SPECIFIC VEHICLE RECOMMENDATIONS - Midsize All Purpose Cars:
This group is great for families, business, travel, just about everything. Camry, Accord, Altima, and Mazda6 have excellent 4 cyl engines that are as smooth and powerful as 1990s American 6 cyl engines. All carry four passengers comfortably. All below are front wheel drive and most require regular gas.
Toyota Camry - Extraordinarily smooth, 157 hp 4 cyl engine makes the excellent 6 cyl engine a nice, but unnecessary, luxury option. Great gas mileage, quiet, easy to live with, nice to look at. A little more total space than all but the Accord. Extreme reliability. Great resale value. Optional power pedal adjustment. Suspension is less sport oriented than Accord, Altima, and Mazda6. Cavernous trunk. 4 cyl electric hybrid is available.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 2 - Can tow a small trailer - 4X7 Uhaul/motorcycle/jet ski trailer 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Honda Accord Sedan - Same excellent attributes and quality as the Camry, and now as large as the Camry with better suspension and steering (more fun to drive), but harder, more sport oriented seats. Power pedal adjustment is available. Best resale value. Excellent 4 cyl and V6. Like the Camry, the excellent 4 cyl engine the best choice for most applications.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Nissan Altima - Same attributes as, though smaller than, the Camry and Accord, but 4 cyl engine is bigger, more powerful, but not quite as smooth. 6 cyl SE is fast. Competent suspension and brakes. Back seat room is smaller than Accord and Camry. Trunk opening is small. Great resale value. 4 cyl uses regular gas. V6 uses premium.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 4 - Very good vehicle 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Honda Accord Coupe - Two door version of the Accord. More sport oriented. Geared more towards single young people since back seat room is limited compared to others in this class. Options include 268 hp V6 and 6 speed manual transmission. Still great for an all purpose car, especially in 4 cyl form.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Toyota Solara - Two door version of the Camry. A little smaller, tighter interior, and more sport oriented than the Camry, but same high quality. Not quite as precise to drive as the Accord Coupe. Convertible only. They say that it's available as a coupe, but try to find one. 4 or 6 cyl, regular gas.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 2 - Can tow a small trailer - 4X7 Uhaul/motorcycle/jet ski trailer 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Nissan Altima Coupe - Same attributes as the Accord coupe, but 4 cyl engine is bigger, more powerful, but not quite as smooth. 6 cyl SE is fast. Competent suspension and brakes. Back seat room is small. Trunk opening is small as well, but trunk room is decent. Very good resale value. 4 cyl uses regular gas. V6 uses premium.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 4 - Very good vehicle 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Mazda Mazda6 - Much better and larger car than previous versions. Good reliability, and sharp styling. More sporty handling. Resale value will probably be less than competitors due to the predecessor's blandness and smaller size than competitors. Also available as 5 door hatchback (shown here), which looks almost identical to the sedan. 4 cyl is recommended because the V6 is a Ford engine.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 4 - Very good vehicle 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Subaru Legacy - Excellent reliability and handling, but now much larger like Camry and Accord. Only comes in 4 wheel drive, so gas mileage is lower and price is higher than competitors. Very popular in snow areas. Flat (horizontally opposed) 4 cyl and flat 6 cyl available. 4 cyl is best. High performance versions require premium gas.
3 - Adequate for most situations 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 4 - Very good vehicle 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 4 - Performs well in emergency maneuvers
Buick LaCrosse - Buick’s cars are significantly better built than their sister cars from Chevy. Reliability is decent, but general refinement and fuelefficiency are lower than Japanese competitors. Value depreciation has been bad like most American cars, but if you wait for the large discounts and rebates, and you don’t drive much, it might be a good choice. 6 cyl front or all wheel drive. 3.6 V6 gets better gas mileage than the 3.0 V6.
3 - Adequate for most situations 2 - Takes 125 to 130 ft to stop. Average for today's cars. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 3 - Decent reliability for long term ownership 3 - Good trunk space 2 - Can tow a small trailer - 4X7 Uhaul/motorcycle/jet ski trailer 2 - Hauls large boxes, but you have to fit them into the trunk 2 - Can get out of its own way
Mercury Milan - Quality and reliability are better than previous small Mercurys, but not as good as Japanese competitors. Regular gas. Lower resale value than the best cars in this category. 4 or 6 cyl engine or gas/electric hybrid with front wheel drive.
3 - Adequate for most situations 2 - Takes 125 to 130 ft to stop. Average for today's cars. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 2 - Good for low initial price/short term ownership/low miles 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 2 - Hauls large boxes, but you have to fit them into the trunk 3 - Has a decent chance of avoidance
Ford Fusion - Quality and reliability are better than previous small Fords, but not as good as Japanese competitors. Regular gas. Lower resale value than the best cars in this category. 4 or 6 cyl engine or gas/electric hybrid with front wheel drive.
3 - Adequate for most situations 2 - Takes 125 to 130 ft to stop. Average for today's cars. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 2 - Good for low initial price/short term ownership/low miles 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 2 - Hauls large boxes, but you have to fit them into the trunk 3 - Has a decent chance of avoidance
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