Good New Small Car

[Jarrek]

We're replacing my fiancé's 98 Pontiac Grand Prix due to its constant problems (the latest being Dex-Cool coolant turning to sludge).

I was wondering if any of you have the Toyota Yaris or the Honda Fit? Any other small car reccomendations?

No I will not buy the Smart - it's impractical.

 

[andreapalladio]

What about a hybrid? Or a mini?

 

[wonderboy905]

Mini is awesome!

If you want reliability and good value the Focus ZX3 is unmatched (prior to 2002 they had disasterous track records but now they're as solid as anything).

I'd still get the mini, you do pay a premium ($24k for the base) but they come loaded with standard features and are a blast to drive!

 

[The Burgher of TO]

i love my 2002 Focus ZTS. its great on gas and fun to drive, a perfect little city car. my only complaint about the car is the terrible experience i had with the dealership, Bay Ford Lincoln

 

[samplain]

^
Friend of mine just got a Focus ZTS and is really happy with it. I think its a great little car. Looks tougher than the other small cars cause it has 15" wheels as opposed to 14" or smaller.

 

[BuildTO]

Can't go wrong with a Toyota or Honda. I hear Fit's won numerous awards due to its versatility (don't forget it's a well-established design - it's just North America that's been late to the party).

My friend has an Echo (Yaris) and loves it. The only reservation I have about the Yaris is the instrument pod in the centre of the dash is not a good design.


Edit: forgot to mention one of the reasons I love Honda - my '94 Civic is still going strong. =)

 

[alklay]

I agree, go with the Honda. Unmatched reliability and great resale (which is not the case with a Focus).

 

[wonderboy905]

I agree, go with the Honda. Unmatched reliability and great resale (which is not the case with a Focus).

The great resale won't do you a damn thing when you're paying $4-5k more for a car with the same sticker (go work out the financing/leasing and see for yourself) and less options. Honda dealers will really take you for a ride, trust me, there is NO deal to be had if you do go that route, get a Focus, way better car to drive and will put more money into your pocket.

 

[andreapalladio]

Never buy a depreciating asset. Lease the new car, if you must have such a thing.

 

[billy corgan19982]

et a Focus, way better car to drive and will put more money into your pocket.

Get a focus and be prepared to take your car in every month to get something fixed. I know two people who leased the shitboxes from Ford and they’ve had nothing but problems. Go with the Toyota or Honda, you pay a little more but you get a quality product.

 

[billonlogan]

I was wondering if any of you have the Toyota Yaris or the Honda Fit? Any other small car reccomendations

I am big Honda fan and owned many through the years. I currently own a CR-V. More problems cropping up in a car's first model year has been an auto industry certainty for decades. And while overall auto quality has improved immensely, first-model-year glitches remain. You'll get a higher quality vehicle when you wait for a hot, new design to enter its second model year. Look for a model that has relatively few problems in the first year and buy it in the second year. I did that with the CR-V, in its first model year it was under-powered and the body work was shabby. I traded it in and bought 3rd model year after they worked out the kinks. Its been an outstanding vehicle with well over 150K on it. If you're looking for the highest quality, most hassle free ride, hold off on your shopping for a year or so. If no trouble whatsoever is the most important thing to you, you're much better off in the second or third year.
Do some homework, i find this website useful.
They don't have anything on the Fit or Yaris yet.

If you're a Honda CR-V fan, check out the all-new 2007 CR-V
I'll wait till 2008-2009 model year, once they work out the kinks. Nearing its 10th birthday, the 2007 CR-V will receive an all-new platform, which it will share with the 2007 Acura RD-X, as well as the 2006 Honda Civic. A hybrid version of the vehicle is anticipated for the 2008 model year.

 

[Team Critter]

A friend of mine just finished testing many of these little compact cars. He had NO brand loyalty.

Based on his test drives, they ranked in the following order:

1. Honda Fit (loved it)
2. Pontiac Wave/Chevy Aveo (loved it)
3. Hyundai Accent (liked it)
4. Toyota Yaris (hated it)

In the end, he purchased the Honda Fit and just took delivery of it 3 weeks ago. Although Toyota has a great track record...he just didn't like the Yaris at all (performance, comfort, dash).

BTW, which model Pontiac Grand Prix do you have? Oddly enough, the Grand Prix GTP is ranked as one of the best/most reliable vehicles while the base model Grand Prix is ranked as one of the worst. Apparently, the new Grand Prix's are getting some very high quality rankings as well.

 

[wonderboy905]

Get a focus and be prepared to take your car in every month to get something fixed. I know two people who leased the shitboxes from Ford and they’ve had nothing but problems. Go with the Toyota or Honda, you pay a little more but you get a quality product.

Sorry Billy, check JD Power and the other independant sources that track vehicle reliability. The Ford Focus is one of the most reliable vehicles you can buy. Just because your friends had bad experiences doesn't mean you can generalize this to represent the entire line of cars. I have a neighbour that needed a new transmission on their 2006 Honda Accord that had less than 20K on it, am I going to go around telling people that they're crap and to be be prepared to pay for it? Of course not, because just like the Focus, the numbers show the Accord to be rock stable.

When buying a car you have to ignore all the "my friend had one of those and..." stories, they're completely useless and add zero information of value.

I'm not going to be a cheerleader for the Focus, I just think that since you'd be saving thousands off the sticker for a car that drives better and is every bit as reliable as the Toyota/Honda counterparts it's something you seriously have to consider... that's all.

 

[billy corgan19982]

Wonder

Check consumer reports and they don’t have the Focus as a best buy because of its mediocre reliability record. We all know you love American cars but face it the Japanese make a better product and that’s why they are growing and the big 3 especially Ford is dying a slow painful death. Why do you think the big 3 offer family plan pricing and 0% interest all the time? It’s the only way they can sucker people in to the showroom to buy their lame cars.

 

[billonlogan]

Link to article
Courtesy: Detroit Free Press

High gas prices and improved quality have turned North American buyers on to small cars, so much that the new Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit are selling above list price.

Sales of the diminutive vehicles, called "B-cars" in the industry, are up 43% in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period last year. So far this year, automakers have sold 151,848 of the cars, and analysts say sales will easily surpass the 175,387 sold in all of 2005.
Still, it's just a small fraction of a market dominated by larger vehicles. Automakers sold more than 9.8 million cars and light trucks during the first seven months of the year.

The increase, though, has drawn interest from all the auto companies. Executives at Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group hinted recently that they've got new subcompacts in the works. Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. entered the market this year with great success.

Demand for the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris is so high that dealers sell the cars at or above sticker price before they arrive at the showrooms.

General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet has been in the market since 2003 with the Aveo, a tiny car built by the company's Daewoo division. The Aveo is the largest-selling subcompact in the United States, and the company is banking on increased sales when it unveils a redesigned four-door version today.

The Yaris has been the greatest success so far, with 32,822 sold as of July 31. Even though it was just introduced in March, the funky car is closing in on the Aveo for the top spot in the class.

The much-maligned General Motors was actually ahead of the curve on this one, bringing the humble Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo to America just before gas got really expensive. Go to a Chevy dealer. Sit in an Aveo. Fool around with the switchgear. Adjust the vents. Move around in the seats, fold 'em, push on em, move 'em back and forth. Look under the hood. Then go do the same in a Cobalt. Daewoo builds a better rig than Chevy.