Poll: 2009 Energy Efficient Vehicles - What would you buy?

[canadian_hustla]

Hello beyond

I need your help. Priorities have changed and now I am looking for energy efficient vehicle. I am not baller so most of these are ~ $20k +/-

I was originally thinking about the Jeep Patriot, but I am worried about the quality, durability, and resale.

Here is what I have narrowed it down to. All are 2009's. All will have power options and will be 5spd.

I am leaning towards the Corolla S.

thanks in advance.


1) Mitsubishi Lancer SE $22,000
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/6991/lancersebe8.jpg

2) Toyota Corolla S $21,000
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2015/corollaspa4.jpg

3) Nissan Altima 2.5S $23,500
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/2765/altima25ssq9.jpg

4) Mazda 3 GX $22,000
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/4212/mazda3xi6.jpg

5) Jeep Patriot North 4x2 $20,000
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/6665/patriotbt1.jpg

6) Other? (VW CITY JETTA, HONDA CIVIC, ETC) please specify

[97'Scort]

Tesla.

[DannyO]

I don't have much experience with these cars, but I'd prolly go with the Corolla as well, but would try and get the XRS version, if not, the Lancer would be a very close second (even though I hate the rear).

[Mr_ET]

No civic?

If those are the choices I would go Corolla.

[Deetz]

Out of your selection....a corolla for sure :thumbsup:

[dino_martini]

Civic.

I havent actually driven any of those cars, but when I sat in the Corolla/Civic/Lancer/3 I liked the civic the most. Felt the best made in my opinion.

[chongkee_]

Originally posted by dino_martini
Civic.

I havent actually driven any of those cars, but when I sat in the Corolla/Civic/Lancer/3 I liked the civic the most. Felt the best made in my opinion.

agreed and I drive a Lancer:nut:

[johnboy27]

I have an 06 civic and love it. Very fuel efficient and very comfortable and it handles well.

[canadian_hustla]

Originally posted by Deetz
Out of your selection....a corolla for sure :thumbsup:


i agree but the interior sucks so bad... it looks so 1990's.. i don't know why they didn't spend extra $ to make it look better

thanks for the opinions keep them votes coming.

[GT4rally]

Anything but the Jeep!

[sdiep]

I like the Toyota Corolla.

[guessboi]

the newer corolla is not bad at all compared to the last generation. fuel efficient will blow all the other ones on the list.

[gpomp]

from that list corolla. but why isn't the civic on there?

[Freestylin]

because civics are played out? :dunno:

[gpomp]

Originally posted by Freestylin
because civics are played out? :dunno: how does that affect its fuel efficiency?

[Freestylin]

It's a fuel efficient car..but I believe he excluded the civic due to the large amount of people owning one...

[r0g3r]

pick the corolla :D

[TorqueDog]

I'd be torn between a Civic, Lancer, or a VW Golf/Jetta.

I don't think I need to voice my opinion of the Corolla. You probably have a pretty good idea that I'm not a fan.

[eglove]

Fit

[HiSpec]

Whoa... that Jeep that is 20K range?

[Sorath]

i`d do mazda3/altima

[old&slow]

I'm thinking to be in another vehicle in about a year.
Will look real hard at that Corolla S. Reliability and fuel economy is second to none in it's class.
And that's all I care about anymore!

[Tik-Tok]

Every Corolla S I've seen is driven by an old lady...

Take that for what you will.

[dino_martini]

Originally posted by gpomp
from that list corolla. but why isn't the civic on there?

You know you could have voted Other, and said you voted other because you like the Civic the most.

[canadian_hustla]

so its official. i bought a Corolla type S. Time for me to give an import a chance.

[TorqueDog]

Originally posted by canadian_hustla
so its official. i bought a Corolla type S. Time for me to give an import a chance. If I knew how to play a brass instrument, I'd play Taps in honour of your enjoyment of driving being laid to rest. ;)

[canadian_hustla]

Originally posted by TorqueDog
If I knew how to play a brass instrument, I'd play Taps in honour of your enjoyment of driving being laid to rest. ;)


lol

Motorcanada conducted a 50L challange. There were something like 13 cars which participated. The Corolla was 1st doing something like 1050+ km's on 50L of gas. All highway 10+ km/h over limit

Sure the Corolla S is a old person's car, at least I have sheltered myself from high gas prices ;)

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by canadian_hustla



lol

Motorcanada conducted a 50L challange. There were something like 13 cars which participated. The Corolla was 1st doing something like 1050+ km's on 50L of gas. All highway 10+ km/h over limit

Sure the Corolla S is a old person's car, at least I have sheltered myself from high gas prices ;)

congradulations on the purchase! sure driving it can be boring, but I haven't experience any of the high end cars so I cannot really feel the difference right now haha. Plus I cannot complain about the fuel efficiency and the quiet and smooth ride. I also like the exterior look more so than the civic's.

oh and why do people say its an old person's car? I think the toyota corolla CE is an old person's car. I would have went with the civic if it wasn't for the lip kit/spoiler/headlight changes on the corolla sport.

[Tuner1]

I voted for the Toyota.


Rob

[zarge]

lol the altima by far is the most styling car there... a corolla rofl

[5hift]

Thought I might as well hi-jack the thread since the OP made his decision and Beyond has already seen a million of these threads.

I'm in a similar boat looking for a reliable/economical/somewhat fun to drive/under $20K, daily driver.

Right now I'm looking at either 06+ Civic Coupe or 05 RSX Base, both in 5 speed. What would you go for an 06 Civic EX or a 05 RSX Premium? Feel free to throw any other similar cars in the mix as well.

[A790]

Originally posted by 5hift
Thought I might as well hi-jack the thread since the OP made his decision and Beyond has already seen a million of these threads.

I'm in a similar boat looking for a reliable/economical/somewhat fun to drive/under $20K, daily driver.

Right now I'm looking at either 06+ Civic Coupe or 05 RSX Base, both in 5 speed. What would you go for an 06 Civic EX or a 05 RSX Premium? Feel free to throw any other similar cars in the mix as well.
I prefer the look of the Civic to the RSX, so that'd be my choice. I guess it depends of you want the extra features of the RSX premium versus the Civic EX.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by gpomp
how does that affect its fuel efficiency?

It doesn't, but having had the current gen civic for 2+ years I can say the car is a POS, and I wouldn't suggest anyone buy it no matter how fuel efficient it is.

I would have picked the corolla as well, good choice. :thumbsup:

[5hift]

^^

I agree with the looks comment. Both inside and out, the Civic looks better than the RSX to me. The premium doesnt have much over the EX besides leather seats, and about 20 hp, but if I'm not mistaken, the performance is about the same for the two.

I was originally only even looking for a civic, but I've had a hard time finding a new gen in my range of specs.

[5hift]

Originally posted by Hakkola


It doesn't, but having had the current gen civic for 2+ years I can say the car is a POS, and I wouldn't suggest anyone buy it no matter how fuel efficient it is.

I would have picked the corolla as well, good choice. :thumbsup:

I've heard nothing but good things from current gen Civic owners. What do you hate about it besides the love or hate dash?

[johnboy27]

Originally posted by 5hift


I've heard nothing but good things from current gen Civic owners. What do you hate about it besides the love or hate dash?
I have an 06 DX-G model civic and I love it. The only thing I do not like about my car are the fact that I have no cruise control (wasn't standard on the DX-G in 06) .

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by 5hift


I've heard nothing but good things from current gen Civic owners. What do you hate about it besides the love or hate dash?

The build quality, rattles and upholstery falling off everwhere, wiring that can be seen under the driver side dash if your sitting in the back, horrendous blind spots, can't see the front hood of the car which is annoying for parking, slow as shit, tiny interior in a car that is as big as my benz, shit materials, did I mention those blind spots? Those are the biggest damn pillars I've ever seen, the gas mileage isn't as good as I expected, the dash, which looks alright is fucking gigantic because of the fucked up shape of the car, it looks like a volkwagon beetle from the inside, it's retarded.

It looks decent from the outside, otherwise pretty much everything about it was shitty. A car built like that should only cost around 50% of that msrp.

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by Hakkola


The build quality, rattles and upholstery falling off everwhere, wiring that can be seen under the driver side dash if your sitting in the back, horrendous blind spots, can't see the front hood of the car which is annoying for parking, slow as shit, tiny interior in a car that is as big as my benz, shit materials, did I mention those blind spots? Those are the biggest damn pillars I've ever seen, the gas mileage isn't as good as I expected, the dash, which looks alright is fucking gigantic because of the fucked up shape of the car, it looks like a volkwagon beetle from the inside, it's retarded.

It looks decent from the outside, otherwise pretty much everything about it was shitty. A car built like that should only cost around 50% of that msrp.

finally someone thats not a honda fan boy

I have to admit the civic is a good car nonetheless but I compared specs to specs and they were pretty damn close, with the corolla mostly ahead. Like i said, I chose the corolla because of the exterior looks and the quiet engine during high speeds.

regarding the 05 RSX and the 06 civic, I'd go with the RSX, IMO, for the same reason, the RSX looks better, in and out.

[pyroza]

I would have gone with the Lancer

[canadian_hustla]

Originally posted by r0g3r


congradulations on the purchase! sure driving it can be boring, but I haven't experience any of the high end cars so I cannot really feel the difference right now haha. Plus I cannot complain about the fuel efficiency and the quiet and smooth ride. I also like the exterior look more so than the civic's.

oh and why do people say its an old person's car? I think the toyota corolla CE is an old person's car. I would have went with the civic if it wasn't for the lip kit/spoiler/headlight changes on the corolla sport.


Thanks buddy
Yeah i hear that. I have gone from driving a cadillac with 300 horsepower to this with 132.. should be an interesting transition. What color did you get? and can you PM me how much you paid? Dealer did not want to negotiate
Corolla meet ftw!

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by canadian_hustla



Thanks buddy
Yeah i hear that. I have gone from driving a cadillac with 300 horsepower to this with 132.. should be an interesting transition. What color did you get? and can you PM me how much you paid? Dealer did not want to negotiate
Corolla meet ftw!

I got the white, I think it goes well with the darkened headlights and my hood deflector :D what color did you get?

PM'd about price.

[canadian_hustla]

i originally had a contract for black. However i had a change of mind. Black is too hard to take care of and looks dirty all the time.

i got white as well!

[Casa]

easily, pick the Corolla. Really sporty if you can get the XRS, the best gas mileage in its class, strong resale compared to the Mitsubishi and Mazda, better interior quality than the competition, best warranty, and there's lots of quality Toyota dealerships in Calgary as well. oh and did I mention to you that the 2009 Toyota Corolla gets 1017 kilometers to a tank on the highway to 50 liters??!?1?!??!?!?!?!

[Aleks]

Originally posted by Casa
easily, pick the Corolla. Really sporty if you can get the XRS, the best gas mileage in its class, strong resale compared to the Mitsubishi and Mazda, better interior quality than the competition, best warranty, and there's lots of quality Toyota dealerships in Calgary as well. oh and did I mention to you that the 2009 Toyota Corolla gets 1017 kilometers to a tank on the highway to 50 liters??!?1?!??!?!?!?!

Sounds impressive, but what do you do when your car dies on the side of the road at 1017 kms? :dunno:

[Casa]

Originally posted by Aleks


Sounds impressive, but what do you do when your car dies on the side of the road at 1017 kms? :dunno:

well considering when the empty light goes on, you have 155 km to get to a gas station, that should be lots of time/distance to get gas. No joke, 155km on the E light before it runs out of gas.

[blownz]

^ but you are stuck driving a Corolla. One of the least fun econobox's out there. I would totally go with the Mazda 3 on that list. Way more fun to drive and the design inside and out still looks really good for a 5 year old design.

[Graham_A_M]

Dont buy the Mazda. I had 4 of those disaters, a friend has a tribute. Every single one of them is a fucking lemon... just a train wreck. :thumbsdow :thumbsdow

I'll never touch Mazda with a ten foot pole ever again... no matter what, 5 chances, and all were crap.. no need to try them again.

[HRD2PLZ]

My sister just got a '09 Corolla XRS. I was surprised how "fun" it is to drive, being that A) its a Toyota and B) its a Corolla. Looks pretty sharp too imo :thumbsup:

[Casa]

Originally posted by blownz
^ but you are stuck driving a Corolla. One of the least fun econobox's out there. I would totally go with the Mazda 3 on that list. Way more fun to drive and the design inside and out still looks really good for a 5 year old design.

Mazda 3 is pure shit.
terrible car, terrible resale.

have you driven a Corolla XRS? until you do... shhhh

[blownz]

XRS isn't in the poll. Based on the poll the Mazda is way more fun to drive IMO and I have driven both. The Corolla is BORING.

[Casa]

Originally posted by blownz
XRS isn't in the poll. Based on the poll the Mazda is way more fun to drive IMO and I have driven both. The Corolla is BORING.

we're not talking about best handling compact car bud. We're talking about the most Energy Efficient vehicle.

[blownz]

He listed a bunch of fuel efficient cars and asked what people though. Seriously... lol Me talking about the handling of the fuel efficient cars he listed is way more on topic than you bringing up a car not even on the list. IMO if I was looking for a fuel efficient car I would trade a bit of efficiency for something more fun to drive. I would probably want to slit my wrists if I was forced to drive a base Corolla every day.

[2002civic]

Jetta TDI, new model just came out and its a lot quiter and cleaner

[Eleanor]

^ $$$

As for this poll. It should read 2009 Fuel Efficient Vehicles, not energy efficient, because none of these are truly energy efficient when compared to other vehicles.

[Casa]

Originally posted by Eleanor
^ $$$

As for this poll. It should read 2009 Fuel Efficient Vehicles, not energy efficient, because none of these are truly energy efficient when compared to other vehicles.

wat u talkin bout dere
da Corolla S gets the top gas mileage in its class!

[Eleanor]

Gas mileage does not equal energy efficiency :banghead:

However your english skills are quite extraordinary :rofl:

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Hakkola


The build quality, rattles and upholstery falling off everwhere, wiring that can be seen under the driver side dash if your sitting in the back, horrendous blind spots, can't see the front hood of the car which is annoying for parking, slow as shit, tiny interior in a car that is as big as my benz, shit materials, did I mention those blind spots? Those are the biggest damn pillars I've ever seen, the gas mileage isn't as good as I expected, the dash, which looks alright is fucking gigantic because of the fucked up shape of the car, it looks like a volkwagon beetle from the inside, it's retarded.

It looks decent from the outside, otherwise pretty much everything about it was shitty. A car built like that should only cost around 50% of that msrp.

Yeah WTF happened with the latest civic? You could always count on a quality interior (for the price) in a Civic but the latest ones are horrendous in quality and style. Every time I'm in one I feel like I'm in my old SRT4.

[Casa]

Originally posted by Eleanor
Gas mileage does not equal energy efficiency :banghead:

However your english skills are quite extraordinary :rofl:

dere dere i have gud languig wat u talkin bout meng

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by 2002civic
Jetta TDI, new model just came out and its a lot quiter and cleaner
Dont buy a Jetta unless Electrical gremlins put a smile on your face. Volkswagens have histories of horrendous electrical problems. My dad bought an '03 Jetta TDI back when it was new, it got 54mpg, not 60 like they suggested, and that car was a fucking heap, totally unreliable, and one of the worst handling cars I've ever driven, second to only my '72 Chevelle with 4 wheel (non-powered) drum brakes. :nut:
Just save yourself the time and grief. My boss drives a '00 VR6, and its even worse if you can even imagine that. The cluster lights are like a constant christmas tree, but apparently thats "normal":nut:

Just... why bother? why? Its not worth it at any cost.

[2002civic]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M

Dont buy a Jetta unless Electrical gremlins put a smile on your face. Volkswagens have histories of horrendous electrical problems. My dad bought an '03 Jetta TDI back when it was new, it got 54mpg, not 60 like they suggested, and that car was a fucking heap, totally unreliable, and one of the worst handling cars I've ever driven, second to only my '72 Chevelle with 4 wheel (non-powered) drum brakes. :nut:
Just save yourself the time and grief. My boss drives a '00 VR6, and its even worse if you can even imagine that. The cluster lights are like a constant christmas tree, but apparently thats "normal":nut:

Just... why bother? why? Its not worth it at any cost.

Really? weird, i rarely see electrical issues and i work in the VW service department, the only major issues we see are with the shitty (city) jettas and golfs

[canadian_hustla]

Originally posted by Eleanor
Gas mileage does not equal energy efficiency :banghead:

However your english skills are quite extraordinary :rofl:


hah sorry about that. you guys knew what i meant. Thanks for the opinions. Toyota Corolla has the most votes so I think i have made the right choice. Boring? yes. Slow? yes.

Smart? yes.

I looked at the city golf/jetta and they looked pretty cheap. Plus I think it would cost more to service those kinds of cars.

[TorqueDog]

I test drove a City Golf with a friend, and it wasn't bad... very good car, actually. I'd rock one if a fuel miser was something I was in the market for.

[Aleks]

People are scared of VWs still. Granted City Golf is a decade old design and motor is 15 yrs old but it's pretty good value considering all stuff you get in that car.

VW Rabbit is probably the best overall car in the segment but people pass it over because it's a VW and VWs are unreliable...

[heavyD]

Who voted for the Jeep?:dunno:

[g-m]

ahaha I was thinking the exact same thing!
pony up!