1. #1

    Smart Car, Yaris or Scion IQ?

    I recently just got a job where i'll be making enough to afford a car payment. So, i'm not quite sure which car I should choose. I've narrowed it down to these 3 choices. They fit my budged, and have low monthly payments. I'm just wondering about general things everyone has when they're first time buyers with cars and such! ;o.

    If you were in my position, which would you choose?

  2. #2
    Just buy a decent used car and pay it off fast. and are you dead set on those three?? there are nicer cars out there that get great mpg if that's why you're looking at those you buy a car not just because of the mpg it because you like the looks and capacity to do what you want with it.

  3. #3
    I'd look at consumer reviews first and which has the best warranty.


    Edit: Also, if your looking for a car under 17k go take a look at a Mitsubishi Lancer.
    Last edited by shadowdasher; 2012-12-29 at 04:46 PM.

  4. #4
    The Smart Car and iQ both look ridiculous.

    My friend, on the other hand, owns a Yaris and couldn't be happier. It was inexpensive (even with all the options) and has never had any problems (Though it's only 6 years old). Maintenance is a breeze. The engine is quite small while the car, comparatively, is quite large; leaving lots of room to maneuver around the block for things like oil changes and such.

    The gas mileage is also absurdly great. He gets well over 30 mpg and only has to gas up once every 2 weeks (According to him, anyway). His commute is 30 minutes each way to work and he does plenty of driving in between. It's also a sporty little 4-door that looks nice and has reasonable pickup on the highway.

  5. #5
    I would go Honda Fit. It has a alot of cargo space. Is fun to drive. Has good reliability and cost as much as those you mentioned.

  6. #6
    Smart Cars aren't. They have a very high degree of customers who have had problems with them.

    All 3 cars make Consumer Reports list of worst cars of 2012.

    http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...s-of-2012.html

    At least the Yaris finally has the speedometer in front of the driver now. I had a Yaris rental a few years back, and it was in the center of the dashboard, which was dangerous as hell.

    Of the 3, the Smart Car is the worst of your choices.

    Do some consumer research on this. Ford Fiesta, Chevy Sonic, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and Nissan Cube all seem to rate higher than these 3, based on an extremely casual look I just made.

  7. #7
    Id get the Yaris but I am biased towards Toyota.

  8. #8
    Well, the whole reason I chose these 3 (Excluding the yaris, I thought it was smaller! :x) Is because I haven't actually driven before, and even the normal size car seems large, and hard to handle.. To me! :/. SO, I was thinking if I get a small/compact car I'll feel more safe driving. So, yeah! :x

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Laqweeta View Post
    Well, the whole reason I chose these 3 (Excluding the yaris, I thought it was smaller! :x) Is because I haven't actually driven before, and even the normal size car seems large, and hard to handle.. To me! :/. SO, I was thinking if I get a small/compact car I'll feel more safe driving. So, yeah! :x
    A Yaris is actually quite small. While it remains a sedan with room for 4, it's by no means large.

    A smart car is anything but. It's a suicide machine that's expensive too.

  10. #10
    If you have never driven before, then I would definitely suggest a used car, easier on the insurance as well (at least in Canada).

  11. #11
    Deleted
    If you have access to the Volkswagen UP! Then go for that.


  12. #12
    Or the remodelled Kia Picanto, small, cheap, 7 year warranty & cheap to insure still enough space to hold 3 mates.
    Koodledrum - Balnazzar EU - 85 Priest - Retired.

  13. #13
    if you have to choose of the 3, i would choose the Yaris, otherwise, someone else recommended, but i would go Honda Fit or maybe look at the upcoming 2014 Ford Fiesta, or the car that I'm thinking of waiting for, the 2015 vw golf. the toyota prius c is a affordable hybrid.

    i'm in a similar situation as you (well, im looking to get rid of my SUV, get a new fuel saving daily driver, and in the summer, buy a go fast car)
    so, i'm looking for the best deal in terms of size, fuel economy, options & style

    i'm guessing you're looking at under $20,000 vehicles.. if you can afford a little more to spend, the $25,000~ range has much better choices
    i'm still deciding between toyota prius, vw golf tdi, vw jetta hybrid and lexus 200h
    Last edited by sheffield; 2012-12-29 at 08:52 PM.

  14. #14
    yuppie cars are making me cry

    I understand the whole "good for enviroment and good mpg" thing, but why do car companies insist on making some of those cars so ugly?

    Are the people that buy those cars so smug that they have to show off just how "new age" they are by making sure the hybrid looks so different?

    Anyway......hows the honda civic hybrid doing, i remember reading up on it and at the time it seemed like a good deal. Good tech, and looked just like the normal civic
    Last edited by Theinquisition; 2012-12-29 at 11:31 PM.

  15. #15
    Yaris would be my choice.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by supertony51 View Post
    yuppie cars are making me cry

    I understand the whole "good for enviroment and good mpg" thing, but why do car companies insist on making some of those cars so ugly?

    Are the people that buy those cars so smug that they have to show off just how "new age" they are by making sure the hybrid looks so different?
    As I understand it, auto makers make them "look ugly" cause they have to keep the cost down. Fuel efficient engines cost more to manufacture so they put less money and time into body styling.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by shadowdasher View Post
    As I understand it, auto makers make them "look ugly" cause they have to keep the cost down. Fuel efficient engines cost more to manufacture so they put less money and time into body styling.
    Why not just use existing bodystyles with the newer engines?

    Look at the honda insight for example...really...how are wheel covers going to effect your aerodynamics in any way?

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Aeka View Post
    Smart Cars aren't. They have a very high degree of customers who have had problems with them.

    All 3 cars make Consumer Reports list of worst cars of 2012.

    http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...s-of-2012.html

    At least the Yaris finally has the speedometer in front of the driver now. I had a Yaris rental a few years back, and it was in the center of the dashboard, which was dangerous as hell.

    Of the 3, the Smart Car is the worst of your choices.

    Do some consumer research on this. Ford Fiesta, Chevy Sonic, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and Nissan Cube all seem to rate higher than these 3, based on an extremely casual look I just made.
    If you don't know about the vehicles, you probably shouldn't open your mouth. Smart cars are a joint venture between Swatch and Mercedez Benz, Swatch Mercedez ART. The build quality certainly is not lacking compared to other small cars. I'd love to hear about which "problems" these vehicle owners are having, mind... It also compares well to many other small cars in crash test results.

    That consumer reports site is also... Terrible.

    As for the Yaris. A centrally mounted speedo is not "dangerous as hell". Part of learning to drive is to watch your speedo with your peripheral vision - you don't need to turn your head or oven look away from the road to see a centrally mounted speedo. We're learning a lot about your driving competence here...

    The Yaris isn't really amazing, but nor is it terrible to drive. The interior is very cheap and tacky, and the material they made the seats from came across as stand out cheap... As for the Scion IQ, which is just another Toyota... It's damned expensive for the level of build quality.

    If you want one of the three... Either get the Yaris for the extra space, or the Smart of the smaller two.

  19. #19
    The Insane Masark's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    17,970
    Quote Originally Posted by Ryve View Post
    The build quality certainly is not lacking compared to other small cars.
    It's not so much the build quality as the design. The engine in the North American smart is a gimped pile of junk compared to the European gasoline version, far less the European diesel.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •