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1. Gas mileage! I buy gas about once every two weeks, and then I spend under $30 to fill it up. Watching gas go from $2.60 to $4.00/gallon is an academic exercise for me and no big deal.
2. Cheap! I could've bought it outright when I got it, but I made payments on a 0% interest loan and now it's been all paid off for years.
3. Cargo! I can fit groceries, sufboards, wetsuits, bikes, skis/boards, inside with a little creativity. I've used it to move from place to place as well. I can carry 4 passengers plus myself if I open the back seat, or a pair of big dogs--or even sleep 2 people in the back at a rest stop) if I put the seats down.
4. Sporty! It's fast, agile, and light-on-it's wheels. It looks sharp too!
5. Stable! Last year, a white Chevy Tahoe merged into my lane (far left) on the freeway without signalling or looking. I dodged away and squeezed into the emergency lane between the concrete barrier and the idiot driver. I overcorrected and started to skid from side-to-side. However, when I got my senses back and eased off the brake, I was able to damp out the oscillations. There was no damage to my car besides some burnt rubber. In a tall truck or SUV, I surely would've flipped and gone tumbling and rolling down the freeway and had a major accident. I'm pretty sure that my little Mazda's low center of gravity and tight steering saved me from major injury or even death!
6. Versatile! I've driven on pavement, dirt, mud, gravel, sand, ice, and even up into the mountains in a blizzard during the snowiest winter on record. All chained up, I never skidded or got stuck once.
7. Small! I rarely have trouble finding parking. There's always a space that's just a little too small for that Suburban or Explorer, but I can squeeze right in. "Compact" labels on parking spaces don't mean I have to squeeze myself out the 2 inches I can crack my door open--unlike in larger, wider vehicles.
All in all, I'm convinced that the compact hatchback sedan is the optimum in automotive technology unless you live far from civilization deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Who else owns a compact and enjoys all it's perks?
I have a 2006 Mazda 3 wagon, and amazed at the number of people/amount of crap I can fit in it. I'm somewhat disappointed at the in-town gas mileage -- around 19 or 20 mpg -- and am wondering if I really needed a car with a 2.3L engine. Live and learn.
It's surprisingly roomy and comfortable. And I've found this car to be extremely agile -- which may have something to do with the fact that this is the first car I've ever owned that had power steering!
I wouldn't buy any other type of car, either. The only complaint I have has nothing to do with the size or engine in the car -- it's just that the AC isn't very powerful compared to my old VW. I could make it snow in that ol' car!
I got my car when gas was $1.00 per gallon, and now it's like $3.00 per gallon. In over six years of driving it since it was new, I have added 111K miles on it ... remind me again why we don't build more oil refineries in this country! ugh!
I love compact cars, theyre too fun to not love. Add a few mods here and there to make up for their factory shortcomings and youve got a reliable, good-gas-mileage-havin, sporty car.
My buddy has a Samurai with 6" of lift and a 350 in it. He's adding a exoskeleton to it sometime soon and plans on taking it to Moab. Those little 'utes are unstoppable given the right gears and suspension setup.
Yikes! I have a 2004 Mazda3 and I consistantly get 30+mpg in town. Same engine, but manual transmission. Does it really make that much difference?
Gas mileage has a lot to do with driving style. Do you use the A/C a lot? are you braking hard and often? Turn the steering wheel with fast maneuvers? Accellerate hard. etc etc.
I like some compact cars, too. Especially when they have a big 440-cu-in engine.
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