Well, considering that most two-door hatchbacks are designed for young people, I don’t think you will like any of them unless you find yourself another Suzuki Swift. Check out some small two door coupes with back seats that fold down. I originally wanted a two door hatchback, but ended up with a two door coupe because it was a better deal. The coupe actually has more cargo room because of the extra length of the vehicle. So what I recommend you test drive are:
Hyundai Accent hatchback.
Hyundai Accent coupe or sedan.
Honda Civic coupe.
Toyota Corolla, even if it has four doors.
Toyota Matrix, even if it has four doors.
Mazda’s hatchbacks.
…and, yes, the Ford Focus.
Chevy Aveo.
Limiting your search to a hatchback virtually assures you will end up with another car you hate because it was designed to be a cheap entry level model. If nothing else, driving some coupes will give you something with which to compare the Hyundai and broaden your experience. With all the four door hatchbacks out there, it might be worth living with the extra doors just to broaden your choices.
You left out the best overall choice, the Honda Fit; tons of room inside, fun to drive, very reliable and long lived. That’s the one I originally suggested, but I remember OP not judging it “suitable”. You can actually shove your kayak inside a Fit with the passenger seat folded down!
I also advised the OP to buy a Honda Fit or a Hyundai Accent, “way back when”. She rejected those suggestions–and not in a very nice way, I might add–and as a result, I am reluctant to recommend anything specific for her at this point.
Let’s not forget that there was another adamant poster a few months back who HATED the ride quality of her new Honda Fit Sport. Upon further questioning, we determined that she had test-driven the “regular” Fit, but had bought the Sport model. This is a very similar situation to otterhere, who test-drove a 4-door Yaris, and incorrectly concluded that it would be identical in every way (other than the number of doors) to the 2-door Yaris–and thus began this ongoing tale of woe.
If someone asks for specific recommendations, I will offer them, but I will not make any more recommendations to otterhere. As has been suggested, she needs to start trolling ALL of the car showrooms in her area, and she needs to take an extended test drive in the EXACT same models in which she has some interest. Only by doing this can she hope to find a car that equals the exquisite qualities of her previous car, a Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro.
Rather than test drive, RENT one for a week. If you don’t like it then, then step up to a Matrix/Vibe style vehicle.
How about a Mini Cooper?
Ohwait, too big, right?
How about this:
In response to one of her earlier rants about the Yaris, I facetiously suggested the new Tata Nano (the world’s cheapest car that will likely never qualify for sale in the US), and she enthusiastically stated that she loved it!
Apparently the quirky styling and the decidedly down-market appearance of the Nano instantly appealed to her, despite the fact that it is devoid of anything that a modern car normally possesses, including adequate power, air conditioning, safety features, etc. We can only wonder about the ride quality of this cheapo vehicle, and whether it is the equal of a Suzuki Swift.
I would just say that after renting the potential future car for one month and deciding on the model buy one. If I were the OP I will definitely go for a used car, it gives you less of a $ headache when you get buyers remorse.
Sometimes how a car feels, rides, and its ergonomics are more important than reliability. My girlfriend bought a used Cavalier several years ago. I was against the purchase, but the car fit her and it has proven to be a decent vehicle. You never know when you will find the right vehicle until you test it.
“She rejected those suggestions–and not in a very nice way, I might add…”
Uh, how was I “not very nice,” VDC? I think the Fit is ugly, and probably said so; is that what you refer to??? As for the Accent, obviously, I should’ve tried it…
I tried both the Accent and the Yaris. I thought the Yaris was a bit better built and more solid then the Accent. What fried my bacon about the Accent was that the insurance was $200 more a year then the 300M I was junking at the time. The Yaris was $75 cheaper. The only problem I have with Yari is that it gets blown around in the wind at highway speeds.
Most of your insurance cost is based on possible collision damage, and your 300M probably had close to $0 residual value, hence the much lower cost. ANY new car will have higher insurance cost because everything gets fixed up to new condition with new parts. An unsafe old car costs less to insure than a super-safe new car!
“Maybe a Vespa would be in the OP’s best interest…”
Did you really mean Vespa or were you thinking about the Versa? I haven’t seen a Vespa in years. These cars were very small and imported in the early 1960’s. This would probably be the right car for the OP if one could be found. If not, then maybe a King Midget might be available.
I thought that maybe the Yaris was built in the USA while the Accent was an import. The insurance company couldn’t explain why the major difference in yearly rates between the two cars. I tried the Matrix but it seemed as though they stuffed the same 1.5L motor into the bigger car. It was pretty gutless notwithstanding. Anyway I’m happy with the Yaris so far even after a year. The only thing bugging me was I ordered it with a manual tranny but it came without a tachometer. What bugged me more was it took nearly a month before I noticed! My 1961 Ford Falcon didn’t have one either.
For a while, I was very happy, as I thought that someone else remembered the Vespa automobile. However, I looked at the URL you supplied and found that you were refering to Vespa motor scooters. Now I’m back to thinking that I’m the only one on the planet that remembers the Vespa automobile. At any rate, the Vespa car would be great for the OP to have along with the Yaris. The Yaris would seem like a Cadillac after riding around in the Vespa. When I would think that my 1965 Rambler didn’t ride well, I would go drive around in my 1950 Chevrolet 1 ton pick-up. By the same reasoning, the ride of the 1950 Chevrolet pick-up woulc really improve after driving the Farmall F-12 tractor. The point is that riding qualities of an autombile are very subjective. The suggestion of renting a car for a week-end is very good. We have a 2003 Toyota 4Runner and the first impression is that the ride is too hard. Yet, I made a 700 mile round trip this week-end and even at my age (67) didn’t feel a bit tired or stiff driving it 350 miles at a stretch. I don’t know if the OP has done this, but she should take a long week-end trip to see if the Yaris grows on her.
In 1961 most car dealers did not even know what a tachometer was! Only Road & Track magazine routinely mentioned them because they tested sports cars. Even the early T Birds did not have one. My sister’s 1962 Falcon was really barebones; minimal instruments of dimestore quality, I recall. Did you know that the top of the gas tank was also the bottom of the trunk on those cars? Another Ford way to save money. Robert McNamara was president at that time, I believe.
Insurance rates have puzzled me as well. The Accent and Yaris are both safe, cost about the same to fix and are bought by a similar clientele. The Accent insurance rate may be influenced y the very poor reputation the Accent’s predecessor, the Excel, had. It was a fragile and troublesome car.