new commuter car for 15000?

[DODGE]

I am looking for a commuter car grapevine-->Alvarado daily. I considered a 5000 used car but thought with repairs a 15000 new car may be better. What do you think? I see the corolla, civic and Kia Rio are all right around this dollar amount. For a new small sedan where gas mileage is paramount which would you go with?

[Binky]

Scion should be in your range as well. Friend has one and its decent for an inexpensive car.

[Moose242]

The new fiestas are pretty nice. That may be a viable option.

[2011GT]

The new fiestas are pretty nice. That may be a viable option.

Awesome gas mileage also! We had a 12 focus hatch and really liked it. Got 35mpg.

[SVT Lurch]

Nissan Versa

[War Machine]

Hyundai is a nice option too now-a-days

[DODGE]

Do any of these get near 40mpg?

[A_A_G]

Fiesta will probably be your best bet if you want closest to 40 mpg @ 15k range. I'd personally would go Honda Fit or Scion xD because of resale value.

[slow84lx]

Nissan Versa

I drove one of these as a rental car in a hilly part of California last week and was pleasantly surprised with the car. I didn't check the gas mileage but remembered thinking that it didn't take much gas to refill the tank compared to the amount of driving that I did.

[SVT Lurch]

Yeah, my mom just got one and I actually like it. I think the sticker says 38-39 mpg and she gets pretty close to that.

[joes01bullitt]

Nissan Versa

THIS!

just make sure to keep up with maintenance...

[8mpg]

Fiesta will probably be your best bet if you want closest to 40 mpg @ 15k range. I'd personally would go Honda Fit or Scion xD because of resale value.

When we looked at Fiestas for my fiance's little brother, they ended up being close to $19k after TTL. They didnt have many options either. THey are affordable IF you can find a 5psd base car. As soon as you look at an auto transmission you are talking $16-17k+TTL. In fact, with the better Focus rebate, the Focus was about $300 cheaper with the same options.

For the money, I would look into a slightly used Toyota Yaris/Carolla. They can be around $12-13k + TTL. You can get a 100k warranty online from Toyota for $500. We ended up picking up a 2010 Toyota Yaris with 20k miles from Hertz for $12,000+TTL. Car was in EXCELLENT shape, no bad smells, very clean on the inside and outside.

[UserX]

Another vote for a Versa. I bought one brand new a few years ago, it was under $13k. It had the Sport package and a 6 speed manual. I put NISMO rims on there. Fun car, and extermely practical. It's amazing how much interior room these things have. It also had nice features like Bluetooth, all windows were one touch up & down, and intelligent keys.

[JC316]

I am sorry, but if I pay $5K for a commuter car, it damn well better not need repairs. I have a nice 96 Saturn that hasn't given me a bit of trouble. Got $1500 in the dang thing and I have put 50K miles on it without a single issue.

[Cooter]

exactly, but I think you're looking at a couple extremes... a $15k brand new car is a throw away car. why not split the difference and get a slightly used, nicer car that is more enjoyable?