Low End Sedans (under $16k)

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3871 messages, Last post on Dec 30, 2011 at 10:54 AM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

Your Hosts are kirstie_h & karens

What is this discussion about? Toyota ECHO, Chevrolet Aveo, Kia Rio, Nissan Sentra, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris, Kia Spectra, Suzuki Forenza, Sedan

#809 of 3871 Fresh meat by backy

Oct 12, 2001 (3:57 pm)

Yes, I think we need fresh meat. For example, the 2002 Spectra sedan, the 2002 Protege DX with the 2.0L engine, the Focus ZX5, the 2003 Corolla (not too far off now), the Rio Cinco, the Cavalier/Sunfire with the EcoTech engine, the "fixed" 2002 Civic, inquiries from prospective buyers looking for advice, whether Daewoo will survive, whether the US and Japanese automakers will throw in the towel on low-end cars to the Koreans (i.e. Hyundai/Kia), etc. Lots of things we can talk about besides baseball.

#810 of 3871 by aniryu

Oct 12, 2001 (11:47 pm)

Mariners are the best. I am just hoping, hoping..

Iluv--I hope you're ok.

Now. About cars.

#811 of 3871 Aniryu-I'm fine. The Mariners? They'll be just fine. by iluvmysephia1

Oct 13, 2001 (12:09 am)

Coolguy-I'll weather the Boeing layoff thing. I'm actually feeling as if I've weathered so many of them-Boeing is famous for them-that I get weary of even starting to worry about them. Hence, the decision to go ahead and trade-in the beloved Sephia for the Sportage. Yeah-backy-your tally-ups make it clear that I did OK on my Sephia trade-in. I also felt like a regular to this site like me needed to supply more of the money particulars of the deal. Didn't want to leave 'ya hangin'. As for lack of radio and air-that was necessary to get the rebate and trade-in deal. Dealers and finance guys at the dealers and salespeople at the dealers are fine-tuned that day as to what would work best for you. You really need to communicate what you want to them and forget about trying to screw them over. They deal with that daily and you won't get near to what you want(usually!). Hence the crappy attitude towards them people have. Remember, they're in it to make a PROFIT. If as a consumer buying from them I feel unsure or screwed over I just get up and start walking away from the table. Watch how fast they perk up to your desires. Seriously. Yes, my wife and I took the Sportage the day after the purchase to Circuit City in south Everett. We found a good deal on a Kenwood 4x45watt AM/FM cassette deck that's more than adequate for about $175.00 installed. Yahoo tunes!!! As for the all-important air conditioner? Not to worry. I'm going to parlay my Fed.income tax refund for 2002 into an AC install at Jerry Smith Chev-Buick-Kia in Anacortes(my normal dealer). They will sell and install it for a no markup for installation price. In other words, I mention my salesman's name and he'll arrange the install at a very fair price. Aniryu-I highly recommend this dealer if you're a Bellevuite who might be interested in a Kia. The North Cascades Highway is to the east past Burlington and it is beautiful if you drive up there and decide not to car shop but just sightsee. Enough rambling? I just had a certain Allman Brother's tune pop into my head. Wonder why?

#812 of 3871 test drive results by ichem1

Oct 13, 2001 (5:15 pm)

To Backy and all others. "Suspect" wife and I went for the test drives on FRi-12. Results totally unexpected. I did not tell wife that the Protege has a rather stiff suspension and let her drive it first.She never made a comment about it.She was very impressed by Protege ES. Next drove Honda Civic and Hyundia Elantra. She did not like the Elantra and niether did I. On the way home, I mentioned the suspension of the Protege, and she responded that she did not notice that the car rode particularly hard. In fact she told me that of the three, she liked the Protege the best, because it is a Zoom Zoom car. This from a conservative 63 yr. old, who drives very cautiously. She liked the Honda okay, but we don't care for the sunroof. Some concern that over long lifetime, seals will not hold up, unless constant maintenance is performed. "Suspect" wife has always said that she really wanted a Mazerati, and the Protege is the nearest thing to it. I was without words. Is the long term reliability of the Mazda as good as the Honda? The idea of an extended warranty is an idea worth considering. Do most manufacturers offer them?

#813 of 3871 To ichem1 re test drives by backy

Oct 13, 2001 (8:00 pm)

"Conservative", eh? Looks like your wife has some latent race-car driver tendencies that are screaming to come out.

I think of the three cars, the Protege ES has the most personality, and definitely the best handling. If your wife likes the way it drives, and you do too, it sounds like the right car for you. The ES has been at or near the top of most car mag's reviews of compact cars, so it is generally well-regarded. Mazda, including the Protege, has an excellent long-term reliability record, maybe just a tick under Toyota and Honda but still way above average and definitely better than Hyundai's. Extended warranty? Most don't go past seven years (you can check with your Mazda dealer on duration and cost), and given Mazda's record for reliability and the fact you take great care of your cars (and you must if they last 20 years), it may not be worth it. But if it gives you peace of mind and you have the bucks, go for it.
Question: did you look at/drive the Protege LX 2.0? There's some great deals on that model right now (for '01s), including free alloys and sunroof, and although the handling won't be quite as sharp as the ES it will cost much less.
Question 2: did you drive the Elantra GLS or GT (hatchback)? The GT has a sportier ride than the GLS and lots of features, for less money than the Protege ES. And of course has the ten-year powertrain warranty standard.

#815 of 3871 iluvsephia by mariners

Oct 13, 2001 (8:25 pm)

Been there. I've practically been to everywhere in Washington state. Now my next stop is somewhere down there. V

by the way, this is aniryu. my interest connection was lost for 12 hours so i had to make a new account.

#816 of 3871 ichem - Elantra GT & Protege ES by cjaccetta

Oct 14, 2001 (6:50 am)

ichem1: I enjoy reading people's test drive accounts of these two cars. My wife and I had to make the same choice back in June. We chose the Elantra GT but the Pro ES was sooooo close. Like you, I thought my wife wouldn't like the ride of the ES. It turns out that she didn't even want to drive the Mazda because she was so smitten with the Hyundai. To preserve marital bliss, I didn't press the issue (I'll admit that I also thought highly of the Hyundai, too!). We've had the GT for four months and we love it. We don't regret our decision to go Korean, but had the Pro5 been readily available at purchase time our decision may have been different.

I have always liked the Proteges and I think it's a compliment to Hyundai that the Elantra is being cross-shopped against a more driver-oriented car like the Pro ES. It's also a (long-overdue) compliment to Mazda that larger numbers of people are FINALLY starting to figure out that the Protege is a top-shelf contender for the Compact Car Crown.

ichem, if you go with the Mazda you will be very happy. IMO, the Pro is a much more satisfying vehicle than the Civic (except for mpgs) and more tossable than the Elantra. Don't worry about long-term reliability. Mazdas are pretty scrappy cars and with proper care they should live as long as Honda and Toyota offerings.

Happy motoring!

#817 of 3871 Ichem by majorthomecho

Oct 14, 2001 (12:56 pm)

"Conservative" people don't secretly yearn for a Mazerati.

#818 of 3871 Ford responds to pressure from Hyundai/Kia by backy

Oct 14, 2001 (4:42 pm)

Ford has upped the powertrain warranty on the 2002 Focus to 5 years/100,000 miles, in direct response to pressure from Korean automakers, according to an AP story reported by Cars.com. The direct link is too long to be posted here, but as of today the story was available from the Cars.com main page, http://www.cars.com/.
As noted in the article, "The extended warranties may be a smart gamble. Hyundai and Kia sales are up 37 percent and 38 percent respectively this year, while industry sales as a whole are down 5.3 percent."

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