I have trouble finding vehicles without a sunroof. They may just not be listed. Time for a visit.
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+1
Sunroofs/Moonroofs are now so commonplace that it’s possible the seller doesn’t even mention that feature.
Shop their web site by the type of vehicle you want. They deliver all over the country. Shipping fees are reasonable. If within your state, probably free.
Yes, the years mentioned Corolla’s are sedans, but the Toyota Matrix 2003-2013 (Pontiac Vibe 2003-2010, same car) is a 4 door w/hatch…
Now that Toyota stopped making the Matric/Vibe, Corolla has started making different Hatch backs such as the Corolla Cross 2022 - now (auto only), Corolla Hatch 2019 & up and offered with a 6 speed manual & auto… I am not sure if any Hatchbacks were made between 2014-2018…
I believe the Cross is a crossover, meaning more of a CUV or SUV, so higher off the ground, but the Corolla Hatch is low to the ground like what you are looking for and they start New at $23,505, so maybe 2020 or so would be more in your price range…
But almost all the vehicles now a days will have the fancy dashes so maybe a little harder to get away from them… And a lot of the safety warning stuff can be turned off…
Hope that helps some…
That term usually means the same as “4WD”, or four-wheel drive. It’s a much more robust version of AWD, and comes with pickup trucks and jeep-like vehicles mostly. Car terminology isn’t consistent & can be pretty ambiguous and difficult to interpret. You aren’t alone. For example, this recent thread
There are sedans with sun/moonroofs, but not much else that I see. You’d think they were standard on all cars now. The ones that do have them seem to always be shown in the pictures they post, typically in the first 3 pictures. If it’s not within those 3-5, I don’t go any further.
Yes, helps, in that I didn’t know at least some of those things can be turned off. Will have to make sure the dealer tells me how to do that with the car I eventually get.
I did shop their website. A lot of cars cost in the $500 range, and some almost $1000 to ship. Rarely see something under $500, at least the ones I think I’d be interested in. I don’t want to pay those kind of prices just to find out I don’t like the car. Would be extremely expensive.
Scion iM was the corolla hatch by another name for 2016 then became the Corolla iM for 2017-2018 until the current Corolla hatchback was introduced
We rented a RHD cousin of the iM in the UK in 2013 and it really impressed me even though it was a tight fit for the 5 of us it seemed like something worth considering if they sold it here. The Scion only had an updated infotainment system and the steering wheel on the lfeft as differences from our rental which was badged as the Auris over there with a slightly smaller engine but the same automatic gearbox with manual shifting.
Navigation was the only option for the Scion in 2016 other than transmission choice and dealer accessories. Picture is of our rental car almost 11yrs ago.
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So, the one I thought I’d like - that 2017 Subaru Outback - I didn’t like. Drove 3 more, don’t remember which ones right now - but one had basically NO pickup, another was extremely noisy, and the last was too high to get in/out of and over my price. So back to the drawing board.
Based on the information from you guys and the dealer that with all AWD vehicles, if one tire goes bad you have to replace all 4, I am now staying away from AWDs and concentrating strictly on FWDs. That was what my Mazda had, so I know it’s good in snowy winter weather. Huge dealer I was at has like 10 thousand vehicles of all makes, so they say, and I’m just starting with them, so I’m sure it’s going to take a while. And when I don’t have appointments with them I’ll be looking at other dealers in the area. Gonna go to that Carmax place and see what they have that’s not listed on their website.
The type/brand/model of tire–and how much tread it has–is the biggest factor in winter traction, regardless of whether a vehicle has AWD or FWD.
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Agree. But as I said, no more AWDs.
But, you also stated that you “know” that FWD is good in winter, because your Mazda was FWD. I was merely pointing-out that the “wrong” type of tire can give you a LOT of problems in winter weather. I learned that the hard way.
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Suggest to read the comments by posters here who have used Carmax, search link upper right this page. the general advice here when buying a used car is to pay your own mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection before writing any checks. Money well spent imo.
I think the rental car company cars they sell after they are done renting them are pretty good too. Usually in the 2-5 year old range, well equipped, and the basic maintenance is usually up to date. Ask about their warranty. The main downsides are the limited selection and nearly all of the cars will have an automatic transmission. I don’t think they dicker much on the price. But if you they happen to have what you are looking for at the right price, good chance you’ll be good to go. Best of luck.
Not always, I delt with multiple rental company’s for years (22+ years, 17 with my last job and 5+ for a rental company), rental company’s do oil changes and rotations regularly and safety repairs, but they don’t care if a vehicle gets good fuel mileage or not, so other maintenances are not done if required, or sold off right before they are due… Rental company’s will dump the car if it starts giving any issues and always put the cheapest tires available… And have you ever heard the phrase drive it like you stole it?? That is how a lot of rental vehicles are driven… So if you buy a rental car, be prepared to buy new tires, brakes soon, battery soon, all maintenance other than basic oil changes, possible suspension parts from flying over speed bumps, hitting potholes and hitting curbs and such… I know the 2018 Chevy truck my company put me in for 2 months and well over 4K miles was driven hard and fast, I’m sure I shortened the life of the drive train a little… lol
Not saying they are all bad, but just don’t think that just because they are retired rental cars, they are great buys… They sell them off before they start having problems with them…
I know that one rental company would not use Dexos Blend engine oil in any GM vehicle that required it, they only used conventional oil, they bought so many vehicles from GM that if they had a problem due to not running the proper oil GM would still warranty the engine for them, so after selling those vehicles off (hundreds of thousands) they may or may not of had premature engine failures down the road (shortened engine life)… And no, GM no longer warrantied them after the rental company sold them off…
Just what this person needs is car buying advice from someone who has not bought a car in the last 200 years.
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yes. And I agreed with you. The type of tire does make a difference.
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