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Update: Dodge Caliber?
We might have sold DH's Mini Cooper yesterday.....maybe. There is lots of negotiating going on right now.
SO....if it sells we need something else pretty quickly. DH did lots of research online of car reviews and found lots of good stuff on the Dodge Caliber. Does anyone have one? Or know someone who does? We found a few '08, '09, and '10 in our budget in the 30-40K miles range. I think they are a smidge funny looking...but I could let that go if it's a great car.
Thoughts? Thanks!!! :-)
eta: I haven't sat in one yet or checked out the roominess but one concern is being able to get both of our guys in the back. If anyone can speak to that, awesome!! :-)
Update: We test drove a 2011 Caliber with 700 miles on it last night (someone owned it for a month and wanted something bigger). On a scale of 1-10 I would give it a 3. So the Caliber is OUT.
Re: Update: Dodge Caliber?
Maybe they've improved, but when they first came out, I looked at them and the reviews weren't good - cheap looking molded plastic that was noisey. But that description fits most basic economy cars!
I'm sure, though, like most things, that they have improved since those initial models.
We had one for all of about 5 minutes, and I hated it...but I'm not a car girl. I am, however, a Chrysler girl so we gave it a shot. It was better then the Jeep compass we drove (which was really under powered and had a smaller engine). We got smurf blue, it had a cooler in the glove compartment, and that was its only redeeming feature. It had hard seats, sat low, and got horrible gas mileage for its size and class. IMHO a car like that should have been getting upper 20's, but we were lucky if we got 25mpg. It was based on the neon/PT cruiser platform so the turning and drive was really tight which was nice.
You have to take my opinion with a grain of though because in 11 years I've had 17 vehicles...I have vehicle ADD...All but 3 have been Chrysler products...so I have high standards for my Chryslers.
My new Avalon is like that. Ahhhh...so comfy!
*M&M* Super Pitbulls
I have a 2007 dodge caliber. I got it because I wanted the extra room (hatchback) and something that got reasonable gas mileage. Trust me, it's no luxury car but for what we paid for mine I really like it. At first mine was loud and i figured out that it was the factory tires that were on it. after changing the tires it made a world of a difference. We can fit both dogs in the back without the seats down if necessary but we usually will fold down the back seat and put a few pillows down for them to sleep on. I usually average around 29mpg, but i do a lot of highway driving. Like i said if you aren't looking for anything too fancy I think it's a good car to get. I put on about 100 miles per day on my commute to and from work so I couldn't ever see spending a ton of money on a car that I put over 30k on per year in commutes to work alone.
P.S....I got the RT model and mine is black. I really only like the Caliber in Black...it just looks a little sportier. Good luck!
My only knowledge of Calibers is that they look funny and I laugh at people when I see them driving them. Good thing they don't care about my opinion
But the gas mileage does seem low. I get 28-30 on the highway on my Rav-4.
*M&M* Super Pitbulls
I don't love the look of the Santa Fe. Not sure about the Kia SPortage. I'll check it out.
edmunds.com review says to pass on the Caliber.
I found a 2007 CR-V for $16,500. Hmm. And I found a 2007 Rav-4 for $14,000.
I'm going to do more ratings searches. I'm definitely not favoring the Caliber after reading the reviews...
FWIW, Nissans get pretty good ratings from Consumer Reports.
Otherwise, Buicks are pretty reliable. Those cars don't die. Plus, you could get one serviced just about anywhere. I'd never get a car that you'd have to take to a dealer just to get a friggin' oil change.
Yeah my sister has a Nissan Altima and loves it. We're still not sure if we want to do a larger sedan or a small SUV.
My dad has had 3 Buicks in the last 10 years (company cars) and loves them. I'll do a carsoup search and see what comes up.
I found a Saab 9-3 Aero Sportcombi Wagon that looked REALLY nice but once we researched maintenance costs on that thing it was a "no thank you"! We don't have the budget for those costs. Apparently they last forever though...
One thing we learned from DH's old Stratus is to check where the battery is. Half the engine had to come out just to replace the stupid battery!! That was piss-poor design if you ask me!
And PP: I checked out the Santa Fe's and it turns out I like the look of them. I was thinking of something else when I said I didn't like them.
Thanks everyone for the advice!!!! I hope this ordeal is over soon so I can shut my mouth about it, haha.
Jenny - I think you may have to go with a Kia, or a very very used car, for that price. But they (Kias) have become much - MUCH - better in the past few years! Better that than, say, a minivan. :-) good luck!
PS agree with the previous poster about nissans being awesome - but they aren't going to run cheap!
We're going to go test drive some stuff tonight. I think we've decided we like the hatchback style so it's still small and relatively fuel efficient but then we can fold seats down and have room for the puppies. That's our thinking right now anyway...that may change after we sit in a couple and see how much space they have. My boss has an Audi hatchback and said she can get a surprising amount of stuff in the back. (We definitely can't afford an Audi though.)
So on that note....does anyone know much about the Toyota Matrix? :-)
Thanks again for all of the recs and advice!
I would look at a Nissan Versa hatchback style then. A friend just got one and it's pretty cool.
Do you think anything DOESN'T look funny??
Maybe I'll just get a pony to ride to work....
A pony would get GREAT gas mileage.
My aunt was just looking for a new car and tested both the Matrix and the Versa. She said the Matrix was pretty loud. She was able to get a *great* deal on a used Versa. It is surprisingly roomy and cute. It also gets very good MPG.
ETA: I just did a quick look on carsoup.com and found 2009 and 2010 Versas with low miles and all under $14,500. A few were even manuals if you were wanting to go that route.
*M&M* Super Pitbulls
No manual. I've never learned how to drive one. I will add Versas to our list! I like the look of them, cute and sporty. I guess we just won't know until we sit in some if we even want to go the hatchback route. We shall see.
We're leaving work at 4:00 to get test drive a bunch of stuff. I'm nervous but kind of excited. It's a big chunk of $$$$$. We're not just buyin' a pair of jeans here! :-)
Thanks y'all!