Hey all,

yup, I STILL can't decide what to get. I'm gonna sell my '92 Civic hatch. It's been one of the most useful cars I've ever had (well, ok, I've only owned 2 civic si's and the S, so perhaps that's not the best comparison). I've fit full size futons, tons o' crap from costco runs, rims for my S... the list goes on.

most recently after going to Ikea and jamming in more stuff than fits in my condo, I decided that I had to buy a hatch to replace my current one, rather than the Civic Si I was originally thinking about (keep in mind I'm keeping the S and my wife has a 3-series sedan).

Parameters: a relatively inexpensive 5-door hatch that's reliable (gonna keep it forever), functional, comfy to drive (2 hrs daily in it), and possibly fun too, that's not too hard on the gas (ideally mid-20's or higher), that in 2-4 yrs from now will be used to haul kids around in.

Currently I've been thinking about:
Honda Fit (cheap, good mpg, but no 'go' and not exactly 'plush' for lotsa driving).
Honda CR-V (ok price, reliable, ok mpg, but underpowered? I'd rather not have an SUV).
Mazdaspeed3 (well priced, supposed to be a really fun car to drive, decent reliability, but only 'fair' safety ratings when side air bags included; otherwise considered poor.)
Audi A3 - looks great, good driver's car, DSG seems pretty nifty, but at ~32k seems a lot for what it is.
Subaru outback 2.5 xt - kinda big and not so great mpg
bmw s-series wagon - not feeling it.
I'm no so much into the scions, toyo matrix, or nissan versa/rogue.

Am I missing anything? anyone have experiecnes, esp with the fit and mazdaspeed? Thanks!

 

Forget the Audi A3, it costs entirely too much and you would be just as happy with the GTI with four doors based on your list. Also the Mazdaspeed 3 may not meet your mileage criteria, I hear there real world mileage isn't as good as advertised but I can't recall what the EPA numbers are. The "regular" 5 door Mazda 3 would fit better.

Spend a little more and get the more fun GTI with the DSG, or save some upfront and get the more economical Mazda 3 (not Mazdaspeed).

 

forgot about the GTI! I'll have to look more into that. Thanks for the suggestion....

 

every look into a EP3? Theyre pretty peppy for what they are and they have alot of cargo room for a hatch

 

Had one, it would have been a wonderful car if it had the 200hp motor instead of the 160hp one. That was the car's downfall and why I sold it. If you could find one with the motor swap done, then oh yeah, it'd be worth it.

I was in the same predicament on bought a Si Sedan. I would have much preferred a new Hatch Si. The European Type R would do nicely. I very much miss my hatches and the utility you get out of them. Nothing on the market that I like, save for the Volvo, and they want a little too much money for it. The Volvo is probably the best option for you.

 

Same engine and tranny, pretty much same features, but a bit more fun and less money.

 

EP3 - I would actually be ok with that, but I'm thinking 5 door, not 3 door hatch due to need for accessible rear seats when I have kids. Otherwise I would just upgrade to the EP3.

 

Better question would be:

How much for the 92 civic?

 

My wife recently got a Subaru Imprezza 2.5. We've both been happy with it. Loads of space and rear seat room. We took a weekend ski trip with two other people and fit all our luggage inside (we rented skis when we got there). The boxer 4 is smooth and quiet on the highway and has a unique sound. The closest competitor we test drove was a Mazda 3 2.3. It was a toss up between the two. The Mazda was similarly sized, but it seemed like the Subaru had more rear leg room and the Mazda had more rear trunk space. I thought the Mazda was better looking outside, but the Subie had a nicer interior. Fuel millage ratings are similar I think. We normally get about 20mpg around town, 23-24mpg interstate cruising at 84mph, and 30 on long trips on backroads. The subaru is not really a sports sedan, but I wouldn't feel bad using it as a back up autocrosser if my S was out of commission for some reason (and if my wife would let me ). We looked at a WRX and an MS3, but we both decided against them since we already had one fun car that used premium gas.

 

If you want to save money, you can get ep3 anywhere around 9000-11 nowdays.
Just got rid of mine for 08 s2k, but never had a single problem for 5 years i have owned the car.

Plenty of spaces, great gas mileage.



With fit or mazdaspeed, you will have to spend extra few G's due to demand anyways.