Sub Compact Cars - Does anyone have a diesel engine?

lordscarlet · 08-31-2009, 04:33 PM

Does anyone own any of the small, sub compact cars? In particular my wife are leaning toward the Honda Fit and I was curious if we have any real world experience with such cars here on the board. The Fit looks great on paper, but we have yet to test drive it.

Chief Rum · 08-31-2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Does anyone own any of the small, sub compact cars? In particular my wife are leaning toward the Honda Fit and I was curious if we have any real world experience with such cars here on the board. The Fit looks great on paper, but we have yet to test drive it.

I can contribute nothing to your thread, unfortunately.

That said, your thread gives me the opportunity to comment on how much some of these little cars look like the old IMac monitors on wheels.

remper · 08-31-2009, 05:11 PM

Actually my fiance and I bought a Fit in May. We have the Sport model so I can only speak to that. We love it. It's quick (relatively), we get about 37 mpg highway, its actually way more roomy than it looks, and the back seats fold in a number of ways. The only thing wrong with it is it has no center console, and your arm just kind of hangs... unless you drive with your right arm...

We also live in flat Illinois. If you're doing any hilly driving you might want something with a little more power.

lordscarlet · 08-31-2009, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remper

Actually my fiance and I bought a Fit in May. We have the Sport model so I can only speak to that. We love it. It's quick (relatively), we get about 37 mpg highway, its actually way more roomy than it looks, and the back seats fold in a number of ways. The only thing wrong with it is it has no center console, and your arm just kind of hangs... unless you drive with your right arm...

We also live in flat Illinois. If you're doing any hilly driving you might want something with a little more power.

The sport is what we're looking at. I believe the center console is an option.

Our current car has 92 hp, so the 107 or so the Fit has is an upgrade.

I'm curious, based on a few articles I have now read, about prices right now. Some articles indicate that they ahve been jacked up because of the clunkers program. And additionally that inventory is low because of clunkers, so the dealers have the upper hand in the supply vs. demand department.

Coffee Warlord · 08-31-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

I'm curious, based on a few articles I have now read, about prices right now. Some articles indicate that they ahve been jacked up because of the clunkers program. And additionally that inventory is low because of clunkers, so the dealers have the upper hand in the supply vs. demand department.

Give it a couple of weeks if you're buying new. Now that clunkers is gone, sales are going to plummet for a good long while. They're going to be real hard up real fast, especially with the majority of dealers being owed a good sum of money from the government. Should be able to get good value on a trade-in + good deal on car.

FrogMan · 08-31-2009, 08:21 PM

my wife drives a Yaris, which I'd guess qualifies as a sub compact even though she's got the sedan version, not the hatchback one. She loves it and for having driven it a few times, it's a fun car to drive. Much more pep than it appears at first look...

FM

fantom1979 · 09-01-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Our current car has 92 hp, so the 107 or so the Fit has is an upgrade.

92hp??? I think my lawnmower has 90hp. Do you pull start that thing, or does it have a crank???

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Honestly, i have heard good things about the Fit, but I have no personal experience with it.

lordscarlet · 09-01-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fantom1979

92hp??? I think my lawnmower has 90hp. Do you pull start that thing, or does it have a crank???

It is adventurous when climbing hills -- turning off the AC helps.

1995 Mitsubishi Mirage specs, auto safety at Edmunds

SackAttack · 09-01-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Does anyone own any of the small, sub compact cars? In particular my wife are leaning toward the Honda Fit and I was curious if we have any real world experience with such cars here on the board. The Fit looks great on paper, but we have yet to test drive it.

Why does that read like you originally said "my wife and I are" and then went "shit, gotta maintain my board cred"?

I think the smallest car I've driven is the Cobalt. Does that qualify?

wade moore · 09-01-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I think the smallest car I've driven is the Cobalt. Does that qualify?

I had a Cobalt for a rental.

Worst.

Car.

Evar.

Coffee Warlord · 09-01-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade moore

I had a Cobalt for a rental.

Worst.

Car.

Evar.

Nope, sorry, that award goes to any Kia.

wade moore · 09-01-2009, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Nope, sorry, that award goes to any Kia.

Ok, fair enough - my sample size probably isn't large enough.

But let's not let that take away from the fact that the Cobalt is a piece of shit.

claphamsa · 09-01-2009, 02:12 PM

does a mustang count as sub compact? :P only 339 horsepower!

Coffee Warlord · 09-01-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade moore

Ok, fair enough - my sample size probably isn't large enough.

But let's not let that take away from the fact that the Cobalt is a piece of shit.

Not arguing that point.

I think most rental companies these days buy Kias as a sick joke they inflict upon random customers. Both me and my girlfriend have been stuck with 2 different model Kias in the past. I'm still not convinced they actually contain a real live engine.

RomaGoth · 09-01-2009, 02:23 PM

Thought this was a freecreditreport.com song thread.....

lordscarlet · 09-01-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Why does that read like you originally said "my wife and I are" and then went "shit, gotta maintain my board cred"?

Wow -- not sure how that typo happened. I twas definitely meant to say "my wife and I are". Hell, if it were just me I might just go straight for the smart and be done with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

Thought this was a freecreditreport.com song thread.....

Am I not the only one that sings along with those?

clemsonfan · 09-01-2009, 02:41 PM

My husband drives a Toyota Yaris. It gets great gas mileage and has been a great car so far. He commutes an hour to work every day so we had to get something with excellent gas mileage.

RomaGoth · 09-01-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Am I not the only one that sings along with those?

Singing it right now, in fact. Damn you FOFC random threads.....

stevew · 09-01-2009, 02:45 PM

People fear me. I drive a dodge Stratus.

lordscarlet · 09-01-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clemsonfan

My husband drives a Toyota Yaris. It gets great gas mileage and has been a great car so far. He commutes an hour to work every day so we had to get something with excellent gas mileage.

We are looking for great gas mileage as well as something that will maximize the parallel parking spaces we can fit into.

I love a lot of the interior features the Fit offers, particularly the LCD screen that has a USB hookup and the seats that fold down excellently and in different configurations.

lordscarlet · 10-09-2009, 01:13 PM

I think my wife and I have decided on a 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI. Even though I told myself I would never buy a brand new car again, it seems to be the perfect compromise for my wife and I. I want something a little more "refined" than a Honda, and she wants something environmentally friendly. We both want something small to maximize our parking options and, well, because we don't need something big.

Does anyone have experience with modern diesels, or even better, the TDI specifically? It will be the same engine as the current Jetta TDI.

How is diesel availability these days? My impression is that it's plentiful these days, unlike when my mom had her Diesel Subaru in the early 80's.

It seems like people have a love/hate with VW, but most of the people I know fall on the "love" side. Any current or former VW owners out there?

stevew · 10-09-2009, 01:43 PM

The easiest thing would be for you do to a 10-20 block radius search of your townhouse for a station with Diesel. If there isn't one, don't buy a diesel. You have to know by now that they can't be trusted to ever put fuel in the car.

lordscarlet · 10-09-2009, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

The easiest thing would be for you do to a 10-20 block radius search of your townhouse for a station with Diesel. If there isn't one, don't buy a diesel. You have to know by now that they can't be trusted to ever put fuel in the car.

There's a gas station a block from my house that has diesel, but it would be nice to know that I'm relatively clear to go on a 6 hour drive and won't run out of fuel (of course, this thing can go like 500-600 miles on a single tank).

thesloppy · 10-09-2009, 02:02 PM

Had a 2000 Golf Turbo for a while, I am definitely in the 'love' VWs camp. As far as sub-compacts go, the Golf is pretty luxurious (relative to all the other hatchbacks, which admittedly isn't much competition), and the Turbo was an absolute blast to drive...but I can't speak on the TDI. I didn't have any sizable problems with my Golf before I got rid of it, but I remember hearing a lot about issues with the electronics, and that apparently was the most troublesome area for new Golfs at the time, FWIW.

DaddyTorgo · 10-09-2009, 02:03 PM

i'm hoping to get out for some car-shopping and test-driving this weekend.

leaning towards a hybrid - i like the gas mileage and the idea of being more green and such. going to hit up a toyota place and see how i feel about the prius versus like a hybrid camry. the camry is certainly roomier and more luxerious than the prius, but you lose ~15mpg for that. prius may be too small for me anyways...i'm a big guy (6ft, ~250 right now...could lose 40-50lbs though)

stevew · 10-09-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

There's a gas station a block from my house that has diesel, but it would be nice to know that I'm relatively clear to go on a 6 hour drive and won't run out of fuel (of course, this thing can go like 500-600 miles on a single tank).

Oh, I'd have to think you're okay then. Off of the highways, anyways, they almost always have some sort of diesel available. I don't think you'd find a bad patch anywhere in the US, really. Worst case scenerio, you're probably going to stop in a car trip every 300 or so miles, anyways. Just look for a diesel station when you get around halfway.

One thing that would scare the fuck out of me is that I would accidentally put regular gas in the thing, just due to force of habit.

stevew · 10-09-2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

i'm hoping to get out for some car-shopping and test-driving this weekend.

leaning towards a hybrid - i like the gas mileage and the idea of being more green and such. going to hit up a toyota place and see how i feel about the prius versus like a hybrid camry. the camry is certainly roomier and more luxerious than the prius, but you lose ~15mpg for that. prius may be too small for me anyways...i'm a big guy (6ft, ~250 right now...could lose 40-50lbs though)

Eh, I thought my parents Prius(last generation though) had plenty of room in it. I'm 6'4" and pushing 3 bills.

DaddyTorgo · 10-09-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

Eh, I thought my parents Prius(last generation though) had plenty of room in it. I'm 6'4" and pushing 3 bills.

cool...i didn't really think it'd be a problem, but i saw something about that on the interwebz.

question is do i want to sacrifice on the green/mpg thing to go for the camry which i can get more sorts of goodies in

lordscarlet · 10-09-2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Had a 2000 Golf Turbo for a while, I am definitely in the 'love' VWs camp. As far as sub-compacts go, the Golf is pretty luxurious (relative to all the other hatchbacks, which admittedly isn't much competition), and the Turbo was an absolute blast to drive...but I can't speak on the TDI. I didn't have any sizable problems with my Golf before I got rid of it, but I remember hearing a lot about issues with the electronics, and that apparently was the most troublesome area for new Golfs at the time, FWIW.

The relative luxiriousness is definitely why I am drawn to it. I think the only cars sold in the US that fit that description are the Golf/GTI, the Audi A3 and the mini (which is just a little too small in the cargo capacity and passenger room department).

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

One thing that would scare the fuck out of me is that I would accidentally put regular gas in the thing, just due to force of habit.

Great. I wasn't evene worrieda bout that before!

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

Eh, I thought my parents Prius(last generation though) had plenty of room in it. I'm 6'4" and pushing 3 bills.

I have a good friend that is 6'6" and loves his Prius.

stevew · 10-09-2009, 07:56 PM

I guess. DT with the hybrid you have to factor a bunch of shit into the equation. Like how much you care about the environment. How much you drive. How much you think the price of fuel will increase.

I mean my friend has a civic Si, it is a kickass car. He gets 35ish and has serious power. The sedan roughly costs the same as a Prius.

stevew · 10-09-2009, 08:00 PM

It is Standard though.

DaddyTorgo · 10-09-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

I guess. DT with the hybrid you have to factor a bunch of shit into the equation. Like how much you care about the environment. How much you drive. How much you think the price of fuel will increase.

I mean my friend has a civic Si, it is a kickass car. He gets 35ish and has serious power. The sedan roughly costs the same as a Prius.

I <3 the environment. I don't really tend to drive a whole hell of a lot. I don't do standard, that's for sure. Haha.

I'm not necessarily super in-need of serious horsepower IMO. Frankly, for a 30-year old guy I think I really drive like an old lady. Multiple speeding tickets when I was in my early 20's really slowed me down. That plus really disliking ending up in accidents and having to pay for body work.

Ryan S · 10-10-2009, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Does anyone own any of the small, sub compact cars? In particular my wife are leaning toward the Honda Fit and I was curious if we have any real world experience with such cars here on the board. The Fit looks great on paper, but we have yet to test drive it.

If you are curious about the Honda Fit you might want to search UK car websites for the Honda Jazz as it is the same car with a different name. I don't think the diesel is sold in the UK at the moment.

If you do look at UK review websites, remember that the US gallon is smaller than the UK gallon, so you will need to do some conversions.

40mpg UK = 33mpg US
50mpg UK = 41.6mpg US
60mpg UK = 50mpg US

lordscarlet · 10-10-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan S

If you are curious about the Honda Fit you might want to search UK car websites for the Honda Jazz as it is the same car with a different name. I don't think the diesel is sold in the UK at the moment.

If you do look at UK review websites, remember that the US gallon is smaller than the UK gallon, so you will need to do some conversions.

40mpg UK = 33mpg US
50mpg UK = 41.6mpg US
60mpg UK = 50mpg US

The diesel is the Golf, not the Fit.

Ryan S · 10-10-2009, 08:22 PM

Oops, I just looked at the first post and hit reply!

A UK review of the new Golf TDI - http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...140-GT/237767/

08-31-2009, 08:21 PM	#6
FrogMan Hattrick Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Pintendre, Qc, Canada	my wife drives a Yaris, which I'd guess qualifies as a sub compact even though she's got the sedan version, not the hatchback one. She loves it and for having driven it a few times, it's a fun car to drive. Much more pep than it appears at first look... FM __________________ A Black Belt is a White Belt who refused to give up... follow my story: The real life story of a running frog...

09-01-2009, 02:12 PM	#13
claphamsa Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: non white trash MD	does a mustang count as sub compact? :P only 339 horsepower! __________________ Dominating Warewolf for 0 games! GIT R DUN!!!

10-09-2009, 01:13 PM	#21
lordscarlet Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Washington, DC	I think my wife and I have decided on a 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI. Even though I told myself I would never buy a brand new car again, it seems to be the perfect compromise for my wife and I. I want something a little more "refined" than a Honda, and she wants something environmentally friendly. We both want something small to maximize our parking options and, well, because we don't need something big. Does anyone have experience with modern diesels, or even better, the TDI specifically? It will be the same engine as the current Jetta TDI. How is diesel availability these days? My impression is that it's plentiful these days, unlike when my mom had her Diesel Subaru in the early 80's. It seems like people have a love/hate with VW, but most of the people I know fall on the "love" side. Any current or former VW owners out there? __________________ Sixteen Colors ANSI/ASCII Art Archive "...the better half of the Moores..." -cthomer5000

10-09-2009, 02:03 PM	#25
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	i'm hoping to get out for some car-shopping and test-driving this weekend. leaning towards a hybrid - i like the gas mileage and the idea of being more green and such. going to hit up a toyota place and see how i feel about the prius versus like a hybrid camry. the camry is certainly roomier and more luxerious than the prius, but you lose ~15mpg for that. prius may be too small for me anyways...i'm a big guy (6ft, ~250 right now...could lose 40-50lbs though) __________________ Get bent whoever hacked my pw and changed my signature.

10-10-2009, 08:22 PM	#35
Ryan S Quarterback Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: London, England	Oops, I just looked at the first post and hit reply! A UK review of the new Golf TDI - http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...140-GT/237767/ Last edited by Ryan S : 10-10-2009 at 08:22 PM.

08-31-2009, 05:11 PM	#3
remper Mascot Join Date: Jan 2008	Actually my fiance and I bought a Fit in May. We have the Sport model so I can only speak to that. We love it. It's quick (relatively), we get about 37 mpg highway, its actually way more roomy than it looks, and the back seats fold in a number of ways. The only thing wrong with it is it has no center console, and your arm just kind of hangs... unless you drive with your right arm... We also live in flat Illinois. If you're doing any hilly driving you might want something with a little more power.

09-01-2009, 02:41 PM	#17
clemsonfan High School JV Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Dayton, OH	My husband drives a Toyota Yaris. It gets great gas mileage and has been a great car so far. He commutes an hour to work every day so we had to get something with excellent gas mileage.

09-01-2009, 02:45 PM	#19
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	People fear me. I drive a dodge Stratus.

10-09-2009, 01:43 PM	#22
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	The easiest thing would be for you do to a 10-20 block radius search of your townhouse for a station with Diesel. If there isn't one, don't buy a diesel. You have to know by now that they can't be trusted to ever put fuel in the car.

10-09-2009, 02:02 PM	#24
thesloppy Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PDX	Had a 2000 Golf Turbo for a while, I am definitely in the 'love' VWs camp. As far as sub-compacts go, the Golf is pretty luxurious (relative to all the other hatchbacks, which admittedly isn't much competition), and the Turbo was an absolute blast to drive...but I can't speak on the TDI. I didn't have any sizable problems with my Golf before I got rid of it, but I remember hearing a lot about issues with the electronics, and that apparently was the most troublesome area for new Golfs at the time, FWIW.

10-09-2009, 07:56 PM	#30
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	I guess. DT with the hybrid you have to factor a bunch of shit into the equation. Like how much you care about the environment. How much you drive. How much you think the price of fuel will increase. I mean my friend has a civic Si, it is a kickass car. He gets 35ish and has serious power. The sedan roughly costs the same as a Prius.

10-09-2009, 08:00 PM	#31
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	It is Standard though.

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