New car recommendations

[Anakron]

In case it matters at all for you, keep in mind that the Mazda 6 (and all other Mazdas) are built in Japan, while the Accord, Altima, and Camry are built in the USA.

[Melena]

Ehh, i'm union, but i could care less where it's built so long as it doesn't fall apart while driving.

[Astylla]

In case it matters at all for you, keep in mind that the Mazda 6 (and all other Mazdas) are built in Japan, while the Accord, Altima, and Camry are built in the USA.

I lived in Michigan 6 years and have heard all of it. Frankly I don't give a fuck where it's built because that has no better or worse opportunity for failure or success. I understand about American jobs trust me but I'm very bitter about the whole "buy American" bullshit they try to shove down everyone's throat especially in regards to cars.

[Anakron]

Oh, no, I didn't make that statement to nudge you either way, it was simply an FYI. I made the statement neutral to not bias you with my preference.

[Humblejoe]

I'm a little late, but I read car reviews on a daily basis and you'd be hard pressed to find anything negative said about the Mazda 3 (hatch in your case?), Mazda 6, or Mazda CX-5. Other than that the Honda CR-V, Accord, Sonata, Fusion (lol sorry I read you had a bad experience), Escape, Edge, and Santa Fe are all rate very well. Hyundai and Kia have notoriously poor built transmissions though.

Edit- I have a 2015 Subaru WRX, and I love it. It's pretty roomy in the back, but the trunk space is poor. It also comes with a pretty well built CVT if your wife cannot drive stick. 25k~ for the manual, 29-30k~ for the auto

[bluefan]

The only thing I find lack luster with my CX-5 is the engine. I'm not knocking it by any means, efficient as fuck but wish it had a bit more.

Other than that, fun drive. Great in the winter when you slap on the appropriate tires. Mazda warranty is also a big win.

[tyven]

hyundai sonata

[Headspace]

Honda HR-V

[Melena]

I'm a little late, but I read car reviews on a daily basis and you'd be hard pressed to find anything negative said about the Mazda 3 (hatch in your case?), Mazda 6, or Mazda CX-5. Other than that the Honda CR-V, Accord, Sonata, Fusion (lol sorry I read you had a bad experience), Escape, Edge, and Santa Fe are all rate very well. Hyundai and Kia have notoriously poor built transmissions though.

Edit- I have a 2015 Subaru WRX, and I love it. It's pretty roomy in the back, but the trunk space is poor. It also comes with a pretty well built CVT if your wife cannot drive stick. 25k~ for the manual, 29-30k~ for the auto

Do you know anyone who has a Subaru Legacy 3.5? We just got done test driving one and loved it, but with the 2016's coming out in the end of August, early September, stock is very limited.

God damn it Ford, be quicker on my refund.

[tyven]

Toyota Matrix

[Tokitoki]

Do you know anyone who has a Subaru Legacy 3.5? We just got done test driving one and loved it, but with the 2016's coming out in the end of August, early September, stock is very limited.

God damn it Ford, be quicker on my refund.

2.5 or 3.6?

Either way, my friend has a 2015 Legacy and really likes it. I haven't driven it, but Ive been a passenger. It's very comfortable and there's plenty of room in the back seat too. We stuffed 5 people in the back seat on the way to dinner one time.

[tyven]

Nissan Sentra

[Melena]

I meant 3.6 but thank you for the opinion on it. Still going to try Nissan in the name of due diligence but I think we are set.

[tyven]

ford focus

[Tokitoki]

Isuzu Rodeo

[Humblejoe]

Do you know anyone who has a Subaru Legacy 3.5? We just got done test driving one and loved it, but with the 2016's coming out in the end of August, early September, stock is very limited.

God damn it Ford, be quicker on my refund.

I know some people with a 2015 2.5, and they love it, and I know some people with a 2013 3.6 and they absolutely love it. They don't have all the tech features so I cannot speak for creature comfort, but Subaru is not necessarily known for their interiors as they are for their reliable builds and AWD

[tyven]

honda passport

[Auspice]

2007 Mini Cooper

Looking at this car since it has good milage and my '99 Saturn is dying on me at the moment. Minis have had shitty reliability in the past, but I heard that they got better after the 2006 model year. Opinions? I'm pretty much looking for at least mid 30s MPG and a manual transmission, but it's proving really hard to find in the used market since almost everyone drives automatics.

I have a 2013 MINI; the R56(2007-2014) got a LOT better than the R50/53(2002-2006) but they still have some issues, mostly in the earlier years of the R56. Repairs are expensive as fuck so if you're not getting an extended warranty of some kind, do not buy. If I wasn't so in love with the way it drove and how it looked, I would have got something else. I have 42k miles on it(bought it brand new) and just picked up the extended warranty because I've had two water pumps(the first one died after like 8k miles) and a recall where they replaced the entire wiring harness. That being said, my wife is looking at a Countryman or the next generation Clubman; we just can't shake the MINI fever in our house.

Before I forget; my MINI is a non S manual and after 42k miles I'm still averaging almost 37MPG and my highest was 42.4MPG. I drive that shit like I'm playing Mario Kart; I just wish I had sprung for the extra $3k S model even though the non S is still super peppy and responsive.

Toyota and Honda are reliable and safe choices. I think Christopher Titus said it best in one of his stand up routines about an easy punchline: "That joke is like a Toyota Camry; reliable, not inspiring." Before I got my Cooper I had a 1992 Accord that I put nearly 200k miles on and the only shit I had to get replaced besides oil and breaks were when the AC died on me(huge waste of money, argh) and my wife's 2003(?) Camry has almost 150k on it and she's had no issues.

[shepardG]

honda, i've driven alot of shit over the past 19 years, (Chevrolets, Fords, pugeots, toyota's, nissans, lexus (what i own currently, next to my 2006 honda crv) and many others) and I will always go back to honda. I want a nice pickup truck when i get back to the states in a couple years, but I REALLY REALLY would love to own another ridgeline. I hauled 1200 lbs of gravel in the bed, towed two jet ski's, and drove about 6 miles through the white sands of pensacola beaches and it was just such a good fucking trar (truck car)

But man... that toyota.

I hate to say it, cause i love america even though were fucked up some times(alot of the times) but we don't make very good vehicles anymore.

[SDSD]

Do you know anyone who has a Subaru Legacy 3.5? We just got done test driving one and loved it, but with the 2016's coming out in the end of August, early September, stock is very limited.

God damn it Ford, be quicker on my refund.

Subaru Legacy is a good car. You're always going to have stock issues with any Subaru. They have global production/sales capacity of only 900,000 units. For perspective Toyota sold 10.2 million vehicles globally; Hyundai/Kia sold 8 million globally.

As a qualifier: I work for Hyundai/Kia in finance, but we have a ton of product/industry exposure across all the models and brands.

For what it's worth, you can't go wrong with either Hyundai or Kia in the segment you're looking at. The compact/mid-size car segments as a whole have really converged in terms of product quality, features, and price. You're not going to find the crazy bargains along with significant quality differences in say Toyota vs. Ford vs. Hyundai that you would in '10-'12, nor are you going to get huge differences in handling, engine hp/torque, powertrain features, etc.. Most of the models people have quoted in this thread are good cars.

In this space, it really just comes down to personal preference. Mazda has been doing great stuff while Toyota/Honda are as dependable as always. The US guys are much more competitive on price than they have been in the past following '08 bankrupticies, but their product is still a a bit behind the Asians in my eyes.

One thing that you may find neat is the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality that both the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima both have. I drove the Android Auto Sonata around for a few days (one of the few perks we get) and it's fantastic. The integration is extremely smooth, and especially useful for navigation. You will need to get one of the premium packages for this though.

If you're looking at the CUV/SUV space, the Mazda CX5 is hands down the best in the mainstream small to mid-size CUV/SUV. From price to features to driving dynamics, it's far ahead of any of the competition. Subaru Outback and Forester are both very solid also. Lastly for my home teams, both Hyundai and Kia are both introducing all-new CUVs this year, with the Hyundai Tucson hitting dealers now, and the new Kia Sportage coming to the US in late '15/early '16.

As an aside, I'd think long and hard about buying a car vs. leasing a car. The industry is definitely pushing leases hard right now for various reasons; the economics are definitely unfavorable to the buyer (you) in the long-run I'd say, especially if you intend on buying the car at the end of your lease term.