Car help, under $20k

[Innocent Kitty]

My wife drives a Mazda 3. We test drove basically every car on your list. To me, the 3 was the best value. It really feels more "solid" then the other cars we drove (to be fair, this was before the newest generation civic came out.) The feeling when you closed the doors was more german-car like than the rest of the japanese cars. Its also fun to drive with a quick steering rack and good handling.

She bought hers used in 2004. It had 12,000 miles and was a 2003 model year. We payed right around 12k, and havent' regretted the decision at all. She now has ~40,000 miles on it and its needed nothing but routine maintenance.

[Banditgberg]

just bought a 2007 Mazda 6 sport sedan, fully loaded around 24ish...take out bells and whistles and you have a 20k very nice car

[pokerraja]

i own a 2005 mazda6 V6 loaded, got it for $22,000. i was lucky enough to have a friend who got me his ford employee discount. but im very happy with this vehicle. its fast, handles well, looks great and pretty decent on gas considering the engine.

i also second the mazda3 suggestion. those are very nice and alot of car for the price.

[citanul]

ftw.

Thanks everyone for the help. Went in to the dealership today, test drove a few things, wound up with a Mazda 3 s Touring, for about $20k. Overall not a horrible experience.

c

[Cubswin]

Great car! You bought quickly. Very envious as im so close to buying one.

What add-ons did you get?

[citanul]

cubs,

Yeah I had need of buying pretty quickly, but my research plus the people in this thread made me realize that in the price range, basically all the Japanese "go-to" choices are very similar. The Mazda is by far less common than the Civic or the Corolla, get very decent mileage, I like the look, I like the feel, etc.

Like I said, I got the s-Touring, which comes with AC/ABS/a whole bunch of airbags/bigger wheels, side sils (not pictured in photo above), etc, all of which are standard to the class. I think that going with an "s" instead of an "i" is necessary, it really does make a pretty significant difference in feel, even though it's just 15 horsepower or so.

I think I might want to get heated leather seats or remote ignition, but the salesman told me that those were cheaper done in the after market, and there's a possibility I might eventually want a CD changer, but I'm more of an ipod guy anyway, and the AUX jack is standard. I didn't wind up getting any spoiler type nonsense or a moonroof, though I may wind up eventually being sad about the lack of moonroof.

Are you in Chicago? If so, the Autobarn up in Evanston was very nice, both to me, and to deal with in general.

Thanks again for your opinion, and if you want to know any more opinions as I get used to the car a bit, let me know!

More comments coming, I'm sure.

c

[victordictor]

Hey, go for a 2005 North American car of the year that won the most awards ever the year it came out! The Chrysler 300, either the Touring Edition or the 300c with the hemi. The 6 cylinder 3.5 is plenty of power but if you got the money for gas go for the hemi!
Its safe, luxurious and made in North America with a little German engineering from Mercedes. The car can be eligant or pimped out easy. check it out the links below:

http://www.barbecuejoe.com/images/20...0C%20Black.jpg

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=8009

http://custom.autos.yahoo.com/gallery/overview-car-7039

http://www.99rides.com/videos/Bling_...0_C_pimped_out

Good luck

[citanul]

The starting MSRP on a Chrysler 300C is $34.5k.

The Chrysler 300C starts at 20 inches longer than the other cars, and I can only have nightmares about how horrible its gas mileage is.

Not to pile on, but the 300C is also approximately the ugliest car on the road today.

c

[pokerraja]

Congrats on a great choice! ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[scotchnrocks]

E36 M3