Tips on Buying Cars: purchase advice, honda fit, kia rio

Question
Hi Paul,
I'm trying to buy a subcompact hatchback for my wife. The usual things are
important: safety,dependability,  price, and gas mileage. We've looked at the
Vibe, Versa, Soul, Rio 5 and xd. We'd like to spend about $15,000....it seems
that new is almost as affordable  right now  as a preowned that is a year or so
old.
Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.
Thanks

Answer
Dear Ben,

I hope you are dong well.

Yes, you are correct....due to the large reduction of new car production and sales, the used car market is starting to climb due to the reduced amount of used cars on the market.

There are a lot of variables that a customer evaluate when buying a car, and since I don't know your personal tastes, I can make the following recommendations based on my experience.

I would recommend the following vehicles to evaluate:

- Kia Soul
- Kia Rio 5
- Toyota Corolla
- Nissan Versa
- Scion xD
- Honda Fit

Of all of the vehicles mentioned, my first recommendation would be the Honda Fit.  The Honda Fit is an excellent vehicle and offers great safety, reliability and is fun to drive.  Also, for its size it has remarkable storage capacity.

The Toyota Corolla may be a little out of your price range, but you may be able to negotiate a good price in this market.  The Kia products have gotten very good lately and the Soul is an interesting vehicle which should provide a good value.

The Scion xD is Toyota so it should be very reliable, but it is not as refined as the Honda Fit.

However, before you decide to buy, I would recommend you look at used vehicles (Honda, Toyota, Nissan).  Depending on how soon you need to find a vehicle, you can find some really nice used vehicles for a good price.  Also, you may be able to find a larger vehicle for the same amount of money.  For example, you should be able to find a Honda Civic which is only a few years old for the price range that you are looking for.  One piece of advice when buying a used car is to make sure you have a certified mechanic review the car well before purchasing and do a CARFAX for a vehicle history.

I bought a used car last year (2002 Infiniti G20) with 80,000 for only $8000.  With good care, I should be able to drive it for a long time.

I would be very interested on what you decide on or what your feedback is on the vehicles that you evaluate.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Paul