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Date: 2011-09-12 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 09:50 pm (UTC)I like my Prius. Decent pickup, excellent interior space, highly dependable, maneuverable. The gas mileage on mine continues to be great after 100,000 miles. No troubles with the hybrid battery.
Downsides: sightlines are bad, especially in reverse; my glovebox latch won't stay closed in very hot weather (BITCH BITCH BITCH).
Would buy again.
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Date: 2011-09-12 09:54 pm (UTC)How very odd....
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Date: 2011-09-13 11:25 am (UTC)Winter driving has really been the only downside to it. You would definitely want good snow tires. Our driveway is pretty steep and the Prius has some problems getting up it if it's snowy. That shouldn't really be a problem for you at your place or around Boston, but it can be a little rough here in New Hampshire.
I was even able to get a seat heater installed at the dealer.
You can also get more Prius for less money now than you could a few years back, and dealers are likely to be willing to negotiate on the price. When I bought my first Prius they couldn't make them fast enough so no negotiation. A decently equipped model will run maybe $26,000 list. I would avoid the 'solar sunroof' thing; I think it might make sense in California but it mostly seems like a vanity option to me.
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Date: 2011-09-12 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 03:20 am (UTC)C
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Date: 2011-09-12 10:15 pm (UTC)Series hybrids are very awesome.
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Date: 2011-09-12 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 10:34 pm (UTC)(Huh, but less so now than it was originally -- the datestamp is now a giveaway, whereas the first time I saw it, I swear it said March 27th.)
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Date: 2011-09-13 03:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 11:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 11:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 02:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 10:34 pm (UTC)Do you really get 35 MPG?
Date: 2011-09-13 03:23 pm (UTC)My Subaru just rolled over 111k and I'm not in a hurry to replace it but I sure hate paying $45 to fill the tank.
Re: Do you really get 35 MPG?
Date: 2011-09-13 03:53 pm (UTC)Re: Do you really get 35 MPG?
Date: 2011-09-13 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 10:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 11:20 pm (UTC)The VW was the only one that I'd want to consider driving on a regular basis. But it felt like I was driving a stereotypical soccer mom car. It was entirely reasonable and safe and even peppy and agile. But it felt so boring.
I recently had a Fiat for a week during a west coast trip. Its like a Mini cooper where they trimmed $8k of fit and finish off it. Just lighter and flimsier, with a lot more road noise. A perfectly good city car, but I'd not want to road trip in it.
A number of my friends have been quite fond of the Honda Fit. Its big enough to take 4 people and all their gear camping, carry furniture, and yet still surprisingly small. Can't say I've driven it, but it felt practical and reasonably peppy the times I was in it.
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Date: 2011-09-12 11:36 pm (UTC)Incredibly awesome video aside, it is a great little car.
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Date: 2011-09-13 12:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 03:12 pm (UTC)(I don't have one, but a cow orker does, and I've ridden in it numerous times.)
((also, I love that video so much!))
OMG that's brilliant
Date: 2011-09-13 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 11:39 pm (UTC)My requirements were: 5 doors, standard transmission, windows I can see out of (good visibility) not an SUV, gas mileage that doesn't suck. "doesn't suck" means to me "more than 30mpg", which isn't great, but I considered it a bare minimum.
I wanted to like the Prius, but... I hate it. Its handling was adequate, barely. The interior room is good, but visibility totally sucks. You can't see a damn thing behind you, or behind to the left or right. The "gas pedal" is seriously non-linear, as is the brake pedal. The computer thinks it's smarter than you are, so it does electrical "go" and "stop" before engaging the actual engine or actual brakes. It does it in a very disconcerting way, especially if you're coming from a car that has actual "good handling" and "good engine response". My car didn't, it was a '93 Accord wagon with 265k on it, but it was still way better than the Prius. I drove my parents' Prius for a couple weeks, and I found out why so many Prius drivers appear to be blind, stupid, asleep, or downright malevolent: The car doesn't do what you tell it to, so you can find yourself half way into an intersection with the car barely moving, and now you have to stomp on the gas to get the damn thing to move (that electric motor isn't enthusiastic) I got as high as 62mpg out of it, for a short while, but couldn't maintain it very long. When I drove like a normal person (with no consideration of fuel economy), I still got in the 40s. But those numbers are based on the car's ECU, which lies. My father tells me that he's only getting in the low 40s or high 30s (based on actual fill ups) even though the computer tells him he's getting in the high 40s to low 50s. It's also surprisingly noisy for such a slippery car with a small engine. My parents' car is a '10.
Honda Fit is a nice little car, I really like them, especially the current generation that has a telescoping steering wheel. But you (RMD) probably don't care about that, my legs are more than a little longer than yours. :) The fit has crazy amount of space in it for its outside dimensions, it's fun to drive, it gets quite good mileage if you drive reasonably, and decent mileage if you don't. It's got good windows you can actually see out of (in all directions) and although it's a little "teenager car" ish, it drives pretty well. The only reason I didn't get one is 'cuz you really really can't pull a trailer with one. The engine just won't do it.
Since "five doors and a standard transmission" is pretty hard to find, I of course looked at Subarus. Their death knell for me was the crap-tastic fuel economy. You're lucky if you get 30 out of one. I really liked the previous gen. Legacy wagon (not the outback, which is an SUV and handles like one) But finding one with a standard transmission was hard, and they still get poor fuel economy. The Forrester is easier to find with a manual, and it's a comfortable car (mostly, a little small in the legroom dept. for me) and the windows are fantastic, total fishbowl. Mileage was still a killer though. I've driven and ridden in the previous generation ('06) Impreza, and it's a nice car. There's space inside, you can get them with a manual (the one I drove wasn't) the windows don't suck, and they handle well. Don't get an automatic, the slushbox really saps the power from them.
I drove a Kia Forte Wagon, which handled quite well, has enough doors, good fuel economy, and a standard transmission. Its rear visibility isn't great though, you really have to get your mirrors just right and look carefully to make sure there's nothing there before changing lanes.
Part 2, 'cuz all in one was too long.
Date: 2011-09-12 11:40 pm (UTC)I drove a Mazda5, which I really liked. It's built on the Mazda3 platform, so it's not a big car, despite its minivan styling. You can get them in a manual, lots of doors, good visibility, decent fuel economy, handles well (not spectacularly, but plenty good) and is comfortable. I didn't get one 'cuz I'm a little spooked by buying *BRAND NEW* vehicles, and I found something I wanted more.
I wanted to drive a Hyunda Elantra Touring (the wagon version) 'cuz it gets good reviews from car guys, and Hyundai has an increasingly good reputation for build quality and reliability. I never found one with a manual transmission to test drive before I stopped looking though.
The Honda Element is kinda... big. It feels big in all dimensions. I don't know how bit it actually is, but it feels like a big car, kinda bubbly. Drives fine, but sketchy mileage. If I needed a utility vehicle I'd look at one seriously, but not as an only car.
I drove a Scion xA (the small one) and... too damn small. Too tinny, kinda harsh on the pavement bumps. It seemed well made, but I couldn't get one. My parents had an xD (newer small one) for a while, which is nicer, but still pretty small, and terrible windows.
I really wanted to like the Toyota Matrix, but I couldn't get the seat to adjust so I could reach the steering wheel comfortably *and* have my legs not folded up like a cricket. You won't have that problem. They're practical vehicles that just don't suck... except for the damn windows. The current generation is worse than the previous generation. It's too bad they don't make a Corolla wagon anymore, that's basically what the Matrix is, but with dumb windows. Otherwise I rather liked it.
I looked at Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV-4. Both were too tall and too SUV-like for me. They both felt like you could tip one over if you tried just a little bit. The handling didn't inspire confidence.
I looked at a bunch of SAABs, but none of them felt right. I was looking at older ones though. The newer ones I sat in had the same "can't see out" problem that so many cars do.
I was really reluctant to buy anything from Volkswagen, because of their ... less than stellar repair record, but since my options were running thin, I did. I drove an '04 or '06 (I forget) Passat wagon, and ... I liked it. My parents' old car was an '04, but it had an auto transmission, which made it not want to get out of its own way. The manual transmission is *way* better. It had go. They have enough doors, good windows, and styling that isn't ... too trendy. The gotcha with that generation of VWs is the 1.8L turbo engine, they really really need to have the right oil or they can lunch the turbocharger. If you don't know that the previous owner hasn't done something stupid with the engine, it could be bad. The later 2.5L engines (inline 5!!!) are supposed to be better, but worse on fuel. The 1.8T engines require premium fuel, without a corresponding improvement in fuel economy/performance. Plus, the Passat I looked at had other issues that made it not a car I wanted.
I ended up with a Jetta TDI wagon. The TDIs are the simplest and most robust of the VW engines, so I wasn't worried about a pre-lunched motor. The Jetta wagon (mine's an '04) has good windows, good handling, it's quiet, fantastic fuel economy (I get about 48mpg overall) and it fits me.
I ended up going for a car that will take more maintenance and hand-holding than a Honda or Toyota, because I can deal with those things on my schedule. All the other cars I looked at, although probably more reliable, would piss me off *EVERY TIME* I drove one, and that would make me sad.
If you're up for really keeping on top of the maintenance and paying attention to small changes in the car's behavior, I'd look at one of the VW Golf TDIs, they're neat cars. If you want to just put gas and oil in and keep the tires inflated, I'd look seriously at the Honda Fit.
Re: Part 2, 'cuz all in one was too long.
Date: 2011-09-13 01:02 am (UTC)Re: Part 2, 'cuz all in one was too long.
Date: 2011-09-13 03:44 pm (UTC)Subaru and Ford
Date: 2011-09-12 11:43 pm (UTC)Also, the last several times I've rented a car I've had a Ford Focus and I have found it to be a great little car.
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Date: 2011-09-12 11:54 pm (UTC)*sadface*
I love the Honda Fit
Date: 2011-09-13 12:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 04:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 04:28 am (UTC)veee hick lllllz
Date: 2011-09-13 04:57 pm (UTC)Given that we were stuck in Maryland, we limited our immediate car shopping to what we could find locally that would take a only-dollarly-dead minivan in trade.
I'll note that about 2 years ago we did the shopping thing to replace my husband's car -- our thoughts at the time were to get something smaller than the minivan, but able to take over the 'family car' aspects when the minivan died, so we could replace *it* with something smaller. Fortunately for him, the husband fell in love with a 2001 beetle and quickly scurried off the lot with it before anyone else could get it. (not quite, but it sounds more amusing that way.)
So we were at a Mazda dealer looking at used cars under 10k, and mentioned that we were told a Mazda 5 was the generational successor to the MPV, but they didn't seem to have one. Au contraire, they had a used one... for 16k. Elide the dickering, the decision was made when I got behind the wheel -- I fit. I haven't fit comfortably behind a steering wheel since I was pregnant with the Younger Child. I was able to drive this car around their test-drive circuit -- which wasn't a wimpy one -- and not feel the wheel press on me *at all*.
We have a 'sport' model, I *think* -- it doesn't quite match it, which means that whoever bought it new customized it a bit. The steering wheel telescopes, the various seats move variously, the back seats flip around in ways not exactly but very reminiscent of a Dodge Colt Vista, going from seating 6 to carrying shitloads. (I don't think as well as teh Vista, but the Vista's been discontinued for over a decade.)
It can't carry as much as the minivan -- we actually have to *pack* it, rather than just toss things in. It looks like someone put a minivan in the hot cycle adn through the dryer -- it has all the proportions and looks like one... tll you see it *next* to one.
We're calling it the microvan. I haven't enjoyed a car as much since my Vistas were functioning. The worst thing I've found about it is that the front seats are curved such that I can't just lean it back and nap, I need *something* under my head to act as a pillow. I presume the seat is cupped somehow and that produces the problem.
And I still haven't figured out what to do with the stuff that used to live between the front seats in the MPV. But I did, deliberately and with knowledge aforethought, purposely acquire a vehicle that was *smaller* than the MPV. Thus, I pay the price.
I highly recommend checking it out.
Stupid Prius
Date: 2011-09-14 03:21 pm (UTC)Yes, the rear view is sucky, but never so sucky I hit anything backing up or didn't see someone behind me. Not sufficient justification.
Re: Stupid Prius
Date: 2011-09-15 02:45 pm (UTC)Just, why did the Suburu Forester handle better? Why was it more fun to drive? Also I could see things out the back in it.