I know what you are saying about having a practical car with room, fun driving dynamics and still getting decent mileage. Its the reason why I haven't gotten rid of my daily driver.


I am not sure you would consider it, but I got a Pontiac Vibe GT.
Has the 2ZZ engine with 180 horses. (same as the old celica and current elise), 6 speed manual. It suprises alot of people with its pep. Mine has moonroof and upgraded stereo. Drives pretty good. Has tons of storage space. I have used it for the same things as u. I actually fit a full size washing machine (in the box) in that thing, along with a host of other stuff.

Here is the good part.... my average miles per gallon is 30.8. I have 135k on it, no problems at all.

I got mine used and have racked up mileage fast. We drive it Everywhere!

Just a thought...

 

I hadn't... but I'll look into it. I'm a bit skittish with American build quality (my family has had some, let's say less than stellar experiences), but then again Audi/VW isn't exactly honda either.

Even the audi salesguy said that their cars were more 'finicky' than Japanese cars, b/c they had more tech advanced components (I question that statement, but I think I know what he means).

 

That's the beauty of the vibe. Its a toyota....

 

Another vote for the GTI ad MS3 although the regular Mazda 3 is a great car that will be cheaper to drive.

I also find the Fit to be fun to drive in town but on the freeway I didn't like it as well.

Here's an oddball to look at. Mini Clubman S with a rear door on the right side and split barn doors on the rear for just over 24K fairly well optioned. Most of the fun of a Cooper S with added space.

 

I test drove the Mazda 3 quite a bit right after I drove the Fit. I liked the Fit all around better in just about every way. I found the Mazda was a very good looking car but I just couldn

 

I have a Fit with coilovers, rear sway bar, intake, exhaust, short shifter, titanium weighted shift knob, jdm armrest/center console, 9.5 lb Enkei wheels and summer tires. All that and I'm still well under $20k.

This thing is so much fun. In fact, I've found myself reaching for the keys to the Fit lately instead of the S. The steering is dead-on, the tranny is perfect and the handling is out of this world. If you keep it in the proper gear (which is not a problem because it feels so good to shift), you will never have a trouble with power - mine may not be extremely fast, but it is very, very quick.

We also frequently carry our two 50lb dogs, loads of gear, furniture, parts, tires, wheels, etc. - never had anything that wouldn't fit in the Fit.

We drive HARD, and we've never seen under 30mpg. Average is 33-34, best we've seen is 37-38.

We've been through loads of cars - from economy to sport to luxury. The Fit is the only one we agreed we can never get rid of.

Oh, BY THE WAY, I traded in my GTI hatch with DSG and package 2 (leather, etc.) and upgraded suspension for the Fit. I really liked the GTI, but haven't thought about it since as I think the Fit is so much more fun!

 

As for the GTI reliability - I traded mine in with 25k miles and had no problems whatsoever. It was solid as a rock.

 

ok, you've caught my eye. You found the Fit pretty close to the GTI? I'd be curious to know approx hp output on your Fit - I know the '09s have a slight bump in hp, and hoping that it still gets good mpg (unlike the new Scion Xb). Are you ok for fwy passing, and how is the Fit on uphills loaded? I hoping to avoid being stuck in the truck lanes.

I'm planning on checking one out on the way home from work - thanks for the input!

 

The EP3 really gets ragged on but it's a fine daily driver. It definitely lacks power but it has just enough go to keep things sort of exciting. The best part of the car is its gas mileage. 30+ is possible. High 20s if you drive like me.

I love my EP3 for what it is. It's a fun-to-drive DD that doesn't cost too much to run. With $1500 in suspension mods it has the same handling "bite" the S2000 has.

 

GTI all the way...I drove several hatches before I bought my latest car and it was the best hatch by far in both manual and DSG.