car

ok... so in September the lease is up on my car. I will not be buying it out. i will also not be leasing again. it wasnt a good fit for me. turns out im a "buy" kinda guy.

Right now i have a 2005 Subaru Impreza. I love it. I was seriously thinking of getting another one but buying it.

however, the cost of ownership and the crazy deals going on out there are making me look at other cars as well including:
civic Hybrid
Mazda3
chevy malibu
Mitsubishi Lancer ES
subaru legacy
subaru impreza

all of them have their advantages
anyone wanna help me narrow down the search?

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Comments

gmill880

Well thats quite a range of auto's Kuzi. Just asking, no Toyotas do anything for ya ?

kuzi16

not in the under $25K range

dutyje

Talk to the leasing company on your current car. They're always willing to negotiate a better buyout, because it saves them a lot of hassle. Remember to include the disposition fee in your negotiation, as you likely paid that up front.

kuzi16

i love my current car. i just want a new car. i dont want to buy out cause im greedy and want a NEW one. it has nothing to do with the condition/performance of my current car.

gmill880

dutyje:
Talk to the leasing company on your current car. They're always willing to negotiate a better buyout, because it saves them a lot of hassle. Remember to include the disposition fee in your negotiation, as you likely paid that up front.

Depends on the leasing company...some are in stone they will not under any conditions negotiate the residual value with a customer. However some companys allow the dealer to buy them back at a hefty discount...if thats the case some dealers will let you re-buy it from them and charge a small upfront fee to you but still save you thousands. However I understand you want a new one so this is moot point....

rwheelwright

Get the one with the best MPG. Fuel prices will go up again. I personally would go with American only unless there was a Porsche involved.

kuzi16

rwheelwright:
Get the one with the best MPG. Fuel prices will go up again. I personally would go with American only unless there was a Porsche involved.

i was thinking that same thing. however, i also live in NE ohio and my all wheel drive has saved me a few times. Im not sure if the extra MPG would be worth the hassle in the winter.

Dude Love

Kick Ohio winter's ass!

Krieg

Just in case you are wondering about the honda civic hybrid vs regular honda civic: http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/08/20/comparison-test-honda-civic-versus-honda-civic-hybrid/

kuzi16

man... that 110hp on that hybrid is a real step down frmo the 170 im used to. but it does get over double the mileage im currently getting

Rob1110

I personally love Subaru. Great company and the cars last forever. Test drive the lancer and the mazda 3 before buying. The lancer feels sluggish and like it can't get out of it's own way unless you go with the GT or EVO. The mazda 3 isn't bad, but just feels kind of cheap and clunky (though the speed3's were very nice). If you're considering Mazda, look at the 6. I have no opinion on the malibu and wouldn't be willing to give up the HP to switch to a hybrid.

I'm currently driving a Mazda Speed6 and I absolutely love it. I know a few people with the standard 6 and they love theirs as well.

phobicsquirrel

My best bud just got a 09 ford focus. It's very nice and it gets great gas mileage. The fusion is a tad better but both are really nice. Just wanted to throw it out there.

These Filthy Hands

if you're thinking of a lancer, take my advice. Get the GTS! You've driven my car and raced me in yours. I would shy away from Mazda 3's I've driven them, and was really unimpressed. The 6 is fun though.

alienmisprint

A buddy of mine has a Subaru Legacy and he absolutely loves, swears he won't ever drive anything else.

urbino

Have you thought about a bicycle?

Not for you? Okay. My first thought is that I wouldn't buy the Malibu just because there's no telling how long GM's going to be around. If I were buying a car and wanted to go American, I think I would limit myself to Fords; they seem to be in decent shape. And, of course, many Japanese cars are made here, too.

As for your other options, I just don't know anything about them. A couple of guys at work have hybrids (the Prius) and love them. Yes, the hp drop would take some getting used to, but one of those guys went from a BMW M3 to the Prius, and he still loves it. The AWD would be the bigger deal, to me.

kuzi16

phobicsquirrel:
My best bud just got a 09 ford focus. It's very nice and it gets great gas mileage. The fusion is a tad better but both are really nice. Just wanted to throw it out there.

my wife has the V6 AWD Fusion and loves it. I dont need anything that nice. i just go to work and back.

kuzi16

urbino:
Have you thought about a bicycle?

motor or otherwise? i have a mountain bike that i love but the ride to work is not bike friendly. (TFH would know all about smith hill) otherwise i would be all about it in the spring summer and fall... but ohio winters still need a car.

urbino:
A couple of guys at work have hybrids (the Prius) and love them. Yes, the hp drop would take some getting used to, but one of those guys went from a BMW M3 to the Prius, and he still loves it. The AWD would be the bigger deal, to me.

yeah...you all have given good advice but i think thats what its all coming down to. AWD vs. Mileage.

so im down to the Subaru Impreza, the Subaru Legacy, and the Civic Hybrid.

those are all nice cars. i cant wait to go test driving.

bbc020

my brother works for Honda in Marysville, he says to buy a honda! But seriously, if that's what you're down to...I think you're a winner. I would take any one of them. For driving purposes, the Impreza would be my choice. If I'm in the mood to be a conscious buyer, I'd probably buy the civic hybrid. I have no doubts the Legacy is nice, but for as big of a guy as I am, I like a smaller car to tool around in.

dutyje

I've never known a Subaru owner who subsequently bought aything other than a Subaru. You could break that trend.

sane

I personally would take the 25k and go buy the newest BMW M3 or M5 that I could find or the newest BMX 3.30xi or 3.28is that I could find. But if you want new then I would go with one of the fallowing:

Honda Accord
Honda Civic Si
Nissan Altima
Mini Cooper S

I wouldn't go with a Hybrid car, they are not worth the extra money if you looking for better MPG then go with a Toyota Carola they are cheep and get very good MPG. If you want the hybrid to mod it so you can get the 110MPG then note that it will void your warranty and you will have to speed lots of money in 5-10 years on new batteries.

gmill880

I would go with a Toyota Camry SE V-6 , they are very sporty with the ground effects, have very good power, handle like a dream (even with a deer hangin' off the hood

) beautiful car, I get 26-27 miles per gallon driving up and down the mtn every day and more on a trip.....resale will be better or as good as any you mentioned. Plus plenty of room (incase of any little Kuzi's) and can still with sunroof be had at or very close to your price range...

gmill880

And by the way if you buy a Subaru---Toyota owns 20% of Subaru--purchased from GM late 2005 ...

Garen B

My buddy has a 08 Civic (It's either 07 or 08, can't remember at the moment), handles like a dream, MPG is ridiculous (500 miles to the tank, of course is was almost bone dry, but still) and has enough oomph for what your wanting.

My only gripe about it is that its a tad bit short, I'm about 6'2" and sorta spike my hair, every so often I get out of his car and it looks like I sat a book on my head. Other than that, its a good car.

kuzi16

gmill880:
...Plus plenty of room (incase of any little Kuzi's) ...

I dont think the world is ready for a little version of me.

while getting my brakes done (stopping is nice) i took a look at the legacy. that is one nice car. I havent driven the civic hybrid yet but it better be damn impressive to get past what i saw today in the new legacy and the new impreza.

kuzi16

Garen B:
My buddy has a 08 Civic (It's either 07 or 08, can't remember at the moment), handles like a dream, MPG is ridiculous (500 miles to the tank, of course is was almost bone dry, but still) and has enough oomph for what your wanting.

My only gripe about it is that its a tad bit short, I'm about 6'2" and sorta spike my hair, every so often I get out of his car and it looks like I sat a book on my head. Other than that, its a good car.

im not so worried about the HP but the HP in conjunction with the AWD. that AWD is amazing when there is 18 inches of snow on the ground.

i too am a bit tall. headroom is important to me. ill test drive soon.

These Filthy Hands

kuzi16:
(TFH would know all about smith hill)

Yeah, eff that hill in the winter! I think I would have trouble getting up it with my truck let alone my car!

phobicsquirrel

bbc020:
my brother works for Honda in Marysville, he says to buy a honda! But seriously, if that's what you're down to...I think you're a winner. I would take any one of them. For driving purposes, the Impreza would be my choice. If I'm in the mood to be a conscious buyer, I'd probably buy the civic hybrid. I have no doubts the Legacy is nice, but for as big of a guy as I am, I like a smaller car to tool around in.

buying a honda doesn't help our economy though... shame on you brandon!!!

bbc020

phobicsquirrel:
bbc020:
my brother works for Honda in Marysville, he says to buy a honda! But seriously, if that's what you're down to...I think you're a winner. I would take any one of them. For driving purposes, the Impreza would be my choice. If I'm in the mood to be a conscious buyer, I'd probably buy the civic hybrid. I have no doubts the Legacy is nice, but for as big of a guy as I am, I like a smaller car to tool around in.
buying a honda doesn't help our economy though... shame on you brandon!!!

helps my brother out though...and when things get real bad...I'm moving in with him and his family.

but seriously, he works in a plant in central ohio. If honda were in trouble there would be a couple thousand jobs lost in that locality.

urbino

And keeping all those people employed definitely helps our economy.

gmill880

so Kuzi hows the car hunt going?