Go for the Fit,if you have test driven it,(be nice if you could drive a demo for a week-you probably arent good looking enough to pull that off,however{knew a gal that basically did that with a Bonneville{then didnt buy}dont know if the salesperson lost their job or not)
The Mazda3 is an impressive car, but so is the Fit. Despite being smaller on the outside, It feels a lot roomier than the Mazda, especially in back, and the cargo space is astoundingly large and even more impressive with the seat folded. I read people who think the Fit is too small for commuting, as if the ride is unbearably rough and every bigger car will blow it off the road. Itās both bigger and heavier than a Civic of twenty years ago, and back them nobody thought they were too small and light for commuting. I think the Fit is a perfect everyday car except for people who commute over high mountain passes or for ridiculously long distances. Or for someone too wide for the seats, as it is a narrow car. It wouldnāt be my dream car for a long road trip, but Iāve done those trips in smaller and lighter cars and donāt remember them as unbearable. I suspect if you drive it conservatively youāll get upwards of 35 mpg in freeway driving. Even our old 1994 Civic could get that. OK, so you canāt tow a boat with it. Nothing you can tow a boat with it. Or most other cars. You really do need two vehicles, if that is important to you, though renting a boat would be my choice. Most people I know whoāve bought boats have regretted it.
Iāve always liked the Honda Fit, a friend has a 2015 CVT for his roughly 90 mile round-trip highway commute, getting 40+mpg. If youāre looking at the Corolla why not try a Scion iM which is on the same platform and same engine but as a 5dr hatch. We had the came car as a rental in england for a week and were very impressed. You can get a manual on that one too.
Well, the Mazda is certainly. . . curvier than the others, doesnāt really ādo itā for me. Of course the pictures on their website are all red cars with big rims / low profile tires, not my thing.
The Corolla comes in, get this, TWELVE different trim lines ('cause they want to keep things simple {sarcasm}) allegedly in 10 different colors, ,but the one I built online only offers me black, two shades of grey, and white. Like the old Model T, any color you want so long as it is black (or today, grey & white). I guess youāve gotta upgrade to a higher level trim and buy a package of stuff you donāt want to get to a blue car?
I find the Honda website to be most user-friendly of the ones Iāve looked at, but I could be biased because I like their car. Choose the model, transmission, trim line, color, and accessories, and youāve got your sticker price. Then make sure your bladder is absolutely 100% empty and head off to a local dealer to battle over final price. Nice enough. I wish Honda made a real pickup truck too. (Yeah I know they had that Ridgeline, but with those sloping sides you couldnāt put a camper top on it). All of their āspecial offersā are for rentals (leases) but I suppose if I were to insist, they would actually SELL me a car.
Why do all of the cars nowadays have larger and larger tires? Used to be small cars had the 15580r13ās, midsized sedans had 14" tires, Big pickups / SUVās had 15" tires. Now even the smallest cars have 15" tires (which they want you to upgrade to 16" or 17") and the pickup trucks have 18" or even 20". Being a suspicious sort of fellow, is the reason just so they can charge you more for tires, or is there a legitimate reason why the tires / wheels have gotten so big?
Not so long ago, you could get a set of 4 15580r13ās mounted balanced and installed for under $200. Now tires are usually $80+ each + mounting balancing and installation. And they wonder why people are willing to take a chance on used tires. . .
@āEd Frugalā
āUsed to be small cars had the 15580r13āsā
Iāve got a 1994 Tercel sitting in my driveway with exactly that size . . .
I also remember my auntās early 1990s Corolla . . . same body style as Georgeās car . . . had that same size. When she passed away, her daughter let it go for peanuts. Somebody got a bargain
As for those fat truck tires . . . it can be physically exhausting to mount and balance a set, especially if the truck is a dually
Larger tires can be used to get the RPMās a little lower too, which could help out with the fuel economy.
The larger wheels and lower profile tires are strictly for style, ie, that is what the auto designers think the buyers want. Which has no relationship (in my opinion) with what they actually want. Same with narrow rear windows and reduced visibility.
They do NOT change fuel economy, they can setup the combinations of wheel size and tire size to match the required final diameter.
"The larger wheels and lower profile tires are strictly for styleā¦"
I donāt like them, but I thought they could reduce weight, particularly unsprung weight. No?
CSA
ācould reduce weightā ? Donāt know, havenāt seen any numbers on that. But Iād guess any reduction would be minimal, with no major effect on handling. The major problem, of course, is potholes. One pothole and you are out an expensive wheel and tire.
The narrow windows are due to all the crash tests and the requirements. The driver/passenger seats lower to be better protected, the pillars are getting thicker.
I ruined a tire on my new car a few years ago and went to the dealer to get an exact replacement. When I grabbed the P245/50R17 from the service counter, I couldnāt believe how light it was. I think my little trailer tire weighs more than those tires. I suspect weight has something to do with it.
@EdFrugal Just because I only spent $42 on REPAIRS over 9 years on my Toyota does not mean it runs for nothing. During that time I spent $1190 over 9 years ($132/yr) to properly maintain it as per the ownerās manual, and that included tire rotations.
The result is an essentially perfect running car with no oil consumption.
A few points: Shadowfax and Texases are quite correct about renting a boat or tow vehicle, or getting a cheaper truck. We decided to keep our dependable 19 year-old Explorer as a winter car and are happy with the decision. They are also cheaper to insure and register.
Have you thought about docking the boat, which is what most of our friends do?
Another option is buying a used commuter vehicle ā it depends on what your priorities are and where you drive (anyone buying a new car who works in the inner city or drives on poor city roads is not spending money wisely IMH0).
Yet another option is a vehicle such as a Subaru Outback, which can do nearly everything at least fairly well. You can buy tents that fit onto that car for sleeping more comfortably than in a tent. We have an RV and I can tell you if you think hotels are expensiveā¦ $80 will get you a tank of gas and that wonāt take you far (you will be in the same league if you buy a big enough truck for a camper and a boat tow).
Shopping for a new car can be a hassle, but the newer ones are so much more dependable and safe than they were even a few years ago, and customers have apparently demanded convenience, performance, and luxury, which explains all the computerized gear.
I guess it depends on where you live and the conditions there but I cannot imagine renting either a boat or tow vehicle. Ed mentioned one of the issues, fickle weather. Then there are the unknowns at the launch, which you have two opportunities to experience on each trip. Itās rough enough to get up, get everything mustered up, boat packed and head to the lake without having to go through the rental aspect. Then be under the gun to return it at some given time? There are very few lakes big enough to rent boats on site where I have lived. Many too far for a day trip so then youāre paying for sleeping accommodations too? If you like boating, renting doesnāt really make a lot of sense to me. Once a year for a family outing? OK. But once you have the bug, you might as well buy into it.
Up until last year, we went at least 2x a week in the summer. Three boats for various conditions, all trailered. Like to go to various local lakes/ocean, not stuck with one due to boat in slip. Last minute change of plans? No biggie, thereās always tomorrowā¦
My neighbor has a new generation Explorer and tows a 25 foot boat. The Explorer isnāt a huge truck and they also use it for commuting.
Yeah I wish I could rent a boat but on our lake there isnāt even a marina renting fishing boats or selling bait, let alone renting pontoons or speed boats. Even in the more populated areas you can rent a boat but need to bring your own motor unless you like to row. But owning a boat is a real hassle in cold country. Docks have to be pulled in every year and boats pulled in and stored and serviced every year.
Actually, Iād PREFER a used commuter vehicle, BUT, the problem becomes, the used ones cost almost as much as a NEW one, especially if one is looking at Hondas or Toyotas. I remember when I started out driving, you could get a 3 - 4 year old car with 40,000 - 50,000 miles for about 60% of the cost of a new one. 3 year old Toyotas and Hondas seem to be about $2 - $3k cheaper than a brand new one. Specifically, I recall last year when I almost bought a car, seeing 6 - 7 year old Honda Fits with 75 - 90k miles for what would have been $14k to $14.5k all told when I calculated I could get a brand spanking new one for perhaps $18.5k out the door. To be fair, I didnāt sit down with the salespeople to see how much that $14k could be chewed down.
To me, $14k+ for a 7 year old car closing in on 100,000 miles versus $18.5k for brand new is a no-brainer, the new one is a better value. Its like the whole car buying world is topsy-turvy now. To me, a used car with 100,000 miles on it is a $5,000 car, TOPS. Of course part of that is probably me suffering from āold guy syndromeā, where you remember what stuff USED TO COST back in the day and get highly aggravated because the same stuff now costs so much more. (Anybody remember the old jingle from the mid-80ās, āSakes alive, sakes alive, only Mazda has a sporty truck for only fifty-seven, ninety-five-sakes aliveā?) Today youād have trouble finding a used motorcycle for $5,795.
". . . three boats for various conditions. . . " sounds like what Iād need want. Without trying to explain my family situation, I do have relatives Iād like to treat to an occasional day on the water, on the other hand, its not my responsibility to entertain everyone at my expense either. As @TwinTurbo mentioned, thereās the logistics of getting everyone together at the same time & place (thereās always someone who has to work that day) then the weather doesnāt cooperate, and so on and so forth. . .
For just me, I think Iād be quite content to get a waverunner (which Iād say a waverunner is to a boat as a motorcycle is to a car) and thereās plenty of places I could go to have a fun day on the water. Additionally it would be nice to have a small skiff with a little outboard motor for lakes with horsepower restrictions. Not sayinā Iām going to run out and buy all of these boats, my bucket list is longer than my checking account is deep. But if I manage to live long enough, I hope to get all of that done. 
I see a lot of used waverunners listed for under $5,000, Iām talking including the motor and trailer. Also you can go to a resort area where they rent waverunners, at the end of the season they often sell off some of the fleet, and they have full maintenance records too.
Yep,but the jingle,I remember is,5895(could be wrong)I lament the loss of the $100 used car days-Kevin(yes ,buy new its cheaper,in the long run)