Looking for a long term car in the US with a specific set of conditions: manual (must), low mileage or new (must), hatchback (must), made in NAFTA (less important), and warranty transferable from USA to Canada (less important). Any suggestions? I have an incomplete list of candidates.
I'm hoping to buy a new/gently used car and hold on to it for a decade or more. I don't yet have kids but am planning on it in the next few years.
So far, I have the following cars I'm interested in:
- Honda Fit
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Subaru Impreza
- Civic Hatchback
- Corolla Hatchback
I have test driven a Corolla automatic and it was quite pleasant to drive, and had a decent amount of power and a ton of safety tech (plus, living in the mountains, the LED headlights are compelling). The rear seats were a bit cramped though, compared to the Civic and the Crosstrek.
I also test drove a 2018 Civic hatch and it was a lot of fun to drive, but a 3 year old Civic hatch with a manual will cost only about 1,600$ less than a new Corolla, with the current promotion. I will also get a full factory warranty and 2 years of routine maintenance with the Corolla.
A manual Fit is almost impossible to find, and someone else scooped one up before I could get to the dealership for a test drive.
Posted Feb 28, 2021, 2:17 AM UTC
The Fit is good for space, but it's soooooo slow. If that doesnt bother you, it's a good option. Just don't get the base model with the super hard seats. Impreza is a basic A to B car. Fine car, but not particularly fun or interesting. Civic is pretty good as you mentioned. Didn't like the Corolla, and as you mention, it's tight. Mazda3 pretty good. Bit of a luxury feel to the new ones, still decently fun, blind spot isn't great. Golf is also a good one to add to the list. Fun car, very practical, slight upscale feel and decently sporty. Kia Soul is ugly and fairly slow, but very practical and handles well and gives you a lot for the money. Haven't driven a Crosstrek yet. So can't speak to that one.