Nissan Versa - Opinions/Toughts? (Honda Fit as well)

[Tanya]

I'm looking at cars (then again, I always am). Anyone have experience (or know someone that does) with the new Nissan Versa? How is it? how is the cargo? how do the back seats go down? how does it drive?

I'm looking at hatchbacks. My "ideal" size if the Golf but I'm afraid I cannot afford the premium price of the VW. I will be testing the Yaris when I am ready but fear Rocky will not fit in the hatch (my goal would be to have him fit nicely there, he does great in the back of the golf). The matrix is plenty big but ... too big for my needs. I live in the city and take some long road trips (with Rocky).

I thought the Versa was bigger/more expensive but I see it isn't that bad (under $20,000 depending on how many things you "add").

My worry with the Versa is it would be much harder to get one second hand (I'd love a car that is 1-3 years old - I don't see the need to pay for a new car that looses so much value in the first year).

[imported_kelli]

with the new Nissan Fit?

Oh, don't let honda or nissan see that!

Anyhoo.. hard to say.. it looks flat..





The Versa is the largest in its class, deceivingly so, in fact. I sat in one when the X was getting a once-over and i really liked it.. and i gotta say, not a fan of hatchs. But they are growing on me.

If you love VW, a city golf starts at an MSRP just under $17,000. That's less than all the ones you've been looking at.

[theoconbrio]

We test-drove the Fit. I wanted to like it; I really did. SU loved it (she's 5'1"), but I just didn't feel comfortable in it (I'm 6'0"). The back area is really small. Doable for the average Lab, I think, but without much to spare. If I'm remembering correctly, the seats go down easily.

On the plus side, it's very zippy and responsive for such an inexpensive car. Light years better than the Yaris or Matrix, IMO (both of which felt really sluggish).

[maus]

I bought a Fit in April and loved it, it was great, lots of room for the dog and averaged about 36 mpg, drove it all summer long and really enjoyed driving around.

However, once the rain and the wind came in the fall I didn't enjoy it so much, even with all season tires it was all over the road and I feared driving it the snow. It was to light for that type of driving. I traded it for a Ford Escape FWD, I feel much better about it. I wanted a Subaru Impreza which is also AWD but couldn't get the type of financing I wanted. You might want to check out the Impreza, they are about 17.5k with lots of features you don't find on a Honda or Nissan for the same price.

[imported_azlab]

Before deciding call you ins agent. When I bought my Saturn it was down to the Saturn or a Nissan. I was leaning Nissan as it was $1000 lower for same features. (I financed through CU so no difference there). Well turns out the ins rates were vastly different so I bought the more expensive car and saved money in the long run.

[henrysmom]

I'll second the Subaru Impreza wagon!! The AWD is awesome. It's sporty and peppy and handles really well, both in the city and on the highway.

It is quite a bit bigger than what you're looking at, but it's a great little car. Terrific on gas, and roomy (4 adults, no problem). Rocky could fit quite nicely in the hatch. When our pup comes next year, I'm thinking of just putting the back seats down (that's where Henry rides now) and letting them both ride back there (pup in crate, of course, and Henery with his seatbelt harness attached to the cargo tiedown).

Let me know if you need dimensions/measurements... I'd be happy to do that for you.

Oh, and make sure you check out Car Cost Canada:
http://carcostcanada.com/1/en/defaul...ar+cost+canada.

It's $40 for 5 reports... you can find out what the dealer pays for a particular car. Use that when you go in to negotiate price with the dealership... it's a nice little bit of info to have. For example, I got my Impreza for way less than list price (and I hate to bargain!) using it.

[Janna and Boomer]

My friend's folks bought a Fit and ended up returning it to the dealership because they hated it so much. They liked it on the test drive, but when it came to actually owning it, it was a no go. I think it was partially a size issue with them, but I know there were other things they didn't like about it. They ended up going with one of the Malibu hatchbacks instead.

[Tanya]

I love the subaru even more than the golf but they (the impreza) start at 21,000$ (START!) - any price i mention is canadian.

I'm trying to find 2-3 cars that "fit" and see what their pro's and con's are. LIke I said, I will be buying second hand so I realize the cost will differ from the "tag" price I see online.

ps - oops! can't believe I said nissan fit! eek!