Our family car has been a Mazda6 that we purchased in 2003. It's been a great cruiser ang got a decent 25mpg, but not great, and is about to turn 100K miles. At some point in the last year, Shelley decided that she would give it to her son when he turns sixteen. That fateful date is sometime in August.......... So, it was time to start looking for a replacement, and she had some very specific requirements. Since she also had the Mini, which she loved, it had to be FUN, manual transmission, hatchback, but with four doors, and at least 30mpg. That really limited the choices, but that was good.
We had a Toyota Matrix rental car on our last trip to PA, and it was pretty close to what she wanted, so it went on the list, followed by a Mazda3, Saturn Astra, Kia Spectra5, Scion xD, and a few more that didn't fit yet another requirement. No American cars......... As the dutiful husband that I am, I did my Edmunds research and learned some interesting things.
As you might guess, my first choice would have been the Mazda3, especially with S Plan pricing, BUT, the 5-door version only comes with the 2.3L which isn't the greatest on gas. We went and looked anyway. Nice car, but only one at the dealership that wasn't a MazdaSpeed, and it had leather, MP3/IPOD/XYZ stuff that us old folks don't care about, and a sunroof. I was happy to hear that Shelley FINALLY agreed on NO leather(hot in summer, cold in winter even with heated seats), and the sunroof would never be used. On top of this, our "salesman", and I use that term loosely, was obnoxious from the get go. We ended up walking out the door.
The Matrix was the most expensive, as virtually everything is an option, which was frustrating. We left it on the list, but didn't go to a dealer. Next was the Spectra, which looked great on paper, but it was a KIA! As we pulled in to the dealership, there were a dozen or so "vultures" milling about the parking lot deciding which one get's the next "victim". We actually got a nice, young gentleman that actually knew the products. He found one close to the criteria and we climbed all over it. We were surprised at the fit & finish, but not nearly so much as the test drive. This car is QUIET! It also handled really well. I rode as a passenger and Shelley drove. She liked it alot.
The Saturn Astra is actually a European Opel, new to the US but has been around Europe for about five years. It was nice! Also quiet, like the Kia, a bit bigger and closer in price to the Mazda3 and Matrix, and the only one with a trip computer. This one was definitetly on the list. It turns out that we never looked at the Scion because it didn't have ABS, even as an option! Also, no disk brakes in the rear, and a tiny 1.5L.
More reseach ensued and we discussed the pros and cons of each and narrowed it to the Saturn and Kia. Both met all the requirements and MSRP was within a couple of hundred dollars. The price was around $17,500 and Shelley had been hoping to do better, so we looked at smaller wagons and sedans but nothing seemed to fit at anything under $16,000. Newspaper ads show cars for $12-14, but they are bare bones. We went back to the Saturn vs Kia.
That was a couple of weeks ago, and we continued talking but nothing really put one above the other......until Saturday. If you've read the "barstool" post, our "work day" on Saturday pretty much fizzled after leaving the emergency room, so we were heading back up 377 toward Cresson, when I see a Kia dealer......in Granbury! I thought it was my turn to do a test drive, and they didn't seem busy. We wandered around the lot for awhile, even looking at the smaller Rio, when we were met a nice gentleman who has been in the car business for over thirty years, actually longer since his dad owned a dealership when he was a kid. Quiet, easy going, no pressure, knows his job and cars, now this is the kind of salesman I like! He got us keys for a RIO hatch and the Spectra, both in orange (Shelley had already chosen the color weeks ago!), but neither was "perfect". No ABS on the Rio and the Spectra had a $700 sun roof, but he had his manager start a search in the SW region to see what he could find.
Oh, did I mention that we looked like a couple of homeless people in our dirty old work clothes. I wasn't expecting to be anywhere but the house so I looked pretty bad. Shelley wasn't quite as bad, but the doctor had given her a pain pill, that made her more silly than normal! Anyway, there were no ABS Rio's and no ABS Spectra's without sunroofs. That eliminated the Rio, so I decided to drive the Spectra anyway. I liked the handling right away!
Being in my old stomping grounds, I knew where the "good" roads are, so I headed for Acton and Fall creek Hwy. For those unfamiliar, this is my normal road to and fro the house and it has some nice Miata curves that I know really well :). My normal speed in Miatas is around 70mph, so I go into the first one at sixty....boring.....more gas, out at sixty-five. I really like it now! Next one in at sixty-five and out at seventy, still solid as a rock and the tires haven't yet started talking to me. Next series all at seventy, then turned around and did it again, this time all at seventy to seventy-two. OK, I'm sold.........
Back at the dealership, the manager says he'll give us a great price and even delete the cost of the sunroof. MSRP was $18,020 plust they had pin-striped it and tnted the windows. With a $1500 rebate and another $500 car show discount, we drove out for $14,977, right in the ballpark of what Shelley had wanted to spend in the first place. No games, no hassle, just an absolutely wonderful experience, and we haven't even paid for it yet! If anyone is ever interested in a Kia, it is worth the trip to Granbury. If you deal with Jay Simons, it will be even better!
One last tidbit......... Since Shelley hurt her shifting hand, I've had to drive it all weekend and to work today :D
Merv
