Rachel Nabors ([info]crowhen) wrote,
@ 2009-07-01 22:55:00
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Shite. I need a new car. Any suggestions?
Ruby, my mom's 1995 Ford Escort Stationwagon, is a goner. She was choppy this morning, so I tried to replace her spark plugs with the help of some people from work (some very awesome people, I might add, who got sweat and hot on my account). But I couldn't get one of her plugs out. So I took her to Sears, and they couldn't either. It would involve a machine shop and retooling, and it would probably cost more than the car is worth.

I had to leaver her there over night because she's got the bower of a lawn mower now. There's no way I can drive her home on the commute.

So. I'm donating her to the local NPR station and bying a new car this weekend.

Can I afford a new car? No. Do I have a choice in the matter? Not if I want to keep my job!

So, Livejournal friends, I ask you, what cars do you recommend for leggy tall girls? No trucks or SUVs, thank you. I need a gas sipper, in the 30+ MPG range. Preferably Japanese.

Any ideas?


I hate it when circumstances force my hand, but some things have to be done.

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[info]count_01
2009-07-02 03:12 am UTC (link)
My ex isn't overtall, but has freakishly long arms and legs, and drove a Toyota Corolla until it died alongside the road outside Reno in '98. I'm not tall, but the new(er) Corollas still have an awkwardly-long legroom for me; I always had to move the seat up when she drove. Headroom is pretty tolerable, too. Might want to give one of those a test-drive.

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[info]kadymae
2009-07-02 03:21 am UTC (link)
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Scion xA
Hyundai Elantra

IIRC, all of these are on Consumer Reports' list of good new and used vehicles. (My friend Michelle's husband John is 6'1" and fit behind the wheel of the Corolla.)

If you need to go larger, the Chevy Malibu is also a good, reliable car, not a sipper, but not a guzzler, either.

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[info]jasonfranks
2009-07-02 03:24 am UTC (link)

I drive a Mazda 3 sedan and it's great. Plenty of legroom, excellent gas mileage, super-reliable, and it's got more zip (bigger engine) than any of the similar cars from other (Japanese) manufacturers. I tried them all out before I bought it and it's a much smoother ride all around.

-- JF

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[info]crowhen
2009-07-02 03:40 am UTC (link)
I keep hearing good things about this one. I really want to try one out.

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[info]chrysee
2009-07-02 03:26 am UTC (link)
I like my Toyota Yaris. I am shorter, but it is roomier than the 2000 Hyundai Accent I had before. But most importantly, it is very inexpensive and gets 40mpg. My lease is $200 a month but they have had increasingly better deals since I got mine in February.

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[info]taslasness
2009-07-02 08:19 am UTC (link)
Something similar happened to me 2 months ago. I purchased a new (2009) Hyundai Accent Hatchback. I love it, I get around 30 MPG and it has enough room for my, em.. non petite.. frame. Also the hatchback lets me carry all my tools/equipment around easier.

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[info]takaal
2009-07-02 12:35 pm UTC (link)
Used Ford Focus ZX3 or ZX5. I have a ZX3; my mom has had one since they started making them, then switched to the ZX5 in 2007 when Ford stopped making them (hence the "used" - this is also why I got mine a year ahead of schedule).

What's great: gas mileage, low, LOW, maintenance costs (esp. if you can do most of it yourself!), and the seats are adjustable so that either my mother (5'2") can drive it, or my husband (6'4") can drive it comfortably.

If you can get a 2001 or 2002, those are the best years in my opinion. I love my little 2007 ZX3, but it doesn't have a keylock on the passenger-side door. As "what I hate about my car" goes, that's pretty minimal.

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[info]smurasaki
2009-07-03 12:50 am UTC (link)
Late 80's or 90's Honda Accord? My parents have an '87 that still runs great and gets way better gas millage than most current cars.

I'd go the want ad route rather than a used dealership. That's how I got my Volvo, which, aside from some odd quirky bits*, has done me well. Most mechanics will do a check over for you for pretty reasonable (or, on rare occasion, nothing if they think they'll get your business from then on) and anybody selling a car that they don't want a mechanic to look at you wouldn't want to buy from anyway.

* Someone put automatic windows in the front, for some reason, which, naturally, failed shortly after I bought it. Fortunately, finding manuals in a junk yard was easy, and my mechanic switched them back.

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[info]editgirl
2009-07-03 01:59 am UTC (link)
There are lots of great fuel-efficient compact little cars out there that will even fit a taller gal!
The Ford Focuses are good, and check the Nissan Versa as well. You'll find something great, and remember, it's a bit of a buyer's market right now, you might get a really good deal!

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[info]kahm007
2009-07-03 08:40 pm UTC (link)
From personal Experience. I love my Kia Rio. I bought it new in 06 and it has well over 100,000 miles. I have had to perform zero major repairs on this vehicle. It gets around 35 mpg. Wife has a Volkswagon Beetle. It doesn't like me apparently as it chooses me to break down instead of my wife. LOL. Both are really good vehicles though.

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