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I introduced my friend to CleanMPG and she registered way back in April. She owns Pontiac Grand AM Auto [V6] entitled "The Black Stallion".

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3451.png (http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=3451)


She commutes to bus stop 2.7 miles from home and go to work about 30+ miles away in bus. Her route is around the high hill and I helped her on changing her route to bus to avoid having to go across the hilltop. She is making some progress in trying to save gas.

She is thinking about buying a new (or used) car, but she doesn't drive much. She is CITY girl and drives 100% in city never went on Interstate or elsewhere. What type of car is recommended for a 100% city driver? I am thinking of Toyota Prius.... any recommendations?

The Prius is a good start, though with such a short commute even that car is going to show really low mileage (because of the "warm-up hit"). Is there any chance she could bike?

Something electric? Kind of expensive now, but in a few years when used ones are available...

The Prius is a good start, though with such a short commute even that car is going to show really low mileage (because of the "warm-up hit"). Is there any chance she could bike?

She doesn't feel comfortable to be exposed in busy area (i.e. crime,etc..).

Smart? At 33 mpg, it has the best city mileage of any non-hybrid.

All AT (of course)

-Civic Hybrid
-Smart
-Toyota Prius

The HCH is not a fantastic option for all city work. The Camry Hybrid would be good, as would the Fusion Hybrid.

What price range is she looking for and will she be purchasing new or used?

The HCH is not a fantastic option for all city work. The Camry Hybrid would be good, as would the Fusion Hybrid.

What price range is she looking for and will she be purchasing new or used?

She is single, looking for a gas saver and small car (perhaps a coupe similar to the car she currently use).

Price is likely a bigger consideration than gas mileage in this case. I would go used.
civic, corolla, versa, elantra - all the usual suspects

Price is likely a bigger consideration than gas mileage in this case. I would go used.
civic, corolla, versa, elantra - all the usual suspects

Ok, I'll talk with her about it. I'm sure she will be flexible.

How many miles per year? The commute is 2.7 x 2 x 250 = 1350 miles per year. A Leaf is overkill, but otherwise perfect. How about a Zap Xebra or a Zenn?

On the other hand, if total driving gets more to the 10-15,000 miles per year, Prius will rule over all but the Leaf.

If only 2-5,000 miles per year, hard to justify a new car. It will depreciate without many miles.

We've been talking about this for quite a while until she got into accident recently. So things are starting to fall into place. So far we've been breaking down into these 2010 cars:

1.) Ford Fiesta
2.) Honda Fit
3.) Scion xD
4.) Honda Insight
5.) Honda Civic Hybrid

She is leaning strongly towards Ford Fiesta, but wants to know about the RELIABILITY of Ford's reputation. She doesn't want to buy a car that are BOUND to break (Found On Road Dead, perhaps?)

What are your intake on these cars discussed? How reliable are Ford nowadays? Any other cars to suggest?

Ford and Hyundai are very near the top in dependability, and the ratings bear this out, but they have some old reputations to overcome. The same is true of GM, to an extent, with their current products showing great improvements over those of a decade ago. But the ratings show Ford and Hyundai ahead of GM in real-world research. I am adding Hyundai in here, even though it's not in your list, because it has the same perception in the minds of some consumers.

Honda and Toyota/Scion are known quantities, and many people buy just based on the badge on the grille. They are currently enjoying better resale value than Ford or Hyundai, but that will inevitably change as reputation catches up with reality.

My personal opinion: I would trust Ford. And this is coming from someone who had to repair his father in law's Ford in the parking lot of a hotel in Raleigh, NC - some 700 miles from home. That was almost 10 years ago, and a lot can change in 10 years. Talk to anyone who has bought a Ford in the last three years and you hear an entirely different story.

The Fit, Fiesta and Scion are very similar in size, capability, and price. The Fiesta is "all new" and "gotta have", so Ford dealers may not be as willing to deal as the Honda and Scion dealers with overstuffed inventory. I am also seeing that my local Ford dealers have only loaded sedans in their Fiesta inventory, and not too many base versions. So unless your friend wants a very well-equipped car, she may end up with a Honda or Scion anyway.

Honda Fit was the first car which came to my mind too. It's geared a bit short for highway travel, but that mechanical advantage makes it much more advantageous for her city driving.

As for Fords, like anything, it's something of a mixed bag. I had two Ford Focuses ('00 ZTS Sedan and '04 SVT hatchback) which had awful reliability - a shame because they are otherwise really superb cars (if such a term could be applied to a modern car :p ). Having said that, my Dad's had two Ford pickups which were top-notch reliable, and my Mom had a Ford Escape XLT V6 AWD which was also a top-shelf performer for reliability. Time has seemed to bear out that Ford's putting out some highly reliable cars, but IMHO modern cars are all more-or-less on the same plane - pretty reliable but much more expensive to repair when breakdowns do occur.

As always, there's gonna be some "monday cars" which just don't live up to a model's usual standards, either. My parents got two '00 VW's - my Mom's Beetle was a warrantee administrator's nightmare - a veritable cesspool for disintigrating vacuum lines, loose plastic trim, and various electrical maladies. Meanwhile my Dad's V6 Passat 4motion - built at the same factory - was possibly the most reliable car I personally have seen with not one single unscheduled maintenance trip or malaise in 60k miles. They had a similar experience with the two '96 Dodge Caravans they leased as well. Moral of the story is that there are going to be gems and turds within any make and model.