i am about to start school again and need a car that is economical on gas and is cheap on everything else but realiability.

so i think im either going to go with a fit or a mini cooper or a smart car. I dont need to a really fast car but it does need to carry stuff. so i was leaning towards a mini or a fit.

if i end up going towards a fit i have a ton of questions for everyone.

questions:
1-whats the gas per miles look like. real world not on paper.

2-how many miles can you get from full to an empty tank.

3-i head there is going to be an electric version. will this version be worth it? not sure how many miles is possible.

4-how is the automatic models. does it run smooth or does it shift really weird on certain rpms.

5-would an manual be really worth more or auto is fine.

6-how is the paint. does it last pretty long or is it crappy. cause i have a car that the paint is known to be crappy from the manufacturer.

7-should i wait for a 2012 or something more down the road or is the 2011 just fine.

8-whats the differences between the years? what did they add or take away as the generations progressed.

9-pros.

10-cons.

11-any personal feed backs about the car. something i didnt know about to ask.

 

Mileage is hard to say. Here in NY (I drive a 2010 Fit Sport Automatic) city mileage is around 27-28, what they say, but that's with traffic lights or stop signs almost every block in a hilly area and with a lot of traffic- someplace more suburban would be better. I drove 60 miles on Thursday, set cruise control on 60, had to step on the gas a few times to pass people (if they're going 55 I needed to get around them quicker, plus people getting on the highway, etc.). That was 42 mpg. But that's ideal, I wouldn't count on being able to drive a steady 60 here in NY.

Allegedly the EPA mileage changes they did a few years ago make the data more realistic- in any case it's consistent to compare cars to each other. But what you spend on gas is one cost- also look into the cost of the car (Mini's more expensive) and insurance. You can call your ins. guy and give him a few cars and see the differences.

As far as reliability, the best gauge we have I think is Consumer Reports (it's not perfect and some people bash it but they're the only ones doing long-term surveys) and they like Hondas (including the Fit) and hate the Mini Cooper. They also said something like the Smart car was the worst car they ever tested- it's so slow that getting on a highway could be dangerous.

That said, you can look at the Mazda 2 and the Ford equivalent, as well as other small cars.

The Fit is great to carry stuff because of the way the back seats work. I'm a stand-up comic and the ability to put two big speakers on the floor of the back seat is a great feature. Of course other people have other needs, but this works for me.

Auto trans seems fine to me but your best bet is to test drive it. If the dealer wants to cut your drive short, test drive another at a different store.

Paint? Mine's maybe too new to complain about but there have been some postings here about paint chips long-term. Still, unless you're a stickler for having a perfect-looking five year old car, that's maybe not the most important factor.

 

When you're concerned about reliability you don't compare the Mini Cooper and especially the Smart car to a Honda anything. The Mini and Smart can't hold a candle to any Honda vehicle in dependability.

The best thing to do is go to a Honda dealership and look, set, drive one to see if you like it.

 

Mini Cooper... cheap?!?

I don't know about the reliability of the Smart... but like whaap said... there really isn't much to think about... Honda has one of the best ratings by consumers for reliability.

Honda, Toyota Dominate New Consumer Reports Reliability Survey

From last year (Oct)...

Mini is from BMW... Smart is from Mercedes...

 

What he said^

If you are a student get the Fit.

 

Student on a budget, get the Honda. Won't have to worry about it breaking down every couple thousand miles.

 

Might want to wait for the Hyundai Veloster...

 

My Economy is in my sig. Calculated, not from the computer.

The Smart uses Premium fuel so there's an added cost you'll have to factor in and they really dont' do much better on economy than the fit does. if you'll be in lots of traffic, or all of your travels are at highway speeds over 65mph, go for the auto. if you want to row the gearbox, get a 5MT... it's a nice feel.

The cooper will cost way more on maintenance than the fit does as well.

Realistically, it's an odd comparison because they don't even really all fit in the same class or $$ level. if it was Fit/Fiesta/Versa/Aveo, that would make more sense... however i'd still say FIT, especially for reliability and maintenance costs.

~SB