Automotive Forums

I'm in the market for a new car and I want something useful under 18k. I want a manual transmission. Due to some private reasons, I have to stay away from Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. Korean cars are out of the question. The cars I have been considering are a Mazda 3 Grand Touring either the hatch back or sedan, a Mercury Milan/Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Golf or Jetta, and I've also seen some 2006 clearance Passats for around 18k. I just wanted some opinions and maybe someone who has some of these cars that could tell me what they think. Thanks.  

the mazda 3 grand touring is probabl;y gonna be over your 18k limit.  the golf/rabbit should be well under the 18k, and the jetta should be right around that price. as for the fusion you'll be limited to the I4 S model. i would say go with the vw rabbit just because at least you'll have a little money left in your budget to add some options, where as with the other cars you'll be more limited  

are mazda 3s really that expensive?  if that wasn't the case i'd pick the mazda, i've read good reviews on it and i've driven one before and it's pretty nice (although it was a short driver =P ).  my next choice would be the golf or the passat if you really want a bigger car.  

well the mazda 3 grand touring runs for about $19,725 msrp, a passat would be well over this guy's budget.  

My vote on the VW Rabbit! I like the looks and I heard it handles well.  

With the Costco Auto Program I can get a Mazda 3 Grand Touring for 18500
And at the end of model season there are brand new Passats going at a little over 18k.

And btw the Grand Touring is top of the line so they are a bit pricy, but if you can do with out climate control and leather you can opt for something less, the base model is 17440 msrp.

Oh and one question: Are VW's really that unreliable? I've heard some pretty bad horror stories and since I'm still on a pretty limited income, I won't have time to put up with paying $$$ for repairs and finding a replacement car while the other one is in the shop.  

i HEARD things were getting better with VW but i'm not sure at all  

WallaWallaOnions:
With the Costco Auto Program I can get a Mazda 3 Grand Touring for 18500
And at the end of model season there are brand new Passats going at a little over 18k.

And btw the Grand Touring is top of the line so they are a bit pricy, but if you can do with out climate control and leather you can opt for something less, the base model is 17440 msrp.

Oh and one question: Are VW's really that unreliable? I've heard some pretty bad horror stories and since I'm still on a pretty limited income, I won't have time to put up with paying $$$ for repairs and finding a replacement car while the other one is in the shop.

VW had a few isolated problems that unfortunately were poorly, but not suprisingly, handled poorly by VWOA and their dealer network. The A5 cars(Rabbit, GTI, Jetta, Audi A3) have shown to be reliable and they don't suffer from the coil pack, window regulator or MAF problems that plagued the early A4 cars. My girlfriend, her brother, and my parents all have later A4 cars and have not had any problems with their cars. My GFs car has 65K miles and hasn't had any real problems(not caused by dealer) it actually still even has the factory brake pads.

I should say that VW service is less than perfect. If you have a good local dealer you will be fine. If you have a bad dealer, it will be an unhappy relationship with your new Rabbit. You should ask around and find out what your local dealerships are like.

I have not driven a Rabbit yet, but I have driven the Jetta with the 2.5(same car as the rabbit just with a trunk) and I was fairly impressed. They have a decent amount of torque and for average driving they are defintiely adequate. The suspension is really nice, VW finaly got away from the torsion beam in back. You will find the interior is far and away superior to just about everything else under about 30 grand. VWs are also extremely safe. European vehicles are still designed to survive crashes, where as most other manufacturers are desiging cars to survive crash tests.  

Oh ok thats good news. I like the Rabbit and was pretty worried after looking at sites like MyVWLemon.com. The Rabbit is just about the only German car I can get new for my budget. I know German I'm heading to Germany this September and I love Germany and I don't think German flags would look quite right hanging from a Mazda or a Ford.

One question about the Rabbit: How does the Climatic "Manual climate control" work? It it something like in the old Mercedes?  

WallaWallaOnions:
Oh ok thats good news. I like the Rabbit and was pretty worried after looking at sites like MyVWLemon.com. The Rabbit is just about the only German car I can get new for my budget. I know German I'm heading to Germany this September and I love Germany and I don't think German flags would look quite right hanging from a Mazda or a Ford.

One question about the Rabbit: How does the Climatic "Manual climate control" work? It it something like in the old Mercedes?

I don't know how the Climatic works. All the *** I have been in have the Climatronic, it's the auto climate control. I am not really a fan of climate control. If I am hot I tuen the dial towards the blue dot, if I'm cold it turns toward the red dot.  

yeah i dont really like climate control either  

Same here, I only like climate control for its looks. The traditional knob is more practical.