The Fiesta came up again as a possible instead of the Prius C. Anyone else consider the Fiesta? Thoughts? Pricing is close (but we can get Z Plan pricing). Outside of mpg - thoughts?
Seat didn't move back far enough for me, so was a no go Figure anyone 6' and over won't be too comfortable.
The Fiesta looks very nice in green, yellow & white I haven't rented one yet. Mike Mobile on my SGH-i717
I have to be honest; I'm not a fan of the Fiesta. I'm still bitter that 1.) Ford refuses to bring the 3-door hatch to the USA, and 2.) that the ST is taking so damn long to come to market, if ever. The pedestrian Fiesta we're stuck with has a droning engine to remind you how cheap and slow it is, tunnel-vision visibility, and the aesthetics both inside and out aren't my cup of tea, mainly because there's too much styling per square inch and the car is sooooo tall it looks like a suppository minivan. Add to that rather flaccid steering feel and disconnected handling, and I'd rather be driving it's Mazda2 sibling, which is slightly fun to drive. Just because you get a discount on something doesn't make it worth suffering for. Have you driven it yet? All my drivel is moot if you actually like it for what it is. Also take a look at these cars: Fiat 500 [Abarth hell yea!] MINI Cooper [expensive but very fun] Ford Focus [if you want a bigger car] Hyundai Veloster Chevy Sonic RS
Ha - Thanks! I agree with the aesthetics inside. Like the Focus from that standpoint a bit better but feel it is too big for what I want. Saw an ST Focus this weekend - pretty sharp. Didn't drive it though. I did drive it but it has been a while. Didn't fall in love really but need to narrow down the choices as I'm about to be car-less. From your list above, the Fiat - I do like. Thanks.
I'm 6'0 and fit fine. I don't know if the seat travels back much further. I think 6'2" would be ok, just may not be something they'd want to drive for extended periods every day.
Besides the FE, I'm not sure why one would. The interior of the Fiesta is a bit weird and IIRC, the interior bits are cheap (but not surprising, due to the low price tag). Also, in Consumer Reports, it's been predicted to have worse than average reliability (38% below average). Both the '11 and '12 models got below average reliability. Prius c, on the other hand got the highest reliability rating of all cars in CR, despite them not liking the car.
I think it's hugely important to give a good long test drive to whatever might be in either your price and functionality zones. The main reason for that is to feel out the ergonomics [seating position, ingress/egress, controls placement], and to see how the car feels overall. Hopefully you can find a car that has the perfect mix of comfort, handling, fuel economy, power, aesthetics, practicality, and affordability. As always, finding one car that checks all the boxes is pretty much the toughest thing to do. If you can, take a day and drive as many cars on your shortlist as possible. This will allow you to have fresh perspective and weed out cars that simply don't fit your lifestyle. Don't be afraid to drive cars outside your price range or perceived practicality to give additional perspective. It seems us Americans have this strange disorder to buy cars that are much too big and over-capable than what's anywhere near necessary. Good luck! Ryan
Great advice! Thanks. The one car we won't be able to test is the C4! Thankfully the rest are all fairly close but this area has no C4s.
Are there other Prius C available? The Four simply has different options; the others will drive and feel the same, and will give you a solid experiential reference point.
I've driven the 3 twice but the 4's (here) have the 16" wheels which I understand give a firmer ride. I don't really want to have them ship one here and then decide I prefer the 15s.
Understood. Just my advice, don't buy a car optioned a way you don't prefer, because may regret it. I've literally traveled cross-country [several times] to get the exact car I wanted. My Prius C is the first car I've bought locally in many years, because the dealership treated me like a person and not a wallet, and they had the exact car and color I wanted. Buying a new car is the perfect excuse for a road trip to become acclimated with it. Get the exact one you want and don't ever pay a dealership more to get a specific car for you.
Agreed and appreciated. After I told the dealer "no thanks" on the trade fee amount, he has miracously agreed to waive it. Still not able to see/drive it first. I do know it is in GA but I can't find it. Otherwise I would drive to it!
Haa haa, that's funny! It's amusing how the salespeople are quick to drop the B.S. fees when the entire sale is being jeopardized. Unfortunately for us, that's the game we have to play to not be screwed over.
The fact that the engine has timing belts took it off the list. When the wife still had the Forester XT, I changed out the timing belt and swore that I would not change out another timing belt again.
OK I'm a dufus and coming from a Forester (not XT) but what makes the timing belt bad to have - other than possibly being a pita to change? Curious!
Major PITA to change. Had a radiator problem too (overheating), so I decided to change the water pump and timing belts all at the same time. Ordered all the parts (new bearing rollers, radiator, water pump, etc), but the water pump and radiator were wrong (sent me non-XT ones). Had to send the parts back for verification before they sent new parts out. It got nasty with the radiator vendor (who insisted that I'd eat the return shipping cost, even though they obviously sent the wrong part). Had to make my own tool to hold the main pulley to undo the bolt. The valves were under very strong spring pressure, making it slightly tricky to align the cams. Other than that, lots of stuff had to come off the car, including a couple of exhaust components (not easy to undo those bolts). Definitely not as easy as on a 95 Civic SOHC.
