Which car

[zoebartlett]

I''ll plug Toyota. My husband has a Prius and I have a Corolla, and we love them. They''ve both been great cars in the few years that we''ve owned them (we bought them new in the same year). The Corolla''s backseat is a tad cramped, but since we rarely have anyone else with us and we never sit back there, it''s not really an issue. I noticed that it''s not an issue for you either, L. My mom has a Camry (and has had several over the years), and while it''s a great car, it does feel TOO big and roomy.

I''ve never driven a Hyundai or a Lexus, so I can''t speak about them. I''ve heard that Hyundais have improved over the years, but honestly, I''d stick with a car that has a consistently solid reputation.

 

[HVVS]

I'd say what's sensible for a 100 mile round trip commute is a large and sturdy vehicle that can take the pounding of that many miles per day, and also is heavy built enough to not fold up in a high speed collision with the "typical" passenger vehicles seen on that highway. If everyone else is driving trucks, vans, and SUVs, don't put yourself or your family in a small car. And don't forget that tractor-trailers keep getting bigger. Yes, saving money on fuel and all that other "green planet" stuff is nice. But, get rear-ended by a 1-ton pickup truck that's traveling at highway speeds, and that environmental stuff likely will not be very important to you at that point, nor afterward. Get a safe vehicle. Let somebody else save the planet and a few dollars here or there.

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks everyone for the input! I think we''re leaning toward taking our time (up to 5 months) and seeing what''s out there because we just aren''t finding what we want right now, and some of that is a result of not knowing exactly what we want and how much we want to spend on something that''s going to incur so much mileage. There seems to be more flexibility in new car pricing as opposed to new car pricing and Asscher_girl, I''d love to know what dealer you bought from if it''s local.

HVVS, I appreciate your opinion, it just goes to show how there is no right answer, which is why there are so many cars out there to choose from! For me a smaller car *is* safer even with the mac trucks on the road (one of which totalled my Jetta a few years ago when ripped off the rear half of my car when it took it too wide, only thing I could do was down shift and accelerate when I saw what was happening). Not everyone can handle a large car, and I am certainly one who drives safer in a smaller car, I''m just not comfortable in my (for me, huge) Camry, I can''t imagine the havoc I''d reak in car if I try competing with a mac truck for size!! My accident record with this car (not including the number of scraps I''ve gotten because I misjudged the size of the car and paid for out of pocket... including ripping the side mirror off of the car) is not good, and I can''t just risk (or afford) driving a car that''s too big for me any more, especially with my commute. I was as surprised by this as anyone, and so was my hubby (especially since it''s his Camry I tore the mirror off of and handed the pieces to him with the words, "I told you the car is too big, I want a Civic!").

I will take another look at hybrids. I''m not sold on the Prius, but the arguement about the resale value is a good one, so I''ll go reconsider the Civic Hybrid. The TSX just doesn''t grab my fancy so I can''t say I''m likely to pony up for it.

Honestly, I''m most likely to get a Civic IF I can find a dealership with a good enough deal (which needs to include an extended warranty because 36,000 miles is laughable).

I do like the Hyundai warranty though. Wish they had a comoact that''s a little more luxurious and a little more sporty.

 

[asscher_girl]

Hey Gypsy, DH bought from Lexus of Steven''s Creek - by Valley Fair

 

[pinkstars]

From your options I would choose the Lexus.
If you''re going off of suggestions I would look into a hybrid also.

My BF and I just got a used Prius this summer after debating on what car to get(other options being a Honda Civic, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Corolla.) We both had Toyota Camry''s (we still have mine and are going to sell it, but his was in an accident and didn''t make it.) We too thought that the Camry was just a bit too big, and the gas mileage just wasn''t great.
Honda''s have a great resale value compared to most Toyota''s but the Prius is the great exception, they seem to keep their value for the longest time even the first generation.

From my research it seemed that Honda Civic Hybrids tended to have weirder mechanical problems. Problems with the Prius that were common seemed to be things that could be taken care of more easily with preventative care.

I hope you end up with something that you love!

 

[MustangGal]

The Hyundai Genesis coup looks pretty darn sporty! If I didn''t have the issue of shoving a car seat in the back, I''d LOVE one of those.