OT: car advice

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

So what am I not getting about coupes?

the doors are longer and sometimes harder to open fully in tight spots. you get no more interior room and a bigger hassle to get rear passengers in.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

So what am I not getting about coupes?

Maybe it's just me. To me you are just taking a sedan and making it less convenient. They are simply more practical and that seems to be at the heart of your desire/necessity of purchasing a car. Maybe if you think you will never put anything in the backseat or ever carry passengers, but I still come back to "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it". The car is going to drive the same all other things equal.

And if you are looking specifically a coupe you just narrowed your search big time. There are pretty solid reasons why very few non-sports car coupes have been produced since the 1970s. Assuming you're content with the size of your junk and won't be looking to put $10k worth of Fast & Furious parts on it, you'll be happier with a sedan. I know I would and every friend I've had who has owned a coupe past the age of 21 has wished for the rear doors at some point.

If you do look for Corollas, I personally think the S models are worth the premium.

[cp43]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

Seriously. Not sure if I see this as a long term future, but want my letters.

So what am I not getting about coupes?

I've never owned one, but I drove a friend's for a week and liked it a lot.

If it's only going to be you and your stuff in the car, a coupe is fine. They're a bit of a pain to get people, and large items in to the back seat, since there's no back doors.

A couple people mentioned the Fit. How tall are you? I drive a Fit, and at 6'3", I wish the seat went a little farther back, but otherwise, it's roomy enough.

Chris

[cp43]

Originally Posted by woolly

Honda Fit, any year. Done.

As much as I like our Fit, it's not very powerful. 75mph up a hill is pushing it a bit in the Fit. OP mentioned this as a consideration, albeit a low priority one.

They're great, practical cars, but not fast.

Chris

[Gummee]

Element
cx-5
etc

Slightly bigger both inside and out

M

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by cp43

If it's only going to be you and your stuff in the car, a coupe is fine. They're a bit of a pain to get people, and large items in to the back seat, since there's no back doors.

A couple people mentioned the Fit. How tall are you? I drive a Fit, and at 6'3", I wish the seat went a little farther back, but otherwise, it's roomy enough.

Chris

5'11...yet still have stretch issues in a lot of smaller cars. I'll try one out.

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

Maybe it's just me. To me you are just taking a sedan and making it less convenient. They are simply more practical and that seems to be at the heart of your desire/necessity of purchasing a car. Maybe if you think you will never put anything in the backseat or ever carry passengers, but I still come back to "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it". The car is going to drive the same all other things equal.

And if you are looking specifically a coupe you just narrowed your search big time. There are pretty solid reasons why very few non-sports car coupes have been produced since the 1970s. Assuming you're content with the size of your junk and won't be looking to put $10k worth of Fast & Furious parts on it, you'll be happier with a sedan. I know I would and every friend I've had who has owned a coupe past the age of 21 has wished for the rear doors at some point.

If you do look for Corollas, I personally think the S models are worth the premium.

I don't even know what I don't know...I thought it would have no, or tiny back seat...and thus more leg room. If the leg room is the same, I'd rather have hatch back for the 1/100 times my wife may need to borrow it. It's not a sports car thing.

Definitely not fast and furious...ha!

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

...I'd rather have hatch back for the 1/100 times my wife may need to borrow it.

That's a little different. A coupe is not a hatchback. Some companies call the latter a 3-door.

[p nut]

I loved my Fit as well. But safe? It was rated among the worst in category, unfortunately. But it had a TON of room, especially for its size.

My pick would be an HR-V. Has the same Magic Seat config that makes the Fit such an awesome car. A ton of utility space, in a variety of configurations to fit a ton of cargo. Basically a Fit, but bigger.

[Hilltopperny]

Accord or Camry as suggested above is what I'd go with. Enough room, good gas mileage, ability to store things and low maintenance. I've owned both over the years and with regular scheduled maintenance I got well over 200k on both. A subaru impreza hatch would also do all these and my wifes 2014 averages 32 mpg and can more than hold its own in bad northeast winters

[classtimesailer]

Subaru Forester.

[biker72]

I recently purchased a Certified 2013 Honda Fit. I'm 6 ft 2" and have plenty of head and leg room. I was pleasantly surprised that I can put 2 bikes inside and still have a little room for luggage.

I'd put the power level on par with my old 2008 Honda CRV. Probably not the best choice for mountains. So far I'm averaging around 40 mpg.

The 2015 and newer models have a CVT transmission. My 2013 is a 5 speed automatic.

I did drive a new 2017 Fit and found it to be OK but really liked the 2013 better.

I also own a 2015 Honda Accord that is very nice but doesn't have the room the Fit has.

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

Accord or Camry as suggested above is what I'd go with. Enough room, good gas mileage, ability to store things and low maintenance. I've owned both over the years and with regular scheduled maintenance I got well over 200k on both. A subaru impreza hatch would also do all these and my wifes 2014 averages 32 mpg and can more than hold its own in bad northeast winters

Wife has/loves a 2014 Impreza hatchback...it's perfect, except for leg room.

Anyway...will also check out Fit, Camry and Accord. Also the HRV.

Philly used to have a program where if you got an electric and put in a charger, you'd get a reserved for electric spot in front of it. Council is apparently getting rid of the rule (was hoping to go that route for my parking).

[pjm]

Mazda 3 hatch. Drive one, you'll see.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rp7zDpk2-9E

[staggerwing]

Originally Posted by woolly

Honda Fit, any year. Done.

I just went through this exercise and found the previous FiT iteration to be a bit underpowered (112hp?), even with a 5-speed. The newest variant (from 2015?) was a bit better with 130hp and a 6-speed, although it was a bit buzzy spinning 4000rpm @ 70mph. Fantastic city car though with incredibly intelligent interior packaging.

Loved the 2015 Accord Sport 6-speed I sampled. I thought the asking of $17.2, for a 2.5yo, 25k mile, extremely clean, certified pre-owned was reasonable, although more than I was willing to spend for a secondary vehicle. Nice handling, surprisingly good seats, and plenty of get up and go.

Ended up with a bit of an oddball, a 2011 Volvo c30 6-speeed, which probably isn't what you want, but with 225hp, it is fun. Drives a bit different than the Honda's, as there is gobs of low-end torque. Not a terribly roomy hatch, though. Will add a Class 1 receiver to make the occasional bike transport less of a chore.

[ceolwulf]

Originally Posted by pjm

Mazda 3 hatch. Drive one, you'll see.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rp7zDpk2-9E

This is Correct.

If you're driving a lot you might as well enjoy it.