Looking for new car for my girl
 

So im looking for semi sporty and fun to drive car. So i narrowed it down to nissan juke or veloster turbo. I need auto since it will be driven mostly by my girlfriend and needs space. So no frs or brz. And under 23000.
I like the look on veloster and its got tons of options. but its very small and ride quality is very harsh, not in the sporty way.
I also like the juke as well, its got more space than veloster but less options. But drivability is so much better than veloster. And suspension is very well tuned. And optional awd is definitely a plus.

If u have experiences with these cars, please let me know how they are.
Looking for availability of aftermarket parts, performance capability, reliablilty, and just pure fun to drive car.

if its purely down to those 2, id say go with the juke. The veloster has got enough go-juice to be fun as a daily driver, but you are right, the handling and suspension leave a lot to be desired.

The juke is pretty versatile, but the concensus is that its uglier than sin. The juke has more cargo space, and awd, and the cvt transmission is better for a novice driver. The veloster turbo would have a much bigger aftermarket but it just wouldnt be worth it with an automatic transmission.

Avoiding potential train wreck here:
(1) Are you buying this car for your girlfriend? Is she a keeper? Being more descriptive: ARE YOU GOING TO MARRY HER. I've seen friends do this before for their girlies (who end up ex-girlies), and I've yet to see it turn out well.
(2) What does she want? If she's the one driving it 99% of the time, I think that's more important than you imposing what you want on her. This is more important if she's the one paying for the car. She needs to have input (you didn't mention if she did) and she needs to test drive many cars.

Not trying to be a jerk, so please don't take it as that, but these are some honest things to think about.

I've test driven a Veloster (not the turbo) it's fun looking but I didn't find it that fun to drive.

I know alot of people like the Juke. I've never driven one, but in my opinion the styling is just too weird. To me it looks like a sports car ate to much and got fat. Hideous on an Aztek level.

Nissan joke.lol

A bright red Mazda 3.

Well the car is for both of us. And she was the one who picked the juke and veloster. She was driving my other car for while but its time to trade that car. I have been with her for over 5 years and if something to happen ill just keep the car lol

Juke is one of those car that grows on you, i hated it at first to but more i look at it i can actually stand the car. Test drove the regular veloster as well and i wasnt so impressed by it

Ever thought of Impreza, Forrester, Legacy, MS3, or Altima?

+1 Forester's good, I personally like the SF5's, but the newer ones are more SUV like.

Imprezas are good starter cars, get a civic if you want top tier bullet proof reliablity.

Though it's 23,000.. a bit more and you could get a FRS.

Why can't she get her own car? Avoid the potential disaster and let her buy her own things. If you old car isn't good enough then she should buy her own. This is just a bad setup for the future. She is going to expect expensive things from you if you do this. Since you refer to her as your girlfriend I assume you are both young. Shit only gets worse with age. Nothing worse than someone who depends on you for support. Don't forget to get a prenup, unless she has a trust fund waiting in a few years.

If this is a long term relationship make sure you have the name on the loan and title you want in case things end badly. If your name is on the loan and title you will be stuck with the bill if things end. Good luck forcing her to make payments for something you signed for.

For that price? Lightly used, 4-dr GTI. It's a fun/sporty car, has a surprising amount of cargo space, and the DSG transmission is great.

I enjoy mine:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6208/6...b650353c_z.jpg

The Juke has grown on me, I no longer feel queasy when I see one. :D

Looks aside I hear they're nice, and all that matters is that the person who buys it likes it. Aztek owners all seem to love them even though no one else does, and that's just fine.

I bought my wife a 2012 honda fit last year... great car, holds a crap load of stuff with the fold down seats, and 30+ city, close to 40 hwy

with the 8k you will save... buy turbo for your car

The Fit is go! Our other car is a 2009 Fit, and although it's not that exciting it's #1 in my book for an all around useful small car.

The difference between the Asstek and the Juke is that the they're both ugly, but the Juke doesn't pretend to be something it isn't (the Asstek was sold as an SUV, but if you even tried to pull off road the car would fall apart.)

Avoid the 2012 civic model year at all costs. They are terrible cars, Honda cut too many corners when making them.

If you're considering a Juke I'd also consider a new base Impreza. I think it starts in the low 20s, has a CVT auto that makes it faster and more fuel efficient than the manual, FB20 engine similar to our FA20, and is solid and probably better all around.

I'd go Chevy Sonic RS way before Veloster or (God, my eyes!) Juke.

we have a suv, so forester is not really needed. legacy is little too pricy with options and little too big. ms3 doesn't come with auto. altima isnt a fun to drive car, although i like it very much as a comfortable car

So i guess i'll check out subaru.

I actually like the new gti and golf, but she doesn't like it. maybe i should convince her.

Tell her it's got a plaid interior. Girls seem to love that. :)

http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/...I-interior.jpg

BTW it was the same for me at first. It took my girl a while to warm up to the GTI (she liked the Jetta more), but now she loves driving "her" GTI.

But yeah, ultimately should get her what she wants. Happy her = happy you.

Get her a Honda CRV or Toyota Rav 4. All women love those. Good resell value if you get rid of both too.

Subaru's are ugly. VW break too much. Hyundai's resell value are horrible.

They already have an SUV, so no SUV.

Vw's are expensive to maintain, and parts are EXP.

JDM > EU in terms of maintence, but obviously up to you.

Hyudai resell value I agree, is crap, but if you plan on keeping it forever, than there's no problem there.

Ever considered a Fiat convertiable?

Fiat is too small. Veloster is too small as well.

Scion TC, Honda Accord, Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Chevy Cobalt... wait Cobalt is gone, so Chevy Sonic?

Looking for a 4 door. I've been looking at the jetta and jetta gli, what do u guys think?

It's a little over 23K (23,700 starting), but close... Have you considered a Focus ST? I've talked with a couple of people who have bought one, and they love 'em.

Do they even come auto?

im surprised there isnt more push for a skyactiv mazda3. hatchback or sedan options, 40 mpg, great auto six speed, and just about the sportiest normal car you can get. im a hardcore toyota fanboy but mazda knows how to make cars fun.

+1

I love the new Mazda3s! (Especially Speed3s, but those are a little pricey.) I think that a 3 would be a fantastic choice and meets the criteria well.

Maybe, but I wasn't impressed at all by what was going on in the interior.

It's a little plain, but it's not that bad. Certainly no more barren than the inside of an FRS.

Maybe to the untrained eye.

I'd say st least everything in the FRS is conveniently put in the right place. Not misplaced or overwhelmed functions in the 3.

I am going to have to know what kind of roads she will be driving on in her kitchen before I can give a good answer.

Ah, I gotcha. I have only seen pictures, so I never really got to feel how the interior is.

I would love to get mazda 3, but for some reason they are extremely pricy. And the power is little low. I think mazda 3s are great car if driven manual, but i need a carthats built for a automatic car.

Kia Soul

10/100 warranty, plenty of room, and not very expensive.

About as sporty as anything else in its range, until you start getting into hot hatches and whatnot. Realistically any fwd commuter autobox car isn't going to give you a great sporty feel, so just make a list, drive a bunch of stuff and decide which is the best fit.

did you buy the car yet? get a white honda CR-Z for her. base starts at around 20k. seen one in real life rolling out at school and it was beautiful!! they are just as uncommon as an fr-s and get a lot of attention at meets.

IMO, too expensive for what you get. Used ones are definitely in the reasonable price range though. But I'm guessing the "needs space" clause rules out two-seaters.

Take her to a local car show and see what's out there. That's what we are doing next month. Only thing is, at a show you dont even hear a motor, never mind get to drive anything. It's the way we will compile our short list. At least the 2 vehicles you are considering are in the same category.