Help me pick a commuter

I'm looking for a hatchback appliance that still has a little fun in it.   I commute about 20 miles each way in traffic, and my truck is no fun at all.  I do 600 mile trips every weekend, but could take a different vehicle.  My son would be ready to inherit a car in a year or 2.  Strongly prefer a manual.

I'm a cheapass, but I am also a grownup. I'm ready for a few creature comforts. 

Im looking for the right balance of fun and practical.

Here's a few that are on my radar:

- Mazda3- seems like a lot of car for the money.  I like the upright seating position, and the fit and finish.  37 mpg is enticing.  I would consider brand new.

- Miata- the Answer is probably  not the answer.  It's a little scary to drive in traffic, and my body is old enough that spectators tend to giggle watching me get out of one.

- V8 Miata- always wanted to build a nice one.  It would be a lot of fun.  It would be wrong for all the reasons noted above.  It would be a lot of fun.

- Leaf- The coming electric age intrigues me, and I'd like to be part of it.  Now could be a good time.  The prices are really enticing.  I really love torque.

- MINI Cooper S- Most fun I've  ever had in a street driver.  Really concerned about needing to rely on one as a daily.

- 2nd Gen Prius- There are lots of great examples at giveaway  prices.  The frugal me totally loves it.  Great car for my son to inherit, assuming I don't die of boredom at the wheel.

- Frisbee twins- Really like them, probably not enough practical.

- Hyundai Veloster- Never driven one.  Are they crap?  I realize the appearance is a love-it-or-hate-it thing, but I kinda live the look.

What else comes to mind??

Cobalt SS

You didn't mention budget, but I test drove one of the new small Hyundai hybrids a couple weeks ago and thought it wouldn't be a terrible place to be for a commuter, especially with the mpg. I haven't driven the Kia version, but I like it's proportions better. For a new ride you could do a lot worse.

I really enjoyed my R56 Cooper, though, and it was probably the best comfortable car I've ever owned. After the death rattle debacle I never trusted mine though as a daily.

Maybe a versa or elantra?

Almost new are priced around 10k, while not super exciting, they're good for commuting and great on gas. 

Volt is a hatchback. Has all kinds of creature comforts. Torque too! 

People always forget about the GTI. I have a 2007 and it's great.

Honda Fit?  Not fast, but handles well, awesome gas mileage, and tons of room to haul stuff.  Makes for a good comfy car to chew up miles and just drive from point A to B.

Good suggestions. 

Cobalt SS, Volt, and GTI officially added to the list.

Versa, Aveo, etc are too cheap and uncomfortable.  Can't go there.

Elantra is not a bad suggestion, but I already own one.  That's why I can consider the Leaf- I'd drive the Elantra when I need range.

I guess I should give the Fit a chance. I have always assumed it to be a tin box, but I have not heard any owners actually unhappy. 

I should probably have a couple Ford products on the list too.

I didn't name price on purpose. 

My cheapass self says, "Buy something used, cheap and frugal", therefore Prius. 

But my grownup self says,"For crying out loud, stop being a cheapass. You can afford a real car".  Therefore perhaps new Leaf, etc. 

I wont buy a $35K commuter. I'm thinking something I can drive a few years and give to my son. All the rest of my kids got $1500 econoboxes I bought off this board!  Lol!

Based on almost a year and 15k miles on my GF's Mazda 3 (2.0L 6MT sport hatchback), I can't recommend it highly enough. Really good chassis for the class, high level of fit and finish, very practical with the hatch. The 2.0L is more fun to drive and doesn't give up much power to the 2.5L.

In reply to 02Pilot :

Excellent. Thank you. 

My brother has a Jazz (fit hybrid)and his only complaint is the lack of space behind the back seat.  He also has an hour plus commute each way along a major highway between 2 major cities.

For the GTI you are going to want to look at the MkV and newer cars. They got much more Audi like and they are very nice compared to earlier generations.

Mazda3 cant go wrong with it and Mazda makes the most driver focused car in every segment. I started recommending them to people over accords/civics and I have not heard of one person having issues. Of course bonus points that it comes in a hatch

SVreX said:

Versa, Aveo, etc are too cheap and uncomfortable.  Can't go there

Sonic is worth a look.

Hatch, turbo 6 spd, handles great, tunability and aftermarket, gets good reviews and apparently one of the best reliability records in it's class. Also 5 star crash rating.

I bought one 7 months ago for my wife but not for the above reasons, except the reliability, but it fit my usual pattern. 2-3 yr old GM trade in for pennies on the original dollar, and it fit with my wife's needs. It's easy to park, it's comfortable, and the system sounds good.

If the GTI is on the list, I'll throw the Focus ST hat in to the ring.  Pretty nice used FoST is available for less than new Mazda 3 money.

It's firm, but not uncomfortable.  Ford hit the nail on the head of the fun vs. practical balance.  I just drove mine back from the challenge, and I don't hate myself!

I hate hate hate the recaros in the FoST and find them very uncomfortable and I am a skinny guy. Also for commuting they don't usually do near as good as the Mazda3 for mpg. (but they are amazing cars)

In reply to SVreX :

We now have two Fits in the family - an '09 Sport we brought brand new, handed down to our oldest daughter a year ago & now with 190k on it. She's taking it to Germany in a couple months. It's needed nothing but minimal maintenance & tires, is very practical, and not bad on long drives for being a tiny car. We liked it so much I found an '07 with 180k on it for our younger daughter.

We had a rental Veloster last year while the Fit was getting a new air bag. It was somewhat fun to drive, but I found it to be fairly impractical. While the extra door on the passenger side seems like a good idea, I find myself needing to use the back seat for stuff, which generally requires a walk around to the opposite side of the car. The hatch is weird shaped & doesn't have that much room either.

You should add a 2005-2011 Hyundai Accent 2-door hatch to your list also. Very tossable, generally pretty cheap, and decent cars.

I did 40k miles of commuting in a new in a 2012 R56 Clubman S.  Good car new, awesome on the Autobahn, although steering is "active" with lots of vibration... while also being heavy.  I don't like the way the cruise control system turns on/set/cancel/off.  Great mileage on premium.  You want one... rare grey with grey uprights, 6spd, 55k.  Has DT60's, has done OneLap, driven the 'Ring, and has been piloted by our beloved Mazdeuce?

My dad Owens a 2012 GTI.  Steering is light, clutch is light, throttle is light... acceleration is good... but not a bunch of low-end.  He likes it a lot better after I got him into some lighter 16" wheels.

Owned a 2008 Honda Fit 5spd Sport.  Great car, still going strong with a friend of a friend.  Reminded me a lot of my 1982 Honda Accord first car... with more power.  Cruise control is great.  Haven't driven any of the later gen ones.

On the low end someone here has a Vibe GT (2zz-ge so it's basically a Lotus right?) for sale under challenge budget. I drive one for my winter beater, my only complaint so far has been the cost of the rear backing plates. It does take premium but gets 30ish mpg no matter how hard I wail on it.

It's no secret I love Mazda 3 hatchbacks and on the bigger side CX-5's are pretty nice even with the automatics. They seem quieter than the 3 too.

I kinda liked the last generation of the Golf...

I did a similar search a couple of years ago. Mazda 3 checked all the boxes. BUT for me the seat/center stack didn't quite work. The edge of the stack hit right on the edge of my knee. I thought it was just annoying, but drove my neighbors' on a road trip and after an hour it was agony. 

My buddy had a veloster loaner. The back seat was a terrible place to be, as far as space for my 6 feet of incredibleness. He said it drove fine but boring. 

We are are on our second Ford C-Max loaner, and I don’t mind it. It’s another good car for people who don’t want to think about their car. Our focus is back at the dealer for, surprise!  Transmission issues. 

I'll say +1 on the GTI.

How old are you willing to go?  Integra or RSX?  DSM?

smokindav said:

People always forget about the GTI. I have a 2007 and it's great.

I was shopping GTIs and 2.5l Mazda 3 Hatches this Spring.  I wound up in a "new" '15 TDI Golf SE. ~80% of a GTI for $12K less, 47+ MPGs is nice too. 

I'm a diesel snob, this is our third TDI, so when VW was finally allowed to sell their leftover '15 TDIs this Spring, I jumped at the opportunity.

Both the 3 Hatch (2.5l Grand Touring) and GTI are real nice.  If shopping new, all the '17+ GTIs come with the "performance pack," so LSD is a standard feature.  The 3 made more financial sense, but I couldn't get the GTI out of my head, I'd been working a deal on a leftover '16 Autobahn, Performance Pack, for a couple weeks, dealer kept coming down, and they were almost where I wanted them when I found the only "new" '15 TDI Golf in Little Rock.  As much as I wanted the GTI, had I not happened upon the TDI Golf I'm not sure what I'd have done. 

For commuter duty the 3 made more sense for us than the GTI, financially, maintenance wise,  economy wise,  etc.  Driving wise though, the GTI still haunts me.  I have delusions of an LSD, tune, and exhaust for our Golf.