My old VW Jetta has served me well, but it’s time for an update.
Until this past year my Jetta has soldiered on through a big accident early in it’s life, clutch problems, crooked mechanics, sitting unused for months while I worked back east, and little mechanical age spots.
However, the latest challenge is just too much for me or the little car to take. Too many repairs are needed, too much wear on the engine and a touch of mould on the interior means I’m in the market for a new car.
After looking at the Craigslist offerings and trolling the Buy and Sell, I was starting to get depressed until I decided my last resort: call the bank and check my credit.
To my utter surprise, they told me they could carry a loan for me (with some restrictions that I can live with).
I’ve looked at a few cars in the last few weeks, and I have narrowed my search down to (in order of preference):
- Nissan Versa
- Toyota Yaris
- Honda Fit
- Mazda 3 Sport (sorry - no direct link)
After looking over reports and reviews of various vehicles, these 4 were the ones that made it to the top of my list. Of the 4, I would choose the Mazda if price were not an option (it runs $5000 more than the nearest model in the list: the Yaris). But because price is a concern, I have put the Honda Fit at the top, followed closely by the Toyota Yaris.
The Yaris and the Fit are both great cars, and the price is pretty good, though still about $2500 more than the Versa once you load it with taxes, levies and the always-favourite PDI.
I have spent quite a bit of time reading and watching reviews of the various cars. The Yaris and the Fit always score highly, but the Versa doesn’t always do quite as well. It seems that the car suffers from a lot of sway around corners, the engine is loud and, in a time when cars have highly customizable back-seat areas, it comes up way short.
I was supposed to test-drive a Fit this week, but it turns out there is a waiting list for the car, so I’m not sure if that means going for another make (like the Yaris) or waiting until a Fit is ready for me.
I think I’ll see if Honda has a Fit that is available for test drive anyway, knowing that I won’t be able to get one right away - I just want to see what it’ll be like to drive.
I’m looking forward to having a new car in the driveway in the near future.
Posted on October 12th, 2006 by Alistair
Filed under: Car
Oh, your blog has changed! I haven’t visited in quite a while, but where is the random cat name generator?
Do I get to pick the color again?!
You don’t need a new car. Stop being ridiculous!
Hi alistair. Why don’t you get an electric car or a smart car?
Back in the Summer, I assisted my girlfriend car shopping. We looked at the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Mazda3, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio
Here’s a quick subjective review if it helps! Hehehe…
Honda Fit:
I’m a happy Honda owner, so first it was off the drive the Fit. I found the Fit had the best best driving characteristics, but wasn’t worth the hefty price over the competition especially considering it’s el-cheapo interior and smallest exterior dimensions (in class). The storage options were great though
Toyota Yaris:
The Yaris wasn’t bad, but drove rather soft and conservative. It also suffered more engine and road noise than the competition. I absolutely dislikes the instrument cluster mounted in the centre of the dash. The sales guy gave me a line about how it is ’safer’ to view cluster in the center. Personally, I believe the real reason it is in the middle is because the Yaris is a global market car, and much it’s cheaper for them to manufacture a new cluster pod for right/left hand drive models opposed to a whole new dashboard. I didn’t like the fact there was no sunroof option either.Again, the sales guy gave me some lame excuse about how the car is too small to support a sunroof without weakening the frame. Little does he know the European model Yaris has one)
The Mazda3 was a really nice car but sort of anti-fuel efficient with it’s 2.4ltr engine required to lug around the extra weight it carries being a class above the rest.
I’ve never been much of a Hyundai fan, but the new ‘07 Accent impressed me the most. We actually ended up getting Accent because it’s price was right ($17,145 for mid-range sport model). It was a decent looking car and had the most bang for the buck. While it wasn’t as peppy as the fit, but drove very similar and had an equally sporty suspension. (It’s tight around corners). The interior quality was by far the best of class by a long shot. The plastics, fit and finish were as good as the Mazda3 if not better. The sport model also came fully loaded power everything (including sunroof), a good sounding 6 speaker mp3 stereo, fog lights, 5 spoke mags, and the best warranty of the bunch. You can tell that Hyundai want a serious piece of the sub-compact market by this car.
I know some people may be queasy about the “Hyundai” due to their lackluster past, but that was the past…and just like the past, both Toyota and Honda were a joke when they were startup companies. I highly suggest having a look at the Accent or It’s sister the Kia Rio (same car, different exterior and options).
Haha, whoops that’s an old post! What car did you get? Hehehe..
Alistair, have you bought your car yet!? Would like to know what you decided on. Have you checked out the Chev Optra? I’ve been looking at the Mazda too but the price is scaring me off. The Optra has a similar look to it.