New Or Used?: Replacing The 20-Year Old Accord

TTAC reader JeremyR writes:

My trusty 20-plus-year-old Accord is getting a bit long in the tooth, and I’m starting to think about a replacement. While the car will be used primarily for commuting, I’d like to maximize the “fun to drive” quotient while respecting some other requirements:

* must have a manual transmission

Obvious choices would be the Mazda Protege5 or Mazda3, or the occasional Honda Fit that wanders down into $10K territory. Ford Focuses (Foci?) are cheap and plentiful, although the repair history is spottier for some years than others. I’ve always liked the look of the Saturn Astra, but the reliability and availability of parts down the road scares me a bit. Then there’s the VW Golf, but the fabled reliability of out-of-warranty VW’s is downright scary. A MINI Cooper would probably peg the fun-to-drive meter (for this segment), and may even be worth the somewhat-cramped rear seat, but would an older MINI prove to be a money pit?

On the other hand: Just over the horizon, the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 look promising, although I’d have to open my wallet a little wider for one. Decisions, decisions…

Sajeev Answers:

Your budget and fuel economy criteria keep you in the small displacement, hot hatch category. You know, if that genre still existed outside of the Mazda 3. Perhaps I’m not being generous, as the Focus, Lancer, Civic and maybe even the Corolla XRS are right up your alley. Maybe even the recently-released Lancer 5-door “Sportback” fits the bill, as new car incentives might get the actual purchase price close enough to your budget. Compact crossovers are worth a test drive, but I’m reaching even deeper for my pick: a totally mundane (yet still somewhat fun) Hyundai Elantra.

Sure, the Elantra doesn’t look very special, but is your current Honda a babe magnet? And taking advantage of Korean depreciation levels (while we can) means you get more car, a newer car, a car with a better warranty for the same coin. Might be hard to find with a stick, but it’ll be an fitting successor to your Accord.

Steve Answers:

Holy cow. Either I must be getting younger or Sajeev has an incurable case of the 30’s. The Elantra was at the very top of my list. Why? Well, it’s not easy to explain. It’s got the aspiring reliability of a Corolla. A fairly reasonable set of features and options to make it a good ride for the long haul. The five speed snicker in the middle. A pretty interesting GT version for the prior generation. Plus it will satisfy the four person itch you so brazenly desire.

But I don’t know… something’s missing. Hyundais until very recently have always struck me as a cheap Toyota with a more tinny feel to them. Mazdas I like. In fact, I may just have to say drive one of those. But there’s something missing in this mix. Something a bit more contemporary and versatile.

My choice would be the Nissan Versa S hatchback. The international Model T of modern times just strikes me as a more roomy, economical and pleasurable cruiser for the long-run than any of them. It’s a car you can haul people and stuff in. Get married. Have kids… and then keep running it until the next ice age. As it becomes older in the year 2020 or so, it should have plenty of cheap parts at the local auto recycling centers. Who knows? You may be one of those brilliant souls who only needs three cars for their entire lifetime.

As much as people bitch about the Renault-esque styling, I would think that it would really be the successor for the ‘too Japanese’ Accord of the late 80’s. Buy a two to three year old version and call me again when the real estate market recovers.

Need help with a car buying conundrum? Email your particulars to mehta@ttac.com, and let TTAC’s collective wisdom make the decision easier… or possibly much, much harder.