vroom vroom vroom

[cornerofmadness]

So we went car shopping today. I didn't test drive anything. I just wanted to go get some sticker shock (hell outright my 99 Civic is still worth 7300 and trade in over 5K!) In spite of what the auto section of yahoo says, cars cost more (according to them I could have afforded a camry and an accord which HA, cost on the lot about 5-6 grand more than online would have you believe). I looked at Toyota, Honda, Ford, Hyundai and Nissan.

I really liked the things I couldn't afford (naturally) then in my range I liked the Civic, the Corolla Matrix (the car I was 'too fat' for but when Dad saw it, he's like this IS the car for you. No shit, didn't I say that?), the Nissan Sentra, the Ford Fusion and the Hyundai Elantra.

Coming home and checking out Consumer Reports and other places, I've wittled it down to the Matrix, the Civic and the Mazda 3 which I'm going to look at tomorrow. They're all highly rated for just about everything (Unlike the nissan and hyundai's which got very low marks in some very vital and expensive areas)

Comments

[nowhere-winry.livejournal.com]

Yay for car shopping.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

or something

[rahirah]

Any chance of getting one of the ones you like in last year's model?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

already gone. I didn't really realize that the big labor day sales events where the new models come in and the old ones go cheap had been moved to july...WTF? Even at that I'd be saving like 1000$ based on the ones they did have. Hell the FOUR year old cars were only two grand less than new. There wasn't even any point in them

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i do like cars though the prices make me weep

Matrix wins in my book.

[ishte.livejournal.com]

Ee.. from my perspective, back when I could consider buying one, I test drove a Matrix and a Mazda 3. I only buy standard shifts... bear that in mind. I test drove the Matrix in an auto, because they didn't have a standard on the lot >_<. I test drove the Mazda 3 with a standard. I liked the Matrix better. I felt like the Mazda 3 was geared more towards the hotrod crowd, which is fine, but I found the red dashboard lights annoying and hard to read... and the in dash stereo system looked like it would be nearly impossible to put my own stereo in (which I really liked mine at the time). If I had bought a car that day, I would have bought the Matrix. Voss Toyota should have had a standard shift on their lot. They lost a sale that day, because they didn't... I told them I wouldn't buy one without seeing how the standard shift handled first, and when I asked them to get one so I could test drive it, they said they'd call me *IF* one came in. They never called me and then a government vehicle hit me and destroyed my life. I guess we all know where I am financially after that. I haven't had enough time to recover from the $40,000 loss yet. *shrug* I'll get there... I just wish they had got that matrix in so I could buy it. If I had bought that car, it would have been fully covered even if the government never paid me even the $4700 the finally did. Hehe.

Anyway. I'm of the opinion you'll like the Matrix the best. It's an awesome car, and being built on a Corolla chassis is all the better... means it's lighter than it looks and much more economical than the Mazda 3 if I judge by what people who own them told me about both of them.

Re: Matrix wins in my book.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

they seem to bear up the same, all three cars economically and fuel wise from all the research done though the mazda is heavier. My bigger concern is the small trunk. I could use the room the matrix affords but the steeringwheel is a tad far away and even with long arms like mine it's not tremendously comfortable. Then again I own a civic now and haven't been in love with it. At this point i'm thinking of waiting until next summer