Keep'em coming!

Discussions about other vehicles other than the Vibe & Matrix.
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jamsandwich
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:48 am

Keep'em coming!

Post by jamsandwich »

Hey, I just wanted to say I really appreciate anyone who's a longtime member here taking the time to share their thoughts about new and different cars.

I'm hoping I'm a few years out from replacing my Vibe (I've got a CEL from the catalytic converter, which I'm currently intending to ignore for as long as possible... otherwise it's been running fine since '08 -- just needs some brake work at the moment).

But still, when I'm ready I want to know what other people have found as a suitable replacement. I've told my wife more than once that if someone made the exact same car with updated engine/features, I'd totally buy it. She recently bought a generic Corolla (I posted about this in the Corolla hatch thread), and it's fine, but I think I want something that's a bit more of a direct replacement. Even she's missing having a hatchback.

I will share my thoughts on a few of the vehicles we checked out while shopping:

Subaru Impreza: We never wound up testing one. There are two Subaru dealers where we live and neither has a particularly good reputation — and it was already a bit of an outlier because we were trying to keep the price pretty low (the model we were looking at was a few thousand more than the other brands we were seriously considering and the financing rate was, I think, 4% higher... that's at least a couple thousand in interest alone). The straw that broke the camel's back was when we went to the dealer, checked out the car (and others) and not a dang person interacted with us. All that said, I really like the size of the car, the cabin and the reviews I've read.

Subaru Forester: Wasn't really in the running on a price basis and seems a bit big, but also seems like good value for the money (if a little homely). Both Subarus will potentially be in the running when I'm next in the market, if I can get past that snub ;) (Hopefully someone else will open a dealership in the area before then.)

Toyota Prius V: So this model no longer exists in the U.S., does it? I love the room, like the fuel economy. It drives in boring Toyota fashion, which isn't a deal breaker for me. I don't think it'll be around when I'm ready to buy, which is a shame. There is a 2019 model in Canada, but it seems like something that's being phased out for the RAV-4.

Kia Niro: We didn't drive this because they were hard to find at the time, and financing rates were crappy (especially by Kia standards). I was also reluctant to get into a first-year Kia product -- especially a hybrid. That said, the car is a huge value, I really liked the size and the cabin. I did read more tales than I'd like to on Kia forums of door handles breaking off, however.

Honda HR-V and Hyundai Kona: These actually weren't among the ones we shopped for, but after kostby's post about their new HR-V, I was intrigued. Felt too small for me. The Kona was also a bit disappointing in terms of cabin room. Until I was car shopping, I didn't realize how much I like the Vibe's headroom. Even crossovers leaning away from the "compact" designation frequently seem to have less. I mean, I'm a tall guy, so I guess it makes sense... but until now I didn't really appreciate how unusual that amount of clearance was.

I also kind of looked at the Cruze hatchback, but I'm kind of obsessive about reliability ratings and don't have a ton of faith in GM. (The Toyota DNA was why I bought a Vibe way back when... and the Hyundai/Kia warranty goes a long way to making me feel better about those brands). It seems to be a pretty good size.

We also tested a Civic, which drives great. But is very low, and as a hatch it's not really a great Vibe substitute.
Caretaker

Re: Keep'em coming!

Post by Caretaker »

For me it comes down to 2 things when replacing the Vibe:

1. I'm not 25 anymore. Shoe-horning myself in and out of these cars is out. Building cars lower and lower to meet CAFE standards doesn't appeal to me. Like you, I'm not big on upsizing to a CRV/RAV/Forester/CX5 level of car, but am doing so to get a better commanding view of the road and ease of ingress/egress. Several of the aforementioned models are off my list because....................

2. I don't like looking through tiny glass portholes when trying to negotiate lane changes. As I've written before, all 3 of my cars listed below have good visibility for the driver, with the Vibe being the worst of the 3. As our necks develop more and more arthritis, I refuse to rely on backup cameras and yellow lights in my side mirrors to make decisions for me.

The only car left with AMC Pacer like views for the driver is the Forester. I'm looking forward to test driving one in a few months when delivered. If the side to side leg room for the driver is sufficient, it will be my next car.

If descending down into the driver's seat of cars with tiny glass windows is not an issue for you, then there are plenty of hatchback replacements to include the Corolla hatch, CX3, Mazda 3 wagon, Honda Fit, and the one's you mentioned in your note.
Caretaker

Re: Keep'em coming!

Post by Caretaker »

And if you can afford a new car model: Mitsubishi has the Eclipse Cross and Nissan has the Kicks.

https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/cros ... kicks.html

https://www.mitsubishicars.com/eclipse- ... -hero-area
hogdoctor
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 4:28 am

Re: Keep'em coming!

Post by hogdoctor »

I agonized for a year narrowing down hatchbacks to replace my third Honda Civic hatchback, a '94 civic si. I've been a Honda fan for decades as a service technician. It came down to the Vibe or the Fit. The deal breaker turned out to the ability to get to the oil pan and transmission pan without obstruction, and being able to pull the engine out the top. The engine bay has oodles of room for future upgrades.
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: Keep'em coming!

Post by zbyers »

I love the Crosstrek as a possible Vibe replace. The 2019 model has a new "Cool Gray Khaki" color that is just gorgeous. The downfall is the premium model is not offered in a manual transmission, and when compared to the 2ZZ, the engine is boring and sluggish. haha.
'74 Thing, '79 El Camino, '83 VW DoKa '91 Vanagon, '03 Base, 04 GT
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jamsandwich
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:48 am

Re: Keep'em coming!

Post by jamsandwich »

Yeah, the Crosstrek is nice, too. Just can't justify paying a premium for what seems essentially to be a lifted Impreza. I really liked what I saw from Subaru. A shame our local dealers suck.

Also, will be nice when more safety features become standard (across a lot of manufacturers). That really gave Toyota a competitive advantage... although sometimes they annoy more than they save.
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