Car shopping day 2: Lots-o-test drives

Yesterday was day two of our car shopping extravaganza, and we drove and shopped a lot.

First stop was the Toyota dealer just to drive a base Yaris sedan. Since I already have a Yaris, I know the ins and outs of the vehicle, which I liked. My wife drove the car, and liked it. Drove well, decent interior, nice stereo, etc. Price was $15,400 + $750 cash back off the top. Not too shabby. On to the next dealership.

Next stop was Suzuki to look at SX4s. I really like the looks of these vehicles, and like the way they drive, too. Power is pretty good, interior is decent, and you get a lot for your money, including the all-wheel drive we'd like. However, the price was higher than we wanted ($17,100-ish). The salesman asked what kind of price we were looking to get, so we told him. Amazingly, he was able to come in exactly where we needed to be, which was just about the same price as a Yaris sedan (if not a bit less, amazingly). This was a game changer, since we didn't think we could actually afford this vehicle.

Onto the VW dealer to look at a used Jetta 2.5. Unfortunately, the vehicle we wanted to see (I scoped it out the day before) was sold. It was an '08 For $12,998 with under 10K on the odometer. However, they had another '08, same S-model trim, but lower miles. They wanted $16,888 for it and didn't want to come down much. We told them where we wanted to be, and they just toyed around with us. We told them that we had other cars to drive, but would like to know how much they'd be willing to let the car go for. Of course, they wouldn't do it because we "weren't committed to buying the car," and blah, blah, blah. These guys didn't do much to help out the stereotypical "used car salesman" image, and consequently, I probably won't ever set foot back in that dealer. Plus, I was hungry, and losing my temper. On to Subway.

After lunch, we went to look at another VW Jetta 2.5, also a 2008, but it was a special-edition version with leather, alloys, upgraded VW stereo, moonroof, etc. A very nice vehicle, and the guy just wanted to get it off the lot (he was a private dealer/broker who dealt mostly in Audis, BMWs, and exotics—there was an awesome Lamborghini Gallardo for $125K there). He was very up front with us and said he just wanted to sell it; he'd had it for three weeks and would sell it for his cost of $13K (he showed us the paperwork). The car drove very nice, plenty of power, etc. However, I'm a bit gunshy of VWs, to be honest. My wife, however, loves them. It did have a few small scratches, and only had a valet key, so a new set of keys would have to be made (the vehicle was a repo).

Next stop: Honda. We test drove a 2009 base-model Fit first. A very nice subcompact, to be sure. Great interior, very good driving dynamics, and a good price for what it was. Love the magic seats. Shifter was accurate, but the throws were pretty long. If we already had an AWD vehicle, the Fit would've been a top choice. We also drove a new Civic, which drove ... well ... like our old Civic, but nicer in all respects. The dealer actually had a brand-new 2007 EX coupe he was willing to part with for a great price. I'm not 100% sure how that happens, but it was a fantastic deal. Unfortunately, it was a two door, and we really want a sedan.

We went and took a second look at the Suzuki SX4, and then called it a day.

After all is said and done, it looks like we'll probably be picking up a 2009 SX4 either today or tomorrow! I'm very excited, as is my wife.