How do you define a “cheap” car? Where’s your cutoff? I’m slowly increasing the prices of the cars we’re looking at this week and next, and today we’re up to around six grand. Is that still a cheap car? It’s not throwaway money, but it’s often still a cash purchase. One thing is for certain: at this price, you expect more than a beater.
Yesterday, our limit was $4,000, and we looked at two old ’80s German sedans. I try to stay as impartial as I can with these matchups, but I have my own preferences, of course. And there are times I root for a certain car to win. It doesn’t always work, but I’m happy to announce that today it did. The little Audi has triumphed over the good-looking but lackluster BMW. I’m so pleased.
I have a long history with ’80s VW/Audi products, and I still occasionally long for another one. This Audi would actually be a great choice: it’s not too expensive, it’s in great shape, and it’s a nice simple reliable drivetrain. Sure, a Quattro would be more fun, but this is probably rarer now, and a lot less abused than most Quattros I’ve seen for sale.
Cheap cars are what we do here, usually, but often I see comments like “save your money, get something a little newer and/or nicer, you’ll be better off.” Well, we’re about to test that hypothesis. How much more car can you get for a couple grand more? I chose two fun-ish compact manual sedans, the sort of car you might pick for a second vehicle if you already have a big family hauler. They’re more practical than a sports car, but they’re still at least a little bit entertaining if you take the back roads to the grocery store. Let’s check them out.
2010 Mazda 3 i Sedan – $5,900
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Austin, TX
Odometer reading: 108,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
As I’m sure some of you do, I get asked for car recommendations from my non-car-people friends. Typically, I tell them “just buy a Corolla,” but if I know the person likes to drive, I change that recommendation to a Mazda 3. This successor to the 323/Protege/Familia has been around for more than twenty years now, and it’s still the best-kept secret in the small car market. Even the base model ones are more fun to drive than your average economy car. Sadly, it looks like Mazda has finally succumbed to the times and no longer sells the 3 with a manual transmission, so if you want your four-door zoom-zoom with a stick (and you do), you’ll have to settle for a used one, like this.
Mazda made its name in the 1970s with rotary engines, but more recently it has become known for twin-cam four-cylinders, like this one. And the good news is they’re a hell of a lot more reliable and durable than the rotaries were. This one displaces 2.0 liters and drives the front wheels through a good old five-speed manual. The seller says it runs and drives well and has new tires, but the ABS and traction control lights are on. The seller says both systems still work, but I don’t know how you’d know that unless you accelerated or stopped hard enough to trigger them. Best to have it checked out.
This is the only photo we get of the interior, so I can’t tell you what condition the rest of it is in. What we can see looks fine, except the cap on the shift knob is missing. Maybe you could 3D print something cool to go in there. The seller does say that the air conditioning works fine, which is important in Texas.
It’s hard to keep a black car looking good no matter where you live, but keeping it out of the blazing sun is a good start. This one is a little dull on the horizontal surfaces, but generally looks pretty good. Some quality time with a buffer would probably shine it right up.
2016 Kia Forte LX – $5,995
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter DOHC inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: Dallas, TX
Odometer reading: 79,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I have to confess that I haven’t driven a new Kia since 2002, when I test-drove a Rio and a Spectra. I wasn’t impressed with either back then, but everything I’ve read says Kia has upped its game considerably since then. In the interest of research, I should probably drive something more recent, like this Forte.
On paper, it seems to have the goods: it’s powered by a 1.8-liter version of Hyundai’s “Nu” four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission. The Nu engine is not the one with all the serious problems; that was the Theta. But the Nu has a couple of issues as well: it has a tendency to consume oil, and commonly suffers from piston slap. The seller, a dealership, doesn’t mention either of these issues; they just say it “runs great.” Hey, it’s more than you usually get out of those guys. It is only nine years old, and still under 100,000 miles, so it has a tiny bit of powertrain warranty left, if it makes you feel better. And some people have had great luck with these engines.
Looking at a 2016 model year car means we have entered the Touchscreen Era, but this one looks like it has an aftermarket head unit in it. The stock Forte screen isn’t that big, from the images I found. It’s in really nice condition inside, but as usual, especially on a car from a dealership like this, test out all the bells and whistles before you sign anything.
It looks pretty good outside, but I don’t think the rear spoiler is stock. It’s black, for one; I can’t imagine Kia wouldn’t have painted it red to match. My biggest problem with it is that it’s not a hatchback; the tiny mail-slot trunk openings on these small, swoopy sedans are basically useless, even if the trunk has plenty of space.
No used car is perfect; you’re always going to have to fix or put up with something. But the further up the economic ladder you go, the fewer issues you have to put up with. These two, for six grand, seem like reasonably safe bets. Which one strikes your fancy?
My dad has a toast in Italian that starts out with the words, “Mangia bene, caca forte” (Google translate works fine with this). Kia Forte sounds too similar to caca forte for me to ever take the car seriously. Not really fair to the Kia, but whadda ya do? It’s the Mazda for me.
Those Fortes are stout and stupidly comfortable, and I’ve seen plenty Ubering in Central America with long service records.
The Mazda is cool, but cramped inside. And quite ugly, to be honest.
I’d go with the Kia.
The Mazda is the only choice. The Kia is fresh in the “POS” engine period (unless WELL maintained) and should be viewed as money thrown away if purchased.
Mazda for me as I suspect it will be the better bet for long term durability.
6 gears > 5 gears
The Mazda is overpriced. Great reliable powertrain but the seller needs to buff that car up and fix the ABS/Traction light for such asking. It can be anywhere from an ABS speed sensor but it could also be an ABS pump and those are expensive and sometimes hard to get to.
I’ve met several people who own/owned H/K cars with the Nu engine and none of them have had any issues. There’s even a million mile Elantra out there; this one will probably be fine for years to come. So, it’s the colorful, better presented Kia with an extra gear for me
4-time Mazda owner, I’m torn. In older 3’s, I somewhat prefer the 2.0 for better economy without that much power penalty in usual situations. This one just doesn’t seem that great a specimen for the asking. TBH this is my least-favorite 3 so I’m just not excited about it. The Kia visually looks better. It would all depend what kind of maintenance history I could discern, and the vibe I got from this dealer. (minor note: there is at least one pic in the set that shows an automatic trans. I see mismatched pics a lot with dealer ads.)
At a hair under six grand, I don’t want idiot lights on.
Same here. Once the price gets to $5000+ I expect working AC and no lights on the dash.
I’m always wary of this generation of Mazda due to their tendency to rust out almost as fast as a 1980s Toyota. That said, I’d probably take it if I can verify it didn’t spend any time in the northeast. (And would, of course, promptly bring it to the northeast.)
Though the Forte is in better shape with less miles, there’s no way I wouldn’t pick the Mazda 3, as I knew most others have before I clicked to vote. Nothing epic, but 3s of this gen are very decent cars, and there’s something about the combination of steering/shifting/braking on these cars that just feels better than most comparable cars (I’ve driven Kias of that age too, though they were so forgettable, I don’t recall what models).
I think this gen of Mazda 3 sedan, which I unimaginatively refer to as the ones with the “big butt” still looks pretty good too, 15 years later. 🙂
I’ve driven a Kia Forte of this vintage. It wasn’t bad but not exciting. I went with the Mazda on the theory that the handling would be a little better.
The Mazda3 manual is not dead, it’s just down to a single higher trim.
Yes, and hatch only, no sedan.
It’s all quite sad, I say (predictably).
Neither today, but I’d take either of these in a hatchback or wagon.
Coincidentally, we just spent $6,000 on a truck camper to “get something a little newer and/or nicer” but haven’t had a chance to test that hypothesis yet.
I would have gone for the Kia if it was a Forte5, but since it’s a sedan, I’ll stick with Mazda.
Also, unfortunately, that wonderful 10-year warranty only applies to the first owner. I found that out when I bought my 2017 Kia Forte5 *SX* (the turbo one) back in 2019 (6 years ago yesterday, oddly enough). It still had some warranty, of course, just not the full 10 years.
The Mazda is pretty good, but the newer model & lower mileage on the Kia won me over.
The Kia isn’t a bad choice, but our Mazdas have been flawless, so that’s the one for me. That thing has another 10+ years in it easy.
I think modern Kia/Hyundai products for the most part have the driving dynamics of a Toyota without the same level of reliability. I think it actually makes them pretty compelling for your average appliance seeker, but aside from the N models and the Stinger they aren’t all that exciting to drive. This Forte is probably a good cheap way to get around if that’s all you need, but I will take the Mazda 3, they are reliable and more fun to drive.
Voted Kia because it is newer. I also own a Kia that has been rock solid for me, while my previous Mazda was good but not great reliability wise.
Is this one of the Kia models that has the self-destructing engine option from the factory?
No, but it is one that they Kia Boys can steal easily – if any of them can drive a manual
I thought that was potentially any/every Hyundai/Kia vehicle.
I’d take the Mazda, but only if they’ll be talked down enough to cover the cost of diagnosing the ABS and Traction Control lights that are on. Something isn’t right, and with bussed electronics that could be a symptom of a much more annoying problem. Also, that dash cover gives me pause, especially over the passenger airbag; I’d want to ask why that cover is there and check for an accident record to make sure that the airbag is still there and hasn’t been deployed.
The top dash pads on these cars can suffer from two problems: separation from the dash (usually bulging above the radio/status display) and stickiness. TBH it doesn’t look like it suffers from either; it’s just a really bad photo (blown highlights) from a lousy camera.
I hate it when my dash gets all sticky.
-former owner of an A4 VW.
Soft touch plastics giveth, soft touch plastics taketh away.
I think VW/Audi/Volvo/Nikon/Apple/etc… were doing more of a sprayed-on rubberlike coating that later degraded into an unusably sticky mess, but yes, your point is valid.
Which makes me metion sitting in various new cars over the weekend at the LA Auto Show, it was surprisingly the Toyotas (Corolla, Camry…) that had what seemed like cheaper, less-pleasant plastics on the doors and dash vs. stuff from Hyundai/Kia and others. I presume the Toyota plastics will hold up and look the same in 25 years, but they did have a slight feel of ’90s economy car when you touched them.
I’ll gamble that the ABS and traction control lights are from something easy like a wheel sensor and take the Mazda. I have a lot more faith in its engine holding up over the long term than I would with anything from Kia/Hyundai. Both cars are pretty good options though at this end of the market.
The “new tires” made me suspect a sensor as well. I’m thinking that the tire shop knocked a plug loose or pinched a wire or something.
There’s a pretty big flaw with both (Mazda being a rust magnet and Kias being victims to the tomfoolery of the Kia Boyz) but both aren’t bad choices at that price imo.
short poem
Kia red
Enough said
Kia by default.
I dislike the Mazda3 happy-smiling-dog-face, and I really really dislike Mazda’s clutch feel on that engine.
I went with the Mazda, despite the lights on the dash. I almost went Kia, since the 2010 is well before Mazda fixed their rust issues, but since it’s an inland Texas car, that should still be OK. Plus, c’mon it’s a Mazda 3!