Affordable small cars (1 Viewer)

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Lots of cars out there in the subcompact, compact, hatchback, and small car variety.  Obviously these aren't for everyone but if you are looking for something practical, that gets good gas mileage, and for us folks that work in a big city...the ability to easily park it. 

Cars I've owned of this variety recently: 

2006 Ford Fiesta (daily driver was a BMW M3)

2008 Honda Fit Base (daily driver) (recommend all Fits)

2013 Honda Civic SI (daily driver)

2013 Honda Fit Sport(current daily driver)

Others of this class I have driven:

2013 or 2014 Toyota Yaris

2012 Kia Soul (recommended)

2012 Volkswagon GTI

2013/14/15 Ford Focus

2012 and 2015 Toyota Corolla

Of those I haven't owned, I liked the Soul best as a practical vehicle I'd recommend new or used.  Ford Focus is solid but unspectacular, while I found both Toyota's stiff and uncomfortable.  The Toyota's are gonna be reliable as they come though so as with anything in this class, there is a trade off.  GTI's are fun but I think there are issues with reliability and the gas mileage tends to suck. 

I bought a 2008 Fit in 2011 to do a brutal local commute.  It didn't have cruise control, it was a manual, and it was rode hard to the tune of 85k miles when I bought it.  However, I fell in love with this car.  It was super fun to drive, it got great gas mileage (36mpg in mixed driving), and it had 50 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folding all sorts of ways.  You can easily put a bike in the back, a big screen TV, a half cord of wood, and multiple dogs with the seats folded flat.  I totaled this car getting t-boned but I didn't have a scratch somehow, so I leased a Honda Civic SI for three years.  Good car, not that practical, not a sports car. 

So I went back to the Fit this spring and bought a 2013 Sport.  Besides the BMWs I've owned I can't think of a car I've enjoyed more.  I wish I would have found a manual transmission but the paddle shifters will due, and since I have a 50 to 75 minute one way commute, I needed more features.  This car actually has more cargo volume than the 2008 at 53 cubic feet, has the magic seats, has the character.  More than anything though you can park this thing anywhere, and for such a small car on the outside, it is pretty voluminous on the inside.  Road noise is high and the air conditioner on this thing is soooooo bad because of the small compressor and all the windows, so might not be best for climates that are extremely hot.  I've found the car to be good in the snow as long as you avoid drifts, and it's good enough on the highway holding 80mph at 3100 rpms and actually passes better than the lumbering SUV I own. 

People make fun of me for how much I really dig this car, but I do (I think @Notorious T.R.E. said "put that car in your pocket instead of parking it, lol).  It's like the Swiss Army Knife of cars and it's fine for a family of four on a picnic.  It's more of a local driver (although the 3rd gens are probably better on long hauls) but it's a beast in urban sprawl. 

Other than the Fit I think the Civic, Soul, and Fiesta are all good vehicles new or used.  I've actually heard the Chevy Sonic is pretty solid too, but I've never driven one.  Maybe one of you have, so write up your thoughts here.  I know most FBGs are driving F-250s and Hummers but you can buy one of these for your wife or MIL, so maybe this thread can be useful. 

Curious why you recommend the Soul over the Fit when you love the Fit so much.  I do like the idea of finally having a Soul.

cstu said:

Curious why you recommend the Soul over the Fit when you love the Fit so much.  I do like the idea of finally having a Soul.

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I don't, just recommend the Soul in general.  I think overall for the money the Fit is probably a little better deal, but the Soul is probably second.  The reviews on the Sonic are really good also, need to test drive one of those.  When I rent a car I always rent intermediate or full size since I never want to get stuck with a Yaris, but I am curious about the Sonic. 

ETA:  Sorry I see where you might have thought that, I fixed the original post. 

Nisson Versa seems ok too

75 minute one-way commute?  Move closer.  That's soul crushingly brutal...

Great. Now I'm thinking about buying a Honda Fit. Even though we have absolutely no use for another car. 

I can't speak to all those other cars. I've been driving the same small car for going on 16 years now. '01 Toyota Echo. 300K miles (the first 160K of those were the most brutal driving imaginable, engine cutting on and off for short trips 14 hours per day). Original engine, transmission, and clutch. No other major repair either. Hell, I'm not sure it's possible to still have the original timing belt, but I don't remember ever replacing it. It was a daily driver until about a year ago. 

I'll probably be in the market for another little car in another couple hundred thousand miles. I'll keep these piece of #### cars in this thread in mind since they killed the glorious Echo.

I drive an hour in NJ traffic one-way...Currently, my daily is a Land Rover LR2, but I'm moving to an XC90 as soon as it comes in.  I've always been an SUV guy.  That said, we went to Ireland a few years ago, and my rental was a manual transmission diesel Ford Fiesta.  I LOVED that car.  If I could get that here in the states, I'd have one and I'd drive it daily.  I have no clue why I loved it so much honestly.  Maybe I was jaded by how fun the trip was, but it really was a great car that I was actually sad returning.  Handled very well on the curvy Irish roads, and had plenty of power for the highway.  The diesel had a nice "chug chug chug" sound, and got what seemed like infinite miles to the gallon.  Little cars can be a ton of fun if they drive well.  I think a manual transmission is key to getting the most out of these little cars performance-wise, and unfortunately that's a dying option.

Unless they change something drastically, I will always recommend Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas.  They are inexpensive, get great gas mileage, run forever, low maintenance, and are pretty safe for a smaller car.

Honda Civic is not practical?? In what way?

JaxBill said:

Honda Civic is not practical?? In what way?

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I had the Civic SI, maybe practical in a big picture but not nearly as practical as the others I listed or the Civic sedan. 

Teddy Stickles said:

75 minute one-way commute?  Move closer.  That's soul crushingly brutal...

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I'm not living in DC or NOVA and anything within 30 minutes of work in Maryland is ghetto. An hour commute is probably average for the DC metro area, I know people with 90 to 120 minute one way commutes.  The answer is not to move closer, it's to move all the way out of here.  

pollardsvision said:

I can't speak to all those other cars. I've been driving the same small car for going on 16 years now. '01 Toyota Echo. 300K miles (the first 160K of those were the most brutal driving imaginable, engine cutting on and off for short trips 14 hours per day). Original engine, transmission, and clutch. No other major repair either. Hell, I'm not sure it's possible to still have the original timing belt, but I don't remember ever replacing it. It was a daily driver until about a year ago. 

I'll probably be in the market for another little car in another couple hundred thousand miles. I'll keep these piece of #### cars in this thread in mind since they killed the glorious Echo.

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Isn't the Yaris basically the Echo?  300k miles, damn.  My friend has a 1995 Del Sol with 400k but he said last week he thinks the engine finally died and his wife won't let his son drive it because it isn't safe. 

I recently started working at another office that is a little closer.  I'm finally starting to think about trading my 2011 Prius in.  Does anyone know anything about the Ford Raptors?  

Quez said:

I recently started working at another office that is a little closer.  I'm finally starting to think about trading my 2011 Prius in.  Does anyone know anything about the Ford Raptors?  

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I am fairly certain that you can actually use the Prius as fuel for the Raptor. 

Doctor Detroit said:

I don't, just recommend the Soul in general.  I think overall for the money the Fit is probably a little better deal, but the Soul is probably second.  The reviews on the Sonic are really good also, need to test drive one of those.  When I rent a car I always rent intermediate or full size since I never want to get stuck with a Yaris, but I am curious about the Sonic. 

ETA:  Sorry I see where you might have thought that, I fixed the original post. 

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Soul seems like an extremely practical car and has some high end options.  Priced out the fully loads Excite with Nappa leather seats and it was $27k, no interest for 66 months.

Doctor Detroit said:

So I went back to the Fit this spring and bought a 2013 Sport.  Besides the BMWs I've owned I can't think of a car I've enjoyed more.  I wish I would have found a manual transmission but the paddle shifters will due, and since I have a 50 to 75 minute one way commute, I needed more features.  This car actually has more cargo volume than the 2008 at 53 cubic feet, has the magic seats, has the character.  More than anything though you can park this thing anywhere, and for such a small car on the outside, it is pretty voluminous on the inside.  Road noise is high and the air conditioner on this thing is soooooo bad because of the small compressor and all the windows, so might not be best for climates that are extremely hot.  I've found the car to be good in the snow as long as you avoid drifts, and it's good enough on the highway holding 80mph at 3100 rpms and actually passes better than the lumbering SUV I own. 

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I have an '09 Fit Sport and the AC is adequate for hot areas.  It's isn't an arctic blast, but it's ok.  When I bought the car the criteria were simple - had to get good gas mileage and had to fit my bike inside the cabin.  The Fit was easily the best to accomplish those two.  Never regretted the purchase and now that I commute much less than I used to I'm hoping to get another decade out of it.  I did have to bring it in and leave it for the airbag recall and got a Ford Focus as a loaner - I've never been so excited to drive my car and turn the Ford in.  Fit is so much more fun to drive.

And it is pretty amazing the crap I've fit into that vehicle - 3 kitchen cabinets, a kayak, 3 bikes with bags, etc.  

Otis said:

Great. Now I'm thinking about buying a Honda Fit. Even though we have absolutely no use for another car. 

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pretty sure it's not going to help you lose weight.

Sand said:

I have an '09 Fit Sport and the AC is adequate for hot areas.  It's isn't an arctic blast, but it's ok.  When I bought the car the criteria were simple - had to get good gas mileage and had to fit my bike inside the cabin.  The Fit was easily the best to accomplish those two.  Never regretted the purchase and now that I commute much less than I used to I'm hoping to get another decade out of it.  I did have to bring it in and leave it for the airbag recall and got a Ford Focus as a loaner - I've never been so excited to drive my car and turn the Ford in.  Fit is so much more fun to drive.

And it is pretty amazing the crap I've fit into that vehicle - 3 kitchen cabinets, a kayak, 3 bikes with bags, etc.  

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That's good to hear.  I don't remember this being an issue on my 2008 and I definitely need to get the air compressor looked at.  But I was reading some reviews and it's almost a running joke at the dealerships when someone complains about the AC not working all that well.  I have a 12 month warranty so if the damn thing is broke, replace it.  I tried to recharge it on my own with no luck.  Basically it's good for about 30 minutes in very hot weather then it poops out. 

As far as the rest of your post, agreed.  This car is so flexible with it's cargo capacity and it really is quite enjoyable to drive.  The parking is huge for me, I always get a premium spot at my lot because the car can be put anywhere.  People are always surprised when they get in how big the car is inside, including rear leg space.  The 3rd gens have better technology, not having bluetooth blows but through the AUX you can make do.  The third gens have the touch screen though and Honda does not do that well at all IMO.  So I prefer the 2nd gen to the 1st or 3rd because it has a little more tech and functionality, has more cargo volume, and more cubbies (like the ones under the rear seats which are awesome).  But I'd buy any of the generations, best car for the money out there IMO. 

I own a Soul, and love it.

Mine is a 2010, and its the best car I have ever owned.  I will get another one when this one is done

I drove a Corolla for 7 years. It was so boring but it was good on gas, got me from where I needed to go etc.. just so plain and not a lot of guts.

I had a 2007 Mazda 3, that I drove for 6 or 7 years. Never any mechanical issues with it but it was just starting to show some rust when we sold it. I loved this car. It was the GT with the 2.3 engine, but it was still very good on gas. I do mostly highway driving which helps. It had stupid ground effects that made it sit lower than I thought it did that I scraped all the ### #### time but that's on me. It was also awful in the snow without snow tires but average with snow tires on it. 

Because of the last point, we upgraded it to a 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer AWC. This was similar in size to the Mazda 3 but had all wheel drive, which made it amazing in the winter. I loved driving this car so much. It had tons of pep and with the all wheel drive and snow tires, plus being smaller than your typical all wheel SUV, it had fantastic maneuverability in the snow and ice (again, I drive a lot o highways and often in bad weather, so those were primary factors). It had the CVT engine in it which made it better than the Mazda 3 on gas and it has the 10 year 160K Mitsubishi warranty, which is nice. Before buying this, we looked a lot at the Subaru Impreza but the Lancer won out.

Then I got a new job and had to have way more cargo space, so we traded it for a Mitsubishi Outlander, which speaks to how much I liked the Lancer. The Outlander is fine, but I miss both the Mazda3 and the Lancer. I don't like how I feel the win pushing and pulling in SUV's and I don't feel like I have that escapability in a big SUV - I know the idea is my car is bigger, so it's safer but I don't feel it, I guess I'm just a car guy.

Find an old Yugo. 

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tanner-fousts-yugo-is-still-for-sale-1080290669

I commute 115 minutes one way. I owned a 2013 Elantra and now have a 2015 Civic. The seat in the Elantra was more comfortable but the mpg and features are better on the Civic. If I had to do it over I would likely get another Elantra.

Doctor Detroit said:

Nisson Versa seems ok too

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Have you looked at the Leaf? Basically an electric Versa.

We've been thinking about doing something like this for my wife, ~1 hour each way 3 days/week, as a method of extending the life of our minivan. She is a fan of a convertable Beetle, not having driven one. Has an anyone either had or driven one of them?

Have a 2010 Fit Sport that I really like, my wife actually also got one when she needed a new car because she liked it so much. Like Doctor Detroit said, it's so small you'd have to park sideways to not fit in a normal spot, but inside it feels much bigger. It's required nothing but routine maintenance since I bought it in early 2011 and the gas mileage is good, costs hardly anything to own. 

I made a couple of 8+ hour drives in it recently and agree the AC could be better. I assume the Fit is considered uncomfortable for long drives but I've never had anything nice enough to know better 

I do a longish commute for overnight trips to my other office.  It puts me on the Long Island Expressway during rush hour both ways.  If you have a hybrid, you can drive in the HOV lanes with no other passengers.  Had a Prius for bit and that fit the bill, but recently traded it in for Jetta Hybrid which blows the Prius away in terms of comfort and driveability.  Get about 45MPG on the Jetta which is about 5 below I was getting on the Prius but the Jetta is much nicer in every way imo.  The HOV exception saves me tons of time.

pollardsvision said:

I can't speak to all those other cars. I've been driving the same small car for going on 16 years now. '01 Toyota Echo. 300K miles (the first 160K of those were the most brutal driving imaginable, engine cutting on and off for short trips 14 hours per day). Original engine, transmission, and clutch. No other major repair either. Hell, I'm not sure it's possible to still have the original timing belt, but I don't remember ever replacing it. It was a daily driver until about a year ago. 

I'll probably be in the market for another little car in another couple hundred thousand miles. I'll keep these piece of #### cars in this thread in mind since they killed the glorious Echo.

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Good Echo reference here and here. 

These are the best car reviews evah, killing me. 

Own a 2012 Nissan Sentra that I'm pretty happy with. Mileage in the mid to upper 30's. Has some upgrades (wheels, sunroof, fog lamps, etc.) so it's not a base model. Comfortable with enough space for what I want it for

Doctor Detroit said:

Good Echo reference here and here. 

These are the best car reviews evah, killing me. 

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Those guys are great. They are right on about nobody ever planning to own one of these things for 10 years, and you start mentally envisioning what you'll replace it with the moment you get it.

In their actual Echo review, I did learn a few things. It apparently would've been incredibly easy to have intermittent windshield wipers in the Echo, but nah. I didn't realize the battery was oversized. I swear I'm on only on the 3rd battery for the 16 YO ECHO.

And he's absolutely right, "If you own an Echo in an automatic, go to hell"

Another vote for a Mitsubishi Lancer. I have the GTS version and that car is amazing on ice and snow. Killer stereo system. Fun to drive.  Not as peppy as I would like. The car looks like it would be fast, but it just has no low end speed. 

pollardsvision said:

I can't speak to all those other cars. I've been driving the same small car for going on 16 years now. '01 Toyota Echo. 300K miles (the first 160K of those were the most brutal driving imaginable, engine cutting on and off for short trips 14 hours per day). Original engine, transmission, and clutch. No other major repair either. Hell, I'm not sure it's possible to still have the original timing belt, but I don't remember ever replacing it. It was a daily driver until about a year ago. 

I'll probably be in the market for another little car in another couple hundred thousand miles. I'll keep these piece of #### cars in this thread in mind since they killed the glorious Echo.

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I'm sorry but I call bull#### on a 300k clutch. 

Adobe.  "The little car made of clay."