Looking to buy a new car. Need some advice.

[Adajer]

I am looking to buy a new car soon. I live in Chicago, on the south side. I don't know how to drive a manual transmission. I am willing to learn, but I will probably just stick with an automatic for now. I am mainly looking for something that gets good mileage, preferably 30 city. I am not looking to spend more than 25k price tag. I know I live in Chicago and it snows, but I do not want a truck or SUV.

I could get a used car, but I can afford a new one and I don't want to deal with any surprises from a used vehicle.

I am currently considering a 2014 Dodge Dart GT, or maybe 2015 model. I have heard mixed reviews about the reliability of Dodge vehicles. I have always liked dodge due to the Viper(yeah the handling sucks >.>). The Dart seems ok. Looks like a Neon a bit but not too much. I don't really want a chick car, but the Dart doesnt strike me a a chick car. The 2015 model looks pretty cool.

Any car buffs out there that can point me into the direction of a few good cars to choose from? Which ones don't really have a good track history.

I have never owned a car, driven plenty. 26 yo and trying to get something to get me to and from work and places reliably for a long time.

[solipsism]

I would advise you to test drive cars you are interested in first and then research the common problems that they have and go from there, maybe consider AWD as well based on where you live the only problem is that full time AWD will eat into your mileage. If I was going to get something just for commuting and didn't care about performance, I'd probably look at a diesel VW like a Passat. Vipers don't have terrible handling either, the ACR set the record for the fastest production car around the Nürburgring some years ago.

[Emirii]

Look into Honda Fit.

I would avoid Dodge cars, they do not have the best track record.

My 2007 Honda fit has 110,000 miles on it and has never needed a service repair. (Aside from change of air filter, belt, oil, etc.)

edit:

Honda Fit Sport don't look too much like a chic car with the spoiler and such, and tint the windows and it looks like a pretty cool sporty hatchback. They start at 16k new, you can get fully loaded for around 18,000.

[Vandole]

Honda Fit is a really nice car. Give it a drive though, you may not like how it handles.

[Adajer]

Meh. I don't like the look of the fit very much >.>

The Honda Civic Coupe EX looks like a decent car. I know hondas are a good brand. I will definitely look into test driving. I have about a month or so before I look to buy. Doing my research now.

[tyven]

south side of chicago? so whatever you buy will be stolen the next day?

[Kazen]

Meh. I don't like the look of the fit very much >.>

The Honda Civic Coupe EX looks like a decent car. I know hondas are a good brand. I will definitely look into test driving. I have about a month or so before I look to buy. Doing my research now.

I have a 2012 Civic SI and I love the way it handles, I'd imagine the EX model has similar handling. I have about 40k miles on my SI and I've had 0 issues with it so far.

[Emirii]

Meh. I don't like the look of the fit very much >.>

The Honda Civic Coupe EX looks like a decent car. I know hondas are a good brand. I will definitely look into test driving. I have about a month or so before I look to buy. Doing my research now.

I am going to upgrade my 2007 to the 2015 when it comes out here in a few months, it is a complete redesign and looks a lot more sleek, gets rid of the huge dorky headlights as well. Depends on how long your willing to wait for it. If you don't like what's out currently.

[Adajer]

Never heard of CVTs. Just reading up on them and the consensus is that they are bad. Honda Civic looking meh now. Going to look into a mazda >.>

[Serra]

I have an 09 Civic and live in the midwest (bought it when I lived in Austin) and can tell you that it is ill-equipped to handle the midwestern winters. Thankfully I can usually rely on public transit, so it's not the biggest issue in the winter, but just wanted to get that out there. Apart from that though, I love it.

[Adajer]

south side of chicago? so whatever you buy will be stolen the next day?

pewpewpew

[Galois]

I had a Hyundai Elantra for about 8 years and really liked it, though I had a 5 speed manual. I was in a bad accident last year and the medics had to take to roof of my car off to get me out of it, so I had to go shopping for a new car last May/June. I looked at a few cars but ended up with a Subaru Impresza. I really like it, more so than my Elantra. The 4WD has been nice with the winter, and it's the first automatic I've ever owned, which is really nice. I'd definitely recommend test driving one.

[BaneTheBrawler]

i have a 2008 scion xB, and live in MN. it handles the snow well, though like any other car it sits pretty low, so it can get stuck in drifts/fuck-you-i'm-a-plows. Still, it sits high enough to be comfortable for me (6'3") but is small enough to fit into compact spaces. It gets very respectable gas mileage. it's got a lot of mile now (i wanna say like 200k now? idk, my parents are original owners though) and haven't had any issues. it's got traction control and anti-lock-brakes, though i'm sure those are standard for most cars by now.

it's a nice comfortable reliable car. highly recommend. My dad has a Yaris, which is also nice. It's more vulnerable to weather, though.

[Ksandra]

I had a Hyundai Elantra for about 8 years and really liked it, though I had a 5 speed manual. I was in a bad accident last year and the medics had to take to roof of my car off to get me out of it, so I had to go shopping for a new car last May/June. I looked at a few cars but ended up with a Subaru Impresza. I really like it, more so than my Elantra. The 4WD has been nice with the winter, and it's the first automatic I've ever owned, which is really nice. I'd definitely recommend test driving one.

I dunno if these have changed over the years, but my husband has a 2005(?) Impresza and it's been fucking awesome. He takes good care of it, but it's had like next to no issues all this time. You definitely wouldn't be able to tell it's pushing ten years old.

[Adajer]

The 2014 Kia Optima looked to be perfect on paper, but it is FWD.

The Subaru Impreza only comes with CVT for auto trans.

Scion FR-S is looking pretty decent. A bit expensive tho.

[solipsism]

The 2014 Kia Optima looked to be perfect on paper, but it is FWD.

If FWD is a deal breaker for you then the pool of cars you're looking at just got extremely small. The vast majority of cars are FWD.

[Adajer]

If FWD is a deal breaker for you then the pool of cars you're looking at just got extremely small. The vast majority of cars are FWD.

Yeah, its shrinking pretty quickly as I research different technologies. From what I read, CVTs are bad. FWD is ok but has issues with torque steering and puts a lot of work on the front wheels.

I will probably still test drive the optima. It is the closest to what I am looking for at the lowest price point

[Tokitoki]

Yeah, its shrinking pretty quickly as I research different technologies. From what I read, CVTs are bad. FWD is ok but has issues with torque steering and puts a lot of work on the front wheels.

I will probably still test drive the optima. It is the closest to what I am looking for at the lowest price point

You're going to want FWD at least for the snow. You'll want the weight over the front wheels to drive you.

AWD would be better, obviously, and the Impreza gets good gas mileage while still being AWD. I've not done much research into the CVT, but the worst thing I've heard is that they have a whine to them you have to get used to. The idea is that you're doing less high-low revving to shift gears and can help save on gas and engine wear.

EDIT: Also, don't get a FR-S or BR-Z if you want something to take you around in the snow. I believe they're both RWD as well as being low clearance.

[Quixon]

You aren't going to experience much torque steer in a 25K FWD Car. Torque steer is an issue for higher horsepower vehicles that will routinely break traction in the tires. Not many 25K cars are going to do that without you ramming the gas pedal from a dead stop. I personally hate driving FWD in the winter, but that is because I have always driver RWD cars and know the vehicle dynamics in poor weather. If this is your only car, and you have little/no experience with RWD.... don't bother.

Also, re RWD cars. Anything find RWD is going to be a performance oriented vehicle. Those cars come equipped 98% of the time with SUMMER tires. You absolutely will not make it out of a Chicago winter on summer tires on a RWD of FWD car. Even AWD on Summers in chicago..... aint happening lol.

AWD is not some magical driving force either. It will help you a little bit in cornering/turning in shitty conditions, it will also help greatly in getting the car started from a stop in slipper conditions. It will not help you at all slowing down, which is where the vast majority of winter accidents happen.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4906/understeer.jpg

In the situation where you completely loose traction: A FWD vehicle will exhibit understeer, RWD will exhibit oversteer. AWD will depend what wheels are slipping, but the THRESHOLD for loosing traction is much greater. A RWD vehicle is easier to save in an event of traction loss if you know what you're doing. Front Wheel drive will tend to grip better than RWD since there is more weight over the steering wheels.



In regards to CVT trannies. Research the individual car and transmission. Do not simply take a care review or 1 or 2 peoples accounts of their "shitty cvt's". CVT's are new, as such.... a lot of cars started out with some really shitty CVT trannies. New technology always gets shitted on by auto reviewers and enthusiasts, keep that in mind. I will tell you I have a 2012 Rogue for my wife, manufactured towards the end of 2012. It has the CVT tranny. 23K miles, no maintenance issues at all. CVT's will whine/drone in cold temperatures, that is just the nature of the transmission. It's only annoying if you try and drive the car before warming it up on really cold days. Once it gets up to operating temperature it quiets down a bit. On warm days it's no louder than any standard Auto Trans on the market.

Don't discount a specific vehicle simply because it has a CVT. Research, for instance, the 2012 Imprezza w/ CVT before discounting it. Model year specific makes a difference, as manufacturers tend to work the kinks out on new technolody by the 2nd/3rd model year.


Ok now, cars that I would recommend 25K and under for a Daily Driver in Chicago:

Basic Commuter Type Cars:

Honda Fit - $16Kish. Phenomenal reviews, and everyone I know that has one loves it. It is a little on the small side though.
Kia Optima - $22kish. My dad has the Optima and absolutely loves it. The newest model year has a bad ass redesigned interior also.
Ford Fiesta- See Honda Fit Description
Ford Fusion- 17Kish. Phenomenally reviewed Sedan. One of the best selling in its class, and very good reliability.
Mazda 6 - See Ford Fusion Description

Sportier Vehicles
Ford Focus ST - Torque Steer will be evident here. However, Ford's torque vectoring they have incorporated to the drive train makes it almost non existent.
Ford Fiesta ST - Same as above.
FRS/BRZ - RWD, equipped with summer tires. If you want a performance oriented car this is the one to buy. Big downsides in the winter though.



The best car available for you IMO is a WRX, however that is slightly above your budget. WRX's start at around 26K.

[Tokitoki]

I have a Fusion that is coming off lease in March. I really liked the car, big interior, comfortable, a lot of bells and whistles. I kept the all weather tires on it and it did not do so well in anything over 2 inches of snow. Snows would help that quite a bit.

Other than that it was a quiet, comfortable ride with good gas mileage. (I got about 31-32 highway going up and down NY17, very hilly, averaging 70mph). I think if I had the AWD model I would have kept it a bit longer, but making runs up into the Southern Tier (snowy NY/PA area), Vermont, and various ski areas I found that getting up hills became a problem when the mountains were crowded.

If you're really just looking for a city, get-around car, I would recommend the Fusion. With 24k miles/yr I was paying $300/month with $2,000 down on a $28,000 MSRP model. Ford has had deals where they've leased the previous model year (2011 in 2012, etc.) to get rid of them for $120/month for the base model with 10,000 miles.

The best car available for you IMO is a WRX, however that is slightly above your budget. WRX's start at around 26K.

Bringing the other thread around here!
I have a WRX as well. It is a beast in the snow, but has a lower clearance so you wouldn't be taking it over chunks of ice and snow. It also comes with summer tires, so you'd have to put on snows. It only comes in Manual though and it's not really a car you want to practice stick on.

Also, the base model (for $26k) does not come with much in the way of comfort. You'll get your standard equipment and not really anything else. (i.e. Radio, CD player, cloth seats, AWD, traction control but not heated anything, Satellite radio, moonroof, fog lights, etc.)