New Car Decision: Camry, Aura, Or Sonata

[zeegler]

Mazda Sport 6

[Phantom Hawk]

Hell, get a GTO ! Mine gets decent hwy milage, its comfortable with plenty of room, has a kick ass stereo, and best of all ...... 400 HP ! I bought the 6 speed manual, but if you do a lot of city driving, I'd recomend the automatic. You can still get a 2006 leftover for about 30K.

[BTB007]

Hey Don,
I've been in the market for a "new to me" used car for a long time now. I've been test driving everything. I drive quite a bit to and fro work (way under what you drive, though) and have been looking for a pretty small car. I brought home a Toyota Celica on Friday night to test drive it for a day. I went to Babies R Us and couldn't get any of the kid's boosters seats to fit in the back at all (well, they fit but not correctly). I never haul my two girls in my car, but it's a necessity for emergency situations. So, I'm back to looking at four door cars and the Camry is tops on my list. And, I pretty much only like the 2007 model as far as styling goes. I plan on test driving a few more cars. I want to try a Honda Element and a Scion tC just to see if that has a little more room in the back seats.
Have you seen the new Saturn AURA commercial that you can test drive an AURA, Camry and Accord all at a Saturn dealership? Now, that's pretty cool and Saturn must really think something of their car to do that.

http://www.saturn.com/saturn/sidebyside/index.jsp

Also, have you considered an Impala SS? That would be a good match with your Tahoe. My mother in law just bought one and the V8 totally kicks butt and she still gets pretty good gas mileage because of the feature where the engine switches down to 4 cylinders on the highway. It is also tricked out with a ton of cool extra features that came standard on the SS. Oh yeah, there's a ton of room in the back seat, too.

Brian

[Spivonious]

Save your money and move closer to where you work! Geez I would kill myself if I had to drive 550 miles every week.

I'm not super into cars, but I do like the styling of the Ford Fusion and it seems to get good reactions from reviewers. It's the chassis of a Mazda 6 IIRC.

[shreddermon]

Before seriously researching, the Mazda 6s was my favorite car for styling. After researching, the reviews weren't too hot, the motor seems to lack power, yet it doesn't seem to make up for it in gas milage. I'm willing to trade power for gas milage, but I don't want to throw away both..

The motor's plenty powerful for sporty driving. More HP/torque does not necessarily = better acceleration in this class. Not the best in class anymore, but very reasonable still. The better handling than any others more than makes up for it, IMHO. But if it's power that you need, pony up for a MazdaSpeed 6 version, then. Turbo 4 with more power and AWD, too. (More expensive, but also being blown out now.)

I still think the Mazda 6 is a great looking and handling car (yet to test drive), but I'm afraid the room in the back seat might be another nail in it's coffin. My kids are 12, 10, and 8 now, but in 5 years we are looking at 17, 15 and 13. I'll need the space, if only for those infrequent family vacations.

5 years from now the 17 year old will be driving himself, and "too cool" to be seen with his parents. The 15 year old will probably be riding shotgun.

Seriously, if you're that worried about this, then you need to pretty much throw away anything in the mid-size class from consideration. The marginal differences between each aren't going to make much difference. If back seat room is that much of a priority, go up a class size to something like the Toyota Avalon, the new Ford Taurus, or a "crossover" like the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-7, etc.

[lhrocker]

How about a Subaru Legacy or Outback. Definitely in your price range, decent gas mileage, drives great and will fit 5 comfortably. They're also pretty easy to maintain, but the resale may not be as good as Toyota/Honda.

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

i have a '03 Accord. great car. i did drive a Fusion for a week. nice car, but the accord had more leg room. the mazda 6 is a fun car to drive, but the accord was more quite, and just a more solid car than the other 2 mentioned above. the guy next door bought the camery and even though i did not drive it, the honda was a nicer ride.

mine is the EX model (V6, leather, etc.) and the only issue i have had is the radio lights went out. honda replace it no charge, even though the warrenty was up. the ride i'm think of checking out is the Acura TL (used).

[DonP]

Hey Don,
I've been in the market for a "new to me" used car for a long time now. I've been test driving everything. I drive quite a bit to and fro work (way under what you drive, though) and have been looking for a pretty small car. I brought home a Toyota Celica on Friday night to test drive it for a day. I went to Babies R Us and couldn't get any of the kid's boosters seats to fit in the back at all (well, they fit but not correctly). I never haul my two girls in my car, but it's a necessity for emergency situations. So, I'm back to looking at four door cars and the Camry is tops on my list. And, I pretty much only like the 2007 model as far as styling goes. I plan on test driving a few more cars. I want to try a Honda Element and a Scion tC just to see if that has a little more room in the back seats.
Have you seen the new Saturn AURA commercial that you can test drive an AURA, Camry and Accord all at a Saturn dealership? Now, that's pretty cool and Saturn must really think something of their car to do that.

http://www.saturn.com/saturn/sidebyside/index.jsp

Also, have you considered an Impala SS? That would be a good match with your Tahoe. My mother in law just bought one and the V8 totally kicks butt and she still gets pretty good gas mileage because of the feature where the engine switches down to 4 cylinders on the highway. It is also tricked out with a ton of cool extra features that came standard on the SS. Oh yeah, there's a ton of room in the back seat, too.

Brian

Hey Brian,

The Saturn Dealer has both the Camry and Accord right there for you to test drive if you need. The have a nice car, and they aren't afraid of the competition.

The Impala SS we tested about 6 months ago. Great car with lots of space, and I like that idea of shutting of 1/2 of the cylinders. Most of my driving would be with 1/2 of them off. The jury is still out on this one.

[DonP]

Save your money and move closer to where you work! Geez I would kill myself if I had to drive 550 miles every week.

I'm not super into cars, but I do like the styling of the Ford Fusion and it seems to get good reactions from reviewers. It's the chassis of a Mazda 6 IIRC.

Move to Cleveland? The armpit of the US?:ROTF:

Sorry, but we just built/bought a new home in Sept. 2005. No way to sell, and the Cleveland Job won't be forever. It might move to Nashville. I will say I love the radio stations in Cleveland compared to the country junk (sorry if I offend any cowboys) in TN.

Ford Fusion. Sorry, won't own a Ford, and I'm worried they might not be in business to much longer. Maybe Toyota or Honda will buy them out? I've just read too much about how they manage their business vs. how GM manages theirs.

[DonP]

How about a Subaru Legacy or Outback. Definitely in your price range, decent gas mileage, drives great and will fit 5 comfortably. They're also pretty easy to maintain, but the resale may not be as good as Toyota/Honda.

We test drove a Legacy on the first outing. Nice looking car. Sort of like the Mazda 6 IMO, but maybe not in anyone elses opinion. I didn't find anything wrong with it other than the gas milage takes a small hit due to all wheel drive, and the back seat was a little too tight.

[DonP]

Today was my first time really driving since I had my accident on March 27th. Up until now, my wife was driving and I was just riding.

We first drove a Camry SE V6 with leather. Very nice, no complaints. I like the sportier SE styling with the air effects. Supposedly the best 1/4 mile of the econoboxs, and almost the best stopping. I've heard the seats aren't as comfy, and I might agree. The bad are short warranty, bad interest rates, and high price.

Next was a Sonata Limited. Once again, a nice car. More room than the Camry, not as nice of an interior. Both V6s had good pickup. Good handling. This would be a nice car for the long drives. Plenty of room to stretch out. Better warranty. Good financing. Best price.

Next was a Nissan Altima. Fully loaded top of the line with NAV. That was really nice. Kids really liked the backup camera. NAV would be really nice because we love taking drives exploring new places. Interior was nicer like the Camry, Power was great (270HP, most of the V6s). Great handling and styling. Warranty not the best, financing good, short warranty as well.

Next was the Honda Accord. The salesman pissed us off the first time because he was the only one not to offer a test drive. This time I just went in a said "We are driving". The Accord was nice. Interior was great like the Camry and Altima. Great "Fit and Finish". Get on the gas and it goes. Brakes stop the car. Nothing unexpected. But, sort of a lack of excitement. Boring. Bad warranty, bad financing, fairly high price for what you get.

Next came a BIG MISTAKE! We went into a Dodge dealer. For those who don't know, I own a 1970 Challenger, a 1990 Trans Am GTA, and used to own a 1971 Cuda. I'm a muscle car nut. Well, we had to give the Hemi Charger a try. Holy Shit that thing is fast compared to the crap I've been driving. And fun as well. I was able to get my 10 year old daughter sick by whipping it around all over the place (she hated it LOL!). It's the first car that got my passion boiling. My wife says it a "manly car" vs. the "girly cars" we had been driving. The dealer said he'll be getting in a Plum Crazy purple one in a few days, and we'll be called when it arrives to get first dibs on it. Maybe.

So now we have the dilema of what I SHOULD buy verses what I WANT to buy.

After driving the Hemi Charger, it was getting late and we were like "what's the point?" but I forced myself to test drive the Saturn Aura. We had ridden in it before with my wife driving and she got wild in it and liked it a LOT. Still a very, very nice car that I think is a bit more special than the everyday Accord or Camry. Good financing, good warranty, good price, no BS haggling, etc. I hear a lot a the great Saturn Experience when purchasing.

The Charger will probably only be a dream, but when the Challengers come out, I'll be there to nab one. But for now, I need an econobox for the long commute. Help, now I'm totally confused, but deep down I think it still is between the original three.

[DonP]

.

[daisp]

Gremlin...

[Top Jimmy B]

Dude, buy the Altima and get the extended warranty. The V6 version is a kickass car and has very little long term trouble. I've been financing them(as well as Accords/Camrys/Mazda/Subaru/Sonata) for ten years and they are a trouble free car that you will enjoy owning. If you like the styling(new for '07) then your car will still be current within the Nissan line up for another four to five years.

[horns666]

Dude..go with a Cobra..

It is da bomb!