I am looking to get rid of my Altima. I test drove a new Civic yesterday and it was so-so. I looked at a Fit because it’s $2000 cheaper, but holy fuck are they ugly. I am not real concerned with how it looks, but I do have some standards. 
This is my work car. I could care less about color, options, wheels, etc… I want a smaller car that gets around 25mpg in town and is less than $20k. Are there any other cars I am forgetting?
If you want a buy it and forget it type car, then yes you covered the only two options IMO.
I really like the Fit. My buddy has an '07 (the new 08’s have a glass roof)…and it’s roomy, handles decently, fit and finish is on par with cheap cars…The Fit owns that category for sub-compacts.
new civic isnt bad. good enough get up and go for around town and its roomy and comfy. just watch out for some little defects like paint flaking and such.
always deal with dean honda, any other place we been to treats you like shit
I testdrove a 2007 civic when I was looking for a new car and was not impressed. I tried both the EX Coupe and Sedan and both were slow, clunky, and completely unimpressive. You may want to look into getting a Mazda3. If you are worried about low price and MPG, I would suggest the 2.0 liter Mazda3i Sedan. Do not get the S as it has a 2.3 liter engine. I get about 24 mpg in the city and 30 highway with the 2.3 hatchback and it cost me about 20K OTD, maybe a little more, I can’t remember. I have had no issues with mine mechanically or cosmetically. I know that coondog, Fijimazda3, and theJeans all have mazda3’s also but I believe we all have the 2.3 s.
He’s right about that. The new Civic has taken the place of the older Accords, disconnected, sport-less…the choice of foreigners at every local university.
That’s not bad if you want a soft riding car, gets good mileage and frankly don’t give two shits about anything else. But if you want some inkling of sportiness while being mileage/cost-minded then both the Fit and Mazda3i are decent choices.
Scion xd, toyota corolla, toyota matrix, pontiac vibe. I drove hondas for years, but prefer toyotas now
TBSS
buy a rabbit… fits are so homo it’s unreal… fugly can’t even being to describe it
Chevy HHR … very comfortable DD … FWD for winter … all seats fold down/huge inside … built on Cobalt platform … 24/30 mpg.
STICKER PRICES: 16K w/5 speed 17K w/auto
Fuck Hondas…
not sure on price, but a scion tc, toyota corolla, or used honda accord.
The new Rabbits with the lip kit on them are really nice looking cars. I’m def. not impressed with the new Civics.
For as much of a Honda fanboi as I am, my parents HHR isn’t bad at all. I actually kind of like how it drives. Its real easy to load stuff into the hatch floor is at a good height. They just took it to Florida and got 32 mpg out of it. Only downsides are the the 2.2 motor is kinda weak (we got the 2.4, moves around ok). And the interior still leaves a little to be desired, but its not that bad compared to past offerings.
To me the Fit falls into the same niche, just smaller motor & nicer interior. Of course there are plenty of people out there who don’t like the look of either car lol.
Def. should be able to get 30+ out of the Ecotec, 2.2 or 2.4. I got 35 on my way to Virginia Beach last month.
If you don’t like the polarizing look of the Fit, maybe look at the new Corolla. The base 5-speed invoices at $14,200. I believe they are 27/35mpg. I almost put my parents in a 2008 though they ultimately wanted a crossover (they were stepping down from an Explorer).
Alternatively I would agree that the Mazda3 is worth looking at.
mazda 3 they are very nice cars and decent priced. altilma and fairly cheap vehicles that are fun is a sentra spec V and you still have a little dignity in buying a nissan…
nissan was my least towed vehicle i ever dealt with. then honda toyota and most was hyundai stay away from them. subaru has a nice impreza that is fairly cheap. but i love the look of the mazda 3…
Rabbit, Corolla, or the new larger Scion xB.
Do you care about AWD?
the new maxima se-Racecar
New xB is really nice. My mother in law got one last winter and it is really spacious inside, especially the rear leg room. It is a little bit underpowered and the handling isn’t great though. But it will get the job done. Has a decent trunk/hatch and the seats fold down easy for more space.
I probably won’t even look at an American car, I would like my DD to have a decent interior and last more than 4 years.
I will have to look at the Toyota’s, I can’t believe I forgot about them.
I loved my nissan, it’s a fucking tank, but I hear the newer ones are not made as well. :dunno: I didn’t spend $100 in the first 6 years I had the car. I just recently replaced the o2 sensors, radiator, and a bunch of other sensors (BTW, how many fucking sensors does a car need to run, it’s god damn rediculous). I just want to get rid of this car before something big breaks.
spec-v, mazda 3, scion tc, corolla, rabbit, maybe a used mini cooper