Small, red, heated seats

Thanks for giving so much detail. Completely remove any FIAT from your list. They have been Consumer Reports' least reliable brand for the past 6 years or so. My niece had one and the transmission broke at 80k miles among other things (A/C). They just make terrible cars. By the way, the head rests are plastic.

The Golf is a great car, but maintenance costs will get you overtime. If you don't mind the repairs, it is probably my top pick.

I would not buy a Beetle as they are not that reliable. Cute, but not a great car and especially outdated when new.

The Fit is a great car and I have no negative things to say about it. It is a little small so it won't hold up in an accident as good as a Civic for example. I love the Civic and suggest it if you can get past the styling. The CRZ wasn't an enjoyable car. It looked cool, but was definitely one of Honda's less-than-good cars. It wasn't the CRX from the 80s we know and love.

The new 2018 Elantra GT is much better than the 2017 Elantra GT. You get a long warranty of 10 yrs/100k miles. It isn't as pleasant to drive as the Golf, but it is more reliable.

The MINI is not reliable, but it is a fun car. Depending on the amount of features you choose, they can get up to near $50k for a car smaller than a Civic.

The Soul is a great car with the same warranty as the Hyundai, but you are correct about the color/heated seat combo.

My son has a 2015 Mazda3 and we love it. Their CPO cars have a 7 yr/100k mile powertrain warranty. The hood is really long, but I think it makes it look more expensive than it actually is. I doubt the hood length will change much for 2019 because their concept doesn't look much different. The ride is very bouncy and road noise is loud. Mazda makes the best red color.

I suggest looking at the Prius even though so many people hate the styling. It has a nice red and performs well in the snow. 55+ MPG. Good luck and please tell us what your decision is!

You cannot find data on the Beetle because it is not selling anywhere in America. VW has already announced plans to end its production. Not a reaason not to get it, but it means resell value will be quite low on it.

Friends of mine own the Prius, Prius C, and Volt. From what I understand, with snow tires the Volt is acceptable at climbing (I live on a 650 foot mountain which I have to climb ever day along with my neighbors). The Prius and Prius C with snow tires are not quite as good, so they are not used when it is snowing a lot For a little snow, they are okay. Not sure why the three cars are different but they are at climbing a 650 foot mountain. If you have no substantial climbs like this, all three are okay although the Volt is not quite as reliable as the Prius.

Do yourself a favor and avoid the Mini Cooper Countryman. It is one of Consumer Reports least reliable cars along with Fiat. It lists every year it having engine problems, some years with engine cooling issues, most years with transmission problems, for 2012-2013 additional drive system, electrical system, and fuel system problems, climate system problems for all years, suspension problems in 2012-2013, body integrity problems every year (squeaks and rattles), power equipment problems most years, and in car electrical issues in 2012-2013. In other words - problems in almost every catagory they track. I would avoid that one at all costs no matter how much you like the look.

Go with the BMW 2 series if you must by a BMW. It is small and cute. Best of all, it is one of their relliable models. In Consumer Reports with three years of production it only has squeaks and rattles some of the three years and some complaints about the in car electronics. If you test drive and the electronics don't bother you it should not be an issue. It is one of their favorite cars to drive - it scored a 91 in their tests which is about as high as they go. That is about the only car I would add to your list to what has been mentioned - and I would definately take out the Mini.

With the unfortunate rise popularity of the SUV & pickups, there seems to be somewhat dearth of fun, small, red cars these days.You've gotten a lot of good responses & I totally agree with avoiding the Fiat & Mini. The Honda Civic is really the pick of the litter but I too find its exterior way to busy. I'll only add one car and share my personal experiences with several of the models you listed.

Based on your nicely detailed post the missus will only be driving about 3,200 miles / year. Even if she keeps it 10 years, that's less than 35,000 miles so reliablity seems like less of a factor. No matter what she drives, she isn't gonna burn a ton of gas or wear anything out fast. Seems to me she just wants fun little run about to commute in.

The vehicle that best fits your description (IMO) is the Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ. Jointly developed by Toyota & Subaru, these are sporty little 2 seaters that the auto press loves to drive. They complain a bit about them being underpowered, rough riding, noisy (sounds like the CRX or 90s Civic doesn't it!) but you wife isn't looking for a race car. They are reliable, economical, and have high owner satisfaction rates.

Honda Fit: I drove a 2011 for 5 years. The Swiss army knife of small cars, this is a great option. Fun to drive, relatively reliable, very economical, comes in red & your Bermese will fit nicely in the back!

Honda CRZ: Cute little car, seemed quite practical for a run about, but was totally panned by auto reviewers. I drove one of the early models & could not get at all comfortable in the seat (5' 7", 150 lbs). Later models may have better seat comfort

VW Golf: This is what I replaced the Fit with. Like the Fit, it has Swiss army knife like capablity with more power & comfort making a it a real pleasure to drive both in terms of power, handling, and comfort. Its basically a Fit on Steroids! Drive it before you reject it, I think she will like it. The Wolfsburg Edition has VW's Faux leather (nice material actually) with bun warmers as well as some other nice features over the base model at a reasonable price.

Kia Soul: Our favorite car for rental when traveling. Very comfortable with lots of amenities. You could get a red one & have aftermarket bun warmers installed for under $1,000. Or do that in any other car for that matter.

Happy car hunting, would love to hear what she ends up with!

I'm not sure if she would like the Prius C. It is based on the Yaris and is slow, loud, and bumpy. It gets decent MPGs and is very reliable though. I much prefer the 2016+ Prius, which I own. You can get a new regular Prius Two for $25k and it has adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane keep assist on every trim standard. The regular Prius also gets better mileage. Also the 86 and BRZ are 4 seaters, not 2. If you don't like the Miata's handling in the snow, the 86/BRZ probably won't be great either.

Seat heaters are not usually a problem in cars, but your VW Jetta/Golf generation you own had several recalls and problems with the seat heaters.

Agreed on Prius c vs. regular Prius. High owner dissatisfaction with the Prius c.

The BRZ / 86 is also loud and bumpy--I would not recommend it for anyone who wants a comfortable car.

The Miata is a little more livable, but still not for someone who prioritizes room and comfort. Also remember that both cars are low, so getting in and out is a little more difficult than in the average car.

How well a car does in the snow is far more about the tires than the car. I'd expect the Miata and BRZ / 86 to do about equally well in the snow if fitted with the same tires.

Watch for recalls on Prius from 2014-2016 as they were recalled probably should be recalled again. This part out of warranty could be expensive and it is bee unlike Toyota to authorize dealerships to refurbish bad parts.


California dealership sues Toyota over effectiveness of Prius safety recall

California dealership sues Toyota over effectiveness of Prius safety recall

A Toyota dealer in California is refusing to sell certain models of the popular Toyota Prius over a potential safety issue. The automaker voluntarily recalled hundreds of thousands of Prius Hybrids in 2014 and 2015 because some cars would lose power

It was only from 2010 to 2015. One of the two dealers Hogan owns is 5 minutes away from me and his dealer is scam. At least they attempted a fix and didn't keep quiet about an ignition switch that killed 124 people. Having the inverter die is like having the transmission fail or when a car breaks down or stalls; there is no propulsion. The car is still maneuverable when it dies, unlike when a key falls out of the ignition. That is when the steering locks up and you crash.

There haven't even been many reports. Just look at CR or TrueDelta reliability where there have been happy faces since 2002:https://www.truedelta.com/Toyota-Prius/repair-frequencies-272. There are really no major notorious problems with any Prius year. 9, 2, and 4 repair trips per 100 cars for model years 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. Seems like one of the most reliable cars on TrueDelta.

No, talking the 800 people that have had a problem with their Prius.

Thanks for the update, so nice to hear your shopping perspectives!

Sounds like the Honda is a good fit! I glad you compared it to the Golf even if you came to a different conclusion than I did (I confess I still have occasional second thoughts on whether or not I should have gotten the Fit!).

In your intial post you mentioned the 2018 Elantra GT. I just read a couple reviews of it & it sounds like a great car. The Fit gets better MPG but the Elantra has a wheel up in quite a few areas include power and comfort. I was surprised to see that the numbers indicate the GT has slightly more cargo space than the Fit. But without the Fit's fabulous Magic Seat flexiblity I'd wager you could still get more variety of stuff in the Fit. The real Elantra bonus is their 10 yr warranty. Sounds like it would be worth a test drive before you pull the trigger.

PS: Michael Karesh has a nice write up on the 2018 Elantra GT here on True Delta:
https://www.truedelta.com/Hyundai-Elantra-GT/pros-and-cons-M238

To be specific, the Beetle has a couple of problem spots - the fuel system (more serious) and body issues (body hardware and integrity issues, squeaks and rattles, etc.) Otherise CU says it is reliable which is why it generally gets an average rating - nothing too bad but at the same time, you are fixing it for minor things a lot. So if that does not bother you, it is probably fine.

The VW Bug there are mixed reports in the media - some say this is its last year. Others say it will be discontiuned in 2022 when the electric ID Buzz comes out. Time will tell which outlet is correct (I was going by Motor Trend and Car and Driver when I wrote it is in its last year, USA Today and some other independent sites say when the ID Buzz is released).

Reliablity goes to the Fit. Fun to drive, I would say the Bug is the winner. Neither is a terrible car (if you were looking at a Mini I would say steer clear, but you already eliminated that). So for you, either is obviously a fine choice.

Best of luck.

I have more of an issue with how the Fit drives than most people do. I especially dislike the sound and feel of the engine when paired with the CVT. I'd probably have less of an issue with the manual transmission. Which are you planning to get?

The Beetle feels like a more solid car and has more character, as you've noted. I'd expect decent reliability for at least the first six years. After that German cars become iffier.

The display location makes less sense in the Hyundai than it does in the Mazda.

It usually makes sense to have the display stick up above the instrument panel because this way it can be mounted high--good for safety--without make the entire intrument panel tall and bulky--bad for visibility.

But in the Hyundai the instrument panel rises up as it approaches the based of the windshield, so there's no real gain in forward visibility.

Still not a reason I'd personally rule out a car.

Mazda already has this type of infotainment screen, but Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia are moving in this direction also. I love having the screen sticking up because it often prevents the screen from being washed out in the sun. And like mkaresh said, you don't have to look far from the road to change an audio source. With the Mazda, you control the screen with the rotary knob so you don't even have to reach for the screen.

Did you get the new extended warranty of 72,000 miles or 6 years, bumper to bumper they are advertising? That huge price discount kind of lends credence to the view it is not selling and it will be discontinued soon - but as you mentioned, something you don't care about. Best of luck with the new car.