Which small car would you buy

[Michael Weber]

Considering buying a new vehicle. I have a strong preference for a Honda Civic but haven't really been paying attention to cars for several years. What else is out there now with the reputation of the Honda in the same size price range. I know there are some from Korea now but know little about them. Probably not interested in a hybrid at this time. What would you buy if you were in the market for a new small car or what's your opinion of the small make you own?

[Rick Davidson]

I get stuck driving rentals alot because of my job and I always like to get the Nissan Altima

[Brian Kent]

Honda Civic
Mazda 3 (my daughter had one and it was really fun to drive
Ford Focus, because Ford has been improving its product line and this one makes Car & Driver top ten list every year.
Ford Fusion - Motor Trend Car of the year

If buying one of those, I would also check out Accord and Altima. Simpler versions overlap with Civic pricing.

[Joe Pelonio]

I had a rental that I really enjoyed, and later found them to be very highy rated. Not quite as small, though, it was the Ford Fusion. I have a Ranger and my wife has a Liberty, but if we were to buy a car that would be it.
The hybrid version gets 41 mpg, the regular one 23/34.

[Jim Becker]

The Honda Civic is a very nice car and always is one of the top rated in its class. The Toyota Corolla is also worth a look for a similar size vehicle as is the Ford Fusion that Joe mentioned. (But I still love my wife's Prius...)

[Tom Godley]

I am in the market for a smaller car and since we often rent cars from Enterprise I have been trying out a few different ones.

I was quite impressed with the new Civic - surprising large inside - very refined small car. I have owned two Honda Accords and had a lot of problems with both of them - surprising I know. Normally good resale value. I am going to price them out next week.

Also liked the Prius -- my brother just bought the redesigned 2010 model -- my Enterprise only has the 2009 models. You mention this may not be an option but I would look into the cost - payback. The only item that I did not like about the 09 was the seats on a long trip -- supposedly upgraded on the 2010. I am going to drive a Camry hybrid on Monday. The Corolla's we have rented have been a disappointment -- we have rented them about a half a dozen times recently and not one person liked it. I have owned quite a few Toyota/ Lexus products and while a little boring in style they run like sewing machines and have excellent resale value.

Enterprise has a lot of Korean made cars and small SUV's -- the ones from Kia and Hyundai have all been surprisingly nice and from all accounts very well liked and held up in fleet use. The Hyundai's have an especially good warranty. The resale value is not as high as the Japanese cars so this may play into the equation.

I will second the Nissan Altima -- when the new one came out I was shocked because I liked it better than the Maxima. They are more $$ than a Civic. I love the Nissan motors (except the new Rouge) I currently have an older Pathfinder that we all love and will hate to get rid of.

I also liked the Chevy Malibu hatchback -- quick and comfy plus it got excellent gas milage. GM has come-out with some nice cars recently.

Also liked the Mazda 3 hatchback -- but the new one is REALLY ugly IMO.

Did not like the Dodge Caliber - the design was very functional but it was not up to the competition.

With the advances in engines / transmissions it is really important to look into the specs -- many of the midsize cars get milage equal and greater to some of the smaller cars.

[Matt Meiser]

We have a Focus right now and its a good car and gets great mileage. We'd probably look at both a Focus and a Fusion if we were buying a new car right now because we both really like the looks of the new Fusion and would be a step up in size and comfort. If you aren't in a hurry and want a real small car, the new Fiesta from Europe looks really cool.

I also drive a lot of rentals. The Calibur was also one of my least favorites in the last year or so (after the Chevy HHR, but that's not in the class you are looking at.) The rest in the class are really pretty much all the same. Nothing in that class is particularly memorable.

[Tom Godley]

I forgot about the HHR! I started looking for what is now basically extinct - a small wagon or hatchback. The HHR looked promising -- NOT. Massive blind spots, slow, noisy and the cheapest interior I have seen in years.


I liked the Fusion and the Focus is OK. It depends on how you are going to use it and how many people are going to be in it on a regular basis.

[Pat O'malley]

My wife and I both have 2006 Scion XB's (a division of Toyota). We really like them would buy them again. She averages 33-34 mpg, me 29-31 mpg, I have a heavier foot. I can drop the seats and fit 8' 2x4s in it, I hauled my Ridgid TS3650 in it, had to remove the Herc-u-lift, and a 4 foot bathroom vanity. I have 90,000 miles so far and have put on a set of tires and front brakes. Best of luck...Pat

[Eric Larsen]

Considering buying a new vehicle. I have a strong preference for a Honda Civic but haven't really been paying attention to cars for several years. What else is out there now with the reputation of the Honda in the same size price range. I know there are some from Korea now but know little about them. Probably not interested in a hybrid at this time. What would you buy if you were in the market for a new small car or what's your opinion of the small make you own?

I would never buy a new car. I always buy low-mileage one and two year old cars and let someone else pay the big initial depreciation.

I have a Nissan Altima Hybrid, and I love it. My favorite car out of any I've owned or even driven -- and I've owned and driven a lot of really cool cars. (I paid $19,000 for it, which puts it in line with all the other reliable Japanese cars.)

I settled on the Altima because I'm very tall, and I've got more than 50 inches of leg room. I don't get driver's fatigue like I do driving smaller cars. That was the number one reason I bought it.

I love the fact that my gas consumption was instantly halved (because 99% of my driving is city driving). I love the fact that I burn no gas whatsoever sitting at traffic lights. I'm getting 800+ miles on a tank of gas, and I haven't changed my driving style all that much.

I'd also look at the super-efficient diesels coming out of Germany. Diesel costs more than regular gas. But with 45 mpg, the cash outlay will probably be a lot better amortized over the useful life of the car.

It's a buyer's market for both new and used cars. But I will always go for the low-mileage used car. It makes a lot more sense financially for me.

[Tim Morton]

i reeded in my 07 civic coupe for a 09 mini cooper...i would never switch back

[scott spencer]

We've been pretty happy with our 2007 Hyundai Elantra for an inexpensive small car. We've also got an 1998 Civic...the Elantra is nicer, but it's also quite a bit newer so it's not a fair comparison.

[Doug Carpenter]

I like the mini cooper. I don't think I could ever do it though because I'm too used to my to my Deisel Truck.

My in laws have a deisel bug. It's comfortable and roomy (not the back seats) and it gets like 40 miles to the gallon.

They also have a new Hundai elantra. The headrest gives me a headache the second I sit in it. Other than that it seems nice but it's not very thick. It just doen't say quality to me.

[Shawn Pixley]

Check out the Honda Fit. Great mileage (~36 MPH) and dependability. And can carry a full drumset, guitar and Amp. I bought one for my son.

[Michael Weber]

Lots of options and mostly it seems people are very happy with their choice. I've always like the Mini Cooper's looks but the nearest dealer is 200 miles away. I live in Arkansas, what can I say. I've owned a few British cars (still have a 1950 MGTD RHD) and they are sometimes uh.. interesting to service/keep running. Don't ask me about the Austin Marina I owned. A favorite memory is seeing a bumper sticker on the back of a British car that said "Why do the British drink warm beer? They own Lucas refrigerators"