Went car shopping

[Ramairgt1]

This past Saturday my girlfriend and I went car shopping for her first brand new car. She wants something with good gas mileage, reliability, and safety.

We tried out the following models:
2006 Hyundai Elantra
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt LS
2006 Saturn Ion
2006 Honda Civic LX


The Elantra was a joke. I felt like we were in a mid 80's econobox. I see why those things are so cheap. Materials are junk, gauges are boring as hell, seats aren’t even close to being comfy, and the car makes so many noises it sounds like its dieing. This thing was an absolute dog going up hills, I almost had to get out and push. Gas mileage was terrible for a 4cyl car, 24/32 just wouldn’t cut it. This car was $14,900 OTD w/2k down but they wouldn’t budge on the sticker price and my GF absolutely hated it...the warranty was nice but the car was just absolute junk. They could’ve tried to sell us this car for $5k and we still wouldn’t have bought it.

The cobalt LS was ok I guess. She likes the looks of the outside. The inside was a different story. The fitment of the panels was decent but the materials looked and felt really cheap. There weren’t many places for storage at all. The steering felt loose and the car didn’t respond very well to quick steers to the left or right. Power wise this was better than the elantra but I still thought it was a dog going up the same hill. The dealer offered a decent price but without power windows and locks. To add those was another $800 and they wouldn’t budge on the sticker price.
Thanks but no thanks.

The Ion was ugly as sin. I have no idea why we even tried that one out.
The inside was decent, again the materials felt cheap but the fitment was nice. She did like where the gauges were, they are in the middle of the dash at an angle. The steering on this car felt smooth and it seemed to handle well. The onstar was a nice touch but the subscription was pricey.
It had plenty of storage and the engine felt peppy. The final price OTD ended up being $17,500 but they wouldn’t take my GM card discount, there are no rebates, and they wouldn’t budge on the sticker price. I hate no haggle dealers.

And now the civic. My GF likes the new civic but she didn’t want to look at them as she thought she couldn’t afford it, but i talked her into trying one out.
This is the first time i have seen the new civic up close.
We were both impressed to say the least. The materials weren’t as cheap looking as the above cars, the fitment was really nice. The seats were actually comfy and there was plenty of head room in the back seat. The gauges were futuristic and she loved the blue color. The stereo had a nice lil thump to it and none of the panels rattled when we cranked it.
The back seat area didn’t have the "hump" in the middle and there was a ton of storage space, more than any car mentioned above.
The steering felt smooth and the car would turn on a dime compared to the others. Power wise again was decent, it got up that same hill better than any of the other cars but I am biased since I drive a 6 banger so I’m not really impressed with any 140hp car. But then again these types of cars are built for economy not performance and she doesn’t care how fast it can go.
Gas mileage was also the best on this car compared to the above.(30/40)
Sticker price on this car was a little bit higher than all of the above ($16.5k) but you get what you pay for. Once the dealer took $2k off the sticker with no trade in and offered an extended warranty for half off she was sold. OTD this car was $14,500 with $2k down.

She will be picking up her brand new silver Honda Civic LX today. Her b-day is Wednesday so it will be a nice lil present to herself. Pics will come when we pick it up tonight. If anyone is interested in a 1995 Contour thats in decent shape it will be posted in the for sale section by the end of the week.

On a side note...
I also test drove the Honda Ridgeline and I must say I was impressed. Fit and finish was as good as my TL and it has some neat options. The only thing I didn’t like was that its front wheel drive. I could care less about what others say about it but for a midsized truck that thing was a beauty.

[Foxy]

Congrats; I think I would've gone the same way too. Surprised that Chevy wouldn't bargain on the price of the Colbalt; you should call them and say, "Hey, look what I got since you wouldn't bargain." I think the Civic's the best choice out of any of those cars mentioned, price aside.

[Ramairgt1]

Thanks
The honda place is right accross the street from the chevy dealer, believe me we will be paying them another visit.

[99GrandAMSE]

... as hard as it is for me to say, I think the Honda is probably the best choice out of those 4 mentioned; although, I really don't like the look of the new Civic but since I am not the one buying it, it doesn't matter ... I wish her the best of luck

[goredsox]

2dr or 4dr???

[2001GAGT]

Nice choice John!! I am sure she will like it.


On a side note when I seen the Title of the thread and you had started it I was thinking OH no not again.

[XoticGA]

Originally posted by 2001GAGT
Nice choice John!! I am sure she will like it.


On a side note when I seen the Title of the thread and you had started it I was thinking OH no not again.

Congrats on the new purchase

I wanted a civic when I was looking at cars last year, but I couldn't swing it

[Ramairgt1]

its a 4dr, in case down the road we get a lil one

Thanks Greg, I was actually waiting for someone to say that