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Austin Babies
ali-1411
member
Clicky Poll! Which car would you buy?
ali-1411
member
We're car shopping and have narrowed it down to three. Which would you choose? It will be used, likely a 2010 or 2011.
We've also considered (and striked off the list) a Ford Fusion, Nissan Sentra, Altima and the Mazda6. DH won't even consider Hyundai.
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Re: Clicky Poll! Which car would you buy?
What's most important to you? The Jetta is way cute. I had one and loved it. But the Honda Civic is hands-down the most reliable and will retain it's value the best should you go to sell it, trade-it-in down the road. Our Jetta had all kinds of problems - honestly mostly minor, but we did have to take it in to the shop a lot. The shop was really close to us and we had an extended warranty so we never really minded and i still liked it - but we did get rid of it when the warranty ended (which was also when we had V). Of course, some people have no issues, but my experience is pretty common.
My husband is in the "car-world" for a living and he would say the Civic hands-down. I know you said you eliminated them, but his second choice would be the Nissans.
Photo by Melissa Glynn
My top priorities are a low monthly payment and good gas mileage. We're finding really good deals on all cars listed and those three are comparable on gas.
Two kids will sit in the back and no RF seats. Layna only has a few more years in the carseat anyway. We're okay with a small car, we don't even use a stroller anymore. DH has an old Explorer for when we need size, this is will be our drive-around-town family car.
DH wants something at least a little bit sporty. I love the Nissan Sentra but he thinks its just too plain and ugly. We've seen some really nice Altimas but they are just too much (size and cost) for what we need.
Reliable and long-lasting are also very important. This will likely be the car that gets passed down to Jakob when he starts driving, in just six years. (gasp and choke. that child will be driving!?!)
So that's making me lean towards the Civic. We both love the Jetta but are hearing a lot of stories about minor problems. Since we'll have this thing long past the warranty, I'm wondering if the Jetta isn't the best choice.
Agreed with Atlantic, resale value on the Honda will be hands down better than any of the others. Reliability is great, too. I had a Civic with 220,000 miles on it that I was brutal with. When I finally sold that one I went with a Fit (pre-baby) and I couldn't be happier. Knock wood, but I haven't had a single maintenance issue with either car that wasn't a part that's expected to wear out over time like break pads.
Hubby loves VW, he used to have a Passat. It was more fun to drive than either of my Hondas but we had minor maintenance issues all the time.
On the Mazda3, are y'all looking at the four door model or the hatch back? I vote against the hatch back.
Jettas have a lot of maintenance issues. Most VWs and Audis (pretty much the same care, just different price points) do.
I voted for the Civic. Reliable, comfortable, better resale value than the other too.
Any reason to not consider a Toyota? They have the highest resale value according to KBB and also just won a bunch of dependability awards. IMO, you can't go wrong with a Toyota right now. I've driven a Sequoia and a Highlander and never had a single service issue with either. The Corollas are cute and sporty.
https://editorial.autos.msn.com/is-your-car-dependable?page=0
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
MrsAJL - we've looked at the 4 door. The hatchback is super cute but it looks even smaller, somehow. We haven't driven one. What don't you like about them?
mlf - remember a few years ago when Toyota had the acceleration issue? People's cars were speeding up and not stopping, it was like Skynet was taking over. I can't get that out of my head. Ridiculous and paranoid, yes. We all have our quirks
Word. We are a Toyota fam. I've owned a Corolla, a 4Runner and a Tundra and I've never had service issues with any of them, ever. Ever. I also owned a Jetta back in 02 that was in the shop constantly, and I bought it new. Of your choices, I picked the Civic, but I think the Corolla would be comparable.
We love Toyotas, too, but for what you want I don't think you can beat the Cvic. DH is still driving the Civic he got in 1995. He has not been gentle with it and it has been driven all over God's creation and is still in good shape. The only major issue he had was the A/C went out in 2008 (and is still out!). We love, love, love that car.
My co-worker put 320,000 miles on her Civic before she traded it in. There's no question that the car would last for your son to drive.
The cabin space is really small. It's sporty and fun to drive, but it's not comfortable with car seats. Also, it doesn't get as good mileage as the Honda would. DH drives a Mazda3 hatch back and my Honda CV-R gets far better gas mileage, both highway and city.
DH also had an Audi A4 when we first met. It was the model that paralleled the Jetta. It was a very smooth ride with good gas mileage. However it was always in need of TLC. A good friend of mine had a Passat and experienced the same problems. I just don't think VWs are going to meet your dependability criteria.
i really loved my civic - had it all through college (and those west campus potholes or drivers were not kind!), drove it out west while i lived in the bay area and all the way back to texas. sold it when it was 11 years old and got $3K during the recession. it was reliable, got amazing gas mileage and very few problems.
not a lot of bells and whistles, and not a ton of power in the engine, but as a daily driver, it was perfect.
I've owned two Jettas, so here's my take on them.
I had a 2004 Jetta TDI. The first year it was in and out of the shop a ton. They ended up having to replace the entire AC system it went out 3 times. I also kept having weird wiring problems. I'd get warning lights coming on and nothing was wrong. After that first year, the car was absolutely fine. My brother still drives it and it has over 200,000 miles. Not one problem after that first year.
I now have a 2009 Jetta TDI and have not had 1 issue with it, 50k miles now. I love that car. DH wants to get rid of it because he thinks a mom needs a bigger vehicle
but I'm going to keep it as long as he'll let me.
I've heard of some people with the older models having engine issues, but it's usually on the gas models, not the diesels. I get 40 mpg and only fill up every 3 weeks or so for all of $50. I havent' heard of many problems with the newer models (2009 and newer)
definitely the civic. dh has a civic and he gets great gas mileage in it (even better than my corolla). also i feel that the back seat of the civic is a lot roomier than the corolla. we have two kids in the backseat of my corolla now and it is tight -we're planning on selling my car within the next year.
for dh's civic, it seems like there's more room for the two carseats. his car is a 2003 and has over 100k miles on it and he has never had to do a major repair service on it.
I ? my 2010 TDI as well. It's roomy enough that 6' DSS fits in the back seat comfortably (not so in an Audi A4 or last gen Volvo S60). I'm getting 40mpg as well. I promised DH I would do the math again since gas prices were changing, but the higher cost of diesel was still offset by the mpg savings. Also, diesel engines will last significantly longer than their gas counterparts. The TDIs also hold value very well. I've had my car 8 months and would break even selling today.
I would not drive a standard Jetta, though; only a TDI.