Who likes hatchback cars?

The Pontiac Vibe. You get all of the advantages of the Matrix, without spending an extra $1,500 to $2,500 to get the Toyota name of the hood.

mike hunt

Will it have as good gas mileage as my protege?

Also....could I get a good used one for say 9k?

You might consider the Hyundai Elantra 5-door hatchback GLS. The hatchback offers "28 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the rear seats in use and 37 cubes when they're folded."

I believe I read a couple months ago that there's so much room in the hatchback cargo area, you can fit the box of a 27-inch TV in the back with the hatch closed.

The 2.0 liter 4-cylinder gives you 138 horses.

5-year 60k bumper-to-bumper Warranty and 10-year 100k powertrain Warranty.

You might also consider the Kia Spectra5 hatchback with identical warranty. Hyundai owns Kia.

The Spectra5 gives you an 18.3-cubic-foot cargo area (about

*52* cubic feet with the seats down).

Yep...

Hatchback is really handy. My work car is a 95 corolla wagon, and it's handier than a hatchback. Alas, wagons are limited. VW and subaru are two that come to mind. There are others, but no Corolla or Camry anymore.

Vibe versus Matrix? I'd buy Matrix. No long list of reasons, just a preference. I would consider a Highlander personally. It's a good balance to me. Might be too big for you, just something to consider.

If you need to move a big tv, it might be cheaper to rent a U-haul once or twice a year.

Hmm..... Ill give it a looksie

I *LOVE* Hatchbacks!

1985 Corolla GTS hatchback 1985 Celica GT-S Hatchback 1988 Supra Hatchback

Keep 'em coming!!!

Very simple: people like you are willing to pay the difference.

I just goes to show the Pontiac is STILL a better buy, even three years later, when one realizes the Matrix cost a least $2,000 more to drive home when new. ;)

mike hunt

You claimed this on the 23rd, too, and - surprise - you're still wrong:

on the Toyota is $15,260 on the Pontiac is $16,430 and the TMV on both follows suit.

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Have you purchased a new vehicle recently? Do yourself a favor, go out into the real world and compare the total cost of driving home different brands. Pontiac dealers offer better trade prices than Toyota dealers, have fewer 'required' options and GM offers better interest rates. Do you have an idea that it costs almost $1,800 more to pay off a 4 yr 5.9% loan then a 2.9% loan? GM as been selling the Vibe as low as ZERO, for several thousands less in interest

mike hunt

Please don't feed the trolls.

For those that don't pay cash, access to cheap loans is helpful, and a smart customer will realize this. Of course, right now, the GM deals on Vibe are about 5.9% for 4 years (Edmunds), so what't this "2.9%" you're going on with? Were you comparing a 4 year 5.9% loan to a 2 year 2.9% loan? That won't fly. Presuming you were just mistaken about what's presently available and meant 4 years on both, the difference would be more in the neighborhood of $1200.

But, since GM isn't offering 2.9% on 4-year loans, let's return to the real world and consider a 4-year, $18K load at 8% from the local bank, which is $439/month, to a 4-year, $18K loan from GMAC at 5.9%, which is $422/month or about $800 over the life of the loan.

Of course, if you take the GM financing deal, don't you lose your "customer cash?"

But, look, Toyota's offering "customer cash" or 4.75% (Edmunds). And let's now consider that the Matrix is cheaper...

Vibe $18K, 5.9%, 4 years = payments of $422/month. Matrix, $17K, 4.75%, 4 years = payments of $390/month

So, the Vibe is $32/month more for 48 months or $1,536 more, total, in payments.

Well, at least we are getting closer to your $1,800 figure. Here's a thought, the sales tax on $18,000 will be higher than the tax on $17,000. That gets us even closer to your $1,800 figure. Happy?

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Try checking the price of summarily equipped vehicles. Better yet go to a dealership and discover the truth for yourself ;)

mike hunt

We've owned hatchbacks, wagons and mini-vans. We thought the first hatchback we bought was a big improvement in carrying capacity over a sedan but, once we started buying wagons, hatchbacks no longer seemed at all adequate. We've bought a hatchback or two since but usually just because we needed an economical used car and that particular hatchback happened to be a good deal. Still, I have driven the lawnmower around in my '94 Aspire with the hatch closed and I can't get the lawnmower into the trunk of my sedan and close the trunk.

Since that first wagon, we've always had at least one wagon or mini-van in the driveway for really moving stuff. And the capability to tow a small trailer, even one under 1K lbs, really increases your flexibility. A small sedan with a trailer hitch will haul way more stuff than a hatchback without. Watch the load limits. There are little, tiny trailers available that fold just about flat and hang on the garage wall.

Edmunds doesn't specify trailer capability for your Protege' but you could check your owner's guide to see if trailering is possible and consider adding a hitch to it. If it's doing well for you otherwise, why let it go?

Sedans are usually quieter, too, as road noise from the rear wheels is partially isolated in the trunk. In the hatchback (and, to a lesser extent, wagons), the rear glass seems to reflect the sound forward. Look for that in a test drive Some models may be very quiet or even have extra sound insulation, so you may not find this a problem.

I wish Toyota still built Camry wagons - or Corolla wagons. Small wagons with good gas mileage are my favorite vehicle.

Have you looked at Scion, particularly the Xb? Pretty is as pretty does. It's big inside and it's very inexpensive (you didn't mention a price range).

I think Mazda has something small that's "vannish" or "wagonish" but I don't think they get particularly good fuel economy.

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Can you make any recommendations for these trailers? Sounds like a great idea--might buy one. Thanks.

Sorry, here's a better question: Where would one buy these folding trailers? Many thanks if you happen to know.

Small trailers are available at Harbor Freight and Farm & Fleet. The drawback to these small trailers is that they generally have very small tires and are prone to wheel bearing failure because owners do not re-pack the wheel bearings regularly, and the wheels are spinning very fast due to their small diameter. Short overall length also makes them track poorly. They are adequate for around-town towing but not well suited for long distance highway use.

There are a few places selling the 'Generic Folding Trailer Kit', you can make the deck yourself out of heavy CDX Plywood attached with carriage bolts double-nutted. And it will last if you treat it with Thompson's or another exterior wood waterproofing compound. Buy the stake sides kit, but be prepared to 'redesign' it a bit for strength - they usually don't make any provision for fastening the stakes in place, and you don't want the sides falling off if you hit a big bump.

And buy the spare tire and holder - you probably can't use the car's spare tire, though you want to check if the car's jack will work. If not, get a simple scissors jack and a 'star' lug wrench. (You do NOT want to find out you forgot the jack on 'a dark and stormy night'.)

Other places will "build to order" any way you need it, you name the job to be done and they can tailor the trailer to it. Ramps for the mower or ATV's, tie-down eyes in the right places, high solid sides and HDPE liner for trash hauling. Even powered tilt beds so it will self-dump the trash at the landfill.

If you go bigger than 1000 pounds behind a compact car like a Toyota Kia or Mazda, or above 2,000 pounds behind a compact truck or larger sedan, you want the trailer to have brakes.

Hydraulic 'Surge' brakes are easy to add, it's all built into the trailer tongue coupler, and the break-away cable pulls on the trailer brakes emergency actuation lever (hopefully) before it snaps.

Electric brakes means installing a brake controller on the car, and it's another thing to have removed and installed when you switch cars. And you need to have a battery on the trailer to power the break-away function. (A dry lantern battery will work, but they need regular checking and replacement.)

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