Commuter car

[Virus]

Going on my 5th trans rebuild and decided its time to get a commuter car for times when the car needs a little attention. Wondering what car to get in the 20-25k range? Kia Optima, Civic EX-L, Sonata, Cruze, Focus, VW TDI?

[Zodiac]

I would probably stick with the VW TDI.

Also depends on if you are looking new or used, etc.

[Virus]

Thinking new. The G8 has me tired of breaking down :) I need reliable! TDI gets great mileage, but diesel is expensive. Not sure if it's worth the extra few mpg's?

[travis gore]

Wondering what car to get in the 20-25k range? Kia Optima,

my wife was going to get one. I thought it drove nice and really roomy. you can't beat the warranty either

[Zodiac]

Diesel here is about .20 cheaper than premium, but a VW TDi will get on average 40+ mpg, so I would say it would be worth it.

[Virus]

I drive in Washington DC traffic. Takes 60-90 minutes to go 26 miles for reference. The few people I know that have had tdi's always claimed to have gotten better mileage than the 30c/42h claimed. Is that embellishment? For reference diesel is $4.20 a gallon here currently and I live in the boonies.

[Millatime84]

Should be able to get a good deal on a 2012 with the 2013 tdi hitting the lots.

[Virus]

I wish VW would extend their 0% for 60 to the tdi

[Whitey72]

1.9% ain't bad. Looking at around $20/ month more than 0%. Shouldn't be a deal breaker if you like it.

[Slizzo]

I drive in Washington DC traffic. Takes 60-90 minutes to go 26 miles for reference. The few people I know that have had tdi's always claimed to have gotten better mileage than the 30c/42h claimed. Is that embellishment? For reference diesel is $4.20 a gallon here currently and I live in the boonies.

Guy I work with has a 2003 and gets 45 or more regularly.

[Virus]

1.29 for 60. 1.49 for 72 at the credit union.

[wreckwriter]

Cruze is a decent car.

[-Ray-]

Cruze and the focus get good mileage.
The Cruze will have the better warranty.

[PaFromFL]

I'm happy with my 2012 Optima daily driver. The turbo-charged 274 hp 269 ft-lb 2.0 L engine is worth the extra money.

[Blanky]

Optima looks good. TDI you can go used and still get years out of it. Cruze is cheap and small. I like the Optima but I haven't compared prices...

[The Yeti]

I would go with the TDI. Get a little torque and good MPGs.

I'm in the same boat as you, as far as looking for a commuter. I just can't stand driving slow cars now, so I am picking up a small CUV/SUV. I can deal with slow if there is some utility to it...

[Virus]

I would go with the TDI. Get a little torque and good MPGs.

I'm in the same boat as you, as far as looking for a commuter. I just can't stand driving slow cars now, so I am picking up a small CUV/SUV. I can deal with slow if there is some utility to it...

I know what you mean. I drive a used Mazda CX-9 at Carmax and absolutely loved it. The interior layout is awesome. However I'm not sure I want to spend 30k. 25k is pushing it considering I will have roughly $1500 in car payments with 3 cars. We are trading in our loaded 2010 Denali XL tomorrow which is $889 a month @ 0% for a Odyssey Touring Elite which will save us $400 a month plus the gas savings. Was hoping the difference could get me a commuter car. With 3 kids I just can't be down a car when the G8 is "sick" and I want to keep the mileage down on it. My fear is exactly what you mentioned about driving a slow car vs a suv/cub.

[The Yeti]

I know what you mean. I drive a used Mazda CX-9 at Carmax and absolutely loved it. The interior layout is awesome. However I'm not sure I want to spend 30k. 25k is pushing it considering I will have roughly $1500 in car payments with 3 cars. We are trading in our loaded 2010 Denali XL tomorrow which is $889 a month @ 0% for a Odyssey Touring Elite which will save us $400 a month plus the gas savings. Was hoping the difference could get me a commuter car. With 3 kids I just can't be down a car when the G8 is "sick" and I want to keep the mileage down on it. My fear is exactly what you mentioned about driving a slow car vs a suv/cub.

$889 a month!!!

I'm going to buy a Kia Sportage. The new ones are pretty cool for what they are. 32mpg Highway/fully loaded for 22k.

[WickedMom]

I love my lil TDi Sportwagen. Around town I see about 30mpg, highway about 40-45mpg.
I had a few lil things that needed to be addressed so my VW dealer gave me a loaner Passat. That is a nice car, but the 2.5 only gets 25mpg on the highway.

[Virus]

$889 a month!!!

I'm going to buy a Kia Sportage. The new ones are pretty cool for what they are. 32mpg Highway/fully loaded for 22k.

Yep $889 a month. I think sticker was 65-66k, we paid 58k and financed around 52-54k @ 0% for 60 months. The Denali XL is nice, but it takes premium gas and minivans are just bigger, better family haulers. New payments should be around 470-475 a month for the top of the line Odyssey Touring Elite. I love the GMC Terrain, but man do they get pricey.

[Whitey72]

Touring elites arent exactly cheap. $40k+ for a minivan, especially a Honda, is crazy. I assume that monthly is a lease or includes a serious down payment.

[Zodiac]

Yep $889 a month. I think sticker was 65-66k, we paid 58k and financed around 52-54k @ 0% for 60 months. The Denali XL is nice, but it takes premium gas and minivans are just bigger, better family haulers. New payments should be around 470-475 a month for the top of the line Odyssey Touring Elite. I love the GMC Terrain, but man do they get pricey.

Yeah you see the starting prices for the new terrain denali? Ouch, car companies need to get pricing into perspective again. I rented a loaded terrain with the 4 cyl. Not a terrible vehicle got 30mpg in it for my almost 2000 miles of driving, but the 4cyl always felt too underpowered.

Also damn on that monthly payment. I didn't pay that much for my G8 and my Grand Cherokee, and I won't be paying that when I get my new car and my GC lol.

[Virus]

I will have to do the math tonight, but the out the door price was 40,200. That's ttt and everything. 1.49% for 72 months. Can't do the online calculators on my iPhone.

[Virus]

Will only be financing 31-32k

[Zodiac]

Not bad, I personally just wouldn't buy a Honda, but I always hear the minivans are great. I wish you the best of luck.

[Whitey72]

OK. Never considered a 6 year loan. But yeah, with a rate that low why not?

With that rate, id finance the whole thing.

[Virus]

I drove the Kia Sedona and Kia Optima. Both were great vehicles for the money. The Sedona's materials looked a little cheap, but overall it was a nicely equipped vehicle with lots of room. The Optima was a complete surprise. Looks nice outside and inside. While some materials on the particular model I drove were cheap hard plastic, they looked decent. Fit and finish were good. The cabin is huge and actually appears to be larger than the G8 which was a shock. The trunk was also very large. The steering was well weighted on the heavier side which I really liked, but the feel for the road was rather numb. This is easily overlooked for the purpose of the vehicle. Next up for test drives are the Subaru Impreza Limited and Subaru Legacy Limited. Hoping I like the Subaru's as the AWD is important to me given we just got rid of our SUV. I hope the Impreza's rear seat room is adequate for Liam's Recarro seat. The Impreza equipped the way I want is also very attractively priced. Thoughts from those that have owned/seen/riden in the 2012/2013 Impreza and Legacy?

[Virus]

Well, I stumbled across some pretty exceptional deals yesterday on two cars I hadn't considered so wondering if anyone had personal experience or know anything about. 2012 Honda Accord EX-L for $22,300/ EX-L w/Nav $24,300 or a Ford Fusion SEL with 302A and remote start for $23,741. All excellent deals in my opinion, but not sure about them. I drove a coworkers 2010 Fusion and it was OK. Decent drive, but felt the materials and dash layout were just meh. Planning on trying the accord tonight.

[Virus]

Well, there's a shiny new 2012 Black Accord EX-L with Nav sitting in the driveway. I ended up getting it for $23,641 which is $4455 below posted invoice! MSRP was $30,645 and invoice was $28,096. Total out the door was $24,854.85. Computer said I averaged 37.8mpg on the way home :D Too good of a deal to pass up. I absolutely love it!

[The Yeti]

Well, there's a shiny new 2012 Black Accord EX-L with Nav sitting in the driveway. I ended up getting it for $23,641 which is $4455 below posted invoice! MSRP was $30,645 and invoice was $28,096. Total out the door was $24,854.85. Computer said I averaged 37.8mpg on the way home :D Too good of a deal to pass up. I absolutely love it!

Cool stuff. Be on the look out for issues with the rear brakes burning through the pads quickly. My sister has a 2008 Accord V6 EX-L (the L stands for leather and nothing more) and unfortunately I own a 2009 Accord EX-L V6 Coupe. The rears have been replaced twice with in 50k miles. My sisters were replaced 3 times. Honda won't do anything about it except give you a 150 reimbursement for the first set of pads you wear through early.

It is an issue with the cars stability management engaging too much I think.

Besides that and the excessive road noise that is inherent to our cars, they have been holding up exceptionally well.

[Virus]

Cool stuff. Be on the look out for issues with the rear brakes burning through the pads quickly. My sister has a 2008 Accord V6 EX-L (the L stands for leather and nothing more) and unfortunately I own a 2009 Accord EX-L V6 Coupe. The rears have been replaced twice with in 50k miles. My sisters were replaced 3 times. Honda won't do anything about it except give you a 150 reimbursement for the first set of pads you wear through early.

It is an issue with the cars stability management engaging too much I think.

Besides that and the excessive road noise that is inherent to our cars, they have been holding up exceptionally well.

25k out of the rear brakes? Sounds like I G8 :D Thanks for the heads up. It was a tough decision between a new Accord Sport and the 2012. The only reason I really wanted the Nav was because of the display. I could care less about the actual nav unit. The new Accords come standard with a big screen and have a TON more tech features. You don't get sat radio unless you step up to the EX-L line in 2013. None of the dealers in the DC area will negotiate on the new Accords. They all want sticker or above. The dealership I was working with was willing to discount $500. With them coming with more features on the lower lines, it actually made the Accord Sport around the same price as the 2012 EX-L with Nav. The new Accords handle really well. Steering is very good for a FWD car and has a lot of road feel. The new CVT trans is seamless and awesome. In the end though, the 2012 I bought had everything I wanted and the price was great. Now it's time to fix the G8.

[MIEngineer]

Cruze Eco or LTZ Turbo. Been getting awesome fuel economy in the body shop loaner LTZ turbo even with the auto.

A few friends/coworkers have Cruze Ecos. Great mileage and comfort for sub $20k.

Im looking at one of those and unloading my old cars, I want a 2013 Avalanche.

[WickedMom]

I love my lil TDi. :)


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[GM Customer Service]

Cruze Eco or LTZ Turbo. Been getting awesome fuel economy in the body shop loaner LTZ turbo even with the auto.

A few friends/coworkers have Cruze Ecos. Great mileage and comfort for sub $20k.

Im looking at one of those and unloading my old cars, I want a 2013 Avalanche.


MIEngineer,

The Chevrolet Cruze Eco is very good vehicle for saving on gas. I see that you are also looking for a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche; here is a link to see the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche http://www.chevrolet.com/avalanche-suv-truck.html . Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.


Thank you,

Tina
GM Customer Service

[Virus]

I love my lil TDi. :)


Sent from my insanely great iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

It's an awesome car! Unfortunately it just wasn't a comfortable fit for me.

[MIEngineer]

MIEngineer,

The Chevrolet Cruze Eco is very good vehicle for saving on gas. I see that you are also looking for a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche; here is a link to see the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche http://www.chevrolet.com/avalanche-suv-truck.html . Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.


Thank you,

Tina
GM Customer Service

Hi Tina...

I actually work for GM also :)

I need to ask you something however. I will contact you when I have a chance.

As far as the topic...still loving this Cruze LTZ. Low 30s...with me driving at that...looked at a few while up north this weekend/today.

[GM Customer Service]

Hi Tina...

I actually work for GM also :)

I need to ask you something however. I will contact you when I have a chance.

As far as the topic...still loving this Cruze LTZ. Low 30s...with me driving at that...looked at a few while up north this weekend/today.

MIEngineer,

When ever you get a moment I will be here. I Look forward to your reply!

Tina
GM Customer Service