lakeside101 Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 so many are facing having to buy a new vehicle. Can't afford or want a big Honda CRV that everyone loves, but would like something that would clear the topes, 4 dr, automatic what are folks looking at??
gringal Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 We bought a Honda FIT nearly three years ago through S&S Auto. Great service; nice people, BTW. It has a higher road clearance than the made-for-U.S. models; we never have a problem with topes unless one sneaks up on us, but so far, no problems. Has some of the nice features you usually find in more expensive cars. Unibody construction for safety. Rides well; plenty of room for passengers in the back seats and all the seats fold down to give extra cargo space. Easy on fuel; easy to park. The dealer on Gonzalez Gallo in Guad. services it periodically under the warranty.
contrarian Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 Check out both the Nissan X-Trail and the Nissan Juke, both of which have good ground clearance and cost less than the Honda CR-V. The Juke even has a turbo-charged engine, which is a tremendous advantage in high-altitude locations such as Lakeside.
lcscats Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 Don't laugh but Nissan March. It is small and easy to park with a huge interior for its size. Drive one before you dismiss it because of its looks. Cute I think is the nicest thing you can say but we love our Nissan Micra which is an older version of the March. You can find parking spaces anywhere. Great MPG car or should we say KPL. Friend of mine had to drive emergency to the border and it did fine which is amazing for such a small car. If you want a bigger car look at the Honda Fit but much more money. These small city cars made for latin America don't hit on the topes if you worry about that.
valbogyo Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 so many are facing having to buy a new vehicle. Can't afford or want a big Honda CRV that everyone loves, but would like something that would clear the topes, 4 dr, automatic what are folks looking at?? Have you seen the volkswagon Crossfox? Very nice for this area and you can park anywhere. I love Renault products. I have a Stepway and they available automatic. It is perfect for the roads here and very affordable. Four doors and a flip down back seat. I guess its a hatch back. The Honda fit is bigger, and also a great choice.
contrarian Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 The OP mentioned ground clearance as a desirable feature. The Nissan March is a nice little car and the Honda Fit is even better. But neither one offers more than minimal ground clearance.
gringal Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 The OP mentioned ground clearance as a desirable feature. The Nissan March is a nice little car and the Honda Fit is even better. But neither one offers more than minimal ground clearance. The OP wants small and not too expensive. Careful driving is essential with the smaller cars. We're not planning any off-roading, that's for certain.
contrarian Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 It's not a question of off-roading. It's a question of loading up your vehicle with goods at Costco and then being able to get home without ripping out some vital under-chassis component, courtesy of a monster tope. When auto makers quote ground clearance they are referring to an empty vehicle not a loaded one.
gringal Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 It's not a question of off-roading. It's a question of loading up your vehicle with goods at Costco and then being able to get home without ripping out some vital under-chassis component, courtesy of a monster tope. When auto makers quote ground clearance they are referring to an empty vehicle not a loaded one. Never had a problem with loading up at Costco and getting home without hanging up on topes. When I buy a vehicle, I take a test drive in it. Best if you have a big car salesman riding in the back seat. Head for Chapala. Plenty of topes on the way. In general: People who want an SUV will find a reason to buy one. In fact, people who really want anything will find a reason. Human nature. No blame. Just the way it is. I even found a reason to buy a cute little red convertible once. Don't ask.
bournemouth Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 Another criteria for the OP is automatic. VW Crossfox, for one, is manual only, as are many other smaller vehicles sold here. The FIT can be bought with an automatic transmission.
gringal Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 Another criteria for the OP is automatic. VW Crossfox, for one, is manual only, as are many other smaller vehicles sold here. The FIT can be bought with an automatic transmission. FYI: Prices may have changed in the last few years, but we were out the door with all taxes, fees, license, etc. and an automatic transmission for under 18K. Otherwise, it was all standard equipment for the model. The Tenencia was no longer applicable as of that year.
ajijicis4me Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 so many are facing having to buy a new vehicle. Can't afford or want a big Honda CRV that everyone loves, but would like something that would clear the topes, 4 dr, automatic what are folks looking at?? You need to say what size vehicle you want, what price range and whether new or used. You said you didn't want a large SUV. Honda CRV is one of the best. Another is Nissan X Trail for good ground clearance. These are NOT large and have great ground clearance. The cars talked about above are small cars which I wouldn't consider, considering the way people drive here. It depends on what you think your life is worth. Consider buy a used 2 year old vehicle where someone else has taken the depreciation. Get S & S Auto to help you. A large SUV is a Ford Explorer, Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
lcscats Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 The OP mentioned ground clearance as a desirable feature. The Nissan March is a nice little car and the Honda Fit is even better. But neither one offers more than minimal ground clearance. And believe it or not those little mini SUVS are made from sedans with a SUV body on top. I have had experience driving March, Micra, Comfort, and Brazil spec Fit and none hit on topes even with four. All the latin spec cars have softer suspensions with a little bit more height. We had to take a US spec Nissan Sentra back to the US as it hit all the time. Little Micra never hits and is much more comfortable on the cobbles than the Sentra. New March is 14,000USD with air and automatic. Drive one before you dismiss it. It is a shockingly good car for the money.
contrarian Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 "New March is 14,000USD with air and automatic." Where? In Brazil? Nissan no longer sells its March model in Mexico. BTW: The Nissan Juke is less than an inch longer than the Honda Fit, has nearly 7" of ground clearance and a 181-hp turbocharged engine. Compared to the Juke all these mini-cars are utter sloths and a real danger--because so anemic--at altitude. And no, I do not own a Nissan Juke.
Ajijic Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 the Honda Fit will soon be made in Celaya as the plant is under construction. It will be an all new model with one of the versions being like a mini-suv and higher ground clearance. It will be made to US standards as the one currently sold here is made in Brazil I believe and not US / Canada specs. Also, Chevrolet has a new Trax with 4 cylinder, great ground clearance, good fuel economy. It is also available in Europe and Canada and not the US. Chevrolet has 0% financing and reduced their prices. http://www.chevrolet.com.mx/trax.html Both vehicles we would consider. I would not buy a used vehicle here unless I knew the owner from the time car was registered like the car below. There is no Carfax for history. We know an expat who bought a used CR-V from a local facilitator. It turns out that the person on record with the government was not the seller and the car had been in an accident. The seller (not the facilitator) repaired a badly wrecked vehicle and in the end lots of dinero and a lawyer required. Plus, the odometer can be made to read anything. The poor roads in many places can really do harm to a vehicle. I would recommend new, small, vs a similarly priced used car as to me a used car may be like playing Russian roulette. People often mention ground clearance but yet I have seldom if ever seen a taxi suv. Once you get away from lakeside, topes become rare.
More Liana Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 We live in Mexico City and have decided that we no longer need to own a car. The vehicle that we're selling is a Honda Fit EX, 2010, automatic, 4 doors plus hatchback, A/C, black velour interior, keyless entry, electric windows and automatic door locks, all the good stuff you want and need. Mexican license plates. Car is in like-new condition--it still has that new-car fragrance and has always been kept in a garage. The odometer just turned over 11,000 kilometers (about 6,500 miles). Translated from the factura original: 4 cylinder motor, 118hp, 5-speed transmission, front-wheel drive. Aluminum 16-inch rims. Two-stage front airbags for driver and front passenger seat. Capacity: 5 passengers. Leather-covered steering wheel, audio control on the steering wheel. Cruise control. USB cable port, alarm system, auxiliary speaker ports. Audio system with AM/FM radio with capacity for 1 CD or WMA/MP3. Four speakers. This is an excellent car, maintained regularly (we have all records). We find that we just don't use it--it comes out of the garage once or twice a month to drive short distances and needs to find an owner who will use it regularly. We will deliver it to you at Lakeside or San Miguel de Allende. For more information, send me a PM.
lakeside101 Posted May 2, 2013 Author Report Posted May 2, 2013 i've PM More Liana. i currently have a US sold FIt and it clears the BIG new topes by the army... i don't need more car than it has storage wise.
contrarian Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 In terms of storage capacity, the Fit is state-of-the-art. Its liabilities at Lakeside lie in its low ground clearance and lack of horsepower. BTW: Can any of you Honda Fit owners tell us exactly how much ground clearance you have? I suspect not because Honda has kept that specification a secret.
Ginger Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 In terms of storage capacity, the Fit is state-of-the-art. Its liabilities at Lakeside lie in its low ground clearance and lack of horsepower. BTW: Can any of you Honda Fit owners tell us exactly how much ground clearance you have? I suspect not because Honda has kept that specification a secret. My Fit gets driven around lakeside & has plenty of power. It has been driven to Guadalajara by a friend who has an SUV & she referred to it as "snappy" & got it into 5th gear (standard transmission) quickly & commented on how well it hugs the road. It has plenty of power in my opinion. I've never had problems with topes if I saw them ahead of time. I don't know what the road clearance is but that's never been a problem for me.
gringal Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 Ditto to Ginger's post. Plenty of pep on grades; no panic when passing for fear of power lack. Topes: Watch for them, no matter what you're driving. Go over them slooooowly. I don't feel like getting down and measuring under the car, so would suggest going to S&S and getting the information from them. They'll probably have one on the lot, and there might be a difference between the 2010 model and the 2013.
Mainecoons Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 Come on Contrarian, compared to that rocket sled you drive all of these cars are turtles. I get to look at those Tiguan taillights on the road all the time. I have no problem with passing people at our altitude or lower with the 2006 CRV. The reviewers complain that the new ones are more sluggish due to extra weight plus the gearing changes to try and squeeze more mpg out of them. The car also is lower and the carry space more rounded, hence less functional. This is why we don't want to give up our 2006 SE for half what it is worth and spend a ton more for less car. The FITs I've seen around town definitely ride higher than the other mini-cars, it is noticeable in their appearance alone. I haven't heard anyone complain of problems getting over the topes. We know two very satisfied owners. One of them ran into a cow at highway speed head on. The car was totaled, the riders hardly scratched. That is pretty impressive IMO. He bought another FIT. We love the CRV. It is not a big SUV, it is a small one and the new ones apparently get very close to 30mpg on the highway. We get around 25. And on regular gas. I put a dishwasher in the back of mine with absolutely no problem getting it in and closing the door. My philosophy is if I only have one car, I want one that handles the tight streets well, is comfortable on the road but when I need to haul something, it will either go inside or on top. There's a reason you see so many CRVs around Lakeside and GDL too. The car is highly flexible in usage, can take the pounding of the less than wonderful roads in Mexico and is well designed and made.
ajijicis4me Posted May 2, 2013 Report Posted May 2, 2013 One wonderful thing about the FIT is that when the windshield smashes you get glass in your eyes. No thanks.
Mainecoons Posted May 3, 2013 Report Posted May 3, 2013 http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=593 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the car a top safety pick.
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