new car v. what to do

C

Corey Bit Spank

Active member
It has come time to replace my 1997 Accord. Here's a list of cars I'm looking at, and my feeble attempt at highlighting positives and negatives.





1) Impreza Hatch



+AWD

+Road manners

+Visibility



-AWD

-Transmission (5sp manual is vague, CVT is good for a CVT but still a CVT

-Steering (accurate, but light and numb)

-Dealer in fairly inconvenient location



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2) Focus Hatch



+Steering

+Road Manners

+Exterior styling

+Dealer about a 10 minute walk from work



-Reliability

-Resale (??)



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3) Mazda 3 Hatch (skyactiv)



+Road feel

+Real world fuel economy

+Priced well

+Dealer located about a 15 minute walk from work



-Unproven tech (skyactiv)...durability unknown

-Resale

-Rust (I've noticed more Mazdas in the north afflicted with some bad cases than many other makes)



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Feel free to suggest anything else. I'm not looking to spend more than $25 000. I'm willing to drive either manual or automatic, as it really depends on if it's a good gearbox more than anything. I would consider certified used. And...I really don't want another sedan/coupe.



I would likely want to keep this car for at least 10 years. I do live where it snows, but while driving my Accord for 8 winters on skinny all-season tires, not once did I ever feel AWD would make driving safer. With the bevy of new technology that come standard on cars in this millenium, I think I'd do just fine as long as the car isn't extremely light and I'm on decent tires (I would likely buy snow tires/wheels for the new car).



I will only have access to one car, so service is an issue if the dealer is in an inconvenient location. I could always rent a car for a day, or borrow one of the electric cars my work has (Thanks, JCI!). I am unsure if I should bother placing much emphasis on this factor...



I value any input you may provide. This is my first new car purchase. Yikes. :)
 
Corey Bit Spank- Hey, this oughta be a fun undertaking for you!



After my rust (and other) issues with the MPV, there's *NO* way I'd but the Mazda. Period. After the way they blew me off on the rust problems (which were the result of incredibly poor build-quality) I doubt I'll ever buy another car from them, and I used to be a big fan of that marque.



On the Subie, be sure you'd be OK with the interior appointments. To some people it just screams "cheap car!", to the extent that those people wouldn't really enjoy it.
 
haha Accumulator! I was hoping you'd chime in!



I'm happy that somebody who owned a Mazda can vouch for their rust problems. Part of me was convinced I was just making a broader assumption based on a few examples.



The new Impreza has a pretty boring interior, but it is definitely not cheap in materials. The Focus is the real winner here with regard to interior. The seats are by far the best (The Mazda has nice seats, the Impreza's seats feel like a wet sponge). Ford has a really impressive product. I think being in school so long as altered my perspective -- i.e. I didn't keep my Accord until it was 15 years old because I necessarily wanted to, but rather because I wanted or needed other things before a new car. So, maybe longevity isn't even a factor anymore...





I re-test drove all of these today back-to-back. It's really between the Impreza and the Focus. I can get a Focus with the same features as the Impreza for about $2500 less (which would go to pay off my student loan as Suze Ormann would be thrilled about). The Mazda 3 rides too firmly for these Milwaukee roads. The Impreza has the best ride and handling, but the steering is a real let down for the chassis. The visibility in the Impreza is also a top, but the other two are adequate (nothing like, say, a Nissan Rogue)...



The transmission (automatic at least, I haven't decided on if I will go manual) in the Ford is a little strange, but I can get used to it. All of these new automatics (if they aren't CVT of course), have more gears than engineers programming them correctly it would seem. I do think this may be an artifact of driving a Honda AT for so long -- these are the only ATs I have driven that are seldom in the wrong gear. But, alas, Honda isn't making a car in this league and it looks like they will be going CVT soon.



The Ford dealer really impressed me. The general manager was working today and after I was done talking with the sales person, he came out to introduce himself. He was not at all pushy, was happy that I was a long time Honda driver cross shopping Fords with a bunch of other cars. Whether or not this comes through in their service department, I have little way of knowing. I'm happy the were satisfied with letting the cars sell themselves. That they are a short walk away and offer shuttle services to and from their dealership is another plus. The Subaru dealer, in comparison, is 30 minutes away and they aren't as friendly.



The point that the Impreza is made overseas versus the Focus which is made in Michigan is a mildly influential factor.



Hmmm. How we do suffer in America....
 
Corey Bit Spank- Ya know how I'm always praising AWD, and saying that I hate FWD cars? Well, get this....after reading your post about the testdrives (and your comments about the dealers), I myself would be leaning *very* strongly toward the Focus. Like...ready to write a check.



FWIW, the Ford dealer who works on my Crown Vic has impressed me like I never *dreamed* they would! I genuinely like doing business with them. FWIW#2, besides my issues with Mazda, I'm not on speaking terms with Subaru or its local dealers either :grinno: Everybody says Subies never have problems; I guess that's good since none of their dealers in my area were ever able to fix the problems that did crop up.



Yeah, I think I'd be choosing a color for the Focus and saving up for winter wheels/tires. Ford has some really cool colors these days too.
 
I'm really leaning toward a Focus SE 5 door with the sport (alloy wheels, rear disc brakes) and winter package (heated seats, heated mirrors) with a 5 speed manual. What the heck...I've wanted a manual since I began driving and every review of the Focus said while it is geared high the action is excellent. This might be a difficult car to find, but I can wait for the right one.



You're absolutely right about the dealership. Since it appears Subarus and Fords are on the same initial quality and reliability level, it would be more of a hassle to own the Subaru.
 
I think I would opt for the Mazda or the Ford, why do you think the Focus is unreliable? Also have good experience with Mazdas, only the exhaust had to replaced after very high mileage.
 
I wouldn't get the impreza. Even though the new model looks fantastic on the outside, the interior(the impreza line up for that matter) is too cheap for my liking.



I would say the focus is probably the best interior with mazda 3 a close second. The only problem will be the re-sale on the focus, unless you plan on keeping it for 10+ years, then why worry?
 
I will put in one thin on the Subie. I had a Forrester a while back and it was a great reliable car. I sold it for one reason but a big reason - the seats were horribly uncomfortable. This was before my back had problems and I still couldn't sit in those seats for more than an hour without having to stretch my legs. Not sure they are any better as I sat in a friends relatively new Impreza and the seats felt the same.
 
well...



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Unfortunately getting a 5 speed sounded like a long process, and they offered me an SEL at a very good price. Whatever, I'll get a cheap car to autox once and awhile.



So far I'm really liking this car. The dealership experience (Heiser Ford Lincoln) was excellent. I'm really happy Ford is building desirable cars so I don't have to think about the ecological impact of shipping a car half way across the world (I know -- I'm actually not that crazy just concerned). I didn't rule out buying an American car, but a few years ago I just wasn't interested in anything being offered. Fast forward some years and the small car offerings are great.



Cheers!
 
Corey Bit Spank- Congrats! That's a cool looking ride.



Heh heh, since you have a "good excuse" for buying an automatic, I wouldn't be suprised if maybe, just *maybe*....you'll be overall happier with not having to shift it yourself all the time. You know, day-in-day-out when you just want to get where you're going. Yeah, I know...but just wait and see ;)
 
Thanks! I'm convinced that having all these choices doesn't really make me happier in the end, so sometimes I convince myself there are a limited number of alternatives. ;) Manual is fun, but for the most part commuting to work is not fun and that is what I use my car for.



This dual clutch manual must be improved from spring/summer 2011 when all the reviews came out. It is, for the most part, acceptable at slow speed and good at speed. It does get a little confused at slow speed if the throttle is not deliberate, but this takes an alteration of driving style in order to get the optimum performance out of it. The benefit is that it feels much more direct than a traditional automatic.



MyFord Touch ... it's okay. It has some issues that it really ought not to have, but since this wasn't why I bought the car I'll just use the AM/FM/HD radio and nice-sounding speakers and avoid the rest. The voice commands do work remarkably well and Ford should be commended on at least trying to update vehicle controls.



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The dealer put some sealant on for free that has a "year guarantee" against bird droppings and sap (Zurich Shield). It looks and feels good but I doubt it's any better than other sealants. They tried to get me on a multiple year guarantee one, but I declined. Anyway, it's nice they put a decent coat of wax/sealant on every car before the sell it.



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I probably won't be polishing this car much. Clay bar and AIO once or twice a year, some coats of wax. I learned my lesson with polish, and I'll gladly accept some minor swirling as normal for a commuter car.
 
Corey Bit Spank- Heh heh, it'll be interesting to hear whether you use the high-techy features much.



Glad to hear the trans is livable, some of those are a bit too, well..."off".



And yeah, I'm all for keeping the detailing stuff reasonable so you can enjoy the car without it becoming a part-time job. I *would* look into OptiCoat and FK1000P though, either of them might astound you.
 
In my opinion you should also check out Hindustan Motors Mitsubishi Outlander 2012. The chic and urbane SUV is introduced with 2.4L petrol engine that delivers 170ps power and a peak torque of 226 Nm. Mitsubishi Outlander price is tagged at Rs.20.44 lakh. Outlander is extremely high on safety side and a perfect family vehicle with the additional rear seats for the children and another news for India is the Indian giant Maruti Suzuki India is all geared up to bring out the much awaited MPV Ertiga on 12th April. The company is aiming at creating a niche category in the city vehicles that are easy to drive and park in the constricted parking zones. Maruti Ertiga would be targeting the large families and hatchback up-graders rather than the commercial customers. The new MPV is expected to take on the likes of the Toyota Innova which is a top-selling car of the MPV segment.
 
All the three you listed here are superb ones . I like the second one more than the rest. Actually i didn't ride it yet. But seeing those pics i hope that the ride will be awesome.I also want to list some of the cars but i don't have the pics. You can just go through the link.
 
So, after a year and a few weeks I can say I picked the correct vehicle. I have only put on 8,000 miles, but no major issues.



It's actually a lot of fun to drive. The longest I have driven it was to Detroit (a homecoming, of sorts, for the Focus) and it was fantastic. Very comfortable, quiet, and composed. Ford is certainly skilled with chassis tuning. I look forward to driving home in it after a long day of work.



The MyFordTouch is gimmicky, but after a few updates it doesn't give me any issues. It has some useful features, but for the most part I'd rather have real controls and a smaller LCD screen. The transmission has its quirks, but isn't as soggy as a torque converter auto or a CVT. I'll gladly accept that tradeoff. I had to take it in for a clunking in the front end, which was diagnosed as a bad strut. This was replaced (they gave me a loaner car), although there is still a squeak in the front that they claim to be unable to hear. It isn't getting worse and it is so faint that I'm not very concerned. It seems to be a problem which afflicts many MK3 Focii (there are some owner-suggested fixes like injecting bearing grease into the bump stop, but I haven't had a chance to attempt this yet). These Wisconsin roads are brutal. Otherwise, no issues.



I do miss my old Accord. There was something very honest about the way it drove and transmitted everything to the driver. I drove a 2013 and while it's a nice vehicle, all of the Accord attributes are lost save for the smooth engine. Times change, I guess, and for most people it's a better car.



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Cory Bit Spank- Glad you're liking the car and that the "features" aren't driving you nuts ;)



I know what you mean about the Honda being an "honest car", that's a big part of why I have my current vehicles as opposed to something newer.
 
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