Fun/reliable commuter car under 5k

[Hallowed_point]

Hyundai Accents get incredible fuel economy and you can get one with three pedals. That said, I dated a girl with 2 of them and they are cheaply built cars.
But then again, she did next to no maintenance besides putting gas in them. I don't mind them for what they are, but I would not want to be in an accident
in one of those!

[canadian_hustla]

My vote would be for Toyota Camry or Honda Accord

My winter beater is a 2004 Toyota Solara (Camry) SLE. V6, 225hp. Comfy/luxurious i.e. leather, sunroof, heated seats etc, good gas mileage and reliable AF.
Slightly unconventional (2 door), perhaps a bit girly, but it hauls ass and a sleeper
The perfect balance of utility and fun. Can be had for $3-$4k
Imo one of the most underrated cars. If this one dies on me, I would probably buy another one.

[NissanFanBoy]

Little bit off topic, but what makes a good winter beater? My current is an 09 Murano with 280,000km with almost new Blizzaks. I've always had an SUV for the winter but I'm starting to realize, the handling is not that great, probably due to the top heavy nature of the vehicle. But I will most likely never get stuck and there is an added layer of safety if I collide with smaller vehicles.

Some of you posted some pretty small cars, makes me think they're death traps if someone crashes into you... Not to mention the fact that you risk getting high centered if there is too much snow, although Calgary rarely gets that much snow for that to happen and plows are usually pretty good.

So what are your opinions on what makes a good winter vehicle for Calgary?

The guy above me also mentioned leather seats... That feels extra cold in the mornings lol I've personally also found that with an SUV, there is way more to window to scrape plus it seems like it takes forever to heat up the interior (I have no kids so at most it's me and my wife in this giant vehicle)... And of course also costs more in gas.

Wife has a Nissan Juke and it doesn't seem to have that top heavy feel and it still provides decent ground clearance but for me personally, the price isn't winter beater budget friendly...

[03ozwhip]

I don't know my car is pretty fun. I filled up for the first time when the gas jumped to 112.9 the other day and it was still under $50.

This car is lowered on Tein coilovers but it's not too low, but handles like it's on rails. Has ok winter tires and I haven't gotten stuck or high centered yet.

Interior is comfortable, shifting is comfortable and I'm not worried about the morning cold because it's stored in my heated garage.

I always like smallish cars for everything rather than Subs, you can always have so much fun with them.

[zhao]

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Some of you posted some pretty small cars, makes me think they're death traps if someone crashes into you... Not to mention the fact that you risk getting high centered if there is too much snow, although Calgary rarely gets that much snow for that to happen and plows are usually pretty good.

Some random death traps I can think of off the top of my head: mitsubishi mirages (almost no structure to the car). 1999-2007 GMC/chevy trucks (front offset accident = its coming through the cab). nissan pathfinder (one of the highest risks of rollover).

Just because something is big doesn't mean its safe. Trucks actually are one of the most unsafe vehicles. Plus IMO it depends what you classify as safe. Personally I want to avoid a vehicle that is going to roll over, trap me inside because the roof crushed the doors, and is going to ignite burning me alive. If you agree that is a horrible way to die, you should probably sell the nissan suv and start taking every driver training course you can if safety is a big concern of yours .

If I was being startrek transported into a random accident situation and had 5 seconds to pick what vehicle I'd want to be in, I'd pick a german luxury sedan/coupe without a second thought (something like a M3 or E class). Handles, can take a hit from any angle, wont roll over, powerful enough to out run a tornado. 2nd on my list would be a higher end Japanese sedan/coupe.

[NissanFanBoy]

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If I was being startrek transported into a random accident situation and had 5 seconds to pick what vehicle I'd want to be in, I'd pick a german luxury sedan/coupe without a second thought (something like a M3 or E class). Handles, can take a hit from any angle, wont roll over, powerful enough to out run a tornado. 2nd on my list would be a higher end Japanese sedan/coupe.

Had an 09 G37X sedan last year with Hakkas about 50% tread and it was great! The Murano was for my wife...wish I kept the G but ended up trading with someone for my Z and couldn't afford to keep both. Can't remember a day last winter where it snowed so much I was worring about ground clearance though.

As for the German brands, I have noticed a lot of reasonably priced 330XI'ss and 328XI's but I don't want to have to deal with stuff breaking down in the middle of winter. Plus I'm not that great at fixing anything that requires more knowledge than how to turn a wrench...

I was thinking for this winter, something small and FWD with manual and studded winters....but then the drawbacks of ground clearance and safety came up, hence this post...I know the looks of the Nissan Juke is pretty polarizing but I honestly think it's a great vehicle for so many purposes, too bad Nissan discontinued it, but in a few years there will tons of cheap Toyota CH-Rs and Honda HRVs and Mazda CX3s to choose for a winter beater.

[revelations]

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I was thinking for this winter, something small and FWD with manual and studded winters....but then the drawbacks of ground clearance and safety came up, hence this post...I know the looks of the Nissan Juke is pretty polarizing but I honestly think it's a great vehicle for so many purposes, too bad Nissan discontinued it, but in a few years there will tons of cheap Toyota CH-Rs and Honda HRVs and Mazda CX3s to choose for a winter beater.

Do not buy a Nissan Joke. The engines on those were notorious for grenading themselves.

[NissanFanBoy]

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Do not buy a Nissan Joke. The engines on those were notorious for grenading themselves.

That's the first I heard of it.. I haven't even really heard problems with the turbos...

Speaking of which, I keep reading that about Subarus...

[jwslam]

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I was thinking for this winter, something small and FWD with manual and studded winters....

Nissan Maxima. Heated steering wheel

[NissanFanBoy]

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Nissan Maxima. Heated steering wheel

Surprisingly I don't really like the Maxima haha hate big sedans... The Altima is even uglier. The Sentra is gutless. I actually hate a lot of Nissans lol

Found a pretty decent black RSX Type S on Kijiji but the guy hasn't responded yet.

[03ozwhip]

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Surprisingly I don't really like the Maxima haha hate big sedans... The Altima is even uglier. The Sentra is gutless. I actually hate a lot of Nissans lol

Found a pretty decent black RSX Type S on Kijiji but the guy hasn't responded yet.

Make sure you check before you go, that the car is insured and registered. I went to 2 places to look at RSXs and they both werent legal to drive.

Needless to say, I left.

[NissanFanBoy]

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Make sure you check before you go, that the car is insured and registered. I went to 2 places to look at RSXs and they both werent legal to drive.

Needless to say, I left.

Lol ya that's annoying but I can understand why people would take insurance off if they're not winter driving it

[03ozwhip]

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Lol ya that's annoying but I can understand why people would take insurance off if they're not winter driving it

Ya but would you buy a car you couldn't test drive unless it was new?

[zhao]

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Ya but would you buy a car you couldn't test drive unless it was new?

Yes, i would actually, and have bought many that way.

I would not buy a new car I could not test drive however, and to me that is the crazy thing to do. New cars are expensive, and certain cars have a terrible feel or horrible driving position.

[J-hop]

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Yes, i would actually, and have bought many that way.

I would not buy a new car I could not test drive however, and to me that is the crazy thing to do. New cars are expensive, and certain cars have a terrible feel or horrible driving position.

Guess it depends what you’re willing to put into the car.

You can’t really tell much about the condition of a vehicle without driving it, getting it up to temp. Doing some decent acceleration. Checking if the car pulls a direction.

In my experience most sellers don’t know shit or do what they can to cover up.

[03ozwhip]

Bit of a late update. The car is actually a great car. A bit noisy because of the exhaust but still a great car.

The fuel mileage is actually pretty good. Light came on at 515km and it was $46 to fill today.

Here it is if anyone cares...
https://imgur.com/DdTmeZf
EDIT: fuck I don't know how to post these fucking things lol

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

I'd drive it.


» Click image for larger version

[Skrilla]

I was after the same thing a couple years ago, went with a Maxima with manual/v6. Bought it with 200k ish kms on it, drove the piss out of it, and the guy I sold it to still drives it. Had every option you could want for winter, and was surprisingly very quick.

[D'z Nutz]

I used to think Honda Fits were lame, ugly little cars until SASC Winter Driver Training course a couple years ago. One of the trainers (I think?) had one with studded tires and oh my god, that was such a fun little ride. Easily the best handling vehicle there that day.

Now I just think they're ugly little cars hahaha

[Disoblige]

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I used to think Honda Fits were lame, ugly little cars until SASC Winter Driver Training course a couple years ago. One of the trainers (I think?) had one with studded tires and oh my god, that was such a fun little ride. Easily the best handling vehicle there that day.

Now I just think they're ugly little cars hahaha

Yep. They're actually quite good in the winter.
Had brand new ice tires on a Fit before going to Fernie during one Winter. Was ripping through icy Crowsnest Pass with full confidence at night, no issues whatsoever. Man, that was so fun.