(no subject)

[camwyn]

Today I begin a quest in earnest for a new car. I have three primary criteria and one secondary one:

1. It must be inexpensive. I intend to lease this puppy rather than buy it, so it's not as if I have to assemble a particularly massive down-payment or arrange for a huge car loan, but I am not looking for a Chrysler Tour de Coupe de Grace or a Ford Grand Stomping Rock Em Sock Em White Man's Burden or whatever the hell the luxury vehicle of the week is. Inexpensive is nice.

2. It must be small. I have had to pass up several perfectly good parking spaces of late because they have been about a foot too big for my current car, a 1995 Saturn SC1. I have had a powerful urge to develop a Vigo the Carpathian-type telekinesis- point both hands forward, backs together, palms out, then part them smoothly so as to push the cars on either side of my desired space further apart from one another. This does not work, so I would like to have a car that does not inspire the urge for psychic powers in the first place. (A Cooper Mini or a Chrysler PT Cruiser is not an acceptable answer, though. I live in Jersey City. I would rather not die by being smashed.)

3. It should be ugly. At least, it should not be particularly impressive-looking, cute, sexy, or anything else that might cause someone to say 'oooh, new car- I think I'll take it'. If the car gets stolen it'll be for parts, not because of its looks. There's not much anyone can do about theft for parts except install an alarm system that sets off flamethrowers.

Secondary criterion: it should be fuel-efficient. Normally this would be a primary criterion, but I don't have nearly as much need to drive as I used to, so this one is not as important as it might have been. It is, however, still fairly important; if the choice came down to two vehicles of similar price and reliability, the more fuel-efficient one would win. Unless the more fuel-efficient one were significantly more prone to theft, that is. And yes, I'm well aware that the most commonly stolen cars in this country are stolen for parts rather than for looks, but really, why take an extra chance if you don't have to?

Comments

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that a lease arrangement is as good a deal, financially, as the dealers would like us to think. The payments generally aren't any better, except at the high end of the market, and once the lease is up, what have you got?

As for small, reliable, cheap, economical--unless you go for a hybrid, which are all back-ordered these days, I'd look into a Kia. A friend has a Kia Rio--it's quite small, but has good leg room and a nice-sized trunk; it was pretty cheap, and it's not expensive to keep. On the whole, these have a pretty good record for reliability and mechanical soundness, too. Ugly here would be in the eye of the beholder.

[camwyn]

Well, in my case I don't particularly want the hassle of selling the car or donating it when it gets old. I want the option of either turning it back over to the dealer and getting a fresh one, or turning it back over to the dealer and saying 'I am no longer interested in owning a car and shall rely on mass transit from now on'.

[crisavec.livejournal.com]

Leased vehicles are also Fleet vehicles, so expect to pay about 4 times as much for licencing and registration every year.

[vivian-shaw.livejournal.com]

Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic, preferably the itty-bitty Civic hatchback. They last forever and ever, and are utterly unglamorous, and are fairly small. (I drove a Saturn SL1 with no power steering for some time, and can say that Saturns really are bigger than they feel.)

Gooooood luck.

[kyrielle]

Warning on the Kia: when I last did research a few years back, I looked at a couple Kia vehicles, and the safety results in 40 MPH front-end crash-tests were atrocious. You might as well have just shot yourself as been in one of those puppies if someone ran a light in front of you. Kias are affordable but, unless they've hugely improved their safety features, it's not a good trade-off.

There are web sites for safety testing; they're worth looking up.

I'd add Volkswagens to the list to consider - the old VW Rabbit in the early 80s was a good little beast for fuel efficiency, small, turned very well; though that particular model was foldable like a little tin thing (usually, however, in favor of the occupant surviving unscathed - it was designed to fold the proper ways not to nail its contents) - but I don't know the current VW offerings that well and they ARE a touch more expensive than equivalent cars from other manufacturers, in terms of buying.

Short form: I don't really have a good recommendation, just wanted to mention the Kias and maybe some safety research first.

The Toyota Corolla I drive meets most of the criteria - it's safe, relatively small, agile, and not too spendy - but it is, unfortunately, what I would class as a 'pretty' car, so it's fairly out of the running. (Most rentals will tend to be 'pretty' I suspect, unless the entire line they come from is not - I doubt the standard 'rent from car agency' will ever get you something that looks old/sad enough not to be worth stealing to someone - but I assume you're going to at least try to start with a car that doesn't look pretty to everyone.

Volkwagons

[argonautilus.livejournal.com]

Just recently went shopping for a new car and thought about VWs. Unfortunately, their reliability lately has been horrible and they are expensive to fix.

[pelogrande.livejournal.com]

I don't think they're actually available in the US yet, but these are... interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_(automobile) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_(automobile))

Smart

[lyorn.livejournal.com]

Too cute to be true, about as long as a normal car is wide, respectable motor for their size. However, if a Mini Cooper (darn expensive, btw, and cute-but-expensive-looking) is too much of a risk being smashed, than a Smart is definately not an option.

I'd second the "Toyota or Honda" opinion. (Though latest tests have Volkswagen with a better reliability than Toyota. But they cost more.)

Re: Smart

[camwyn]

The Smarts look appealing, but I have a feeling they'd be smooshed in any kind of a serious accident around here. The streets of Jersey City aren't populated with the worst drivers I've ever seen in the state, but even a good driver is not going to get off easy when the road conditions are as lumpy and bumpy as they are in about half of the city. (In the other half the roads are better, I have to concede that.) If I still lived in the suburbs I might go for one of the little guys- but I'd never be able to afford it, since if I still lived in the suburbs I'd be going bugnuts insane from still living with my parents. So, I'm thinkin' Honda probably. Maybe Toyota, if the good people at Consumer Reports give me better results.

[lasa.livejournal.com]

I've got to concur on the Kia. My son recently bought a car and we (very) briefly considered a Kia but once we saw their safety and service record, took it out of the running.

He wound up getting a used car - buying a Celica from a co-worker. I think used might be the way to go, too. Selling/donating a used car isn't that big a deal when you're done with it.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who adores her Ford Focus. It was inexpensive and small (though the inside feels roomier than it looks) and while I don't think it's at all ugly it's certainly generic enough to be nobody's preferred joy ride. About crash test ratings and fuel efficiency, I don't know.

I wouldn't worry about the stolen for parts thing. My impression is, that's usually older models -- the ones who need parts more, and have fewer protections. Speaking of which, my brother swears by LoJack or however that's spelled: the cops used it to find his stolen car.

[quintus.livejournal.com]

General Motors took over the Daewoo brand and the Matiz was (may still be) the officially cheapest car to own over here. 3 year warranty and drinks like a Methodist.

[quintus.livejournal.com]

My bad... Matiz is now a Chevvy and they've upgraded the safety features.

[monkeywithpaint.livejournal.com]

Kia's are good little rice-burners with great gas mileage but as far as safety goes kyrielle is right. it's like comparing a crotch-rocket to a Harley. i can't imagine anyone stealing a Kia for parts. maybe stereo.

[kelathefinn.livejournal.com]

I read this as 'a quest for a new CAT' - took me a while,,,

[cheezdanish.livejournal.com]

Saturns are out, huh? See, I love my Saturn. I've never had a problem parking because spaces were too small. (Because an SUV took up three spaces, sure...)

The safety features are superb, the gas mileage is great, and they're not what you'd call pretty. I'd say get a 2002 or 2003 used Saturn. My 2002 SL1 has 40,000+ miles on it, runs beautifully, is completely reliable, and are generally pretty cheap to lease-to-own. (In fact, my lease is up May 6th. I gotta take care of that.)

[prodigal.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's ugly enough for you, but you might want to give the Chevrolet Aveo (http://www.chevrolet.com/aveo/) a look. They start at $9000, and the fuel efficiency is good.

[spiritdancer]

Another place to look would be the Scion line ( http://www.scion.com/ ). Low price, ugly looking, and safe (check out http://www.kennedysmusic.com/ for a testimonial!).

civic

[maddr.livejournal.com]

I'd get a civic or a corrolla (sp?)

My civic hatchback could park anywhere; my hybrid, which is based on the LX platform, can not :-(

By the way, I totally heart you for your car selection criteria.

Re: civic

[camwyn]

I bought a bicycle my freshling year at college. It cost $70 and was quite old, but in excellent shape, esp. after I went over it with a set of screwdrivers, a bottle of bearing cleaner, and another bottle of lube. Told my parents it was "ugly as sin but moved like a dream", so it seems to me that similar criteria in a car would not be a bad idea.

[pandoras-closet.livejournal.com]

My Mom drove a two door Honda Civic hatchback for over ten years and never had any real problems with it until the end and that was just age.

[dragonwhishes.livejournal.com]

Well, if I were you, I'd look around for something in a junkyard that hasn't rusted over completly, and still might work a bit.

After you find a lemon car that might still run and look a little good after you fix it up, I'd then find a friend who's a mechanic who'd be willing to help you.

After it can still move properly without falling apart, I'd get snow tires for it, paint it a varity of different colors, and maybe even slap a varity of bumperstickers on the sucker.

[dragonwhishes.livejournal.com]

It shall be known from this day forth that I SUCK at HTML.

Hybrid! Hybrid! Hybrid!

[lwood.livejournal.com]

The waiting lists have disappeared here in California, perhaps it is also so in Jersey?

-- Lorrie

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I'd recommend it but we've had pretty good luck with our Neon. It is pretty fuel efficient, and compact, with the bigger-on-the-inside thing going. However, it's low to the ground (not so great on potholes or for visibility). Newer models let the back seat down and have a trunk pass-through; ours doesn't, and I wish it did. I don't know the safety rating, but it's a small car and therefore statistically unlikely to win a fight with a bigger car (which is to say most of them). I will note that the PT Cruiser, one of your exclusions, is not as small as the Mini - in fact, it's effectively a Neon Station Wagon (I'm told they're built off the same base). This is, however, about the same size as the Ford Focus or similar cars, and one size up from the Mini.

(I also second the not-sure-about-the-lease thing; I generally consider a lease a losing proposition financially, since you pay like you're making car payments, but then you have to give the car back. 'S your money, your choice; just sayin'.)