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My family and I are in the midst of buying a new car courtesy of Obama's "Cash for Clunkers" plan (which you should definitely check out if you're thinking of getting a new car; it's going to save us upwards of $4000). We want something small, and have more or less narrowed it down to the Mazda 3, the Toyota Yarus (sp?) and the Nissan Sentra or Versa.

Many of the internet forums devoted to cars and such give conflicting messages, as does Consumer Report. Do any of you have opinions/experience with any of the cars mentioned, or any other small cars in general?

PS: The requirements of Obama's plan are that the new car get ten more miles to the gallon than the old, and that it be brand new.

Camaro 5th Gen!
Camaro 5th Gen!

Get a turbodiesel. VW's Jetta comes to mind.

For the sake of my sanity, do not get a hybrid.

I myself would purchase the Mazda 3, and the car magazine that I read seasonally would support me on this.

I've got a Yaris. Wonderful little car. Or at least great for a family. Isn't really too impressive when I go to pick my girlfriend up in a pretty pink box. Getting a Saab next year for £5999 which isn't bad.

I've got an '09 Corolla, (which isn't quite a Yarus, but it is related at least) and think its an awesome little car.
My 2 cents.

Thanks all. smartalco, we considered the Corola, and may still get it. scythe, we're not getting a hybrid.
Also, the main factor here is price, which I suppose I forgot to mention: we're not exactly loaded, which is why we're doing this in the first place. skyline and andalus, it's nice to know that you guys have the cars we're targeting. Additional info about their strengths and weaknesses would be awesome.

Get a Jetta.

VW rocks.

Well, the Mazda 3 is the sportiest car out of all the ones you are selecting from, so it probably drives the best. I don't know if that's a characteristic your family is aiming for, but if there are any car enthusiasts in your family, I would get that one. I don't know how it stacks up on comfort, but anyways, this seems like a nice place to get some family-oriented car reviews, but they don't have the Versa, so check around other automotive sites for more opinions.

Our priorties other than price are gas mileage and safety. "Sportiness" is not important. Thanks for the link.

The Yaris is great. Cheap to run, four dours, air-con, good steering.

It is a little cramped for leg space though. But it's a wonderful car and looks great in scarlet.

flagmyidol wrote:Our priorties other than price are gas mileage and safety. "Sportiness" is not important. Thanks for the link.

Is 30city/41highway good?

I've got an '02 reg Vauxhall Astra SXi. 1.6 litres or POWER! VVVVRRRRRroroorooooooommmm.

Yeah, it's alright, I like it.

mintnut wrote:I've got an '02 reg Vauxhall Astra SXi. 1.6 litres or POWER! VVVVRRRRRroroorooooooommmm.

Yeah, it's alright, I like it.

Sounds like they're US, so I don't think they have Vauxhalls. :/

EDIT: VW all the way :)

scythe33 wrote:

flagmyidol wrote:Our priorties other than PRICE are gas mileage and safety. "Sportiness" is not important. Thanks for the link.

Is 30city/41highway good?

Starts at 22 thou from what I saw of the article. Those others I named are mostly in the 12-15 range, I think.

flagmyidol wrote:

scythe33 wrote:

flagmyidol wrote:Our priorties other than PRICE are gas mileage and safety. "Sportiness" is not important. Thanks for the link.

Is 30city/41highway good?

Starts at 22 thou from what I saw of the article. Those others I named are mostly in the 12-15 range, I think.

It's still a great car, and VW quality is very good as well. If you don't like the idea of the Jetta, what about the Polo/Golf?

EDIT: You can tell I like VW :P VV

Chase wrote:

mintnut wrote:I've got an '02 reg Vauxhall Astra SXi. 1.6 litres or POWER! VVVVRRRRRroroorooooooommmm.

Yeah, it's alright, I like it.

Sounds like they're US, so I don't think they have Vauxhalls. :/

EDIT: VW all the way :)

-Vauxhall is knows as Opel in the States.

Out of the options you listed, the only one I really know is the Yaris. I've driven one and they are pretty decent cars for the money. Not really something that I'd buy personally, but a good choice if you want something cheap, cheerful and economical.
I'd say stay away from hybrids. They are all hype and you will be better off just getting a nice economical diesel like a polo bluemotion (upwards of 70mpg) or something if you want to go down that route.
I am a massive VW nut, but I have to say that new VW's are usually the most expensive of their class. What you are getting is worth the money with VW's but at the same time you could get a car with the equivalent features a lot cheaper if you were to go with alternate manufacturers.

I love how you have narrowed it down to 3 Japanese manufacturers though. I don't really have much to else to say about Jap cars. Personally, when I think about reliability I think VW, but then VW doesn't mean cheap.
Anyway, before I digress any further, I will finish by saying that I think that the Yaris is a good little car for what it's worth.

Honda Civic. Low price, great economy, very safe. I test drove one and it handles really well.

Volvo C30. Pretty expensive, but it's one heck of a great awesome looking car. =D

I'm guessing you don't get any Alfa Romeos, uh? It's a pity.

I found quite funny that you want to decide between a Mazda 3 and a Toyota Yaris, knowing that the Yaris is significantly tinier.


I don't know much about American cars but... I've been told by someone that the PT Cruiser is quite cheap... It's quite bigger than a Yaris, but then and again, I don't know much about it.

I personally prefer European makes to Japanese or Korean makes, but if I had to choose a favorite jap make, I would go and pick Honda. The Honda Civic looks good :D



I myself in your place would buy a Volvo 960 2.0 Turbo (Wagon). Fast and smooooooooth.

My girlfriend's mom has a Yaris from last year, and it has great mileage in my experience. Haven't driven it personally, though, but I've never heard any complaints from anyone who did.

Out of curiosity, was your family stressed last night and then relieved this morning, flagmyidol?
When I heard they were shutting down the program last night I thought about this thread, and then I heard the Senate was looking to add another $2 billion into the program today.
Hopefully you guys can get a car when they open the program again!

Donfuy wrote:Alfa Romeo.

*snorts*

Donfuy wrote:PT Cruiser.

*snorts for a much different reason*

Manus Australis wrote:Out of curiosity, was your family stressed last night and then relieved this morning, flagmyidol?
When I heard they were shutting down the program last night I thought about this thread, and then I heard the Senate was looking to add another $2 billion into the program today.
Hopefully you guys can get a car when they open the program again!

Actually, I was going to request a lock for this. We semi ran out of time due to some last-minute title problems, and kind've gave up. I did not know about the extra money; nor do my parents, yet. Might change things.

But I'm pretty sure we're sticking with our '98 Chevy Blazer. One reason is safety, another is the fact that it will serve well as my first car--I can run it off a bridge with minimum cost. Can't wait.

Also, heartfelt thanks for all of your input; I passed it all along to my parents, and it helped.