Looking for input - 4 door hatchbacks?

I love, love, love my Subaru Impreza hatchback.  It just got 33mpg highway on a 600 mile roundtrip and averages about 27-30mpg in the city, and that's with the standard AWD.

The back seats fold flat so cargo space is nice and flexible.  With the seats folded, I can set up a 36" wire crate in the cargo area with a 30" crate next to it and still have some room for other stuff (bags, folding chair, dog stuff, etc.)  With the seats up, the 30" crate fits in the cargo area sideways w/ enough space for my dogs to squeeze in the door (mesh crate w/ a door that flips up vs. out).

It's easy to drive, long lasting (I'm at 106000 and 9 years old right now and no big problems so far), pretty easy and cheap to maintain compared to many other cars.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have. :)
 

What about a Toyota Matrix? Decent gas mileage (30-33 hwy, and not much less in the city), really good crash test ratings (no side curtain airbags before 06..but lower side air bags were available), and it's a Toyota.....very reliable.

I don't have one, and I've never even driven one, but they look great on paper!

I know it's not the right year, but BF's mom has a new GMC Acadia that's pretty neat. It gets rockin' gas mileage for being as ginourmous as it is, but we managed to fit 5 people + stuff for a week in the Keys in it last summer. I think it would fit a couple of dog crates, since the 3rd row folds flat.

 I second the toyota matrix. I have a pontiac vibe (same thing , a little different bodystyle). get around 30 mpg average, more on hwy.

I second the Subaru. DH drove a Loyale wagon for eleven years and we spent very little on its upkeep.  The people who bought it still own it! They get decent mileage, are very safe for a small car and will take you virtually anywhere.

Saturns aren't noted for their dependability or crash tests. However, they will probably be (initially) inexpensive.

I'm pretty sold on an Outback or Forrester if I ever get a new (used) car. 

The Outback and Forrester are both bigger than the Impreza, but still get decent mileage; somewhere around 25 city/27 highway for both I think.  They are also nice vehicles. 

Do be aware that all Subarus hold value pretty well (like Honda, etc.).  My car was $10,900 when I bought it used at 2 or 3 years old.

chelsea_b

What about a Toyota Matrix? Decent gas mileage (30-33 hwy, and not much less in the city), really good crash test ratings (no side curtain airbags before 06..but lower side air bags were available), and it's a Toyota.....very reliable.

I don't have one, and I've never even driven one, but they look great on paper!

I have one and I loooove it!  It's not big, but it is spacious.  It has a sunroof which I didn't care about when I bought the car (it's an '06) but it has come in very handy for bringing weird shaped things home (like area rugs) from Lowes or Home Depot.  Not only to the back seats fold down, but the front passenger seat folds down too, so if you have something a bit longer in size you can squeeze it in there. The tank holds a bit less than 14 gallons - something like 13.8 - so it's not quite as painful to fill up as those 25+ gallon cars ... and it holds 5 passengers nicely.

Joyce

Thanks everyone!

I like the Vibe from my research, just wish it wasn't so dang small! I've always driven blazers, suburbans, or the larger family cars (Caprice or Roadmaster)  - ie tanks - and I love the room and capacity. Not to mention, I feel safer. The first wreck back in 2001 was a hit to the driver's side front, and had we been in a smaller car - I most likely wouldn't be here. We were more than blessed due to the build of the Roadmaster. My parent's have 2, and Dad replaced the wrecked one with another for my Mom. They are nice cars. Wish they built them like that still. But oh well.... Hubby had to buy a little '93 Honda Civic to be able to afford to drive to work - gets @40 miles to the gallon - but it's a standard. I really don't want a car that small!!!!!!!!

I've got small dogs, but by the time I pack all my food/medicine to take on a trip along with the regular stuff- trunk space alone isn't enough. Not to mention, backseats and crates are not easy to maneuver or safe the way I have to stack them.  And if I ever have to evacuate again like I did with Rita, I've got to have some storage room for taking the cat along too. Ugh! I hate these @$%^ gas prices!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if I can get hubby to go with a Subaru. We may look at the Outback or Forrester. *sigh* I'm going to end up spending more than I want mainly because all the good gas mileage vehicles are now in demand.

Ingemk and Pwca if you can tell me more about your Vibe's I would appreciate it. Thanks for everyone's help!

Amy 

I like my Mazda 3 hatchback.   There is enough room in the back for Bailey too.

I have a Mazda 3 hatchback and I ADORE IT. Tons of room, a quick little car, and has an excellent turning radius. The gas mileage is about 32 highway and maybe 29-30 in city. I drive stick so I'm pretty good at conserving but it's about the same for automatic.

whtsthfrequency

I have a Mazda 3 hatchback and I ADORE IT. Tons of room,

My cousin has one of them. I've never driven it, but I've put his kids in it a ton of times, had to hook car seats in, pack all their stuff in, etc....and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone with kids. First of all, his 5 year old sits on the driver's side and barely has any leg room. And she's only FIVE. And second, having a rear-facing convertible car seat in the back, on either side, is ridiculous. It's on the passenger side in his car, and the passenger seat has to be so far forward that whoever sits there is practically crammed against the dash. I can't imagine trying to put more than 2 adults in that car. He also has the stupid cargo-area cover, so it's like he has a trunk, and a TINY one at that.

It's a nice looking car, and I imagine that if he didn't have kids, and didn't have the retarded cargo cover, it'd be a lot better...

This is my first small car in years (I drove a Camry in high school) and it really doesn't FEEL terribly small- it's lower on the road but not horribly so. It's the same width and length as the Honda CRV (just lower profile) and I think it might actually be a little heavier - it's got enough get-up-and-go to get me out of the way and I don't feel as much like a big fat "Squish me now!" target as I did when I test-drove the CRV (which felt comparatively underpowered.)  I didn't test-drive the Outback since it is not big enough to get the two crates in (the curved hatch means you loose some space in the cargo area, at leas tin the model I looked at, which wasn't new, so I don't know about th enew ones.) This isn't an issue with tiny dogs  and tiny crates, but the medium-sized crates I use for Indy and Lizzie (27" long) are too long to fit back-to-back (doors to the sideis) in the cargo area and it's not deep enough to fit them facing out the back and still get the door closed- this wasn't the case with the Vibe) I also really like the split back seat in the vibe- oh, and the cargo area doesn't hvae carpet! You can't QUITE hose it out, but it's very easy to clean. The forester, I like, but the front seat felt a little more cramped and my friend has had LOTS of maintenance issues with hers as it's gotten up there in milage, and it's never a cheap/easy repair.

The *only* think I don't like it is the rear visibility is not as good as it was in my pickup truck- that's true of almost ANYTHING though. :P