MikeIsGood wrote:humanrefutation wrote:MikeIsGood wrote:I'm considering a new car. I've had mine for 5 years now (2012 Elantra) and am approaching the point that I feel like it's going to start depreciating much more quickly. I don't want to drive it into the ground, so it seems like the right time.
I want a small four-door. The #1 thing I care about is technology and gadgets.I'd also like good gas mileage if possible (considering hybrids, including Prius), and am also considering entry-level luxury. I'm thinking I'll get more for what I want to pay if I stick with getting a non-luxury but fully loaded. For example, I was looking at the Audi A3, but you couldn't get heated seats and nav without spending close to 40K. So I've been looking at the new Civic, and even just a new Elantra. I also was checking out the Mazda3, but I hate the nav screen and dash overall.
If anyone has any suggestions/opinions I am all-ears. Going the used route is not high on my list, though, so not much persuasion to be done there. It might make sense, but just not my preference.
I come from a family that's pretty much all about Nissans. My pops bought a 2016 fully loaded Maxima that, honestly, is nice as ****. Love the cockpit seating especially. That's probably towards the top end of your price range, so you could step down a bit and still get an awesome car.
I'd recommend looking at Altimas. I leased one for three years before I bought a Rogue a few months ago. They're nice. They're reliable. They're comfortable. They're affordable. And while the city gas mileage was average, I was pulling 37-40MPG on the highway. They're about to release the 2017 Altima which is supposed to have a mid-cycle refresh look, so you might want to check that out.
Both the Maxima and Altima are quite a bit bigger than what I was ideally looking for (by about a foot in length), but I'll check them out. Haven't even given them a thought. Thanks!
The one thing I'd consider with any vehicle that it is almost never worth it to splurge for a native nav system. I have one in my SUV, and I only upgraded to that package for some of the other features it came with (notably, the top-down 360 camera that makes parking a breeze). But, I almost never use it because its slower, clunkier, and doesn't update. Instead, I transferred my phone mount from my Altima (iOttie makes really good ones for about $15-20) and almost exclusively use Google Maps. It's free, it gives you reliable real-time updates, and it's easier to use IMO.
