Current Events > Debating getting a midsize sedan.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I didn't realize it was so competitive. To the point where the only thing that comes close in terms of sales is the SUV bracket. My budget is no more than $25,000, making many brand new cars an option, especially since I don't plan on trading the car once I buy it, and I admittedly like the idea of having a no previous owner vehicle.


I'm liking the Sonata for the warranties, legroom, and incentives right now on the current gen models to make way for the new gen coming out in the next couple months, but I never really saw Hyundai as a good brand. Apparently I've been living under a rock, as many consider Hyundai as one of the best in the bracket right now. And admittedly, the 2018 Sonata looks pretty damn nice. Only problem is the closest certified Hyundai dealer is over 50 miles away, which isn't the worst thing in the world I guess, but Nissan/Ford dealerships are closer, making them far more convenient.


The Altima also grabs my attention as a dealership is right around the corner from my work, and that we do frequent business with them, to the point where they'd be willing to pull a couple grand off a new car for me through some partnership program they have. That's appealing, but I keep hearing that their transmissions are still giving people headaches. Might be me nit-picking but I hate the idea of getting stranded somewhere because my transmission shit the bed after the warranty expired.

The '17 Fusion I tried out was nice, but I hate how hard Ford is pushing their ecoboost engines. Like with the Altima's CVT, I don't like the idea of over-complicating something that seemed fine in the first place. Granted, there is a non-turbo option, but it's mainly reserved to the base models, and a similarly equipped Altima/Sonata has all the stuff I want, without needing to dive into the "sporty" engines and trims like I do with the Fusion. Then there's the laughably fast depreciation Fords have thanks to being the quintessential fleet/rental car, which means down the road I could snag a mid to high tier trim for cheap, but it'd be used, likely with way too many miles, with an engine I don't want.

So, I dunno. I like how the Fusion drives, but don't like that nicer trims and options are limited to the ecoboost versions, and I just don't know enough about them to commit. The Altima will be the best dollar for feature for me personally thanks to incentives tied to work, but I don't like that Nissan is even more annoying with their CVT's than Ford is with their engines. Then there's the Sonata which I know next to nothing about besides the fact it has warranties that embarrass the other two, and that dealerships for them are very few and far between where I live, making maintenance and any potential warranty work more of a chore.


Then there's the Camry, Accord, Corolla, and others which people would say are a no brainer, but looking at one important spec on them immediately turned me off. Their legroom. All of them either hardly match, or actually lose out to my current car, a 2015 Sentra. And the whole reason I want to get rid of it, is because of the lack of legroom. 42 and a half inches of legroom is good for most, but I'm 6' 5", and it's just not enough. I thought it was fine when I got it, but the more I drive, the more of a chore I realize it is. And no, I don't want a truck or SUV. Way too big, and their benefits/utility is lost on me. I don't haul things, and I've never needed a vehicle with more than 5 seats.

So I dunno. For legroom alone I've been focusing on midsized cars, and would like CE's opinion on what I should give a hard look into, or maybe CE knows of a smaller, funner car with at least 45 inches of legroom that I don't know about.
---

Kia Optima. You can get a pretty loaded one for 25k and they look sexy as hell.

Actually it's basically the same car as the Sonata iirc, just different shell.
---

i nearly bought a mazda 6 last year, great value.

You know, I was looking at those too, but something about them also turned me off. Can't remember what it was though.

I will admit they look a lot better now that they got Audi guys in their company.
---

BuckVanHammer posted...

i nearly bought a mazda 6 last year, great value.

Haven't gotten the chance to sit in one, but the legroom is 42 inches, which is actually less than my Sentra. They're apparently wonderful driving cars though.
---

There's also the Dodge Dart which is far cheaper since they discontinued it and are trying to get rid of them.

Perfectly fine car, just didn't sell well because its competition was simply better for the money. It's roughly the same size as a midsize sedan but is technically considered a compact...so you can park in those 'compact only' spots.

Great fuel economy, looks cool, fun to drive. As long as you get the 2.4.
---

The quality of Nissan cars has fell. Watch consumer reports videos on YouTube. There also many more car review videos that can help with your decision.

Also look at what the expected cost of ownership will be. I don't expect them to be much different between the cars you mentioned.
---

littlebro07 posted...

There's also the Dodge Dart which is far cheaper since they discontinued it and are trying to get rid of them.

Perfectly fine car, just didn't sell well because its competition was simply better for the money. It's roughly the same size as a midsize sedan but is technically considered a compact...so you can park in those 'compact only' spots.

Great fuel economy, looks cool, fun to drive. As long as you get the 2.4.

I'll check them out, though I get more Dodges at my work than any other car, aside from ratty old civics.
---

Mc Poottie posted...

The quality of Nissan cars has fell. Watch consumer reports videos on YouTube. There also many more car review videos that can help with your decision.

Also look at what the expected cost of ownership will be. I don't expect them to be much different between the cars you mentioned.

This is true, which is sad as hell. The best car I ever owned was a 1999 Nissan Maxima. Lasted 275k miles, original engine and transmission, fun as fuck to drive and ran like new from when I bought it at 230k to when my brother in law who I sold it to got it wrecked by a drunk driver running a red light.

Newer Nissans just aren't the same. They aren't fun to drive and they have questionable reliability.
---

Mc Poottie posted...

The quality of Nissan cars has fell. Watch consumer reports videos on YouTube. There also many more car review videos that can help with your decision.

Also look at what the expected cost of ownership will be. I don't expect them to be much different between the cars you mentioned.

I have, yeah, and at least going from previous years from the same generation combined with how many they sell(one of the highest) per year, it seems to even out compared to other brands that sell a bit less, but with less reliability issues. But you have a good point, and again ties to my point about how hard they push their CVT's, which many consider their biggest weakness.
---

Even JD power lists the 2016(and in turn the 2017) as above average to average in terms of reliability and quality, so who knows. A lot reviews note the CVT as whiny, but I work with mechanics all day so I'm used to that.
---

1st option seems best imo.... accord sucks in leg room. because of my height have to shift the seat way back.
---