Yet another "what car should I buy" question
March 11, 2017 3:05 PM   Subscribe

I need to buy a car as part of a move to Medford, OR (I'm currently car free). I'd prefer a small, fuel-efficient used model, and I'm flexible on price up to about $15K, $7-10K is better. Thoughts about what price range offers the best value are welcome, and whether to buy in PDX or Medford (buying in Medford would entail renting a car while I shop)?

Anticipated uses are:
a short commute to work (ca. 5 miles one way, no highway),
hiking trips on the weekends, and
longer highway trips to PDX or SFO a few times a year.

I'm comfortable driving in snow and on forest service roads without 4WD, know how to use chains appropriately, and should be able to just avoid driving for a few days if the roads are really awful. I am an average-sized solo lady. My last car was a Volvo wagon bought from a private party - it was bigger than I needed and going to a specialist repair place was a hassle / $$$.
posted by momus_window to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)
 
You'll get a lot of Honda Fit suggestions, but we paid a lot less for a Nissan Versa, and it's fine. You could very likely find a used one in your price range. It's been reliable and they're generally known for reliability. Backseat room is excellent for a vehicle that size.
posted by cnc at 3:56 PM on March 11, 2017 [1 favorite]


I loved my leased Honda Fit... it has been best in class for a long time, too. I only upgraded to a CRV because it lacked 4wd and I couldn't put a proper roof rack on it - otherwise that little Fit was my favorite car ever!
posted by itsflyable at 4:31 PM on March 11, 2017


Best answer: Having worked on a number of Nissans, just a warning - they're great until they're not. Repairs are more complicated than they should be (not designed for effective repairs) and parts are quite expensive compared to Honda or Toyota parts. Just FYI.
posted by notsnot at 5:44 PM on March 11, 2017 [1 favorite]


I really loved my Ford Focus. Though I think the Fiesta is now Ford's economy car? Anyway it was the best mix of economy and reliability. I had it for 15 years and sold it last year and I still miss it.

My husband bought a Kia Soul new for $13K two years ago and he LOVES IT. It gets good mileage and even the very base model has good features like bluetooth.

Also, can I make a dis-recommendation? Don't buy a Honda Civic Hybrid. I have one (I inherited it when my dad died last year) and I love it. It's appealing because it gets such good mileage and Hondas are reliable. But the hybrid model needs to be driven literally every day or the hybrid battery drains and fails. I'm on my second hybrid battery pack after the car sat for the last six months of my dad's life the battery failed... and this past Sunday, after parking it on Friday and not driving it on Saturday, the battery was already depleted when I tried to drive to church.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:23 AM on March 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I got a used Honda Fit, and it gets over 40 mpg and has a freakish amount of cargo space. FWIW I also considered Mazda 3s and Kia Souls but there just wasn't a lot of stock, the Ford Fiesta had a terrible rating in consumer reports.
posted by momus_window at 7:30 PM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


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