Ask the Car People.SM


Economy Sedans (~$16k-$20k)

1205 messages,  Last post on Jul 16, 2009 at 5:31 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Fit, Mazda MAZDA3, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Sentra, Sedan

Messages Page 116 of 121

#1151 of 1205 press requests by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST

Nov 03, 2008 (1:16 pm)

A reporter is interested in talking with satisfied owners of a 2005-2007 Mazda 3 who are also parents. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to jwahledmunds.com no later than Friday, November 21, 2008 and include your city and state of residence, the model year of your vehicle and the age of your child/ren.
    
 
A reporter is interested in talking with satisfied owners of a 2005-2007 Honda Civic who are also parents. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to jwahledmunds.com no later than Friday, November 21, 2008 and include your city and state of residence, the model year of your vehicle and the age of your child/ren.
 
A reporter is interested in talking with satisfied owners of a 2001-2006 Hyundai Elantra who are also parents. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to jwahledmunds.com no later than Friday, November 21, 2008 and include your city and state of residence, the model year of your vehicle and the age of your child/ren.
    
Thanks for your consideration,
    
Jonathan Wahl
Corporate Communications
Edmunds Inc.

#1152 of 1205 Honda Announces the All-New Life by orbit9090

Nov 06, 2008 (7:45 am)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that sales in Japan of the all-new Life will begin on November 7, 2008.
 
Might we oneday see it here in the USA?
Why not...after all, farmers can toss it into the back of their F150's and Silverados.
 
It looks to be the ultimate "economy sedan"!
 

#1153 of 1205 Re: Honda Announces the All-New Life [orbit9090] by thegraduate

Nov 12, 2008 (3:20 pm)

Replying to: orbit9090 (Nov 06, 2008 7:45 am)
Not sure how well this would do on a 6-lane interstate at 75 MPH.

#1154 of 1205 I've driven them all (almost)... by shipo

Nov 12, 2008 (7:02 pm)

So, I've just finished driving seven of the nine cars linked to this topic (I skipped the Yaris and the Fit) and then threw in an eight (a VW Rabbit) for good measure. All eight cars were equipped with a manual transmission, and in general, I have to say that I'm impressed with the amount of car one can buy for ~$17,000 these days.
 
The two stand-outs of the group were the Rabbit (not a "Sedan" per-se as I drove a 2-door version, however, it's virtually identical to its 4-door sibling) and the Mazda3 i Touring. At this point I'm probably going to buy a car within the next week, and given the fact that virtually every 5-Speed Rabbit inbound to every VW dealership within a 75 mile radius is already sold for the next couple of months, that means that I'll probably end up with a new Mazda3 in my garage.
 
Stay tuned.
 
Best regards,
Shipo

#1155 of 1205 Re: I've driven them all (almost)... [shipo] by backy

Nov 12, 2008 (8:22 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Nov 12, 2008 7:02 pm)
You might be aware that the Mazda3 is due for replacement next year, but since you like the current Mazda3, then that's a moot point and you can probably get a real good deal on the outgoing design.
 
Can you tell us which trims you drove for each car? That can make a difference for some of the cars, e.g. the base Cobalt is a lot different than the sportier trims, the Elantra SE handles better than the GLS, the Corolla 2.4 is much spunkier than the 1.8, and the Sentra has different engine options also (plus one of the few 6MTs in the bunch).

#1156 of 1205 Re: I've driven them all (almost)... [backy] by shipo

Nov 13, 2008 (10:58 am)

Replying to: backy (Nov 12, 2008 8:22 pm)
Yeah, I'm aware that the Mazda3 is in its last year, and as it turns out, the Rabbit has already been replaced (in Europe) as well, so both of my two finalists are "lame-duck" cars. Appropriate given our current economic and political situation.
 
As far as which version of the cars; I drove the models that offered the best mix of fuel economy (my 25,000 annual commute miles were looming large in my mind when I started doing my test drives, and that was when fuel was still north of $3.00 a gallon), extra goodies, and a stick shift.
 
So, to run through the list, I drove:
 
2009 Mazda Mazda3 i Touring Value edition (2.0 liter & 5-Speed)
2008 VW Rabbit 2-Door (2.5 liter & 5-Speed)
2009 Chevy Cobalt 1LT-XFE Sedan (2.2 liter & 5-Speed)
2009 Ford Focus SE Sedan (2.0 liter & 5-Speed)
2009 Honda Civic LX Sedan (1.8 liter & 5-Speed)
2009 Hyundai Elantra SE (2.0 liter & 5-Speed)
2009 Toyota Corolla S (1.8 liter & 5-Speed)
2009 Nissan Sentra S (2.0 liter & 6-Speed)
 
Best regards,
Shipo

#1157 of 1205 Re: I've driven them all (almost)... [shipo] by backy

Nov 13, 2008 (11:02 am)

Replying to: shipo (Nov 13, 2008 10:58 am)
I'm kind of surprised you didn't test the Civic LX-S or even the EX, since you said you wanted extra goodies, and the LX is pretty stripped compared to most of the other cars you drove.

#1158 of 1205 Re: I've driven them all (almost)... [backy] by shipo

Nov 13, 2008 (12:12 pm)

Replying to: backy (Nov 13, 2008 11:02 am)
I drove the EX last year, however, given that I'm trying to keep this car as inexpensive as possible given that I'm most likely going to hand it down to my kids in a couple of years. The LX Civic was the most expensive car (or the second most, I don't remember off the top of my head) as it was, and the EX would have pushed that number up even further. FWIW, the Mazda 3 i Touring is as nicely equipped as the Civic EX for considerably less money. That said, even if the EX was the same price as the Mazda 3, I would choose the Mazda. Why? When pushed, it feels much more composed on the winding 2-lane roads we have around here. The only other car that felt as good (a little better actually) in the curves was the Rabbit.
 
Best regards,
Shipo

#1159 of 1205 Re: I've driven them all (almost)... [shipo] by micweb

Nov 13, 2008 (4:35 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Nov 13, 2008 10:58 am)
How would you compare the Cobalt XFE vs. Focus, two cars I am currently interested in? My quick guess is pickup would go to the Cobalt, handling would go to the Focus, both quiet, but the Civic was quietest (at 70 mph cruise).

#1160 of 1205 Re: I've driven them all (almost)... [micweb] by backy

Nov 13, 2008 (5:26 pm)

Replying to: micweb (Nov 13, 2008 4:35 pm)
According to C/D's tests, the cars rank as follows in 70 mph cruise, from quietest to loudest (in dBA):
 
Focus SE - 68
Corolla (base) - 69
Elantra SE - 69
Sentra 2.0S - 70
Mazda3s - 71
Civic LX - 72
Rabbit - 70 or 72
(they haven't tested a "normal" Cobalt recently)
 
Note that the numbers are from two different tests. In one, the Rabbit got 72; in the more recent one, it got 70. Not sure why since both cars were similar, but maybe the road conditions were different in the two tests. All the tested cars had sticks.
 
Reviewing these tests reminded me that the Astra is a pretty nice car in this group, and is available at a pretty good price now.

Messages Page 116 of 121

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement