Car for wife [updated]

[Payman]

2014 Nissan Versa Note SV, manual, cruise, A/C, pwr windows/locks, Bluetooth, 8000 miles, $9999? Seems to check all the boxes, plus it's still new enough to have lots of warranty...

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Nissan/Versa+Note/Prince+George/British+Columbia/5_28599101_20070924101317305/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_5

[ifcar]

2014 Nissan Versa Note SV, manual, Bluetooth, 8000 miles, $9999? Seems to check all the boxes, plus it's still new enough to have lots of warranty...

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Nissan/Versa+Note/Prince+George/British+Columbia/5_28599101_20070924101317305/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_5

A Versa Note would be really be ideal for her, I think; unfortunately, Nissan annoyingly doesn't sell the manual with power windows here in the U.S.

[Payman]

A Versa Note would be really be ideal for her, I think; unfortunately, Nissan annoyingly doesn't sell the manual with power windows here in the U.S.

Bluh...

[2o6]

Bluh...

Kia does that with the Rio, too. (Unless you get a super rare Rio SX)

[Raza]

Did you not see the 10k dollar price cap?  5 door Minis are too new to have depreciated to that level.

Clubman?

[AutobahnSHO]

I wouldn't rule out the Scion xD- it's marginally bigger than the Yaris, and more available with options.

AS A MATTER OF FACT

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/5826304334.html

I like that one. I would drive it.

[MX793]

Clubman?

Clubman isn't a 5-door in the proper sense.  Ignoring the barn door cargo access instead of a hatch, there are only 2.5 doors to get into the passenger area from the sides.

[Raza]

Clubman isn't a 5-door in the proper sense.  Ignoring the barn door cargo access instead of a hatch, there are only 2.5 doors to get into the passenger area from the sides.

I don't know man, a door is a door.  I don't know how you can have half a door, unless it's top and bottom. 

Like this:





I see five* doors.   


*One door is implied. 

[ifcar]

Update: She still hasn't arrived in the U.S. or tested anything yet, but her favorite has gravitated toward the Kia Soul, especially as some listings have emerged with 2012s and 2013s for under $7,000. She also fell in love with the Nissan Cube's don't-give-a-shit ugliness, but the manual is pretty rare. We'll know more soon.

[ifcar]

Update 2: A Soul that we'd been watching dropped in price today, so she asked me to go ahead and get it rather than waiting for her to try it out. 2012 Soul Base (1.6, 6M), 83k miles, $5,790 (including the dealer's fee but not tax/tags).

[Eye of the Tiger]

That looks just like the one I did a motor swap on a couple of months ago.

[ifcar]

That looks just like the one I did a motor swap on a couple of months ago.

2012-14 1.6? It's not too late to add three years of powertrain warranty.

[Eye of the Tiger]

2012-14 1.6? It's not too late to add three years of powertrain warranty.

Nah, I did it on an automatic, and it was a fluke. The torque converter bolts backed out and punched a hole in the block causing a coolant leak, and the owner just kept driving it until a piston broke into pieces and locked the engine up. There were a total of four holes in that engine block.
I think the powertains on those are generally fine.

[ifcar]

Nah, I did it on an automatic, and it was a fluke. The torque converter bolts backed out and punched a hole in the block causing a coolant leak, and the owner just kept driving it until a piston broke into pieces and locked the engine up. There were a total of four holes in that engine block.
I think the powertains on those are generally fine.

Cool, thanks. 

[Vinsanity]

Nice. It might seem kinda weird to get her a car before she even arrives to go on test drives for herself, but honestly, it's probably the best compromise between the smaller Euro cars she's used to and the bigger Murican cars she'll be sharing the roads with. That, and she'll be spared the hassle of dealing with salespeople anyways.

[Payman]

Update 2: A Soul that we'd been watching dropped in price today, so she asked me to go ahead and get it rather than waiting for her to try it out. 2012 Soul Base (1.6, 6M), 83k miles, $5,790 (including the dealer's fee but not tax/tags).

Nice. Souls are the best looking of the sub-compact box cars. With the money you saved, should have picked up that yellow Celica for yourself. 

[ifcar]

Nice. It might seem kinda weird to get her a car before she even arrives to go on test drives for herself, but honestly, it's probably the best compromise between the smaller Euro cars she's used to and the bigger Murican cars she'll be sharing the roads with. That, and she'll be spared the hassle of dealing with salespeople anyways.

She wasn't looking forward to test drives anyway; her position was that I wouldn't recommend anything bad and she'd just get used to whatever it is. And yeah, the Soul definitely doesn't have a very vulnerable feel; my dad drove it home from the dealership for me, and he said it felt much bigger than his 2013 Fit (even though it's not).

Nice. Souls are the best looking of the sub-compact box cars. With the money you saved, should have picked up that yellow Celica for yourself. 

The money saved is probably going to go into a house renovations instead -- a better long-term investment anyway. And between press cars and our two existing cars, I'm out of driveway space; a poor Hyundai Elantra is exiled a block away already. 

[AutobahnSHO]

Congrats! I've always kind of liked those, only negative I could ever see was the  mpgeez seem kind of low.

[Rupert]

My car enthusiast uncle has a Soul, so does my very non-enthusiast friend. They seem fine.

[ifcar]

Congrats! I've always kind of liked those, only negative I could ever see was the  mpgeez seem kind of low.

Thanks! Yeah, just 25 city/30 highway -- I guess the consequence of boxiness -- but hopefully those are easy to beat.

[2o6]

Nice!



Just as an FYI, the cruise control in these cars are "plug n play", so if you want a factory cruise control, you just need a steering wheel from another Soul with the cruise control.

[Raza]

Congratulations, Koko!

[veeman]

I rented a Soul for a few days a few weeks ago.  Newish, low miles, and obviously automatic.  I really liked that car.  Didn't feel sluggish or excessively buzzy.  I agree that it looks really good. 

[ifcar]

Nice!



Just as an FYI, the cruise control in these cars are "plug n play", so if you want a factory cruise control, you just need a steering wheel from another Soul with the cruise control.

Good to know. She's more interested in a remote keyfob than cruise control, especially given that the car doesn't have a keyhole for the passenger side or cargo door. I was reading that it can be done, but we're not going to be doing either for now.

So far she's only driven the car for a couple of minutes but really likes it.

[AutobahnSHO]

Aftermarket remote locks are probably very worth the expense.