# New car help!



## OKLAHOMAN (Jul 14, 2014)

Dee has decided she wants a new car and wants a small car. She has a 2010 Toyota Camery with only 26,000 miles. She wants something alone the lines of a Mini Cooper, Fiat, Focus, etc. 
Anyone have one of the new mini cars and if so what do you think of them.


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## Timebandit (Jul 14, 2014)

My brother and his wife both have a mini and my parents have one as well. They all love them. Too small for me, but if she is looking for small, these would fit her. There are also different sizes. My parents have the larger 4 door one while my brother and wife both have the smaller 2 door versions.


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## sbell111 (Jul 14, 2014)

My wife's play car is a Smart cabriolet.  It's fun to drive in a go-cart kind of way.


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## ottotroll (Jul 14, 2014)

Volkswagen GTI - comfort, performance, gas mileage and luxury (at least to me, lol....bought one in 2013, and love it!)


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## mark james (Jul 14, 2014)

I like minis.


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## wood-of-1kind (Jul 14, 2014)

Fiat 500 all the way. An Italian like you Roy should know this.lol Dee would look good in one.
Enjoy the ride. Ciao.


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## glenspens (Jul 14, 2014)

let her drive them all to see the one she likes... my wife wanted a Camaro bad so I after a year I took her to get one we drove it she told the sales guy we would need to sleep on it  when we were on the way home  she said should have done this a year ago.....I hate it...so she got a cts wagon ?? ...so let her drive them all


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## Dalecamino (Jul 14, 2014)

I really like this car Roy!

TV Ad for Fiat 500 Abarth - YouTube


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## jeff (Jul 14, 2014)

I have a friend who owns a Fiat 500 Abarth and loves it. If you like driving fast, that thing is a little rocket ship.


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## low_48 (Jul 14, 2014)

I drive a 2011 Honda Fit Sport. Pretty quick, paddle shifters, weighs less than 2000 pounds, and just a ton of room to haul stuff. I've hauled a mini lathe and 7 big plastic tubs on the trips to pen turners gatherings. Averages 34mpg combined driving. 2015 models all start under $20,000. Love it!


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## Rounder (Jul 29, 2014)

Just saw this post. We have the Mini Countryman. Love it. Very fun to drive. More room inside than would be expected. Very sporty when in the sport mode. Sport mode makes for more aggressive shifting, transmission braking and steering. We get from 28 to 34 MPG depending on how much I can keep my foot out of the gas!The Mini is made by BMW FYI.


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## scotian12 (Jul 29, 2014)

I haven't driven a mini Cooper personally but the older couple down the street are on their second car and the same thing goes for our local minister. They hug the curves like no bodies business and they have great accelateration. They are rated highly in the mini category of cars. Pretty good in light snow but not sure about heavy snow.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 30, 2014)

Rounder said:


> Just saw this post. We have the Mini Countryman. Love it. Very fun to drive. More room inside than would be expected. Very sporty when in the sport mode. Sport mode makes for more aggressive shifting, transmission braking and steering. We get from 28 to 34 MPG depending on how much I can keep my foot out of the gas!*The Mini is made by BMW FYI*.


True, but it is still made mostly in England where it originated as the Mini Cooper.


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## Curly (Jul 30, 2014)

I have a 2008 Smarty. While it does the job as a commuter car and has big doors for easy entry/exit, I wouldn't recommend it. Costly to service, harsh ride, transmission is anything but smooth when shifting. The older we get, the more difficult it is to get in and out of low cars. The Mini, is the lowest of the type but likely the most fun to drive. :biggrin: I would look seriously at the Fiats.


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## TLTHW (Jul 30, 2014)

Nissan 370Z roadster........


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## Rick_G (Jul 30, 2014)

I drive an 06 Pontiac Pursuit and while it was great when I bought it new 8 years later as my back ages it's getting harder to get in and out of.  Anything smaller and I would likely need help getting out plus they start to fall into the category of hit a dog and you lose.  Also smaller engine does not necessarily translate to better gas mileage.  My 92 Grand Am gave me 38 mpg from the day I bought it until I gave it to my son with 350000K on it.  It had the larger of the 2 V6 engines you could get.  My Pursuit with a 4 cyl. gives me anywhere from 24 to 40 depending on wind direction and road angle.  It just doesn't have the power.  At 100 K/hr it runs at 2200 RPM while the grand am was 1800 RPM.  

My suggestion if your wife wants a smaller car is test drive all she is considering and then when she has narrowed it down to 3 or 4 try and rent each for a few days or a week.  The test drive will eliminate some and then driving the rest for a week will really help narrow it down 

I'm one of those that buys a new car and then keeps it until I have to pay the scrapyard to take it so I keep long term maint. costs in mind as well.


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## Trey (Jul 30, 2014)

I have heard that Mini has to be serviced at a BMW or Mini dealership.  I have never owned a Mini but BMW is freeking expensive when you want to get it serviced.


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## nanosec12 (Jul 30, 2014)

I drive a Fiat 500, it is far from my first car, but it is the first one that I really enjoy.  Sure it's small, but my wife has the station wagon for the shopping / road trips.  Only caution about the Fiat is the back seat is NOT made for adults.

I haven't tried the new 500L (4 door version) but I would assume it's back seat is somewhat larger.


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## low_48 (Jul 30, 2014)

Trey said:


> I have heard that Mini has to be serviced at a BMW or Mini dealership.  I have never owned a Mini but BMW is freeking expensive when you want to get it serviced.



I think my son said an oil change at the dealer was $150! His was supercharged, so maybe synthetic.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 30, 2014)

low_48 said:


> Trey said:
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I think it might go like this -- my wife has a VW New Beetle and they specify a specific oil that must be used.  The only place you can find it is at the VW Dealership - and the oil change there is at least double and possibly triple what I pay for my Pickup.  I think that might be what your son ran into.


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## sbell111 (Jul 30, 2014)

The Mercedes dealer charges a ton to change the oil on our Smart, but I do it myself in just a few minutes for pretty cheap.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 31, 2014)

sbell111 said:


> The Mercedes dealer charges a ton to change the oil on our Smart, but I do it myself in just a few minutes for pretty cheap.


We've taken my wife's VW to service stations and they have told us they don't have and can't get the oil locally.  Just as an aside our local Merdedes-Benz Dealer is also the local Chevy dealer---He charges more to service Mercedes because he sells a lot more Chevy's than Mercedes so he has much lower overhead at the Chevy store, at least that what he has told me.


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## sbell111 (Jul 31, 2014)

Smitty37 said:


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How do you know if a car dealership is lying to you?  Their lips are moving.

Mobil 1 0w40 and 5w40 complies with VW 502.00/505.00/503.01 specifications.  Lots of others do, also.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 31, 2014)

sbell111 said:


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Steve, I only know that the two places where my wife used to have her oil changed, which includes where I have mine change, won't change it in her VW new beetle.


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## Krankyankee (Jul 31, 2014)

I fell in love with a Chevy cruze...I had the eco model with the 6 speed manual and frequently got 50 MPG....only problem... I am a large ( not obese  6' 2"  220#) man and it was just too small ....lacked a little in the power department...but with that gas mileage...who cares...


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## sbell111 (Jul 31, 2014)

Smitty37 said:


> sbell111 said:
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I hear you and I'm certainly not arguing with you about what they said.  I'm on your side and only posted the information as a service to you.

The fact is, the reason that they gave you for not changing the oil is not correct.  It is certainly possible that they simply aren't knowledgeable on what oils comply and what do not or even that they don't stock any oil that is compliant with VW's standards.

If it were me, I would either change it myself, or I would buy my own oil & filter and bring it to my favorite oil change place and have them change it.  I'm cheap that way.  I refuse to pay the dealership way too much money for such a simple job.


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## skiprat (Jul 31, 2014)

Roy, Dee has put up with you for many years so why not spoil her for a change?:biggrin:
Why not a neat little Mazda MX5 (Miata in USA?) Convertible?
They are great fun, bombproof and easy to drive. 
You can even get the folding hardtop version.

My wife is on her second one and insist she will ALWAYS have one now.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 31, 2014)

sbell111 said:


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I stopped changing my own oil when it just got to be too much of a pain to get under the car (even with ramps) and getting rid of the old oil got to be a bother too.


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## sbell111 (Jul 31, 2014)

Smitty37 said:


> I stopped changing my own oil when it just got to be too much of a pain to get under the car (even with ramps) and getting rid of the old oil got to be a bother too.


Yeah, that's a pain.

To the thread's topic, this is actually one of the benefits of the Smart car.  The oil drain plug and oil filter are right by the right rear tire and are super easy to access.  There's no need to jack up the car or lay on the ground.


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## skiprat (Aug 3, 2014)

Ok, enough of the suspense....:biggrin:  What did Dee ( and you )  decide on?


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## Smitty37 (Aug 3, 2014)

skiprat said:


> Ok, enough of the suspense....:biggrin:  What did Dee ( and you )  decide on?


Well if it's like my house when we buy her car -- she asks me to find a car for her, so I go looking for what she told me she wants to see.  Then I take her looking at what she said..Then she decides on another one that she happened to walk past in one of the lots (she never remembers which lot) so we go back through all the dealerships we've looked, we find that car and it is $20,000 out of our price range but she saw "another one" in a different lot. After searching half a day we find that one and she asks my opinion.  I tell her all the reasons she should not buy it (by this time I'm tired of shopping but if I tell her I like it she won't want it) and she decides that's the one she wants and we buy that.  One day I'll have to post a picture of her car....


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## epigolucky (Aug 3, 2014)

OKLAHOMAN said:


> Dee has decided she wants a new car and wants a small car. She has a 2010 Toyota Camery with only 26,000 miles. She wants something alone the lines of a Mini Cooper, Fiat, Focus, etc.
> Anyone have one of the new mini cars and if so what do you think of them.



Wife and I sold our '07 Mini S this past summer.  Great gas mileage, fast, handled great, FUN to drive. As long as we were in the warranty period, everything was just fine.  Literally less than 500 miles past the warranty, had to replace timing chain, after befriending the mechanic at the dealer, he said it is a "soft" recall and they aren't supposed to do anything unless the owner complains before the warranty expires.  So $3500 later, timing chain fixed, engine light comes on as we are driving out of dealer lot.  Now the engine has a small oil leak, they tried to get us to pay for them to take the engine apart and fix their mistake (oil leak didnt show up on initial diagnostics, and they repaired it free after we pointed that out).  They did provide a loaner car for the duration of these repairs.  Our breaking point was over the winter when we could not get the car to accelerate past 5 MPH, even after a 30 minute warmup.  Took to foreign car specialist, found the manifold was faulty (silent recall per mechanic) and there was an ice chunk the size of a baseball in the manifold that prevented the intake from opening properly.  

Had it not been for these issues, we would probably still have the car.  I'll stick to my Jeep Wrangler.


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## sbwertz (Aug 4, 2014)

I LOVE my Focus!  I consistently get 32-34mpg around town and up to 40 mpg on the highway.  It is a 2009 and has had ZERO problems.  Only time it has been in the shop for other than routine maintenance, was when a sweet old lady t-boned me (fortunately at very low speed).


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## t001xa22 (Aug 4, 2014)

Roy, if it helps any, I just read that the Mini Cooper was just voted the safest small car available for crash-worthiness.


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## sbwertz (Aug 4, 2014)

sbell111 said:


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I have a little Rialta motorhome on a VW Eurovan chassis.  I use Amsoil synthetic in it....5w40 in our hot climate.


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## ohiococonut (Aug 4, 2014)

My wife has a Focus and loves it. It's her car so I'm good with that 'cause I don't like it at all, it's too small for me. I'm 6'2" 240 and used to big SUV's. Her car is like a skate to me. I can drive it if need be but it's like being strapped into a cockpit with very little room to move. 

Anyway, I believe it's a 2011 with over 120k miles on it. She averages 200 miles a day. Regular oil changes, 2 tire changes, 1 tune up, 1 complete brake job and it's still running strong. Most of her running is at highway speeds so it gets 40-41mpg. It's survived an encounter/collision with 2 deer, 1 raccoon, several birds and one semi tire. With normal maintenance it's been a very good car so far and she wants another when this one finally gives up the ghost. The next one will get a hood bra, the little road pebbles have used it for target practice and they don't miss. 

It's had no major manufacturer issues and for the money it's been very reliable daily driver.


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## skiprat (Aug 4, 2014)

Leroy, my wife is not like yours.......mores the pity. 

As a hot blooded South African lass, she knows what she wants and when she wants it...she makes sure I know too, incase I'm too stupid to figure it out...

The amazing thing is, is that she knows what I want too...  I know this cos she tells me !!!!


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## sbell111 (Aug 4, 2014)

I'm blessed with my wife for many reasons.  One of the minor ones is that we tend to like the same basic things in vehicles.

We both wanted 'play' cars and ended up with theoretically similar toys; red two-seat 'European' convertibles that we had each fallen for years before.  Hers is a a Smart cabrio and mine a Cadillac Allante.

We each drove mid-sized SUVs prior to our accident.  Hers was a Chevy Trailblazer and mine a Jeep Grand Cherokee.  After our accident, we made the decision to go bigger and safer.  She landed in a Tahoe while I chose an Avalanche.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Aug 4, 2014)

She hasn't even looked other than on the net, said when it cools off she will shop. She's leaning toward the Fiat but until she drives one she's open. I'm inclined to have her keep her Camery.  





skiprat said:


> Ok, enough of the suspense....:biggrin:  What did Dee ( and you )  decide on?


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## Smitty37 (Aug 4, 2014)

sbell111 said:


> I'm blessed with my wife for many reasons.  One of the minor ones is that we tend to like the same basic things in vehicles.
> 
> We both wanted 'play' cars and ended up with theoretically similar toys; red two-seat 'European' convertibles that we had each fallen for years before.  Hers is a a Smart cabrio and mine a Cadillac Allante.
> 
> We each drove mid-sized SUVs prior to our accident.  Hers was a Chevy Trailblazer and mine a Jeep Grand Cherokee.  After our accident, we made the decision to go bigger and safer.  She landed in a Tahoe while I chose an Avalanche.


You guys seem to have more cars than I have shoes:biggrin: I see two "his" cars and two "her" cars so the only thing that seems to be missing is the "our" car.:wink:


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## jjjaworski (Aug 4, 2014)

We have a 1998 Camry and a 2005 Mini. The Camry gets about the same mpg as the Mini.
I got the Mini for my wife as a Birthday present in November 2004. It has 100,00 miles on it. The Camry has 250,00 plus miles on it.

The repairs on the Mini can get costly when out of warranty. For example, we had a leaky power steering hose. With low fluid the Mini would steer like a dump truck with flat tires. This 9-10 inch hose cost in the neighborhood of $300. 

If you can trade in your Mini before the new car warranty expires you are better off. It does require a special oil as seems to be the case with the new VW bug.

I had some tires put on at Big-O Tires. They did more damage to the body because they had no idea how to get the mini in the air safely.

It is fun to drive but does cost more to maintain.

Just my two cents.

A Corolla or similar style car might be a better option if  'sporty ' isn't a big concern.


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## Smitty37 (Aug 4, 2014)

Hmmm my wife drives a serialized "final edition" 2010 VW New Beetle Convertible....Two tone: Blue and white body with black top.  It has an 18 inch by 8 inch reclining "Snoopy" dog on each door along with many flowers on the doors sides and trunk lid with a couple on the hood also.  The flowers are mostly white and yellow daisys.  I personally think everyone of the 6 or 7 thousand citizens of Milford, Deleware are familiar with her car and know who drives it.


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## sbell111 (Aug 4, 2014)

Smitty37 said:


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Sadly, the one that I left out is also 'hers'.  It is a '64 T-Bird that was her first car.  It is badly in need of restoration, so I generally don't count it.


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