Help me pick out a new car?

[skateycat]

I know I said I was intrigued by the idea of never buying a new car until I was a millionaire, but I tipped over to the advantages of buying new.

We have finalists:

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Nissan Sentra
Kia Forte
Hyundai Elantra

All of them except the Nissan would keep us having the same dealership that we bought our last car from and that do maintenance on both our cars. We have been satisfied with them and the last salesperson we worked with was actually enjoyable to do business with.

[Allskate]

I have had Civics my entire adult life and am glad. My current Civic is over ten years old. The only thing I don't like about it is the front bumper, which dents easily. I've never had to fix anything else on it. Just changed the battery, changed oil, rotated tires, etc. Basic maintenance. It also gets good gas mileage. However, I have heard that the recent Civics are not quite as good, so you might want to look into that.

[smurfy]

I have had Civics my entire adult life and am glad. My current Civic is over ten years old. The only thing I don't like about it is the front bumper, which dents easily. I've never had to fix anything else on it. Just changed the battery, changed oil, rotated tires, etc. Basic maintenance. It also gets good gas mileage. However, I have heard that the recent Civics are not quite as good, so you might want to look into that.

I have had a Honda Accord and Acura Integra/RSX and Honda makes great cars. But I have read that the recent Civics are not as highly rated as previously. Friends with Toyotas are happy. Don't know as much about the others, but Hyundai has risen in the ranks.

[WindSpirit]

I vote for Toyota Corolla.

Or Honda Civic (2012 was not the best year, though)

I was thinking about Elantra, too, but not sure how long it'd last. Don't they use lots of plastic? Plus, in my country Hyundai is still considered a crappy car. Not so in the US, so hopefully they make them better for this market. Visually Elenatra is quite nice, and it gets more features for the money than Corolla and Civic.

BTW, my Corolla has been almost problem free (only 2 that I remember and they were cheap to fix) for 12 years. Oh wait, it's 13. Damn, that's a long time! We've had a Civic, too. Similar story, although we didn't have it for so long (bought it used and sold it a few years later).

[Anita18]

I have a 2009 Civic and no complaints. It gets great gas mileage. Even when I'm sometimes stuck in LA traffic (granted, not all the time...) I consistently get 30mpg and higher.

AC and cruise control didn't come standard though on the cheapest model, I had to get the LX. Luckily, the dealership I bought it from quoted me a GREAT price online (close to the Fit's invoice price), and I marched right there with the email and got one that day for that price.

[vesperholly]

I LOVED my 99 Corolla and I miss it daily. It had fabulous mileage, super reliable and never any weird issues, only maintenance. Also kept its value like crazy - when I totalled it in 2010, my insurance paid me $5,000 for a 11-year-old car with 110K miles.

I never knew how nicely the Toyota interior layout and design was until I got into a car (Mazda3) that was just kind of awkward. The cupholders are in a weird place, doors don't open as wide, not enough nooks and crannies for stuff, etc.

[Bostonfan]

I've heard good things from people who have Civics, but I've never owned one. I'm a Corolla driver. My latest is the "S" - sports corolla which looks a bit snazzier. I have no complaints. I tend to drive my cars until they die, so any car that I can reliably drive for 10+ years is essential.

[Aceon6]

Of the ones on your list, I'd go with the Toyota or the Hyundai. I forget where you're located, but if you could use AWD, check out the Subaru Impreza. It's in the same price class and the 2012 re-design has gotten great reviews.

[Sarah]

Love my corolla!

I'm on my second--a 2010. I love it! Great mileage, reliable, easy to drive, etc. When I was looking, I also tried the Elantra and while I liked it a lot, I keep my cars forever. My old Corolla (a 1996) was bought used at 86,000 miles and sold to my mechanic (for his daughter) at 210,000. It's still going strong. I drive a lot (my 2010 has 50,000 miles on it already) and don't know how long the Elantra would last. Besides, I'm a Corolla person.

[Sk8Kate]

I LOVE my Civic! It's 14 years old and is by far the most reliable car I've ever owned. Mine has over 105K miles but it stills runs like a dream and I've never had to do much more than basic maintenance on it. Not sure if the newer ones are built the same way my '98 is, but everyone I know who a Honda loves their Honda.

I remember growing up that Hyundais and Kias were not very good, but I think they're very highly rated now and both come with a fantastic warranty, so they must have changed their processes and seem to be doing something right!

[made_in_canada]

My parents have a 2009 Elantra and I have a 2008 Accent and we've both been super impressed with Hyundai's quality. Mine just hit the 100,000 km mark and is doing really well. We also had a 1999 Accent that in five years we put 300,000 km's on and we didn't maintain well (and survived two teenagers driving it) that only ever needed a new alternator until it was finally given away.

[KikiSashaFan]

I'm partial to Toyotas. I have a 2002 Echo, my mom has a 2007 Yaris and my dad has a 2011 Venza and they're all fantastic. Knock on wood, but my car is 10 years old with 175,000kms on it and outside of regular maintainence I've never had a repair on it.

[4rkidz]

i loved my Toyota Corolla.. since then I have had a hyndai and currently a Kia (sportage).. if I was going to get another sedan car I would for sure go back to a corolla..

[Alexa5]

I have a 2001 Honda Civic with 165K on it, and it is still doing great. Someone at the shop said it could potentially make it to 400K, which shocked me, as I am aiming for 200K, but I will keep it as long as it is running well/doesn't need anything major replaced. All I have really done is regular maintenance, replacing things that normally need replaced, etc.

[FigureSpins]

First choice: Corolla Second choice: Impreza

Both are reliable and retain their value for resale.

Family & friends swear by Corollas and keep them a long time with only regular maintenance, barring accidents.

We've had several Imprezas over the years and they're great cars, albeit a little noisy. Can't beat the AWD in bad weather.

[Rob]

My mother and I both had Honda Accords in the 80s. My mother's was a 1986 automatic and it lived until 2005. My 1984 was manual and about the size of today's Civic. I had to get the clutch changed quite a bit, but I lived in NYC traffic, and technology has evolved. Rust killed mine with about 125,000 miles on it. My mother's got about 185,000.

My 1994 Corolla saved my husband's life when he fell asleep at the wheel, went airborne off a highway going about 70 mph, bounced off a hill, and landed half way up a tree. He had some minor cuts and bruises and walked away (after climbing down from the tree).
We got my mother a 2005 Corolla after that and it gets about 35 mpg. Her's has a few style features like the fake wood strips inside. Never anything wrong with them other than usual maintenance (other than my husband's crashes).

My husband's partner swears by his Hyundai's. He says the quality now rivals the Honda/Toyota for less $$$$.

[Peaches LaTour]

I had a Toyota Corolla for several years - it was a piece of junk even though I always take very good car of my cars. I also felt that that male employees in the service department at Toyota talked down to me because I was a woman.

I've have my Honda Civic now for ten years and it is by far and away the best car I have ever had. However, the 2012 Honda Civics are so bad that Consumer Reports would not give it a rating, at all. So, if you are interested in the Civic, I would check out the Consumer Reports for the 2013 Civic.

[Andora]

I have a 2010 Elantra and love it. The warranty beat Honda and Toyota's, and as a first-time car owner, that was important to me. I think the gas mileage is good, but lately I've done mostly highway driving and at not-always-gas-friendly speeds, so...

We've taken it on various trips and camping and it seems to hold a LOT for a compact car. The only thing I don't love about it is the lack of pick-up, but I think that's pretty standard for compact cars-- at least with the ones I've rented (Civic, Corolla, etc.). It handles better than anything domestic at all speeds.

[LilJen]

I had a 1991 Corolla for, what, 17 years? Great car. Only reason we didn't replace it with another Corolla is that we really, really wanted the fold-down-flat seats, and Corollas at the time did not feature that, and a hatchback, for better doggie toting.

[Kaffeine]

I don't have any of those cars but I do own a Toyota, a 2008 Scion xB which is nowadays a toyota camry with a different shell . Only issue I had with mine was the water pump (which was fixed for free and a new warranty issued)