Hi Everyone,

I'm just about to buy my very first car EVER and I'm trying to decide what to get. The three things that I am really looking for are: parkability (i.e. smaller is better!) because I live in a very non-car friendly neighborhood, commutability (this is why I'm buying a car!! 45 minute drive 3x a week), and fuel economy.

I have tested the Smart, MINI, Nissan Cube, Honda Fit so far. I've had a "love affair" (as my friend would put it) with the Smart, but everyone keeps telling me I'll regret not being able to drive anyone else around.

My main worry with the MINI (I actually think it would make a great compromise between a Smart and anything else) is the complaints about reliability. Also, I would have to be buying a used one, because a new one is not really in my budget.

Thoughts?

 

I have a Mini and just bought my GF a Nissan Cube (some pics in my gallery), they are both very easy to park and the Cube gets a little better gas millage then my Mini.

The Mini is way more fun to drive.


Don't get the smart car.

 

The Smart has plenty of room to drive around a passenger. Since it sits as high as a minivan it has lots of room for two. However, if you plan on any amount of highway driving stay away from the Smart. It is hard to control under windy conditions. By comparison, the MINI is more stable than most cars at high speeds in any wind condition. The Smart, of course, is a lot cheaper, but feels as such. Can't comment on the Fit other than it's a Honda and could last forever. I still use my wife's '89 Legend with 160k miles as my daily commuter to save wear and tear on my '02 MINI. She reluctantly retired its use to get a MINI of her own.

 

suzchen--

we can only make recommendations based on our own preferences and what works for our lifestyles at this point. maybe if you were willing to share some details about your life (urban? suburban? single? pets? what kind of driving style? what is your daily commute like, if any? are you a student or working or or both?), we'd be better able to help with suggestions that work better for you.

 

Why the cube, its such an ugly car, YUCK!

 

i own 2 Honda FitSports and one MCS... which is broken. you decide.
kinda fits the stereotypes perfectly, huh?

but the MCS is like a pet to me.

honestly speaking, if this is your only car get the Honda FitSport. from my experience unless you get the Clubman it's not very utility friendly. people will write how they have adapted but let's be honest. for a dailydriver the FitSport can pack so much more stuff in comfort. and the 09's look pretty good in stock form. my MINI is only a weekend hobby car that gets driven maybe 10 times a year.

 

I have to agree with Jeremy. The cube is U-G-L-Y, no offense. I got my Mini 3 weeks ago today. I looked at the Honda Civic, Nissan Altima Coupe, the Toyota Prius, and the Saturn Vue Hybrid. Size and parkability were a big concern for me as well. The deal with the reliability is that the Mini Cooper S does not have as good of reliability as the JustaCooper, according to Consumer Reports. Now my Dad has an '05 MCS and he hasn't had any problems with his so take it with a grain of salt.

Buy the Mini!

 

I actually first fell in love with the MINI in 2002, and the Smart car in 2003, long before it came here. I didn't test drive the Smart until this past year when my friend bought one. My theory was if I was going to spend 16k on a car, it for darn sure better have some room for cargo. I had my 2 seater Miata that was only $2500 and the mini for the same price as the Smart.

The smart was fun, but it was an automatic. There's a limit to the fun with an auto transmission IMO. Get a MINI When the Smart comes down a lot in price, I'll be adding that to the driveway .

 

A little more about me:

I just finished graduate school and got my first job which starts in mid-August. However, the job is a 45 minute drive away (partly on freeway, partly on just a busy road), so buying a car has now become a necessity. I have ALWAYS been a bus rider/walker, so that's why I am not particularly concerned about cargo space. I've never been able to carry too much stuff with me or transport another person, so I don't think I would miss that. However, that is my friends' main reason for why they think I should get a Fit...

I live in Seattle in the Capitol Hill neighborhood - for those of you not familiar with it, there is practically NO street parking. If you have a bigger car, you end up driving around for 20+ minutes trying to find a spot because of how popular the area is. I technically could rent the space that goes along with my apartment, but it's $100 a month and that would just be upping my monthly car costs by a lot. I don't have a ton of money - being a social worker, so I need an economical option. Hence, my worries about reliability and the cost of repairs. I am single, so for the most part I would just be driving myself. I don't intend on using the car ALL the time, but rather primarily for the commute.

I have tried the Smart on the freeway and it didn't feel very unstable... the Cube and Fit are smooth rides, but again... I worry about the size.

Hope that gives you guys a better sense of what I'm looking for!

 

If reliability, cost of repairs, $$, gas mileage is your concern, I would recommend a Honda Civic. Unless your able to buy a first generation Model in the late years 05-06, your likely to run into out of warranty maintenance issues.

A Honda Civic would fit your criteria very well. Reliable, parts are easy to find and cheap, easy to repair, cheap insurance, very well sized.

If your looking for something more stylish go for a Honda Fit.

 

My problem with the Civic is the size... it's pretty big!!

 

Lol whoa whoa, a civic too big? that's a first

and hey in your gallery! your nissan box already looks like it has water(?) damage on the headliner ceiling thing!

 

+1 for the Fit - that is, if you don't mind not having fun driving and the Japanese econobox interior. Accelerates like a dog compared to either Cooper. You have to hammer the gas pedal to get your pulse going to any extent. Otherwise the exterior styling is nice, magic seats are very practical, and it's a Honda.

In any case, Fit over Smart or Cube any day of the week. You'll get yourself killed in a Smart car, plus it looks ridiculous, imo. Cube is as ugly as sin, I take back anything I posted here previously about it having promise. The 1st Gen Xb still has it in terms of looks, and also the Kia Soul. Everything else looks like crap in that category.

Fit or Mini. Get the Mini if you want to have fun driving. Get the Fit for more practical reasons.

Just my two cents.

 

the inside of the cube is inspired by water drop rippling in a pond, very tranquil and relaxing inside. Beats the Mini hands down in that department.


btw: I get far more compliments on how nice the new Cube looks then I ever did with my MCS.

 

If it were my only car, I'd get a Fit. When I bought my Mini, I kept my 99 Honda CR-V which still drives like the day I bought it.

 

My wife's Honda Fit Sport would not be the commuter car for me. The seats do not give me good lumbar support for a 45-minute drive. (Your butt may vary In other respects it's good.

If you can afford $20,000, a new base MINI (justa) Cooper would make a solid commuter, and get you a few more mpg than the Fit.

The Smart is not a highway car, though I have seen them on the highway.

 

Another option is a rabbit. Not much bigger than a MINI.

I wouldn't want a smart for a 45 mile commute. a 10 mile commute across the city, sure. but you might eventually want to take a vacation, and then you'll want something with a backseat.

I would get a MINI, but then I love MINIs. Find a 2005 or 2006 Cooper with a manual transmission and it will be a good car for you.

 

Arg! So many choices! ;-)

If I were to get an '05 or '06 MINI, would I have to constantly be worried about repairs, etc?

 

the 05 and 06 were the most reliable built so far.

plus, an 06 will likely still have factory warranty left, and you could even buy a certified pre owned with a 100,000 mile warranty.

the thing you need to do is go and drive all of these cars on extended test drives, and pick the one that you want to spend a couple hours a day in for the next several years!

 

I just cried a wee bit for your mini.

Arent there 52 weekends in a year?

Haha. Jk.

 

yah, 4 months is winter so he hibernates.

then i have a G35C which is my weekend touring car... so MCS doesnt get out much. why he looks brand new.

 

if you have to ask... the Mini is probably not your car. for myself and many others on this forum, its more of an obsession.

 

I think you would be very happy with a Mini Cooper. Good gas mileage, Seats four, Has trunk space, Has even more trunk space with the rear seats folded down. A very nice driving fun car that will last you a very long time. If you read this forum enough you will find the Mini is a very reliable car. Search the over 100,000 mile posts. Every car made will have their problems on their forums if you go to them. Go to Corvette Forum.com and you will think all Corvettes are problematic. It just ain't so. Any of the cars you mentioned are all good. It's just that the Mini does everything you want and does it all very well.
Ronnie949

 

suzchen,

Your posts dont mention driving excitement. Just based on that, I suggest you stay away from European cars, and look at Japanese cars exclusively. Then just buy something that meets the greatest number of your needs, which seem to be economy of use, parkability, and packability.

 

get a Fit... commute away. Plus in a non-car-friendly area the Fits are more a dime-a-dozen, and usually cheaper to fix if/when something gets messed up.

And youll get less miles / newer car for a cheaper price.