[stickypaws]

Don't forget that the Fiesta is a tiny mini-compact. So, it might not be such a Fiesta driving one daily on LA freeways. Great little car for inter-urban city driving, no doubt.

I lived in LA for decades (now live up the central coast after living in Malibu for many years.) You gamble with your life (not to mention your sanity) every minute on the freeways. I'd choose safety over anything else. And remember that despite individual safety ratings, the laws of physics will always dictate a weight and size advantage.

Which freeway(s) will she/you (confused; is this for you or your sister?) be primarily using. Some of them are complete hell holes. "Over in LA?" where are you? LA County is the size of Connecticut with a population the size of Michigan. 80 miles suggests you/she are in the IE or down in OC or up in the SFV, SCV or AV.

[MarkR171]

The Fit is a good one, can get a nicely equipped Fit for under 20k easily.

[hipnotic]

I went to the dealer today and now my sister has narrowed it down to either the scion tC or the honda civic coupe? Which ones do you guys think is better. I was not too impressed with the fit. Dont forget this is just a commuter car to go to school don't want anything to flashy and performance is not must. It seems like the tC is better than the civic what is your guys opinion?

[hipnotic]

if you guys know of any other cars in that budget range would be great for a commuter car.

[Freakazoid]

don't forget about hyundais.... you can get a 10 sonata for like 12k

[hipnotic]

how i do know how reliable hyundai and infiniti are? What is your opinion and if a hyundai what type for 20,000?

[The__J__Factor]

Hyundai are defiantly a bargain, have great warranties and reliability. She likes coupes by the sounds of it. Maybe show her a Genesis coupe?

Other wise i would choose the civic coupe over the tc, but choose the Genesis over both.

[hipnotic]

why do you guys think the civic is better than the tc? i've never owned a hyundai and i was wondering how reliable the car is and the maintenance cost compared to honda and toyota

[MarkR171]

I think the Civic is nicer than the Scion, but if it's for your sister and she doesn't care about performance, let her choose. Can't go wrong with either one.

I sat in the new Hyundai Sonata at an auto show recently. It impressed me for a car with a 20k sticker. Good value, good warranty, and Hyundai seems to be stepping up to the plate these days. The base price is at 19195 so it will be hard to find one at a dealership at 20k or under unless it had no options (though they are nicely equipped standard.)


The Genesis is nice, and would be an obvious winner over the civic and tc in my opinion, but it starts at 22k.

What about an Impreza or Legacy? VW Jetta? Mazda 3/6?

The new Mazda 6 is a pretty good looking car for under 20k.

[MediaArtist]

A used Lotus Elise! You can add a supercharger and it'll do 10's.

Is the extra mileage on your 3 going to outweigh the money you'll spend on getting a new car + insurance? I commute to LA from the OC daily, I already have 21,000 miles on my car which I bought back in the end of July of 2009. Mixed, I average around 23.6 mpg and on the freeway around 28-29.

[hipnotic]

the car is exactly for my sister who is going to be driving to LA as a commuter car. We don't need anything fancy or flashy or high performance but something that will just get us to point A and back home safely with low cost maintence.

[2M]

VW Golf 6

[hipnotic]

how come civic coupe over the scion?

[Boost Gomez]

Honda Fit or Ford Fiesta. I'd lean towards the Fiesta though I've heard nothing but good things.

[sb335is]

I like the looks of the new forte koup. i drove one and its nice but i just hated how the seats felt like they sat way too high. im 5 11

[Freakazoid]

hyundai reliability is outstanding.... granted not QUITE to the level of honda and toyota... but I firmly believe they're the only 2 brands that are higher... (keep in mind this is with me owning a BMW, and pretty much every other brand over the years).

The cars are solid, have no issues, and can go for 100k miles with nothing but basic maintenance. Seriously check them out... for the price they can't be beat. Significantly less than a honda/toyota equivalent and you're getting something that's only a hair behind
Stay away from Kias for the time being...not sold on them yet...

[kpcoupe]

sorry, i can't really help, but I can refer you to this. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395565

[mmm def]

I have a Honda Fit with 53k, it's my DD and I LOVE it. Nothing but oil changes. Runs like a champ. 30+mpg, got 38 on a trip from NJ to Maine. The new Fiesta is nice too, but I'm a Honda fanboi.

[jibaholic101]

the civic coupe or a used accord seems to be the best choice

[Casca]

Originally Posted by mmm def

I have a Honda Fit with 53k, it's my DD and I LOVE it. Nothing but oil changes. Runs like a champ. 30+mpg, got 38 on a trip from NJ to Maine. The new Fiesta is nice too, but I'm a Honda fanboi.

I'm deciding now between the Honda Fit and the Ford Fiesta. At first I was heavily leaning towards the Fit, but looking it over, the Fiesta seems like a much better choice. I'd lose cargo space, but except for the occasional weird stuff I might carry, the extra cargo space of the fit is not really usable, although I do like that the Fit's seats can fold down flat.


The Fit gets 117hp at 6600rpm, MSRP $19800ishk (nav, VSA) and only does a rated 33mpg on the highway. The Fiesta does 120hp at 6300rpm, gets nearly 40mpg on the highway and MSRP's at $17,773. With incentives, I think I can get the SES version with 5speed manual, an FOB for push button start, sync system with bluetooth (the nav version on the fit does not have bluetooth) that will sync to my droid for music (mp3's, pandora, last fm), navigation and phone calls and more, voice commands, leather (real?) interior for under $17k before ttl.

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by josh06lau

I have test drove a mini before and I enjoyed it a lot especially its mpg is pretty incredible but i do not know if i can get one new for under 20? Any other opinions?

Get a Mini. I am sure you can find a dealer willing to give you $500-$1000 over invoice. MSRP on a Mini is $19,500.


Or a VW Golf or Jetta. Much rather have one of those over a Honda or Toyota. If you are going Jap get a Mazda.