New small car advice

VW Golf/Jetta/Beetle/Audi A3 TDi - I've driven my friends Jetta. Solid car, plenty of getup and go, amazing mileage.

I had a 2010 Fit. Loved it. Tons of cargo space, never had a problem with average sized Home Depot runs. Averaged 36 mpg over my time with it. I sold it for a grand more than I owed when I switched jobs and my commute went from 80 miles daily to 4.

Markups are very small on this class of car. If you can get a $500 discount that puts you below invoice. There is 0.9% financing for them here in Cal.

http://automobiles.honda.com/current-offers.aspx

I actually wound up going with the Civic, also. I had that Tacoma for so long I wanted an actual trunk and not a hatch and the 2012's that everyone seemed to hate but me was practically being given away. Couldn't be happier. Went with the LX with auto because it gets better mileage than standard. 98% city driving and I'm averaging low 30's in mpg.

definitely digging the new gti. mileage has been good considering my short commute. fun factor is high. comfort is good, noise is fairly low and ride quality is much better than expected (especially on our lovingly maintained roads).

That does look nice, and fun! Too pricey for me though

Go to truecar.com and put in your zip code. A 2013 Focus SE hatch with manual (the config I'd get) shows $3k off MSRP in your town (vs. $4k off in SoCal).

Thanks. I hadn't heard of this website.

I drove the Honda Fit base today, as well as the Chevy Sonic (also a 1LS Camaro for kicks and they had two marked at 19,900, so why not). Overall, the two cars are very similar. The Sonic has a few more bells and whistles, the Honda is larger on the inside, though it doesn't feel like it when driving. The Fit only has a 5-speed where the Sonic has a 6th gear. That kept the RPMs pretty low in 6th gear. The Sonic seemed to be a little quicker off the line, but it has 148 lb ft of torque to the Fit's 105ish. Of note: all the reviews I can find online have the 0-60 times as about equal even though the Sonic has 40% more HP and 50% more torque. The base Fit was being offered at 15,950; the Sonic LT hatchback this dealer was saying about 18,500 minus whatever rebates are available. I found a dealer in Austin and one in Dallas who both had the Sonic LT with manual transmission for 15,900.

So essentially, they are the same price at this trim level. Same acceleration. Honda is a bit more "lively". Chevy is a bit more "techy". Chevy looks better to me at least; remember, the Fit was the base model not the sport which I think does look better. Oh, I have a GM card as well, so that gives me another $500 off whatever sales price we agree to.

Overall, I think I am leaning Sonic right now. I just wonder if day in and day out the Fit would be more fun to drive After driving both, I just do not know, they both felt pretty good to me.

Does reliability, longevity and resale value matter?

I see you vote for the Fit

I'm gettin a Sonic!



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