I need a CHEAP new car for commuting only [Smart Car?]

Javery

Javery

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I'm going to need a new car one of these days for commuting to work and since I think these things are fairly cheap and good on gas I was wondering what people thought of them.

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EDIT: Wow, "sooner or later" came much faster than I expected it to - today! My 2000 Jetta needs $5,000 to get back on the road and it's just not worth it. It has been fun and exciting driving around without an emergency brake for the last month and knowing that my timing belt, clutch and axle can go at any time but I've had enough. Parking has been insane - I can only park on exactly flat surfaces.

I guess I need to go through this thread and take a look at the cars people were recommending...
 
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When I was stationed in Italy I rented one a few times.. It wasn't the compact version but the 4 door version. overall I never had complaints when i drove it, seemed like a nice car.
 
I always wondered how people tolerate the cold. Aren't the doors made of thin plastic, sort of like a shower curtain?

Edit: I Google img searched and it looks like most have real doors... I'm not sure what was up with the one I saw, but it had shower curtain-like doors.
 
The delivery places in downtown drive those. The only thing I can see that could be a real complaint is that the "trunk" is basically a large GLADware container.
 
Check out the New Nissan Versa, 4 door and less than 10 Grand and pretty good MPG. The thing I think is stupid about smartcars is the fact that they run on premium fuel. Also they're probably practically useless in the snow.
 
The smart car in the USA is a joke, an absolute joke.

The car is almost toy-like in its size, it makes a MINI look like a cadillac. Secondly, why doesn't a car like this get 50+ MPG? Its gets the same MPG as most v6's! They seat two, have less than 100hp.....and god help you if you are ever in an accident. Taking one out on the highway? Yikes.

You ca buy a diesel Jetta and get 50mpg highway or any other 4cyl car and get the same 30mpg.....there is nothing about the SmartCar besides the badge of honor you think you'll be wearing by owning one.
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']The smart car in the USA is a joke, an absolute joke.

The car is almost toy-like in its size, it makes a MINI look like a cadillac. Secondly, why doesn't a car like this get 50+ MPG? Its gets the same MPG as most v6's! They seat two, have less than 100hp.....and god help you if you are ever in an accident. Taking one out on the highway? Yikes.

You ca buy a diesel Jetta and get 50mpg highway or any other 4cyl car and get the same 30mpg.....there is nothing about the SmartCar besides the badge of honor you think you'll be wearing by owning one.[/QUOTE]

To meet the U.S. emissions, regulations, and what-have-you the vehicle was dramatically altered from its European counterpart, hence the not too flattering MPG. If Wiki is to be believed the Prius, Civic Hybrid, and Insight all get better gas mileage, making the "I want it for the gas mileage" claim rather silly.

All the Smart vehicle (I just can't quite call it a car, glorified golf cart...maybe) has going for it is looks and small form.
 
I would get an old Suzuki Swift those things are sweet.

1990-94-Suzuki-Swift-92811021990101.jpg


Three cylinders ~40 MPG
5 Speeds
Ultimate beater = Infinite fun
 
I bet Javery could build one if someone hypnotized him into thinking it was an arcade cabinet. With wheels!

And then put totally badass artwork all over it.
 
The Prius is not by any means a bad car. It's the greatest car I've ever owned personally. Love it to death =-P Not to turn this into a Prius-love-fest, but the US Smart Cars really can't compare. I guess they're cheaper, but in the long run you'd get a lot more bang for your buck with the Prius or other full-sized and fully-featured hybrids if you ask me.

The real question is how will the Chevy Volt do when (if?) it's released. That's the one to be watching if you ask me :)
 
^The Volt is just going to be a FAIL period since it's made by GM.

[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Is the Prius a bad car?[/quote]

If you buy it because of this bullshit then it is... and gas savings vs having to make car payments isn't really that much better.

Edit: Like the outrageous waste of time cell phone plans that prevent a great "smart" phone from being useful... the problem isn't really the car itself, but all the political bull that prevents the REAL solutions from being produced.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQsNs8SWCkU[/media]
 
I have interest in hybrid cars, but no interest in smart cars. There is no way I'm driving a car that looks as secure as a golf cart. The only smart car I'd drive is KITT.
 
[quote name='yamas']Check out the New Nissan Versa, 4 door and less than 10 Grand and pretty good MPG. The thing I think is stupid about smartcars is the fact that they run on premium fuel. Also they're probably practically useless in the snow.[/quote]

I work at a Nissan dealership and these are flying off the shelves as they say. Ive also seen a few that have either been flipped or t-boned and the occupants survived the crash. They're very reliable and very dependablele.
 
Smart really offers no benefit in the USA getting the mileage that it does......if it got 40+ MPG thats one thing, but I guess they killed that when the original 0-60mph time of 20+ seconds wasn't gonna fly in the US.

These things in town are hysterical, I wouldn't even think of getting one on a highway :p
 
If you want an awesome small car, get the Honda Fit. My boyfriend has one and it's amazing. There's actually a ton of room and cargo space. You can tell how much effort went into designing it for maximum space despite the tiny frame.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']If you want an awesome small car, get the Honda Fit. My boyfriend has one and it's amazing. There's actually a ton of room and cargo space. You can tell how much effort went into designing it for maximum space despite the tiny frame.[/QUOTE]


Except they dont make them any longer and they are raking in the dough used.. need an extra $16-20k sell it.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']Mazda 3.[/QUOTE]

Have a 2008 4 door and love it.

Not really comparable to a Smart Car, Nissan Versa or Honda Fit though since it's larger and costs more.
 
I never understood the appeal of the Smart car. It's tiny, slow and doesn't even have very strong MPG when compared to its competitors and factoring all things you give up with a Smart car.

IMO, owning a Smart car is more about making a pointless political statement than anything else.
 
not that i would buy one personally.. but ive also seen the commercials for the nissan versa at less than 10k. nice buy if you ask me
 
Funny that I automatically thought they were good on gas just because they are small. I'm going to need something cheap, safe and small to get to and from work. I take all back roads to get there so it would rarely, if ever, be on the highway. I'm looking at about a $2,500 repair on my 10 year old Jetta coming up and I might want to just spend $10-12,000 on a new car instead of putting that kind of money into something that might need another $2,500 six months from now.
 
Chevy Cobalt. I get 42 mpg on the highway. Talking to other Cobalt owners, they also get better mileage than the window sticker states. For a 4 door sedan, it handles unbelievably well. For front wheel drive, it has a tight turning radius. Good in snow. Excellent amount of cabin and trunk space. Over 100,000 miles and I have not had a single problem. Just change the oil, refill the gas tank and go. Oh, and they're priced competitively.
 
Since you're holding out a little bit, take a look at the hybrid Ford Fusion when they hit dealers later this year. Supposedly they get ~40 miles and are supposed to start in the mid 20s
 
He was talking of spending $10-12,,000 on a new car, so I think a Hybrid Fusion in the mid 20's would be a bit out of his range (or that of anyone looking at SmartCars, Versa's etc.). Especially if it only gets around 40 mpg as the money saved on gas would never pay for itself at that difference in cost.
 
The hybrid Fusion is going to start at $26k and because it will be produced in much lower volume than the regular Fusion it will not be heavily discounted.
 
What gets me is this: Regular 4cyl: 25mpg, Hybrid version...28mpg. :p

It makes me laugh *almost* as hard as all the idiots who sold their Suburbans and Escalades for $.10 cents on the dollar, who are now driving by gas stations who can't give it away at $1.60 a gallon. :p
 
[quote name='LiveCrazy_Joe']Ive also seen a few that have either been flipped or t-boned and the occupants survived the crash.[/quote]

Seriously... how the fuck do you flip a car? Geez.
 
These are cute, but I am terrified!

There's no reasons why these cars and Hummers should be on the same road together ..:cold:
 
[quote name='Snake2715']Wow,

What am I thinking of then...? I will get back to you, but I obviosly failed this time![/QUOTE]

Probably the Insight, another small Honda car that gets great mileage but was discontinued years ago. It's also a hybrid, one of the very first on the mass market. They are supposedly putting it back on the market in April.
 
Wow, "sooner or later" came much faster than I expected it to - today! My 2000 Jetta needs $5,000 to get back on the road and it's just not worth it. It has been fun and exciting driving around without an emergency brake for the last month and knowing that my timing belt, clutch and axle can go at any time but I've had enough. Parking has been insane - I can only park on exactly flat surfaces.

I guess I need to go through this thread and take a look at the cars people were recommending...
 
I'd probably start with the Nissan Versa or Honda Fit if you're set on buying a new car in the $10,000-$12,000 range you listed.

If you're willing to buy used, you'll have a lot more options of course.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'd probably start with the Nissan Versa or Honda Fit if you're set on buying a new car in the $10,000-$12,000 range you listed.

If you're willing to buy used, you'll have a lot more options of course.[/quote]

That is exactly what I'm going to do - they are both in the $15,000 range with no options. I really really don't want to have to get a new car. My MDX is going to be paid off in June finally which will be an extra $800/month we get to keep and now this. Ugh.
 
Yeah, one problem is that right now isn't a great time to buy a new car. 2008 models are probably pretty much all gone (though maybe not with the economy), and the 2009's won't have much mark down.

I had a similar thing last year. My old subaru was dying and I had to buy a car in November. The 2007s were all gone, and not much in the way of deals on the 2008s.
 
I've been looking for a small economical car myself, so I looked at a couple. The Versa is looking pretty good if staying around 12k is your primary goal. Mileage is so so for this type of car though. Honda Fit and Yaris are both nice cars, but cost more.
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']What gets me is this: Regular 4cyl: 25mpg, Hybrid version...28mpg. :p

It makes me laugh *almost* as hard as all the idiots who sold their Suburbans and Escalades for $.10 cents on the dollar, who are now driving by gas stations who can't give it away at $1.60 a gallon. :p[/QUOTE]
We bought an 04 Expedition for $7000 over the summer. Oil is at $38 a barrel and dropping.

Its got the extra bigass tires too, great for the winter. We've already had several storms where our previous cars (Jetta, Civic) could not have been on the road.


You can still find new 2008s on the lot, and I believe GM is offering 0% financing. No one is making big ticket purchases anymore and these dealers are hurting, haggle and be firm. Keep in mind that dealer invoice is bullshit.
 
Gas prices will eventually go back up. Just imagine how bad it will be if the Israeli war ends up escalating into a large conflict in the Middle East.

Nothing wrong with buying SUVs etc. if you need them for snow etc, but I wouldn't get to cocky about current low gas prices.
 
[quote name='goomba478']The Prius is not by any means a bad car. It's the greatest car I've ever owned personally. Love it to death =-P Not to turn this into a Prius-love-fest, but the US Smart Cars really can't compare. I guess they're cheaper, but in the long run you'd get a lot more bang for your buck with the Prius or other full-sized and fully-featured hybrids if you ask me.[/quote]

Pff. Hybrids are a joke. Your Prius only averages in real world driving high 30mpg-low 40mpg, not the 50-60mpg claimed by sticker. with EPA's new mpg formula, hybrids lost about 30% of their original claimed MPG. You know what my paid-off 2003 corolla gets? 35-39mpg every tank and I drive stupidly fast (manual of course) and live in downtown san diego. Hybrids are overrated, under-performing gimmicks to make people feel "green" about themselves. My car's way more efficient than any $25,000 hybrid and harms the environment less by using less energy to be made and less energy to use. Not to turn this into a Hybrid-hate-fest or anything.

Sorry Javeryh, let me step off my soap box. In all honestly, you're smart for not wanting to buy new. save the depreciation loss, let some other poor sap pay it and get used. The top of your list for reliability, safety, and MPG should be either a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. They're always the top rated compact cars. The Fit, Smart, Yaris, and Versa are all jokes in that they give you less space, worse MPG, and even worse styling than a used civic/corolla, and are way over priced. You can't go wrong, I've had my '03 corolla since august '02 and have only replaced a couple belts and a battery, oh yeah and brakes. Great cars. Do your research, go to a Borders and read an Edmund's Used Car Guide, look at each year of car you're interested in, some have flaws others didn't. Buy something with close to 100K miles and it's barely broken in (Honda or Toyota speaking). Right now you can get my car for less than $7000 according to Kelly Blue Book, that's a cheap monthly payment...
 
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