hppants
Well-known member
My daughter is ready to buy her first new car. We talked about it a while and I learned she wants some kind of compact sedan. She's 24, single, 1.5 years out of college - school teacher. No debt, no credit experience, and no clue regarding vehicles or buying them. She asked me to help her find the right car and I thoroughly enjoyed the ENTIRE process. Raising kids was fun, but getting to know who my adult children are is really neat.
On Friday and Saturday, we visited dealers and drove 9 different vehicles. They were:
(Below is some paraphrasing of her feedback to me. It doesn't matter how I like it - she has to pay for it. I do see all of her points and really agree with almost every one. It was fascinating to learn about what she likes and compare it to what her mother likes or even what I like. I drove one of the vehicles out of curiosity.)
Ford Focus SE - Steering is too jerky and not smooth. Interior feels cheap and I think it might fall apart quickly. Vehicle is loud at road speeds and doesn't track very straight. Radio and A/C controls hard to understand.
Ford Fusion (2014 used) - Much nicer car than the Focus. Drives very smoothly and is comfortable on the road - but for the same money, the car has 40,000 miles.
Chevy Cruze - this car feels smaller than it is. The entire interior is too cramped (she is barely 5'-0" tall and even so, this car is poorly designed in the inside. I felt claustiphobic with the door open in the parking lot). Brakes are not responsive. I can't adjust the seat to be comfortable for me. Trunk is very small. Engine runs good though and the radio sounds nice.
Chevy Malibu (2014 used rental return) - this car feels and looks like Mimi's style. (she was right).
Nissan Sentra - engine runs very well. As soon as I press the gas it goes (CVT). But the interior is cheap looking and this car is very loud. Backup camera screen is small. I don't like the wheels (hubcaps actually and she's right - they look like crap). Seats are not comfortable and I can't see out of the back window very well. She drove this car about 30 seconds and turned around.
Volkswagen Jetta Sport - (Taylor) 'I really like this car!!!! It is very quiet and smooth. I can't even hear the engine running. The seat is firm but comfortable. The steering and brakes are excellent. All of the controls are in the right place. It feels very steady and safe.
Side note - this is the car I drove as well. The Jetta is an amazing vehicle. German engineering - Silky smooth. Responsive. VERY NICE!!! But back in the real world, this car actually scored pretty low on two independent Long Term Reliability tests (30-ish out of 100) and it cost about $5,000 more than even the most expensive competitor. In the end, she didn't think it was good enough to go $125.00 a month over her budget and I agree with her.
Honda Civic SF - The passenger side mirror camera is very cool (it is). The car goes very well and I like the steering. The controls are easy to reach and understand and I like that I can see the speed without having to look through the steering wheel (duh!!). The seat is very comfortable. But the nose (front end) is very long and I can't judge how close I am to other things in the parking lot very well. And I can't see out the back window (Astute observation - the active head restraints on the back seat are huge - rear visibility is horrible on the civic even for my 6 foot frame)
Toyota Corolla LE - This one goes like the Nissan (again CVT). I like the way it drives but the styling is kind of old for me (I can see that). The seat is comfortable but I have to play with the adjustments a lot. The controls are hard to understand and I can't see the screen display in the bright light - glare. Its hard to see out of the back glass - not as bad as the Honda, but still hard. The USB is under the arm rest - I don't like that.
Side note - Hands down, DAD would have picked the Corolla. It is the best value, and has an unmatched reliability. The styling does suit me more than her, I agree. Comes with Michelin Tires and I thought the fit and finish was incredible. However and again, I bit my tongue for the betterment of the team. The goal was for her to choose the car SHE wanted most, and then interject any commentary after that.
and the vehicle she has chosen is:
Scion iA - I love this car Dad!!!! It fits me so well. I can see everywhere and when I press the gas, it seems to go easy. I love the seats and the steering. I really like the controls on the steering wheel. The brakes are not so herky jerky. This car is very quiet and the stereo sounds real good. The trunk is huge (it really is). The wheels are cute (they are). The screen display is HUGE and all of the USB and I-pod ports are in a good place. I can see the dash real well. The mirrors adjust much better (they go at a lower angle for her short stature). Etc. etc. etc......
Scion is Toyota's way of attracting the 20-35 year old first time buyer, and they do a masterful job of it. The iA is actually made by Mazda, and is 95% Mazda 2. Even though in Scion badging this is a first year car, world wide its been sold for 3 years under several Mazda names and has a great reputation for reliability and efficiency (the 37 mpg combined number seems VERY realistic from what I read, but my daughter seems to have a pretty heavy foot). Its got a 5-star crash rating and includes a couple of safety features that none of the competition has including an active front crash sensor (automatically applies the brakes under the proper slow speed frontal crash conditions). It also has a reputation for being "fun to drive", which I suppose is self-explanatory in the "Zoom Zoom" camp. To tell the truth, I thought the car was amazingly valuable for its price point. I shared with my own dad that even considering inflation and relative improvements in technology, my kid is getting 10x the vehicle for far less money than I got for my first car back in the last ice age.
Toyota says that years of research tells them that brand loyalty for vehicle purchases is almost a guarantee - I can't argue with that. They say she will be VERY likely to buy a Toyota for her next 2-5 vehicles, and eventually "graduate" to Lexus by the time she gets to be my age. We'll see about that.
Scion follows the old GM Saturn "no haggling" marketing model - what you see is what you get. Still, trying to compare it apples to apples as much as I can, the iA is about $1,200.00 (or 8-ish percent) cheaper than the Corolla. She qualifies for 0.9% for 60 months (free money in my book). Toyota gives 2 years of free oil changes, and the dealership provides lifetime oil changes and tire rotation, along with a lifetime powertrain warranty. Of course that's a bait tactic to sell other services, but she can just say no and at minimum, I get a free heads up on whatever might be wrong. Win-win.
We ran some other numbers and her increase in fuel mileage will cover the difference in insurance cost. She slept on it Saturday night (at my request) and reported Sunday morning that it felt right (good sign).
Expectedly, they low balled her big time on her old trade ($500.00), so Saturday afternoon we went home and I spent 2 hours with her putting lipstick on the pig. I threw the car on Craigslist at 5:00 pm Saturday for $1,695.00 and by 10:00 pm, we had 6 people lined up to see it on Sunday. The first person that came in the morning bought it. That may be the most money (per hour) that my daughter will ever make in her life!
So on Wednesday or Thursday we go to the dealer and finish it. She's really excited about this
Full disclosure..... so is Pants!!!
On Friday and Saturday, we visited dealers and drove 9 different vehicles. They were:
(Below is some paraphrasing of her feedback to me. It doesn't matter how I like it - she has to pay for it. I do see all of her points and really agree with almost every one. It was fascinating to learn about what she likes and compare it to what her mother likes or even what I like. I drove one of the vehicles out of curiosity.)
Ford Focus SE - Steering is too jerky and not smooth. Interior feels cheap and I think it might fall apart quickly. Vehicle is loud at road speeds and doesn't track very straight. Radio and A/C controls hard to understand.
Ford Fusion (2014 used) - Much nicer car than the Focus. Drives very smoothly and is comfortable on the road - but for the same money, the car has 40,000 miles.
Chevy Cruze - this car feels smaller than it is. The entire interior is too cramped (she is barely 5'-0" tall and even so, this car is poorly designed in the inside. I felt claustiphobic with the door open in the parking lot). Brakes are not responsive. I can't adjust the seat to be comfortable for me. Trunk is very small. Engine runs good though and the radio sounds nice.
Chevy Malibu (2014 used rental return) - this car feels and looks like Mimi's style. (she was right).
Nissan Sentra - engine runs very well. As soon as I press the gas it goes (CVT). But the interior is cheap looking and this car is very loud. Backup camera screen is small. I don't like the wheels (hubcaps actually and she's right - they look like crap). Seats are not comfortable and I can't see out of the back window very well. She drove this car about 30 seconds and turned around.
Volkswagen Jetta Sport - (Taylor) 'I really like this car!!!! It is very quiet and smooth. I can't even hear the engine running. The seat is firm but comfortable. The steering and brakes are excellent. All of the controls are in the right place. It feels very steady and safe.
Side note - this is the car I drove as well. The Jetta is an amazing vehicle. German engineering - Silky smooth. Responsive. VERY NICE!!! But back in the real world, this car actually scored pretty low on two independent Long Term Reliability tests (30-ish out of 100) and it cost about $5,000 more than even the most expensive competitor. In the end, she didn't think it was good enough to go $125.00 a month over her budget and I agree with her.
Honda Civic SF - The passenger side mirror camera is very cool (it is). The car goes very well and I like the steering. The controls are easy to reach and understand and I like that I can see the speed without having to look through the steering wheel (duh!!). The seat is very comfortable. But the nose (front end) is very long and I can't judge how close I am to other things in the parking lot very well. And I can't see out the back window (Astute observation - the active head restraints on the back seat are huge - rear visibility is horrible on the civic even for my 6 foot frame)
Toyota Corolla LE - This one goes like the Nissan (again CVT). I like the way it drives but the styling is kind of old for me (I can see that). The seat is comfortable but I have to play with the adjustments a lot. The controls are hard to understand and I can't see the screen display in the bright light - glare. Its hard to see out of the back glass - not as bad as the Honda, but still hard. The USB is under the arm rest - I don't like that.
Side note - Hands down, DAD would have picked the Corolla. It is the best value, and has an unmatched reliability. The styling does suit me more than her, I agree. Comes with Michelin Tires and I thought the fit and finish was incredible. However and again, I bit my tongue for the betterment of the team. The goal was for her to choose the car SHE wanted most, and then interject any commentary after that.
and the vehicle she has chosen is:
Scion iA - I love this car Dad!!!! It fits me so well. I can see everywhere and when I press the gas, it seems to go easy. I love the seats and the steering. I really like the controls on the steering wheel. The brakes are not so herky jerky. This car is very quiet and the stereo sounds real good. The trunk is huge (it really is). The wheels are cute (they are). The screen display is HUGE and all of the USB and I-pod ports are in a good place. I can see the dash real well. The mirrors adjust much better (they go at a lower angle for her short stature). Etc. etc. etc......
Scion is Toyota's way of attracting the 20-35 year old first time buyer, and they do a masterful job of it. The iA is actually made by Mazda, and is 95% Mazda 2. Even though in Scion badging this is a first year car, world wide its been sold for 3 years under several Mazda names and has a great reputation for reliability and efficiency (the 37 mpg combined number seems VERY realistic from what I read, but my daughter seems to have a pretty heavy foot). Its got a 5-star crash rating and includes a couple of safety features that none of the competition has including an active front crash sensor (automatically applies the brakes under the proper slow speed frontal crash conditions). It also has a reputation for being "fun to drive", which I suppose is self-explanatory in the "Zoom Zoom" camp. To tell the truth, I thought the car was amazingly valuable for its price point. I shared with my own dad that even considering inflation and relative improvements in technology, my kid is getting 10x the vehicle for far less money than I got for my first car back in the last ice age.
Toyota says that years of research tells them that brand loyalty for vehicle purchases is almost a guarantee - I can't argue with that. They say she will be VERY likely to buy a Toyota for her next 2-5 vehicles, and eventually "graduate" to Lexus by the time she gets to be my age. We'll see about that.
Scion follows the old GM Saturn "no haggling" marketing model - what you see is what you get. Still, trying to compare it apples to apples as much as I can, the iA is about $1,200.00 (or 8-ish percent) cheaper than the Corolla. She qualifies for 0.9% for 60 months (free money in my book). Toyota gives 2 years of free oil changes, and the dealership provides lifetime oil changes and tire rotation, along with a lifetime powertrain warranty. Of course that's a bait tactic to sell other services, but she can just say no and at minimum, I get a free heads up on whatever might be wrong. Win-win.
We ran some other numbers and her increase in fuel mileage will cover the difference in insurance cost. She slept on it Saturday night (at my request) and reported Sunday morning that it felt right (good sign).
Expectedly, they low balled her big time on her old trade ($500.00), so Saturday afternoon we went home and I spent 2 hours with her putting lipstick on the pig. I threw the car on Craigslist at 5:00 pm Saturday for $1,695.00 and by 10:00 pm, we had 6 people lined up to see it on Sunday. The first person that came in the morning bought it. That may be the most money (per hour) that my daughter will ever make in her life!
So on Wednesday or Thursday we go to the dealer and finish it. She's really excited about this
Full disclosure..... so is Pants!!!
