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Corolla is the same size as Civic. I thought you want larger size and an upgrade.
Actually to me, I would like to upgrade to a larger car, but the most important part to me is ride quality. I want a softer and more supple ride. I can push down on the back of my Civic and it will barely go down... it is more like one of those Camry SE's. The Corolla went down quite a bit and with ease, which tells me it obviously has a much softer suspension. I will just have to drive it and see however, because who knows. So far all I have driven has had a softer ride than my Civic, but all have been about $8K to $13K higher in price than what I can get for my car trade-in. If the Corolla has the ride/comfort I am looking for, I would much rather pay say $4K-5K difference versus $10K+ difference. Also, the Corolla has a more inviting interior, nicer materials than my Civic, plus it has Bluetooth - which my car does not have, but I do have a portable GPS that has it, but I usually keep it in my other car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by snowchaser2002
I am in the same situation as you OP.(well kinda) My problem is I am 6ft 2 inches tall and I would love a civic or Corrolla or Sentra but I usually don't have enough leg room. I have a 2005 Avalon and its the redesign where they made it bigger, if not uglier than the previous generation. I inherited this car from my grandpa so it was free and paid for. It has 250,000 miles on it and I have had NO issues with it, and it drives a lot better than my moms 2010 Accord. The only things I don't like about it is the MPG I get on average 25. I know that is pretty good I guess for a car that big. But with the redesigned accord that came out in 2013 I am betting on getting a 2015 in the fall. But I would love a civic just for the MPG. I need to test drive one to see if I can get the steering wheel high enough so I don't hurt myself getting out...even my accord I had in college(97) model I have that problem with leg room. They have made them bigger since then. I would go with Avalon if I were you if you had the money because that is going to be what drives the best...but for 40k it should!
One of my friends at work had a Civic like mine and he traded his in after about 7 months because it was too small for him. He is 6 ft 4 inches tall and also has back problems. He went with a 2014 Nissan Altima SL and loves it, very comfortable and plenty of space. I have driven a new Altima and it is roomy and the seats are amazing. I just don't get some features that I can get on a GM car for the same price. You can try a Civic, it is plenty of space for me, but I am only 5' 6" tall, but there is still plenty of space. I just want something with a softer ride and more features. I would try a '13+ Civic, as they have an upgraded interior. Oh yeah, I get about 40 mpg on the highway in my Civic and about 30 mpg in town. I love that part of it. I love those '05+ Avalons as well. I rented an '08 when it was new and it was awesome. My cousin has a '12 Avalon and her husband has a '14. They tell me the '12 has a softer ride, while the '14 had a sportier feel... I have driven both, but don't recall much about the older one.
Have you looked at the Azera ('12 or newer)? If you could find a certified preowned one it would still have the 10yr/100k mile powertrain warranty. I wouldn't mind having one of those myself.
I would agree that the last generation Avalon was a bit softer than the current model, having had both as rental cars. The newer ES is also slightly more firm than its predecessor, though you may find differing ride characteristics with different tires on both vehicles.
Have you considered a CPO Genesis? I am not sure that you would find one for much less than the Avalon or Altima you have priced, but they are smooth vehicles.
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Have you looked at the Azera ('12 or newer)? If you could find a certified preowned one it would still have the 10yr/100k mile powertrain warranty. I wouldn't mind having one of those myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmwguydc
I would agree that the last generation Avalon was a bit softer than the current model, having had both as rental cars. The newer ES is also slightly more firm than its predecessor, though you may find differing ride characteristics with different tires on both vehicles.
Have you considered a CPO Genesis? I am not sure that you would find one for much less than the Avalon or Altima you have priced, but they are smooth vehicles.
Hi and thanks. No I haven't looked at Azera or Genesis yet, but yes, both are nice cars. I even like the new Sonata. Our local Hyundai dealer had a nice used Azera and Genesis, wouldn't hurt to look.
I will also try the new Corolla, as well as a new Taurus and Fusion. I learned today that we (employees where I work) can get an additional $2K off of new Ford Motor Company cars since our company buys a lot of Fords for company cars. I knew about the program, but didn't know how much until today.
I also want to try the Verano and Malibu again... both of those cars have really made a good impression on me.
Impala all day long, You can get an LT2 with the V6 for $28,000 right now at my local Chevy dealer. A 300 hp sedan with leather, sunroof, navigation and almost all the bells and whistles for under thirty grand? That's a heck of a deal.
I am biased, though, I really like the new Impala and Malibu a lot.
Impala all day long, You can get an LT2 with the V6 for $28,000 right now at my local Chevy dealer. A 300 hp sedan with leather, sunroof, navigation and almost all the bells and whistles for under thirty grand? That's a heck of a deal.
I am biased, though, I really like the new Impala and Malibu a lot.
lol, well I just set here and typed a 20 minute post on how much I love the Malibu and Impala and somehow I lost it all. I am watching our severe weather and tornadoes on here and somehow bounced the screen back my mistake and lost it all... well I will try again tomorrow. lol.
lol, well I just set here and typed a 20 minute post on how much I love the Malibu and Impala and somehow I lost it all. I am watching our severe weather and tornadoes on here and somehow bounced the screen back my mistake and lost it all... well I will try again tomorrow. lol.
How would you compare these to the Accord that you test drove?
Impala all day long, You can get an LT2 with the V6 for $28,000 right now at my local Chevy dealer. A 300 hp sedan with leather, sunroof, navigation and almost all the bells and whistles for under thirty grand? That's a heck of a deal.
I am biased, though, I really like the new Impala and Malibu a lot.
Well trying this again, but not going into as much detail as last nights lost post, lol. I loved the new Malibu and Impala. The dealer I went to however wasn't much on discussing price or telling me what a good deal I could get. They advertised the left over new '13 LS Malibus for $18,995, but I want a '14 and I want at least an 1LT trim level. The salesman was a nice guy and was eager to show me several models, but wasn't all that knowledgeable about the cars. He wasn't even aware of the difference of the front-end (grill and headlights) of the '14 model, or that it done excellent in the new IIHS small overlap test whereas the '13 model didn't do so well. He seemed so sure I needed a 2LT Impala, but that is more than I want to spend, the dealers here in our area do not seem to be ready to offer them as low as $28,000 for an LT2... heck, they (the cheapest I could find) quoted me a bottom dollar sales price for a 1LS Impala at $26,000. The LS was OK, but it lacked a lot of features. I am now a fan of the "MyLink" and you cannot get it on the LS. Also, I am not sure if it just wasn't set up on that 2LT Impala, but we could not find the weather / gas prices icon on the Impala, but it was on the 1LT Malibu. I read somewhere some icons may be missing, but they can be put back on there, maybe that was the case on the Impala. Yeah, if I could get a 1LT Impala for around $26K, I would do it. At this point I am leaning more toward a Malibu 2LT or 1LTZ or 1LT Impala if I can get a good deal. I still want to try out the new Fords since I can get an additional $2K off through my company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mancat100
How would you compare these to the Accord that you test drove?
The Accord was nice. It was the 2nd car I tried out. I will not say that it has a higher quality interior than the new Chevy Malibu or Buick Verano, because GM has came a very long way in interior quality, so I would say the GM cars are as good as the Accord. I tried out a gray '14 Accord EX with cloth interior. First impression the ride was much better than my Civic, which was expected. I didn't like the wind noise I kept hearing at my ear coming from the b-pillar, but it may have been something going on with that particular car. I plan to try a LX model as well to see if it rides any differently. It looks like the EX has lower profile tires than the LX does. It seems to me the only reason I would pay more for the EX model would be for the "lane watch" system on the Accord, but not sure if that and the nicer wheels and sunroof is worth the $3000 higher price over the LX. I can get a new Buick Verano with lane watch, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert and forward collision warning for the same price I can get an Accord EX with cloth for and it does not even have satellite radio. You have to upgrade all the way up to an Accord EX-L to even get satellite radio which is crazy IMO. Honda needs to at least offer satellite radio as an option in the Accord EX with cloth, as well as all of the latest safety features. One should not have to pay $30K+ for a Touring model to get the advanced safety features. They have the technology, so I think all car makers should offer the latest advanced safety features on at least the next level up from base models on all cars, but most require you to get the top of the line model.
Another peeve on the Accord that I have with my Civic is the location of the trunk and fuel release door handle... it is down on the driver floor where it gets dirty. Other than that, the Accord was nice, it had comfortable seats, nice ride, seemed to have good interior quality and a huge trunk and the lane watch on the EX and up models. The engine seemed to have plenty of power and I liked the CVT transmission. I am anxious to see if another one has the wind noise I complained about on the one I drove.
Well trying this again, but not going into as much detail as last nights lost post, lol. I loved the new Malibu and Impala. The dealer I went to however wasn't much on discussing price or telling me what a good deal I could get. They advertised the left over new '13 LS Malibus for $18,995, but I want a '14 and I want at least an 1LT trim level. The salesman was a nice guy and was eager to show me several models, but wasn't all that knowledgeable about the cars. He wasn't even aware of the difference of the front-end (grill and headlights) of the '14 model, or that it done excellent in the new IIHS small overlap test whereas the '13 model didn't do so well. He seemed so sure I needed a 2LT Impala, but that is more than I want to spend, the dealers here in our area do not seem to be ready to offer them as low as $28,000 for an LT2... heck, they (the cheapest I could find) quoted me a bottom dollar sales price for a 1LS Impala at $26,000. The LS was OK, but it lacked a lot of features. I am now a fan of the "MyLink" and you cannot get it on the LS. Also, I am not sure if it just wasn't set up on that 2LT Impala, but we could not find the weather / gas prices icon on the Impala, but it was on the 1LT Malibu. I read somewhere some icons may be missing, but they can be put back on there, maybe that was the case on the Impala. Yeah, if I could get a 1LT Impala for around $26K, I would do it. At this point I am leaning more toward a Malibu 2LT or 1LTZ or 1LT Impala if I can get a good deal. I still want to try out the new Fords since I can get an additional $2K off through my company.
The Accord was nice. It was the 2nd car I tried out. I will not say that it has a higher quality interior than the new Chevy Malibu or Buick Verano, because GM has came a very long way in interior quality, so I would say the GM cars are as good as the Accord. I tried out a gray '14 Accord EX with cloth interior. First impression the ride was much better than my Civic, which was expected. I didn't like the wind noise I kept hearing at my ear coming from the b-pillar, but it may have been something going on with that particular car. I plan to try a LX model as well to see if it rides any differently. It looks like the EX has lower profile tires than the LX does. It seems to me the only reason I would pay more for the EX model would be for the "lane watch" system on the Accord, but not sure if that and the nicer wheels and sunroof is worth the $3000 higher price over the LX. I can get a new Buick Verano with lane watch, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert and forward collision warning for the same price I can get an Accord EX with cloth for and it does not even have satellite radio. You have to upgrade all the way up to an Accord EX-L to even get satellite radio which is crazy IMO. Honda needs to at least offer satellite radio as an option in the Accord EX with cloth, as well as all of the latest safety features. One should not have to pay $30K+ for a Touring model to get the advanced safety features. They have the technology, so I think all car makers should offer the latest advanced safety features on at least the next level up from base models on all cars, but most require you to get the top of the line model.
Another peeve on the Accord that I have with my Civic is the location of the trunk and fuel release door handle... it is down on the driver floor where it gets dirty. Other than that, the Accord was nice, it had comfortable seats, nice ride, seemed to have good interior quality and a huge trunk and the lane watch on the EX and up models. The engine seemed to have plenty of power and I liked the CVT transmission. I am anxious to see if another one has the wind noise I complained about on the one I drove.
I haven't noticed any wind noise on my EX-L. I think it may have been that particular car you drove.
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