A friend once referred to my Jeep as a Gyp. To her anything less than the seriously gas-guzzling Jeep Wrangler variety (I have a Liberty) is a wuss-Jeep, a lesser Jeep, barely one click above -- gasp -- a car.
It's hardly been a gyp. I've taken it cross country a couple of times, to New Orleans, Florida, New England and Colorado. Sure, at 18 miles per gallon it might not have been the best choice for a serial driver like me, but after eons of puttering around in a four-cylinder pile, it's been an antidote - a chance to drive something approximating a "real guy's car." OK, it's not like I've been Mustanging it, but a Liberty is at least a step up from the purple Toyota Corolla I drove before buying it.
But now, clocking in at more than 150,000 miles it's time to put the Gyp out to pasture. And that means I have to enter the post recession, post Cash-for-Clunkers car market.
First, I don't want to go back to the days when getting an extra jolt of power meant turning off my car's air conditioner. At the same time, I'd like the car to be at least reasonably economical when it comes to fuel consumption.
What do you think? What's a solid car with reasonable power that's good on gas?
Also, what's it like out there? Is it as tough to get a loan as everyone says it is?
Honda Civic. Great on gas, lots of room, more power than anyone besides a race car driver or an idiot needs, a tiny noisy inside, but then unlike me, most people are plugged into some sort of gadget and never notice the road noise which doesn't bother me at all. Best of all--it maintains value unlike most any other car come trade-in time and I guarantee you will not have to turn off the a/c even on the steepest hill.
You might also want to check the April issue of Consumers Report which is the annual issue in which all information on new & used vehicles is reported on. A copy should be avaiable in any public library. This is the bible for anyone looking to buy another vehicle. Good luck.
2011 Ford Fiesta. Better on gas than a Civic, 40 mpg for the auto (that is actually a dual clutch auto), handles far better than my Civic did with anti-lock, stability control, traction control. Has tons of well thought out things and options totally missing on Corolla and Civic. Has 9 airbags, just won top safety rating. You can get sync, that will do phone, bluetooth, USB, run apps via bluetooth on your phone via the steering wheel, reads your text messages to you. Many standards like heated seats and heated side mirrors. Quietest small car I have ever owned.
10K oil change, 150K timing belt, 100K tuneup
Been 5K miles since I drove it out of the dealership and flawless so far.