The nest has gone from family of five to family of three (well, except for summer and holidays) and I am looking to buy a FUN car, finally! We are thinking of either a Mini Cooper, Prius, VW Golf or Outback (the smaller one.)
If you own or have owned any of these vehicles I would love to hear your thoughts, and horror stories if applicable.
Thanks Moms!
My dad went shopping for a "fun" car recently, and had thought he'd like a Mini Cooper. When he got into the car, his first thought was that everything in it looked kind of cheap. He decided against the Mini and bought a BMW 330 instead. He loves it! Even though it's a smallish car, it still has a decent amount of trunk space, and enough room in the back seat for 2 adults to sit comfortably.
Our neighbors had a friend with a Mini Cooper over yesterday, it was really loud! My husband said they normally are that way....I don't know though.
My dad drives a Prius and my husband had one. They are GREAT if you are looking for amazing MPG. Otherwise, I'd go for something more "fun" if that's what you are looking for.
My sister had a VW Jetta that was fun as her first "real"car. My daughter (10) is starting to eye VW cars as well...
Not a fan at all of Subaru's...and I'm not going to lie, that I think most of the Subaru's I see on the road don't drive very well. (Meaning the drivers don't drive well...not sure why that is though!).
Our neighbor loved his Subaru Legacy so much he sold SS his old one and got a new one. Friend loved his Outback and got a Forrester later. Many many people are happy with Subarus.
Can't say much about the Prius. People don't seem to complain. Friend loves her Mini Cooper, but for me I'd want more room for a family. She uses it for her commuter car. So if you don't need to cart a lot of people, it might be the fun one for you.
We have a Subaru and love it. Never a bad choice, but it's not necessarily a FUN car.
Mini Cooper seems cute and fun, but does not get very good gas mileage (which seems a shame for such a small car).
Coworker has a Prius and loves it.
I have a VW Jetta, circa 2003. It's a total lemon (and always has been), but they must have fixed whatever was wrong with that era of car. Other than that, they are very fun to drive. Zippy with better gas mileage than our Subaru. And the Golf is probably even better.
What a fun dilemma!
I've driven 3:4, and like them all for various things:
- Don't get a mini unless you will NEVER need to get luggage, a big shopping trip, etc. it has 4 seats and that's it.
- Don't get a Prius unless you only drive in the city (but love love love for for city driving). It can't deal with dirt roads, sand, or snow.
The Subaru Outback is my next car.
#1 rated for snow (I snowboard)
- 4wd /AWD for dirt, sand, snow, rain
- awesome storage for schlepping people, pets, gear, & stuff
- great gas and maneuverability
- et cetera
I had a Golf GTI, which was a lot of fun, the regular golf, while a nice car, is not very fun.
We have had several MINIs over the years and we keep coming back to them. We now have the 4 door SUV version. We love them because they are a blast to drive, plain and simple. Every time one of us gets behind the wheel, you start grinning and you can't help but rocket off. It is basically a sports car so yes it is a loud, bumpy ride and no, it is not a gas sipping Prius and no, it doesn't have a bunch of storage space. . If you want a cushy ride with attention to details, don't consider a sports cars. If you want to go a zillion city miles on no gas, get a hybrid. If you want lots of storage space, go look at SUVs. MINI does great on gas on the highway and pretty darn good in the city. People expect it to have better than it does. We regularly take trips in ours (2 adults, 1 toddler and 1 baby). Packing takes a little thought but for every day use it is enough. We can fit our double stroller in the 4 door version comfortably. As for cheesy, cheap details that all adds cost and weight. Also it is relative. In my opinion for what a MINI is, it does a great job and it is a kick to motor in.
We love our Mini Cooper. It is so much fun to drive and great on gas. We also went from a family of 6 in the home and now 2 are about to venture out. We have two little Yusuf's now and ate considering getting the 4 door mini. The 20 year old has drove it for awhile and loves it also. It has been a great car. The is alot more space than you think especially in the back. Good luck to you.
my husband in a prius for about 5 years. He is tall and liked that even though a smaller car it could accommodate him in head room. Gas mileage is fantastic. No problems with the car, but I admit I always feel kind of low to the ground when I am in it.
Get a VIN on each of them and ask your insurance agent for a quote if you were to replace one of your others. There could be a huge difference in premium and it could help you decide. Good luck!
Subarus in general (we had a Forester for several years, and are looking at possibly, maybe, getting another in the not too too distant future) are very sturdy, stable, and reliable vehicles. And they ride nice, too.
What they haven't always been, is easy on gas for the size vehicle they are. The older models pretty much were awful, in a mpg comparison with similar size/class vehicles. The new ones, however, have upped their mpgs considerably. So if you are looking at 2013 or 2014 Outbacks, then that may be a moot point to make.
No bad stories about our Subaru. We loved it. Just outgrew it. :/
We had a lemon of a Subaru, so I'd never buy one again. It was only five years old when we started having very expensive problems with it. People raved about Subarus before we got ours, but we hated it. Handled well but it was a money pit.
I'd choose the Prius. My parents have one and love it! Can't beat the mileage.
I had a girlfriend who owned a Cooper - LOVED it.
Personally not a fan of Prius....
VW Golf - fun and sporty - especially if you get a cabrio!
Subaru Outback - I know 4 people who own this one...they LOVE IT.
I've had a Prius since February and I LOVE it! If you drive 1,000 a month you'll only pay about $70 a month in gas (at current prices). I think it's a really fun car - reasonably small, handles well, and it's got plenty of pick-up at stop lights and on the highway (not as good as say, a Mustang, but still very good). My kids love the stereo system as they can listen to their iPods (with a connector) and music on phones (though bluetooth). You can also listen to Pandora or whatever through your phone's bluetooth. Big plus for me. I have driven this over the mountains from Marin County to Reno and had no problem with performance. I've driven it at 80+ MPH on I-580 without problem (less on the mileage, obviously, but still over 40 MPG). I've never taken it off-road, but for everything else, I love it! If you're shopping used, 2010 and newer get 50 MPG, and anything older gets 40 MPG.
Enjoy whatever you buy!
