Hyundai vs. Subaru maybe Kia or Mazda

[Spartan1980]

The 'idling is bad' trope is a holdover from the days of fixed waterpump mounted fans on poorly tuned carbureated engines that would overheat if left idling due to the lack of airflow through the radiator. That's why it was important in the early 'Police Interceptor' days that police cars could idle for hours without issue.
Auxiliary electric fans and thermostatic fan clutches rendered that issue extinct by the late 80's/early 90's, yet the myth of it somehow still persists to this day.

Good to know and point taken. I'm an old dog and hard to teach new tricks, not impossible, just hard I guess.

[JodyH]

A real go getter dealer may have just sold me another 2020 Subaru Crosstrek.
He basically priced it at just above the Impreza (that was already a decent price).
That along with Subaru financing incentives on leftover 2020's is pretty much too good of a package deal to pass up for my needs.
He also hinted that if I buy the Subaru extended warranty for this car he'd make me a heck of a good deal on one for my boy's car (like maybe a two-fer type deal if I pay cash).

I guess having a small lot and a truckload of 2021's coming in next week (he offered me a 2021 for a fair price but it's baby blue) has them wanting to shove their last 2020 Crosstrek out the doors.
This one has 3 miles on the odo and has never left the inside showroom floor.

[olstyn]

I was kind of you 3 years ago. When I took AWD off the table because I still have an old Jeep in the stable, I went with a Jetta 17 because I was leasing and it hit the price point. I have been extremely happy and it has been a great car. I get 38-41 on the highway running 78 mph with regular unleaded. It it quite stable/comfortable at higher speeds when applicable as well.

I had a similar experience with a 2014 Jetta SE 1.8T that I bought used a few years ago. It was undeniably a good car, and my only real complaints were related to missing features vs the Audi I had prior to it, both luxury stuff and AWD (MN makes AWD a big plus). If I was looking for a cheap commuter car to put a lot of long-haul miles on in a no-snow state, a Jetta would be a reasonable option.

[Spartan1980]

A real go getter dealer may have just sold me another 2020 Subaru Crosstrek.
He basically priced it at just above the Impreza (that was already a decent price).
That along with Subaru financing incentives on leftover 2020's is pretty much too good of a package deal to pass up for my needs.
He also hinted that if I buy the Subaru extended warranty for this car he'd make me a heck of a good deal on one for my boy's car (like maybe a two-fer type deal if I pay cash).

I guess having a small lot and a truckload of 2021's coming in next week (he offered me a 2021 for a fair price but it's baby blue) has them wanting to shove their last 2020 Crosstrek out the doors.
This one has 3 miles on the odo and has never left the inside showroom floor.

Good deal for you. My dealer here deals a little but their inventory turns fast so they don't have to go too far on the price. I just lucked into the used Crosstrek I bought. I was wanting to look at a Forrester and he didn't have a single one on the lot at the time. I asked about used and he laughed in a good naturedly way.

[JodyH]

The high plains of Texas aren't exactly Subaru country.
With the university being shut down due to Kung-Flu I bet their usual lesbian Professor and college kid clientele aren't buying anything right now.

[Shoresy]

The Fit is a ridiculous car. I don't know how they did it, but the damn thing is bigger on the inside than the outside. My mother had a 2001 fit that lasted several hundred thousand miles, went up plenty of rough logging roads, was used to teach more than a few folks to drive stick, and carried everything from half sheets of plywood to a whole menagerie of animals in it. It was basically a baby panel van, that handled like a go cart. All of this through northern winters, and the tender attentions of someone who is not exactly big on preventative maintenance.

I drove one for a few days as a commuter vehicle when a dealership was working on my AC. I didn't want to like it, but couldn't help but be impressed. You hit the nail on the head - for a vehicle that small, it was amazingly functional.

I wouldn't consider Kia if you're going to 250k or so. My wife and I had similar age/mileage vehicles in both Honda and Kia several years ago. At the five year mark, the Kia was unmistakably more worn in about every way - mostly noticeable on the trim. We ended up getting rid of the Kia at about the 10 year mark due to maintenance issues and drove the Honda for several more.

[Willard]

I have recently bought a number of vehicles due to normal rotation for my wife and I and two daughters coming of age for driving. For instance, 2017 (in 2018) Toyota Camry LE and a 2018 (in 2019) RAV4. Camry was well under $20K new. RAV4 was just over. New 2107 Avalon was $26K (MSRP 37K). Don't rule these out. Go for the previous year model when you can find them in stock. I usually start with online offers and keep working until I can get the best deal I can. Recommend sticking with Toyota. YMMV.

[fixer]

I said $24000, but really would like to be much closer to $20000.
Because... cheap, reliable, warrantied commuter.

The Toyota dealers within 200 miles suck in my experience.
Haven't dealt with Gene Messer though, any experience with them?

I'm not completely opposed to a small hatchback, but I would really like that extra 3"+ of height the crossover SUV's have.
In the little hatchbacks I feel like I'm in a go-cart when surrounded by a bunch of 4 door pickups.

A Kia Rio 5 or Mazda 3 hatchback are on the radar but not at the top of my list.

I’ve bought 5 vehicles from their Toyota dealer . Fantastic place

[littlejerry]

We came close to buying a Crosstrek for my wife. Test drove it and enjoyed it well enough. We then had the opportunity to rent one and drive it for a week on vacation between Seattle and Vancouver. I'm glad we did because both of us had lower back pain after driving for about an hour on the interstate.

The imprezza and crosstrek get the same crappy seats unfortunately.

We ended up with a CX5 turbo. About as fun as a small CUV can be.

If I were in your shoes I'd go for a used Mazda 6. They don't hold their value particularly well but they are great cars. Same 2.5l engine that Mazda has been making for a while now. Super comfortable, great ergonomics, and a great driving car.

If not the 6 then I'd go straight to a used Camry.

The CX3 wouldn't be my first choice. Vastly overpriced for what it is. I say that as th owner of a Mazda 2(the hatch which it's based on). But I bought that car new for $13.5k in 2012.

If you like the CX3, look instead at the recent Toyota Yaris. It is the Mazda 2 with a Toyota badge. It was also briefly sold as a Scion for 1-2 years, I believe called the iA. Literally just the sedan or hatch version of the CX3 with a Toyota badge.

[camel]

Most of the Hyundai and Kia dealers I deal with complain about their motors knocking and having to eat them within their warranty program.