Hey fellow car fans! I’m nearing the end of my lease in my current auto (2013 Honda Civic). I’d love to hear some suggestions from folks way more knowledgeable than myself (which is everyone else, lol!!), on what car I should look at. I have a LOT of time left (Dec 2016) to take test drives and research so no pressure at all. Here’s my short list of things I’d like in my next vehicle, in order of priority: 1) gas mileage 2) reliability 3) 5 passenger <2 car seats and an adult in the back - if possible> 4) price under $25k. I’m a little older than most (43 this yr) and I do have a bad left knee (even though I LOVE driving a stick) so the left side of the driver’s side is a major issue as well - comfort wise. My initial choices are 2015 Civic hybrid, 2017 CR-V, or 2017 Accord. I’m not married to these cars so I’m willing to test drive other makes and models. The dealer still has a couple of the 2015 hybrid Civics left. I hear the 2017 Civic is better on gas than these. Currently I’m averaging about 28MPG city/hwy driving over the past few months. If you need more info, please let me know what else I can provide. Thanks ya’ll!!
2017 Mazda 6. If you get it in the lowest trim line it will be in your price range. A Toyota Camry will also fit all of your needs above and will be easier to enter and exit. I would also consider a Ford Fusion or Chevy Malibu. Both are excellent vehicles.
I’d drop the 2015 Civic for the new model, much improved. Please explain #3, you mean 2 car seats + 1 adult in the rear seat? If so you’ll need to take your seats and find out, no way for us to know how big your seats are. That said, an Accord would have more room than the Civic. CRV a possibility.
And those other intermediate sedans are all good options. The Mazda 6 would be at the top of my list, if it met my other needs.
If you need 2 child seats and an adult in the back, you need a midsize or full size vehicle. look at a Mazda CX-5. My daughter owns one and is very happy with it. If you can’t get it with a 2L engine, the gas mileage is excellent.
The roomiest intermediate is the Hyundai Sonata. In a car it’s as roomy as a full size vehicle. A compactt car would be very cramped with 2 car seats and one adult.
You might want to look at a minivan or a crossover vehicle.
Take the hybrids off the list. They are meant to have great gas mileage but with limited amount of miles on a lease you will not save enough to justify the extra cost.
Only you and who ever will be driving are the only ones who can decide what vehicle you should have. That is why they have something called test drive.
Get a Consumer Reports New Car Preview at the local bookstore and test drive those that look interesting.
By the way, I strongly recommend against leasing again. Leasing cars is a guarantee that you will never ever be free of car payments. You’ll send your check every month and when the lease ends you’ll have nothing, nada, zip, zero. No equity and no car. And limitations on the mileage will prevent you from accepting that nice job you might get 30 miles from home. or ignoring those dings that really don’t bother you. In the long run, leasing is a losing proposition.
I think the two choices you list are very good ones. I’d expect you’d be completely happy w/either. If you want to take advantage of some test drive experiences tho, some folks think that is a fun thing to do, maybe try Toyota’s version of these cars, the Corolla and the Camry. I’d look at the Ford Focus too myself, but only in the manual transmission configuration for that car. I’d probably take a look at the Chevy Volt and Toyota’s Prius’s too, but those cars aren’t for everybody and might fall out of your price range.
Telling someone which car to buy is like telling someone which prospect to marry. Roll the dice take your chances, and move on if needed.
I’m against the 2015 Civic Hybrid. For your needs, in any case
It’s the same body style as your 2013 non-hybrid Civic
And because it’s a hybrid, the battery pack will eat up space. So essentially, the car will be even less useful for you with the baby seats, versus the current car you have
2 baby seats AND an adult in the backseat pretty much means you have to rule out small cars such as the Civic. You need to look at midsize cars
The Mazda 6 seems to be a good bet, if you like the styling
Ford Fusion might also be a good bet. Again, if you like the styling
If value retention is important . . . if you’re thinking of buying, versus leasing . . . then Honda or Toyota is the way to go. Ford, GM, Kia, Hyundai, etc., they all lose value rather quickly, versus Honda or Toyota
The Civic Hybrid is not even a good hybrid, if you wanted a Hybrid, get a Prius, but that is a different story.
I agree that two car seats and an adult in the back seat moves you one size up from the Civic. If that criteria is flexible, then the 2016 Civic stick shift gets good reviews and some say it is even more fun than the Mazda 3.
In the midsize world (Camry, Accord, Sonata, Optima, Fusion) should be on your short list. I do not like the Accord for the CVT transmission, the styling on the Camry is not my favorite but most my friends think it looks great. Test drive the Mazda 6 along a few others and see which one you like.
The “adult in the back seat with 2 car seats” seems to drive your whole decision. This rules out a compact if you want to keep peace in the family. Also, those in the car seats will be adult size long before the vehicle is worn out!!! Please keep that in mind.
I would get a minivan and be set for the next 15 years1. Please THINK AHEAD!!!
Wow!! Thanks ya’ll… yes I understand the “downfall” of leasing. For our needs, it works. My wife loves her CR-V and we’re going to parlay that into a purchase once her’s is up in a couple of years. Decisions are difficult, and like one person said, just roll the dice. I’ll be test driving all of the above suggestions in the coming months to see which ones I like. I don’t care for the looks, I’m more a functionality kinda guy. The Mazda 6 seems like it’s pretty high on a lot of reviews so I’ll take a look at that one. I really just need a work car, nice on miles, and my wallet. #3 is a nice to have since we have a CR-V already. I like the height of that one, but the gas mileage isn’t as good as the Civic. I’d even go so far as to push #3 down to #4b. VolvoV70, if I find a really good deal on a good/reliable car, then it’ll be a purchase, not lease so miles won’t be an issue next time. Thanks ya’l!!
Edmunds sure loves their 2016 Civic EX-L, which they got for $25k. Latest post has a long trip at 49 mpg.