Now soliciting opinions....

[attickah]

I've been itching to go out for a run lately; the treadmill is great, to a point, but I can't seem to get the motivation to use it more than a couple times a week before I feel bored running on a hamster wheel & I can only pretend to be running outside while physically being on a treadmill for so long before my imagination button gets stuck in the

Comments

Prooobably not a Toyota...

[porkedproduct]

If you just want something reliable for a low price, it's hard to go wrong with a Hyundai. I've had no regrets. You can ask your goon if he fits in mine comfortably.

[zuggfizzle]

If space is a big issue, I suggest getting one of those motherfuckin' clown cars. Have you SEEN how many people can fit into those things?

[attickah]

Yeah, but how many clowns are Skippy's size? :-P

[inukosama]

I'd suggest a wagon of some sort. I know my Jetta's awful for transporting large people, but the back is deceptively spacious, especially since you can fold down the back seats. Recently, I was able to fit a (disassembled) drafting table in there without needing to move the seats.

[indurate]

Well, you know I've been thrilled with my Civic hybrid; it's four doors, about the same size as what you had, and gets tremendous mileage (I get 45 in the winter, 50-56 in the summer since moving to Middlesex). It's a bit more expensive than most small cars, but probably on par with medium-sized ones.

The new Honda Insight is a four-door car, too, but I don't know anyone that has one (Leon's got one of the original Insights, but it's a two-seater which is a little impractical). It's supposed to have very competitive pricing. Summer's got a Prius that she sounded like she was happy with; it's got four doors and a hatchback but a little more expensive.

Or you could hold out for an Aptera and be the undisputed geek queen of the Twin Cities.

[attickah]

I wonder how well that thing handles on snow, ice, and in cross-winds. The last 5 miles I drive to work (right around where I got hit) are pretty much in the middle of Farmville, USA. There isn't all that much to stop an angry wind from tossing a car that light-looking off the road--or into the 1997 Chevy Blazer in the adjacent lane...

I'm not sure that I'll have the budgetary space to deal with (another--since the last one was the first new car I'd ever owned) brand new car right now, complete with payment. I was thinking this round might be a pre-owned gasoline-car & when that craps out in a few years, I'll convert to hybrid.

[indurate]

It might handle pretty well; it's got a wide wheelbase and I think all the wheels might be powered.

In the non-hybrid world, I know a lot of satisfied Civic drivers, and I hear the new VW beetle is great (and the diesel gets tremendous mileage). Phloxy in Ft Wayne had one, though I haven't heard from him in ages.

[anonymous]

We're pretty happy with our Honda Fit. I can fit in the driver's seat no problem and if necessary I can fit in the passenger's seat even with Aubrianna's car seat behind me. (Infant car seats take up a surprising amount of room) We get pretty near 30 mpg bumming around town through some decently hilly neighborhoods. It's a hatchback and the back seats fold down perfectly flat so there is no problem getting stuff into it. The "high" end model comes with electronic stability control which is nice. It also handled the cross country trip from ATL to SAN loaded with a bunch of stuff fairly well.