.

Modern cars with FWD, ABS, traction control and stability control is all you need in the snow. Also, keep in mind ALL cars no matter what-wheel-drive they are have 4 wheel brakes, so your stopping distance isn't going to improve with AWD. If you want to be SAFE in the snow AWD isn't going to help you. Now if you want to enter into a rally car race in the snow then you need AWD. But then you won't be driving a consumer vehicle, you'll be driving a heaviliy modified race car.

Other cons against AWD:
It's heavier,
heavier means worse handling, longer stopping distances and slower acceleration or worse fuel economy
it wastes more fuel,
it has more potential mechanical issues,
it's costlier to fix when it does,
it's cost up front is higher which means a similarly priced car is cutting corners somewhere else.

You obviously don't know anything about driving in snow. The tires matter the most, then AWD/4WD second. Yes AWD can make a world of difference on those days where two wheels just don't cut it.

FWD is by far the poorest choice, well behind AWD and RWD.

 

[Knavish]

You obviously don't know anything about driving in snow. The tires matter the most, then AWD/4WD second. Yes AWD can make a world of difference on those days where two wheels just don't cut it.

FWD is by far the poorest choice, well behind AWD and RWD.

Wow I've never heard anyone say that RWD > FWD in snow.

 

[jlee]

Wow I've never heard anyone say that RWD > FWD in snow.

Yeah..that's because it typically isn't.

 

[ballmode]

how much is a Jetta TDI

 

[JCH13]

Yeah..that's because it typically isn't.

Being able to point your driven wheels where you want to go is quite valuable in the snow... FWD FTW.