Input on a new car

Hey all. I have been thrust into a position that I didn't want to be in for a while. The other night I was hit by another car while driving home from work, and my little Hyundai Elantra is likely a total loss. As I wasn't expecting to be looking for a new car, I'm at a loss as to what to look at for a new car to replace my dead one. I'm just trying to get ideas of what recommendations people might have. I know it's a personal decision, and such and I need to drive different models until I decide on one I like, but any advice would be helpful. I'll be getting some money from the other driver's insurance company, as she was at fault, but as of yet I'm not sure how much. Very new position for me dealing with insurance companies and the like... Anyway, HELP! :D Thanks!

What are you looking for? 4-door? truck? commuter? new? used? newsed?

A week ago I would have told you to get a late 80s early 90s Volvo! You could get a SWEET ride for under 4 grand. And a super car for about 1500. But both of the volvos I own are currently stuck in the driveway with alternator problems. :~(

snoscythe wrote:
What are you looking for? 4-door? truck? commuter? new? used? newsed?

The car that was demolished was my commuter car, a Hyundai Elantra. I'll probably be looking at something comparable to it. Probably looking at a 4-door mid-size to full size sedan. New would be nice, but I'll likely not be able to afford anything new. However, I won't know my exact budget until I know what the insurance will hand over.

I have recently been looking because our commuter car died. I can tell you my top 3 are currently the Hyundai Sonata, the Ford Focus, and the Toyota Camry.



The Sonata has been a long favorite and it and the Focus are 2 of the best rated cars on Edmunds.com and Consumer Reports. The Camry was just added to our list as we rented one on our recent trip to California and it drove like a dream.



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Thanks for the suggestion Hawk, I will research those.

If you have access to consumerreports.com they are a good research tool. But I have found Edmunds.com to be just as if not more valuable.



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The Sonata looks really nice. Even the new Elantra looks good. This is gonna be a hard decision making process, I've decided.

Ungoy wrote:
The Sonata looks really nice. Even the new Elantra looks good. This is gonna be a hard decision making process, I've decided.

At least you've come to a decision.

Life's too short to drive boring cars



Do some looking in the used sport/luxury sedan segment. You'd be amazed at how nice of a car you can get in the used car market for the same price as a new, bargain basement econo car. I assume you're budget is around $12-16k.



Go on to autotrader.com (or KSL.com if you're in Utah), and search for these cars in your price range:



BMW 3-series

Audi A4

Saab 9-3



Just test drive a few and see if you don't absolutely fall in love. I drive a Saab 9-3 and everyday I get excited to drive it, even if it's just to school or work.

tmoney35 wrote:
Life's too short to drive boring cars



Do some looking in the used sport/luxury sedan segment. You'd be amazed at how nice of a car you can get in the used car market for the same price as a new, bargain basement econo car. I assume you're budget is around $12-16k.



Go on to autotrader.com (or KSL.com if you're in Utah), and search for these cars in your price range:



BMW 3-series

Audi A4

Saab 9-3



Just test drive a few and see if you don't absolutely fall in love. I drive a Saab 9-3 and everyday I get excited to drive it, even if it's just to school or work.

what year is your 9-3? I've always thought those looked like nice rides.

Among new cars, consider:



Fun to drive economy, fuel efficiency--- Mazda 2, like a 4 door Mini, but $5000 less-- about $15K



best looking exterior styling with economy--- Hyundai Elantra, new model this year-- base MSRP about $15K, but a nicely equiped one about $17K to $18K



Best handling sport sedan in the Elantra price range--- 2012 Ford Focus from Ford of Germany, only now being brought to the US, the 5 door hatch looks best and is most practical, but adds $2K = about 18 to 19K, more likely $20K.



Best performance for the dollar--- 2011 model Ford Mustang V6, about 23K MSRP, 5.1 sec zero to 60, 305 hp, 31 mpg highway, and lighter weight = better handling than the V8 GT



Among used cars:

for front drive: Mazda 3 series, either sedan, or 5 door hatch-

for AWD: Audi 4 is hard to beat-

for RWD: BMW 3 series, or six cylinder 5 series, or again, Ford Mustang previous model GT (avoid the previous model V6), best investment is the "Bullit" model, from 2008, if you can find one for sale- it has many of the improvements that went into the new GT (Mustangs, although 2 door, make reasonable family cars, small rear seats that fit kiddies fine, and adults in a pinch, and a generous trunk, with split fold down rear seat back for trunk pass through).



Happy hunting!

Thank you for the input everyone! I really appreciate it. It was tempting going for one of the Saab's or the Audi, but if I get something like that I want to make sure it is paired with a manual transmission, something my wife isn't ready to get yet. We test drove the new Hyundai Elantra and as a practical car with great fuel economy, it's fantastic. We ended up buying one of the brand new 2012's that had 12 miles on it before we test drove it. It didn't have all the things I would've wanted, but it's very nice for the price, and proved to be a great compromise. So far over the weekend we're averaging about 31 mpg on it, so I think gas mileage will be a real plus on it.



Thanks again everyone!

Ungoy wrote:
Thank you for the input everyone! I really appreciate it. It was tempting going for one of the Saab's or the Audi, but if I get something like that I want to make sure it is paired with a manual transmission, something my wife isn't ready to get yet. We test drove the new Hyundai Elantra and as a practical car with great fuel economy, it's fantastic. We ended up buying one of the brand new 2012's that had 12 miles on it before we test drove it. It didn't have all the things I would've wanted, but it's very nice for the price, and proved to be a great compromise. So far over the weekend we're averaging about 31 mpg on it, so I think gas mileage will be a real plus on it.



Thanks again everyone!

Enjoy the new car. May it always arrive at it's destination safely.

Congrats on the new car, enjoy the smell while it lasts!

declocoug wrote:
what year is your 9-3? I've always thought those looked like nice rides.

It's a 2003. Fantastic car. The 2 liter turbo is a strong little engine. A little bit of turbo lag, but you get an exhilarating rush once it spools up. Granted, its performance and handling is a step behind the BMW 3-series, but I think the Saab's styling and rarity make up of that.



They never were real popular, but their owners are definitely passionate. That's a good thing when you looking for a used one because their retail value is very low, but many have been taken great care of.



I got mine a little over a year ago. It had 75k miles and was in incredible condition. I bought it for only $6,000. For comparison, my brother-in-law bought a stripped out Corolla (it doesn't even have power windows or locks) one year newer and he paid $10,000 :lol:



p.s. Congrats on the new car Ungoy!

Mars wrote:


I hear cars are cheaper in Ohio...

:lol: Classic!