Subcompact 10k Budget Battle Royal

If you do go with a prius, for the love of god box in the rear twist beam and put on some sticky 205 section rubber. Mine's like a nutless type r

GeneMSP wrote: In reply to MugenReplica: I can't do CRZ since its a 2 seater, but the other options are viable. I actually haven't seen very many Yaris's in my searches. How do you like your iQ?

The Mazda2, Fit, and Yaris SE (all round discs, better options, etc.) with a manual transmission, were my pecking order for subcompact, but I drove the iQ with ESP/Trac off and quite enjoyed it, plus they sell for next to nothing at Manheim giving me the opportunity to pick up a 18,000 mile car for under $9k. As far as keeping it stock, the main things are it's slow (quick as an auto GD/GE Fit), it doesn't handle well from the factory without TRD sway bar and springs, it has limited cargo/passenger room (although I, at 6'4" can sit behind myself in the passenger seat), and mpg isn't as great as one would like.

I, at 6'4" can sit behind myself in the passenger seat

That's actually quite impressive.

I remember putting 6'6 and 6'7 people in my 1800lb Honda Insight (with NO steering column adjustments in existence btw) and them fitting reasonably comfortably.

Small cars can really exceed expecations on driver space. I hear a lot of people saying they don't fit this and that. I just hope people deign to try because you can be surprised.

My 3 roommates and I got into an iQ at the Auto show. 3 6'0 guys, 1 5'8. None of us were even remotely comfortable. Front seat position and recline was entirely limited by rear passenger knees.

I don't see how you could possibly sit a 6'4" driver with a 6'4" passenger behind them, unless the passenger is in the fetal position.

Vigo wrote:

I, at 6'4" can sit behind myself in the passenger seat

That's actually quite impressive. I remember putting 6'6 and 6'7 people in my 1800lb Honda Insight (with NO steering column adjustments in existence btw) and them fitting reasonably comfortably. Small cars can really exceed expecations on driver space. I hear a lot of people saying they don't fit this and that. I just hope people deign to try because you can be surprised.

Getting into the back seat behind the passenger was easy. Because of the A-symmetric the design of the dash the passenger footwell, lack of glovebox and extended seat track allow the passenger front seat to go quite far forward to accommodate the rear passenger. The seat behind the driver may have well been a storage bin though. I wouldn't want to sit in the backseat for an extended amount of time either as they are quite flate seats, without any bolstering or real comfort to speak of.

The stock front driver and passenger seats are also have no height adjustment, so at 6'4" with the aftermarket Webasto moonroof, I had to take the stock seats out and replace them with a set of lower height Recaro SR4 seats from a UK Integra Type R.

ProDarwin wrote: My 3 roommates and I got into an iQ at the Auto show. 3 6'0 guys, 1 5'8. None of us were even remotely comfortable. Front seat position and recline was entirely limited by rear passenger knees. I don't see how you could possibly sit a 6'4" driver with a 6'4" passenger behind them, unless the passenger is in the fetal position.

I could sit quite easily, actually. Quite sure your recollection doesn't account for nobody can sit on the driver's side behind the driver without encroaching upon the driver and other rear passenger.

I'm loving the IQ idea just because they are so cheap. Around here there are OBO sales on 2012 IQs for like $6K. That's like 3-6 years newer than a comparably priced Fit.

tuna55 wrote: I'm loving the IQ idea just because they are so cheap. Around here there are OBO sales on 2012 IQs for like $6K. That's like 3-6 years newer than a comparably priced Fit.

Every now and again I show somebody who needs cheap reliable transportation the UK/EURO graph below. Doesn't tell you if it's the Daihatsu sourced 1KR-FE 1.0ltr 3 cyl. or the Toyota built 1NR-FE 1.33ltr 4 cyl. though.

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100

MugenReplica wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I'm loving the IQ idea just because they are so cheap. Around here there are OBO sales on 2012 IQs for like $6K. That's like 3-6 years newer than a comparably priced Fit.

Every now and again I show somebody who needs cheap reliable transportation the UK/EURO graph below. Doesn't tell you if it's the Daihatsu sourced 1KR-FE 1.0ltr 3 cyl. or the Toyota built 1NR-FE 1.33ltr 4 cyl. though. http://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100

Were they available in the US with a manual? I have only found auto, and I don't know if that means Auto or if it means CVT.

tuna55 wrote:

MugenReplica wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I'm loving the IQ idea just because they are so cheap. Around here there are OBO sales on 2012 IQs for like $6K. That's like 3-6 years newer than a comparably priced Fit.

Every now and again I show somebody who needs cheap reliable transportation the UK/EURO graph below. Doesn't tell you if it's the Daihatsu sourced 1KR-FE 1.0ltr 3 cyl. or the Toyota built 1NR-FE 1.33ltr 4 cyl. though. http://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100

Were they available in the US with a manual? I have only found auto, and I don't know if that means Auto or if it means CVT.

Unfortunately not. There were available in UK/EURO/Japan with 1KR-FE CVT/5-speed or 1NR-FE CVT/5-speed/6-speed....

Not sure I would get something as small at the iQ, although it is a super interesting car. I've always wanted to drive that or a Smart Fourtwo just to see what they are like.

Can anybody comment on non-Abarth 500's? I see a lot of them for sale and I kind of like them. But it seems like almost everyone goes for the Abarth.

My son just sold his '12 500 sport. He loved the car but it started to get unreliable and he couldn't afford it. Parts were either expensive or difficult to get. I'd love an Abarth, but at this point I wouldn't take the chance.

Gene, if your commute is short and you have the means to plug it in, consider a used Leaf. Check my review today in Off Topic.

GeneMSP wrote: Not sure I would get something as small at the iQ, although it is a super interesting car. I've always wanted to drive that or a Smart Fourtwo just to see what they are like. Can anybody comment on non-Abarth 500's? I see a lot of them for sale and I kind of like them. But it seems like almost everyone goes for the Abarth.

The Abarth is fun. Lots of character. Makes fun noises and feels quick.

The turbo isn't bad, as the only powertrain difference is the tune. Out of the box though, its pretty slow for a turbo car.

Both of them drive me nuts from a seating position standpoint. You sit REALLY high in them. I always shocked every time I get in one, and both of the examples I ride in frequently are lowered quite a bit. Alongside that, they concern me from a rollover standpoint.

If you are going to remove the fun turbo motor from the equation, there are many other cars in this thread I'd put first.

I do not believe the Leaf's range will be long enough for me.

ProDarwin, I have felt the same way after I sat in one recently. It did feel like I was sitting very high in the car.

Regarding 3g Prius's, is there any big maintenance item that I should be looking out for on these? A lot of them I see are around the 100k range.