I had to drive one for 2 weeks since Avis had run out of intermediate models. All the above descriptins are true. An extremely unrefined car, really bad visibility, less inside room than a much smaller Honda Fit. Gas mileage for such a large (on the outside) vehicle was not bad, compared to a Jeep Liberty which I was also stuck with some time earlier. Reliability, as pointed out, is so-so.
If you build a nostalgia vehcle, don’t carry over all the bad aspects of that era. The only reason I felt somewhat sentimental driving this thing was that for my highschool summer army cadet training were were picked up by the army in the real thing, an olive drab Chevy suburban model with 3 rows of bone hard leatherette seats, no A/C of course and no seat belts. But that was the fifties!
I just got a Honda Fit,I was about one of the first ones. It is silver,2008.Our dealership Bob Thomas Honda was great.But 2 weeks old I was traveling to Portland here in Oregon on 22west and my sister and I saw a Black bear crossing the road. We proceeded to speed up,it has power for a 4 cylinder, and thank God I did as he proceeded to hit the back side of the car,so now I have a small dent above the drivers side tire. My husband was amazed to say the least. So I will get a bear sticker and put it above the dent ha! I get 36 to 44 miles depending. I travel 40 miles to Fred Meyers to work 5 days a week so I love this car I do I do.
There is no single “best small car” because we are individuals, not sheeple. For me and my long-suffering wife, the best is the Mini Cooper. We piled up miles on our 2002, 12th car delivered in New England, got a slightly used 2005, which had horrible constrictive bucket seats, and now have a near-new 2007. All basic Coopers, not “S”. The Mini is sporty, fun and fast, and once you shed the run-flat tires, the ride is great! I average 35 MPG on regular gas. Premium gas IS NOT necessary for a Mini. Many drivers we meet wave or flash the lights; something you won’t get driving a Corolla or some other Japanese look-alike. “You-ification” is important; many of us modify our cars. You won’t see very many duplicates. And the BMW quality is wonderful, and the warranty seems to go on forever…
I would recommend the Acura RSX base 5 speed. I have a 2002 and it has 160 hp, average 30 mpg mixed driving…higher on hiway, regular fuel, very very reliable, etc. I’ve taken it cross country 2x (MD-CA-VA) without any problems.
The best small car depends on what you want out of your small car. We wanted reliability, fuel economy, and good crash test results for $15-16K. This narrowed it down to the Fit, Versa, and Yaris. The Rabbit, Corolla, Civic, 3 are all $2-3K too expensive, so they were out. Volkswagen’s reliability and gas mileage is really iffy, so the Rabbit was double out. The Accent received terrible side impact crash ratings from IIHS (make sure you check this site before buying any car; it is more rigorous than the governments NHTSA), so it was out. The Mini was too expensive and small. The Smart is too small, crude, and gets mileage only marginally better than a more useful and safe Fit or Yaris.
We ended up buying a loaded Yaris sedan after comparing it to the Fit and Versa over several test drives. The Versa’s reliability just isn’t on par with Toyota and Honda, and it gets mediocre gas mileage without accelerating any quicker than the Yaris. We really liked the flexibility of the Fit, but there were two deal killers: road noise and acceleration with the automatic. We spend a lot of time on the highway and the Fit is simply too loud; we weren’t going down that road again after suffering through road trips in our previous 93 Civic. The Fit does not accelerate as well as the Yaris, and it somehow does not feel as substantial or solid. The cargo flexibility of the Fit is wonderful, but we rarely need to haul bulky items. We like our Yaris; it is peppy, quiet, well-built, and comfortable considering its price; it has top notch reliability so we don’t have to spend a lot of money fixing an economy car; and it has high IIHS crash test results. And yes, we it pulled 43 mpg on a 400 mile road trip. Make a list of your priorities and take some time before deciding which car to buy.
The Yaris was brand new as a 2007 model year. I would be very surprised if they did anything to redesign the body for 2009. The previous Corolla went six years without so much as a face lift.
You get used to the center mounted gauge cluster; it does not take your eyes any farther off the road. We have a Yaris and I had acclimated to it by the time I got it home from the dealership. My beef with the xB is the bloated size and large engine that isn’t even rated at 30mpg on the highway. Not really a small car.
True, the Yaris sedan lacks the flexibility of the Fit and the does not handle as sharply, but it has much less road noise, a smooth engine and transmission, and an interior of similar quality. Cargo flexibility excluded, I think it is on par with the Fit. That will probably change with the new 09 Fit, though. Be careful with the Accent; it received a “poor” rating in the IIHS side impact tests, even with the side airbags. In contrast, the Yaris, Fit, and Versa all received “good” ratings. The Accent also trails the Yaris in acceleration, fuel economy, and reliability.
Wonderful summary, and I especially like how you ended up choosing the very car I want (except that I want the Yaris HATCH), thus confirming my choice; thanks much!!!
DaveG–Perhaps Fireball Robert’s previous car was a Chevette! If you compare the HHR to the Chevette, then it is obvious that GM made significant strides in the intervening decades since the Chevette went out of production. Unfortunately, however, the Chevette and the Yugo are virtually the only vehicles to which the HHR is superior.
I have a Toyota Prius and I get 61mpg and I use it for moving air freight. It’s great as the car can be loaded up and drives well. With the sportcars that I see of the fuel efficient types that look that there from a sci-fi show. The MONEY is the hole that make the people of the U.S. make there decisions now! So for the question of which car is best is the question more of what car you effort. What will the citizens for this country do or is do without? I see the citizens having to go back to the way of living that was when you went out the door you walked to the store took the trolly or train to work and eliminate the use for the automobile or use one when motored to the countryside. What do you think.
I would say the Toyota Corolla is the best bet. I had one I bought new in 99 and had until last year, when it was rear ended and considered a total loss, even though it still ran fine. I clocked over 183K on it and it ran like a champ. Only thing I didn’t like were the cheap door handles (inside and out) I needed to replace them (not expensive) and I have seen other toyotas with broken door handles, so I guess their hardware isn’t the best.
The 1.8l engine has lots of pep, gives great economy and the transmission was flawless for entire life of vehicle. Also for the do it yourself mechanic this car is user friendly under the hood. Easy access to everything.
I think you win. It seems that the Peel P50 has a 2 cycle engine. One can fog for mosquitoes while commuting to work. I think that the no-reverse problem could be solved very easily. I remember little 2 cycle boat motor engines, I think they were Neptune motors made by Muncie Gear, that would rotate in either direction depending on which way one pulled the flywheel… An accessory for the P50 would be a switch that reverses the polarity of the starter motor, and then the engine would rotate in either direction. The King Midget predated this car–the King Midget was a car of the 1950’s. The Peel P50 was a car of the 1960’s. I haven’t kept up with cars made after 1959, since no really good car has been made after this time, except for the Peel P50.
So made in the US with better fuel economy than a Civic. When I equip them the way I want, I’m forced into a Civic EX at an MSRP of $20,145. Meanwhile I can get a Focus SE similarly equipped (+ traction control) for an MSRP of $15,980. According to truedelta.com, the Focus (2005 is the only model with results) is holding its own against the Civic in terms of reliability, too. (http://www.truedelta.com/results0308.php).
The big selling point to the Civic would be the resale value. But considering I keep cars until they have NO resale value, that’s hardly a consideration for me.
I own a 2007 Versa S hatchback and think it’s great! I’m 6’3" and come from a tall family so space is important. I like to show off the “trick” in my car where, with the driver seat all the way back, I can comfortably sit in the seat behind it. The six-speed manual transmission is very nice allowing me to squeeze out up to 37mpg on the highway by driving responsibly. (Note: it’s difficult to find a manual transmission these days.)
I tried the Yaris and found it a bit cramped. I don’t like the two-door design. The Fit is a nice car and would have preferred that, but it didn’t fit in my price range. Some nice features about the Fit are: (1) the back seat folds down flat; (2) being smaller than the Versa, it gets better mileage.
I have not tried the Scion xA, Smart Twofer, or Mini Cooper.
I’ve owned a Smart ForTwo Passion for a year now (17000 miles). I’m averaging 46 mpg (1/3 city, 1/3 hwy, and 1/3 mountain driving). Very practical, safe and economical. I’ve fitted everything from a 6ft Christmas tree to a keg of beer and attending items into it. If you can adjust to the automated manual transmission, then it’s a good option. I bought it because 98% of the time, I’m just driving myself around and the two seater makes sense.
