I have an (essentially worthless) old beater car that qualifies for the "Cash for Clunkers" rebate passed recently by the House and Senate. Basically I am eligible for a $3500 credit towards a new car with EPA 22mpg or better or a $4500 towards a new car with EPA average 28 MPG or better if I turn in the old beater (good riddance!).

I never buy new cars due to the ridiculous depreciation, but my wife and I are ready to start a family and we really need a new or almost new car. The gov't rebate is tipping the balance towards new. We could reasonably afford to pay cash for a sub $20k car. Plan on keeping it for 10+ years assuming it continues to meet our needs.

Criteria:
Manual Trans
Enough power to get out of its own way
Room for 2 car seats + luggage in the back.
Red (wife's sole request)
Excellent reliability
Good resale value in case we out grow it or wreck it.

The Mazdaspeed 3 seemed to be the perfect answer. The price was abit of a stretch, but the wife approved of the expenditure. I thought heaven had finally smiled upon me, but alas avg EPA fuel econ does not qualify for the credit at at 20 MPG. Which was the whole reason for looking at new cars in the first place.

So far I have looked at:
2010 Mazda 3 - S Sport Hatch
2009 Honda Civic Sedan (LX & Si trim)
2010 Honda Insight Hybrid
2009 Toyota Corolla/Matrix S
2010 Ford Fusion S (2.5L 4-cyl 6speed manual)

I'll share my thoughts on each later, but I wanted to hear what you guys and to say first. Any other car I have over looked? Thanks!

 

I love the Volvos for family cars. An S40 with AWD and the turbo 5cyl would be a good one.
--Alex

 

FTW....I've been drooling over these the past few days...I think I found another contender in my hunt, R32 move over!! That thing is bad *** on many different level!

 

Yeah I like the Speed3 a lot but I have always liked hot hatches. My wife will need a new (used) car in a year or so since hers is getting up there on mileage. I would be looking at a Speed3 for her but she HAS to have an automatic :P

If you can live without the Speed3 power I would think the Mazda 3 5-door would be a good choice. My nephew has a Mazda 3 (4 door) and has been happy with it. Nice cars for the money. My brother (nephew's father) has put 250-300K miles (drives a lot for work) on a few 323s and Protoges (now Mazda 3) and they are very reliable.

 

Another vote for the MS3. My ideal fun daily right now.

 

Mitsubishi Lancer. The DE trim which has alloy wheels, 60/40 split rear seat (unfortunately not flat), 160hp mivec engine, 30mpg average per tank (I calculate that every tank of gas, best I've gotten is 32mpg), great fun on the road, but also comfortable for long trips, looks great in red, has a 5spd with an incredibly soft clutch, so it's not uncomfortable in stop/go traffic, they have an mp3 hook up (if it doesn't come with one, there's a $50 cable that'll plug into the factory harness), great reliability, and all for $18,000. But that's what I paid for mine which has a 6-disc in-dash cd player, fog lights, and a few other upgrades I can't think of. Love that car.

edit: I test drove the mazda 3, no way could I of afforded the ms3, much less the 2.3 mazda3, and although it gets slightly better gas mileage, different gearing plus a whooping 4 extra hp made the lancer seem much more fun.

 

the mazda 3 has one of the best interiors for the money imo. The tranny is alil nothcy overall but it does have decent power and the room and frugality you seek. Suspension brakes etc especialy with the 2.3 liter + models is pretty damn nice as well. The dif in the 2.3 is alot more than the stats sheet makes it out to be the bigger motor is so much nicer and all the **** if gives you rocks.

 

Of the cars *you* listed as options, either the Mazda-3 or the Ford Fusion. - The Fusion will not have the resale the Mazda will, however both are on the same platform and you might be able to get a better deal on the Ford.

- L

 

Mazda 3 hands down, whether it be the 2.3 or the MS 3 I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

I work with a lot of people that have the Civic Si and they all love it.

When I test drove the Si and the MS3 back to back the MS3 seemed better in almost every way though.

It would be hard to go wrong with the Si, not the fastest car in it's class anymore but still a darn good car.

 

Can I vote twice??


















MS3 AGAIN! (Sorry, just had to ***** out this awsome pic I just found!! And for anyone interested, those are the MS6 stock rims painted gunmetal..) I think I'm in love..

More Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roberth...7605581578505/

 

Damn, just looked up the Subaru WRX, combined is 21, its like the government knew and just put the requirement one higher. And the 2010 speed3 is the same, someone in government hates fast turbo cars.

 

VW Jetta TDi.

 

I rocked my G/F's Mugen SI for awhile, and I LOVED that car. It wasn't fast, but it was a great car overall.

 

i searched this govt program quickly but some things are unclear.

the mpg rating;
is this city, highway, or combined?
what about hd trucks? my 3/4 ton wasn't even rated for any mpg.

 

I would vote Mazda 3 but not for the new ones with that stupid ******* smilie face. If you can get an 09 then you got my vote for that.
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/thread

 

If you're looking for a good family car and a good price, look for a 94-97 4 door acura integra:

I replaced my PT Cruiser with a 96 integra 4 door, and I love it. It has a ton of space for 2 car seats in the back, a massive trunk, and a ton of aftermarket support. I put a B20B motor in it for $750, and gained a bunch of torque. You can easily throw a turbo on them, do a higher end motor swap, supercharge... the world is your oyster. A buttload of suspension upgrades, exterior upgrades... And you can get them for under $5000

P.S. - I realize you wanted new, but these really are a good family car.

 

What!? I love the 2010 MS3.






Interior is my favorite new part. Love the double decker gauges, but not so much the wheel.

 

My friend has one and hates it. Only 140k miles and he has gone through 2 transmissions, the paint is all kinds of messed up, its slow, its plain, interior is very plain even by 1990's Acura/Honda standards. I will say cleaned up with simple mods (and turbo) they can be pretty nice.

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