Question Your favorite compact car

mlohry

New member
We are in need of a car. We have an Ody for our main vehicle, but also need a car for DH, me. We would like something we can get all 5 of us into. Something with 5 shoulder belts and head rests. Something good on mileage. Will buy used, probably not older than an 07. Would maybe use for long trips to save mileage, so not TOO small. Oh, we have 3 kids, one in a backless booster, a almost 7 yr old in a HB TB and a 2 year RF in a MA 70 or Scenera. Would be ok with new seats, would prefer not to get a Radian. Let me know what you have/want.
 
ADS

steph

New member
Honda Civic or Accord (depending on how small you want)

or Toyota Corolla.

Not a huge fan of the Toyota Camrys.
 

T4K

Well-known member
What's your budget? With 3 kids and considering use for trips, I'd try and look at Accorda or Camrys. If you want something even more economical, maybe the Civic or Elentra.
 

mlohry

New member
My DH use to have an Accord some years back, before we had our van and he loved it. We have thought about the Civic and Prius Hybrids too.
 

mlohry

New member
kathysr98 said:
I really like the Focus.

Bookmama has/had one & could probably help with a three across.

Good to know, I have never looked at the Fords. My DH likes their trucks :) I know they have high safety standards and he likes that they didn't participate in the gov't bailout.
 

Morganthe

New member
Honda Civic or Accord (depending on how small you want)

or Toyota Corolla.

I don't know if it's typical or something the OP would be concerned about, but I rented a 2010 Corolla this summer for two weeks. The driver's seat was very cramped and illfitting. Taking it down to the lowest setting, I still sat up too high in it, imo. Felt like I was going to smack the visor. I had it pushed back and as low as it could go too. :( (read the instructions to ensure this) Didn't help when my back started to spasm the last 4-5 days I drove the thing.

Back seat was awesome for booster use in a small car and I could see 3 kids fitting back there. Peppy, lots of get up and go... but it didn't make up for radiating pain from driving. Longest time I drove at a pop was only 45 minutes. That was bad enough. Driving longer would have been impossible.

I also could never figure out where the darned thing ended in the front for parking. Visibility was troublesome, especially out the sides & rear. I was very unimpressed with the entire experience and the driver's seat was miserable. :( My mom liked the front passenger's seat. :shrug-shoulders:



A few years back, I rented a Mazda 3 for 2 weeks in 2009. Now that was an awesome small car. :thumbsup: Tall Adults fit in the back seat on each side of dd's booster. Driver's position had lots of adjustments & was very comfortable. Lots of get up and go on hills at interstate speeds -- wonderful economy of gas. I'd look into one of those again in a heartbeat. :love:
 

veggiegirl228

New member
Honda Accord. One thing to think about is how tall the ppl who ride up front are. Some years ago a BF's parents had the Corolla (can't remember how tall they were) but I wasn't comfortable in the back seat (room wise).
 

Jocey'sMommy

New member
<3 my brother's mazda 3 hatchback . . . the only trouble I have had with it is that latch is buried really deep like the civics which can be a real PAIN
 

TXAggieTech

Active member
I looked at the Ford Focus and Fiesta yesterday. 40 MPG highway and starting at 16K and 13K new. We have rented a few focus and been happy. I think the Fiesta would be too small for us but they are so durn cute!

I also like the Chevy Cruze but the Focus seems just a tad better. I really want SYNC so that might be part of it.
 

mlohry

New member
TXAggieTech said:
I looked at the Ford Focus and Fiesta yesterday. 40 MPG highway and starting at 16K and 13K new. We have rented a few focus and been happy. I think the Fiesta would be too small for us but they are so durn cute!

I also like the Chevy Cruze but the Focus seems just a tad better. I really want SYNC so that might be part of it.

What is Sync??? I like the Cruze by pics, but they are a little pricier and we want to find one at least back to 2010 to save a bit. I found some 2010 Focuses for about 13. Which is totally in our range.
 
We've been very happy with our '97 Honda Civic - it's held up quite well for its age, 130K+ on the odo and nothing but routine maintenance and replacement of things like brake pads, water pump and timing belt, etc. DH is 6'2" with most of his height in his legs, and it passes his "Can I sit behind myself?" test - if he pushes the driver's seat all the way back, he can still fit in the rear passenger seat (as could a rear-facing Graco SnugRide or Britax Roundabout) - he found that Corollas of the same model year wouldn't have as much leg room.
I drove a new Corolla for a day when our Highlander was in the shop for warranty repairs and thought it was just sorta okay but not great, but that might be partly b/c I'm used to driving manual transmission and the Corolla was an automatic and I found it kind of annoying that it seemed like the transmission was constantly shifting around even at freeway speed, like it had been programmed to micromanage the engine/tranny to maximize MPG.
 

sirrahn

Active member
My DH use to have an Accord some years back, before we had our van and he loved it. We have thought about the Civic and Prius Hybrids too.

I took DH's Prius on a road trip a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I only had 2 kids with me and they're the only 2 I still have in seats, but it's a really nice ride on the highway....very quiet and smooth. Can't beat 52mpg either!

I used to have an Accord, my mom has an Accord, DH's dad had an Accord and now a Civic, my brother used to have a Civic too...they are/were great cars as well.
 

TXAggieTech

Active member
What is Sync??? I like the Cruze by pics, but they are a little pricier and we want to find one at least back to 2010 to save a bit. I found some 2010 Focuses for about 13. Which is totally in our range.

Ford Sync

On board computer that works with your cell phone and ipod to do pretty much everything.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
I really like the Focus.

Bookmama has/had one & could probably help with a three across.

I have a 2003 Focus Wagon. I generally do NOT recommend an older Focus (they changed them for the 2008? model year), especially for those with kids of booster age. The problem is that there are NO headrests in the back seat, so all boostered kids will need a high-back to provide adequate head support. That's why my 10.5YO is still in a high-back booster. (Without a booster, the seatbelt doesn't fit. With a booster, his head is well above the seatback.)

Also, it IS tough to get a 3-across in an older Focus, especially when you need to leave room for kids to buckle a booster. Not sure you'd be able to do it without a Radian. We have Coccoro/Britax Starriser/Comfy (discontinued narrow booster/Radian and honestly, DS barely has room to buckle.

The Fiesta is a little better, but not much. Our sitter has one and I had a hard time getting our seats in - in fact, I recall that I let DS go boosterless because there was a headrest in the middle.
 

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