Suggestions for sub 20k sedans

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Might look at the new Tesla. I hear the tax advantages amount to close to 8k in year one plus no gas ever. They are safe. Looks are all in the eye of the beholder. I love the tech. For my life on the road the battery chargers limitation stops me and quite frankly I wanted to buy one for my wife and she wanted no part of it so it ended. She not the queen of tech but she is awesome.

While you may not pay for gas, and hence, gas taxes that go to road repair, Wisconsin has a yearly "road tax" on all registered electric vehicles to alleviate this over-site and disparity.
We`ve also discussed the "environmental" effects of having to supply electricity to re-charge electric vehicles, if say, 25% of the vehicles in driven in the USA were electric-powered. I know EVERYONE is on the solar and windmill generation of electrical power bandwagon. The solar part might be OK in the sunny Southwest USA. However, the low-level, low-Hertz frequency "white noise" generated by huge-blade windmills and the long-term harmful health effects on humans living in proximity to these windmills/turbines needs further study. In Brown county in Wisconsin I live in and adjacent Kewanee county, a lawsuit has been filed by nearby residents to Windmill farms that have recently gone up in rural areas. The lawsuit is still pending, but a Brown county health official did get fired because he would not "recognize the possibility"(a legal term to get around admission and verification, and hence, liability) that these residents MAY have health issues caused by low-frequency white noise and vibration. This could be a landmark legal case against the turbine windmill electric generation industry, akin to smoking tobacco causing lung cancer class-action lawsuit was (and is) to the tobacco industry (which they still adamantly deny). Obviously, further studies and research are needed, again just as was the case in smoking and lung cancer correlation. Unfortunately, it took many years and the lose of many lives to "discover" this heath issue. I am hoping that the windmill industry will resolve this and be exonerated for this possible heath issue, as we will need their electrical generation to power the proliferation of electrical vehicles in the (very) near future.
...Back to buying a used vehicle
 
Might actually be looking at a brand new Malibu or Impala. Some really good deals right now and with usually getting a better interest rate on new cars, it might be our best option. Going to drive as many different cars as we can this Saturday

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House of Wax- Eh, wrong answer here, but I`d just keep it. Cheaper to fix what you already have than to buy anything else IME and if your wife likes it and has fond memories then why not?

I`ve put many times the cost of a new car into Accumulatorette`s A8, replacing it has never even been a consideration.

If you do buy a Mazda, I`d try to find out whether your choice has build-quality issues. I found out much too late that my MPV was known to have the stuff we sold it over...and no the Dealer/Regional Rep did *not* help at all. NEVER AGAIN, and my wife did like her previous Mazdas (which were also more or less Temporary Cars).
 
I can`t say enough about the Mazda 6. I bought a new one in 2009 (one of the last of the I-6`s) and have never had a single problem with it. It`s fast (272 hp in `09), comfortable, handles well and, to me, about as good looking as a small sedan gets nowadays. Bought it for my wife and she still brags about the car. Given that we`re both geezers, guess it`s gonna be an heirloom. Works for me I`d buy another one in a heartbeat. Have never read a bad review of one. My sister has had 4 or 5 and recommended I check out Mazda`s. Glad I finally listened to her. Good luck with whatever you get.
 
Choices are narrowing down. Drove a new Malibu tonight. Really nice car, very comfortable to drive, but we decided the full size sedan will work better for us. The back seat is just too narrow to realistically fit 3 across if/when needed. Right now a 2017/2018 Impala is the front runner. Going to find a Taurus to drive Saturday to compare.
 
Going to find a Taurus to drive Saturday to compare.

No concerns about Ford getting out of the sedan business? Once Ford abandons a vehicle platform the parts availability can become an issue; it appears they`d even rather pay fines than keep oddball stuff in stock (e.g., Lincoln MKVIII headlights).
 
No concerns about Ford getting out of the sedan business? Once Ford abandons a vehicle platform the parts availability can become an issue; it appears they`d even rather pay fines than keep oddball stuff in stock (e.g., Lincoln MKVIII headlights).

That would be a big concern for me in the same postion. I`ve never driven a Taurus, but when I looked at a couple of the current gen Taurus SHOs, I was surprised to see how big they were on the outside and how little space you had on the inside. The interior design was very strange in how it utilized (poorly) interior space. I found the Fusion to be more spacious and comfortable despite be an entire car class smaller.
 
Not too concerned. They`re still making brand new ones and aren`t they mandated by law to produce parts for like 5 years past the manufacture date? I could be off on that.


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In all honesty, we both really really liked the Impala, but are still going to drive a couple other cars just to make sure were making the right decision

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My dad owns a 2015 Impala LTZ. The LTZ is now referred to as the Premier. He daily drives it and likes it. It`s spacious and there is enough room for 3 in the back. If you do decide on an Impala be sure to get the V6. It is definitely needed to haul around the weight of the car.

When I drove it, it felt nimble and quick. Overall it drives nice. The complaint I have is the rear window. It is small so it will take time to adjust to the visibility. The other issue is that the gasket on the rear taillights is prone to failing. I am not sure what years this affects but there is a TSB for it. Essentially in heavy rains water will get through and get the carpet wet. My dad`s has this issue. The good thing is it doesn`t rain that much here.

The other complaint on the impala forums is the noise and comfort with the 20 inch wheels. The other thing I have seen lately on the forums and on my dad`s are the b pillars starting to have clear coat failure.

Other than that it is a nice car to drive. I was just looking at the latest issue of consumer reports magazine and it received a score of 86/100 in the large size sedan category. It was recommended by consumer reports.

My dad bought his through enterprise car sales. The thing that is nice is that they have a no haggle policy. So the price is what it is. They will have slightly more mileage but for the price it is not bad. I think my dad paid around $22-23k.

Good luck on the finding the right vehicle. I
 
Just bought my wife a 2015 Mazda 6 i sport today. Leather interior pretty well loaded with 40k on it for 14k. My buddy works for Mazda and honestly I never even considered one until now. Looking forward to spending some time with it getting it proper lol.
 
OK, I am bumping this thread and asking House of Wax, the original poster (OP) , did you buy a vehicle yet??

Curious minds want to know (or just plain nosy Autopians. Well, one for sure) .
 
OK, I am bumping this thread and asking House of Wax, the original poster (OP) , did you buy a vehicle yet??

Curious minds want to know (or just plain nosy Autopians. Well, one for sure) .

LOL. I`ll third your question. My family most likely will be in the market next year. Hoping our 04 Cadillac can make it one more year.
 
Unless you get one like either of mine...utterly unreliable to the point that we simply had to get something we could count on and frustrating to drive when they did work. Sold the WRX with the CEL still lit after *months* of [messing] around with the local dealerships but at least we could usually drive it (more than we could say about our Outback wagon). That`s leaving aside the, uhm...dramatic differences in performance...between the Subie AWD and Audi`s Quattro, which were an Object Lesson in how different such systems can be..

Oh man did we want to like those Subarus, but they were simply lousy cars compared to what we`re used to and the dealerships couldn`t fix them..apparently in part because "they usually don`t have problems like that..".
 
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