Help me decide my new car - really, please. Zilch is about to rip his hair out.

[Sno]

Details are in Zilch's garage thread so I won't rehash them here but I totaled my Veloster last Saturday. I despise car shopping, I have little patience for the hunt. I find something that has everything I want only for Zilch to check the carfax and determine it was a rental vehicle in its previous life and only had two oil changes in its 30k miles. And then I blame him for crushing my dreams.

The needs:
-something cute, standard 'chick' cars usually fit this bill. I have a vagina, I will suffer through the massive amounts of eye rolls over this.
- at least 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space
-black or white exterior color. Little to no exceptions (Veloster's flat gray)
-under about $19,000. More comfortable in the $15,00-$17,000 range. Used is more than fine.
-automatic transmission but see notes below in Juke.

The wants:
- great gas mileage. I put 60k miles on the Veloster in two years. I was getting 38.5 highway in the Veloster but would settle for 30ish
-digital dash display (preferably inlcuding a back up camera.)
-leather seats (preferably with heated seats.)

The absolutely nots:
-full size SUV. Nope. I refuse. I need to parallel damn near daily. And I lose the good gas mileage almost immediately.

My thoughts in the short list:
Fiat 500x - currently sitting at the top. I test drove on Wednesday and was very pleased. The MAJOR issue - damn near all of these we have found in our area in the price range were rental vehicles.

Nissan Juke - when I bought the Veloster, it was between that and a Juke. I personally think they are adorable but understand there are a lot of people that hate them. I would prefer a Nismo version mostly based on available bells and whistles. The Nismos in my price range are mostly manual transmission. I cannot currently drive stick but I'm confident it would be a short learning process. I know what needs to be done at what time, I'm just not practiced. I also believe in the fact that if I don't have a choice to learn it, I will. I also like the idea of something forcing me to pay attention a bit more. I will fully admit my driving record is atrocious. This is also one step forward in Zilch wanting me to drive a motorcycle. (Which at this point is now five years behind in the schedule due to my fear of dying in a four wheel vehicle, let alone two.)But, I really want to cross this one off the list because it has less cargo space than the Veloster which gets us to...

Just another Veloster in the exact same style - I loved my Veloster and there are multiple ones available in our area in my price range. I spent a lot of time suffering through this car hunt two years ago when I bought the original one and was certainly educated in my decision. Absolutely no regrets. It just simply feels dumb to purchase the exact same vehicle again. (Truly, same year, same color, everything.) The cubic cargo space number comes from the Veloster. I need something with at least what it had. My only negative to another Veloster is that I could absolutely put some additional cargo space to use but did fine with what it had.

Mini Countryman: @[user not found], get in here. I had actually crossed minis off the list when I was shopping for the Veloster. We test drove a clubman two years ago and Zilch and I were both wildly unimpressed with their interiors. That being said, @apex suggested a Countryman in Zilch's thread which got me looking back into them. The Countryman was not in my price range two years ago but I am LOVING the 50 cubic feet of cargo storage. My biggest beef with mini is the dash display. As noted before, I want dat and mini has still been doing the analog display that is a big turn off for me. But when shopping online last night, I came across a Countryman in Chicago with what looks to be a new digital dash. W00t!

Annnnnd go!

[Melon]

CarFax says "No fleet usage"

https://www.carmax.com/car/14822124

And it's in Indianapolis.

NVM, you want the 500x not the 500L

I shall continue looking.

[troyguitar]

CX5

[Melon]

https://www.carmax.com/car/14787406

There's about 4 or 5 on CarMax, black and white, under $19k with less than 1,000 miles.

[troyguitar]

Though 37.5 cu ft isn't that much. A regular mazda3 hatch has like 42? $15k gets you a fully loaded one used.

You might be able to get a brand new civic hatch under $20k too.

[troyguitar]

"The answer" for daily parallel parking, good cargo space, good mileage, low price, and high reliability is really a Honda Fit... but they're in no way cute.

[4zilch]

CX5

Too big, as is an Escape (per Sno).

[Acid666]

I was gonna suggest a GTI but I seriously doubt you're going to get 38 mpg on the highway with one. Maybe with a Golf.
The Mini Clubman is a good one, a friend of mine had one but ended up trading it in because of some costly maintenance costs. I can't remember what but I remember him complaining about it and they ended up getting a used Civic Si.

I'd stick with the Veloster honestly. Might sound dumb but you chose the car for a reason, and if it hasn't been that long then you probably didn't outgrow the car or anything and it still suited your needs till it was totaled. It is nice to get something different though.

[4zilch]

HRV might be a better bet than a Juke for the miles you put on and the fact you CAN'T unexpectedly be without something. That said it's definitely more boring looking.

The countryman is a great idea too.

Golf Sport Wagon?

Hyundai Tuscon?

Briefly looked at HRV - mostly out of her price range.

[4zilch]

Though 37.5 cu ft isn't that much. A regular mazda3 hatch has like 42? $15k gets you a fully loaded one used.

You might be able to get a brand new civic hatch under $20k too.

Tried to get her to look at 3's before the Veloster. Probably need to revisit this option.

[Tar]

Though 37.5 cu ft isn't that much. A regular mazda3 hatch has like 42? $15k gets you a fully loaded one used.

You might be able to get a brand new civic hatch under $20k too.

, civic LX

[Tar]

Used Golf Sportwagen

[Tar]

Rav4. They last forever and are pretty good on gas.

[troyguitar]

Though 37.5 cu ft isn't that much. A regular mazda3 hatch has like 42? $15k gets you a fully loaded one used.

You might be able to get a brand new civic hatch under $20k too.

Tried to get her to look at 3's before the Veloster. Probably need to revisit this option.

They're really nice inside, drive great, good on gas, and have depreciated like rocks. Hard to beat if they offer sufficient cargo space for you. You could easily end up at more like $12k for a decent one.

[razr390]

[Devilchrono]

Rav4. They last forever and are pretty good on gas.

That's what we have and my wife really seems to enjoy it more than her old Focus. Mainly cause she's able to cram more shit into it than she could the Focus as well

[Tar]

[4zilch]

Tried to get her to look at 3's before the Veloster. Probably need to revisit this option.

They're really nice inside, drive great, good on gas, and have depreciated like rocks. Hard to beat if they offer sufficient cargo space for you. You could easily end up at more like $12k for a decent one.

I like them. Sno is slowly coming around on them.

[Melon]

I'd honestly think another Veloster would be ideal, but the airbags not going off is a huge for me.

[Melon]

I'd honestly think another Veloster would be ideal, but the airbags not going off is a huge for me.

I think the Velosters are

Asymmetry to that degree bothers me.

[Johnny_P]

Mini Clubman or the 5 door hatch should be on the list. They come with the idrive-style dashboard now. Great cars, they drive nice and are pretty quick. The automatic is really great in them too. Come in tons of fun colors and combinations. Maybe some incentives on them at the moment? They're not exactly selling well anymore because nobody wants a small car.

I'd say new 2018 Elantra GT but IDK if they're out yet and not sure on pricing.
Mazda 3 is a very good car with a nice automatic but not exactly cute.
Honda Civic hatch looks good in black, and they have good power with the 1.5T and CVT combo. Totally worth a look, and futuritic gauges in the upper trims too. I think the "sport" is around $18k but comes with a more basic stereo, still has backup cam doe. IDK how they are on the used market, probably not worth buying used really.

Of the ones you posted I'd take the Nissan Juke. I think it would be the most lols for $. I'm sure you can get an epic deal on them too.

[Davestr]

Civic/Civic Si

New/warranty/overall reliable and should be reasonable on insurance. You drive alot. Reliability and safety are key as well as the criteria for use you outlined. Looking forward to the new purchase and your feedback here!

[SixSpeeder]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... de1=RM1500

[SixSpeeder]

I'd have serious qualms about owning a Fiat or a Mini outside of the warranty period

[Devilchrono]

Toyota CHR Done.

Also a good option, though it being a brand new model still would make me nervous