Please help with car shopping!

[Alligirl]

I am looking to get rid of my mini van that gets 13-14 mpg and get a smaller gas sipping car. My DH has an suv so we really dont need two big vehicles with the price of gas these days! I would love to get the convertible mini cooper but DH hates it! I am looking for something between 18 & 20 thousand but not more than 24. Anyone in love with a great car they would reccomend? Thanks!
~Allison

[A Big Kid]

Call me crazy, but you are gonna spend 18-20K on a car to save 10 to 15 MPG? (And that is 18 to 20K BEFORE you finance it) You are going to have to drive a lot to save some dough.

FWIW, I dig the Mini.

[Alligirl]

Well yes but the car I am driving I got a VERY good deal on I owe about 7 on it but blue book puts it at 15.

[BrerGnat]

My sister's husband has a mini. He hates it. He likes it as a CAR, but he has conceded that it is extremely unpractical (NO storage space, gets RUINED in even a minor accident...this is his second mini...his first was completely totaled when it was broadsided by a person who ran a red light). He tried to sell it with no luck, so he is stuck with it. Plus, it is very expensive to maintain.

I would look into a Honda Accord or Civic. Both get excellent gas mileage. Of course, if you want to spend the money anyway, and gas is a concern, AND you do mainly city driving, get a hybrid. My sister has a Prius that she loves (she got it for just under $22K). Honda also makes a Civic and Accord hybrid model.

[Mousefever]

I just bought a Hyundai Elantra SE for 17,100. The SE is the more expensive trimline, but it comes with Electronic Stability Control. The Elantra also has all the airbags, 4 disc brakes with power assist, and very good crash test ratings. My car cost a bit more than the base SE auto because I got the heated seats, leather interior, sunroof and rear spoiler.

This is a good car with room for five. It feels spacious inside, even in the back seat. Consumer Reports recommends it, in part because it has shown to be very reliable.

I just calculated the gas mileage from my last tank of gas. It got 28 mpg in mostly city driving. It's supposed to get 34 on the highway. It comes with 5 years roadside assistance, 5 year/60,000 bumper to bumper warrantee, and 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warrantee.

I'm very happy with my purchase!

Amy

[merlinmagic4]

I would look into a Prius especially if you have some trade in value on your van. I have to agree with ABigKid though in that it is cheaper to pay for the gas. We wanted to trade my husband's truck but the payment exceeds the money spent on gas by a whopping amount. We would love to do it just for the environmental reasons but we're not there financially yet

[laprana]

I have a 2007 Civic EX and I absolutely love it! It is my second Civic (traded in my 2002 to get this one) and knock on wood, I haven't had any problems with either one. My 2007 gets great gas mileage and has lots of really nice features that you don't find on a lot of small cars. Before my trade in, the cost was around $21,000 (after a little haggling with the dealer). Civics really keep their resale value, too. I had around 100,000 miles on my 2002 and I still got a decent amount on it as a trade in. I would definitely recommend the a Civic!!

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Another one here for Honda Civic!

My DH and I both have Civics. I have a 2006 2 door and he has a 2007 4 door. We traded his 1996 Honda Civic in for a new one. It was a great car. He had almost 200,000 miles so we felt it was time to trade it in.

As far as mileage I get 33-36 doing city driving and get 39-43 doing interstate driving. It is a great car!

[KEYONNAH]

I have a Toyota Corolla. It's fun to drive and fully loaded I got it for under $20000. I get 33-35 miles to the gallon. This my second one.

[Marilyn Michetti]

I LOVE my Prius. It was $27 K, but it's a level five, (out of six), so it has some options I didn't "really" have to have.

Anyway, I'm getting 51.4 mpg in the city, and around 49 on the 202. It's kind of backwards, but yeah, it does better with stop and go driving.

It's roomy, comfortable, and looks GREAT. Also, I can drive in the HOV lane "all by myself". I never use the HOV, but DH thinks it's pretty cool to be able to. MEN !!

[Scott C]

I have had Civics and they were great. We have a Camry and it is fine(but boring). Wife and I just bought a Mazda Miata(it was an old '97 model). I suppose that it might be some sort of mid-life thing or something -- but, it is loads of fun -- gets about 30 on the road. We seem to do less and less kid hauling anymore(DS16 and DS18). It is great for just us.

Thanks
Scott C

[diz_girl]

How about a VW Jetta? It's within your price range, and there are more standard features than with a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, so you get more bang for your buck than you would with one of those cars. It's also pretty roomy and gets 21 city and 29 highway mileage, which is not as good as the Honda or Toyota. The Jetta also got five-star front and side impact crash test ratings.

I've got a 2005 Jetta diesel and I love it. I have professed my love for my Jetta in previous posts, so I won't do it now. You could wait a couple of months and get a 2009 Jetta diesel (TDI), which will get better fuel economy than any other car on the market, including the Prius. Diesel Jettas are usually a couple of thousand dollars more than the gas model, so it should still be within your price range, since the basic Jettas start at $17K. There will be a big demand for the new diesels, so don't expect to pay below MSRP for a while, and you might want to get on a waiting list now, if you dealer has a wait list set up already.

[Flower]

We had an accord and I really liked it - the civic was just too small for me as I went from a Chevy ex-cab pick up to a car.

We traded in the accord when I found out I was pregnant with #2, we went with the Honda Odyssey.

[DisneyDog]

I love my Kia Ronda. I would buy another one in an instant. Very comfortable and extremely well designed. Tons of storage space and headroom even though it looks small on the outside. We have almost as much room in the back as we did in my Sable wagon. I don't know how they did it...must have been designed by Imagineers!

[valjane]

I have a Scion xA and I really like it. It's roomier on the inside than you would think, and it gets great gas mileage (I probably average 32-35mpg).

I've had mine for 3 years with no problems whatsoever. They're Toyotas, so I'm counting on it being reliable!

The xA has been replaced with the xD, which looks even bigger to me, but still cool.

Anyway, I test drove Civics, too, but I just liked the way the Scion drove better.

Good luck with your decision!

[thrillme]

I'd honestly say take a step back and don't make any "sudden" moves. Small cars are selling like hotcakes. This always happens when we have a sudden gas price boom.

The hybrids are noted for getting really good gas mileage but they're price is currently over the top still. Eventually in the next couple of years this is going to have to balance out better or perhaps hybrids will start becoming more of a "standard".

Honda, Hyundai are both very good vehicles. My Hyundai Santa Fe gets between 20-26 mpg. I'm thrilled with it. The problem weighs is when you go from a larger vehicle to a smaller one you really start to discover another type of inconvenience. But if you really want to go with a smaller car it appears that Hyundai is offering some really super deals. I do love Toyota but they are usually quite pricey...

Kinda the way I figure it to "break even" on buying a smaller car you would have to find one which is about say $100 a month for 5 years. Don't forget too to include insurance on a new car.

I'm basing that on gas being up approximately $1.00 more than it was last year and continuing to rise.

My husband and I have started "carpooling" and it's been GREAT...a little inconvenient at times but we save not only gas but mileage on both vehicles thus extending out the time we would have probably busted the warranty.

If you don't go hybrid I'd definately put some thought into a car that can utilize at least 10% gasahol.

[Dakota Rose]

I have to agree with the others who suggested buying a new car just to get better gas mileage may not be as practical as it seems. If you're going to finance something like $12,000 on a new car, that's 3000 gallons of gas, before interest. That's like 3 years of weekly fill-ups.

But I understand wanting a new car, why not check Chrysler or Jeep? They're offering that $2.99 gas price gaurantee plus rebates.

[comicguy]

We just bought out 3rd Toyota Corolla(new '09) and absolutely love it. Toyota currently has 0% for 36 months, 1.9% for 48 months and 2.9% for 60 months.

We really had to decide between the Hyundi Elantra and Corolla both were great cars with lots of extras but it came down to my wife's corolla being 12 and no extra costs or repairs and my corolla now being 7 and no extra costs or repairs. So we went with finacing and reliability

[DizneyRox]

Your trade in is probably not worth the 15 you're thinking. If the mileage really is that bad, it will be a tough sell and the trade in value will show that. I know someone who had extreme difficulty getting anything reasonable on a big truck, and that was like two/three years ago. Right now, you can't even do that. There's a reason why the H2 is an extremely affordable purchase right now for many. Not to drive, but to buy you can get one for a song.

[BronxTigger]

We just bought out 3rd Toyota Corolla(new '09) and absolutely love it. Toyota currently has 0% for 36 months, 1.9% for 48 months and 2.9% for 60 months.

Is that financing to purchase or lease? And is it good for all models?