<p>I’ve received such good college advice here before, I’ve decided to return. This question is not about college (I finished that almost six months ago), but cars. </p>
<p>I currently do not drive. I have a license, but no car. I seem to get around okay (company shuttle to/from work everyday and walk or bike everywhere else). However, I will need a car in September. Both studies that I am coordinating are located at different sites throughout the community and I am pretty sure my current methods of transportation will be extremely ill-suited, inefficient, and unreliable. </p>
<p>Hence, my need for car recommendations. I will be buying used and my only absolute necessity is a weird one; seat texture. I have sensitivities to different fabrics and really can not honestly tolerate the fabric in my Mom’s Dodge. Leather is okay (but expensive) and so far, I noticed Toyota Scion’s fabric seats were way more tolerable. They felt plastic-y (almost like a vinyl type fabric). </p>
<p>Otherwise, I’m open to anything. I would prefer to have room to store my bike in the back (even if this requires popping the front wheel off), would love to have a hybrid, and can only drive automatic. Safety is important, as is reliability. </p>
<p>Any suggestions? I’m thinking a safe, reliable car with an option to swap out seats (if necessary) might be my best bet right now…</p>
<p>I love my Nissan Sentra, though I don’t know about a small car that can store a bike. I put my bike on a, fairly easy to put on and remove, bike rack.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are looking for a roomy hatchback. Check the Toyota Matrix (basically a Corolla in a hatchback body) - it has foldable rear (all) and front (passenger) seats, so a bike will fit in it without any problems. The plastick-y seats are great, they do not feel heated or cooled to extreme temperatures as leather seats do. Mine gets 32 mpg in a roughly equal mix of city and highway driving and it cost much less than a Prius.</p>
<p>I read somewhere that Scion tc was designed with bicycle owners in mind.</p>
<p>We love our Toyota Corolla, but if you want a bike in the back, I’d try the Scion. I have a friend who’s been driving one for several years now and she’s still raving about how much she loves it. She’s quite large (both tall and wide) and carts around a lot of stuff.</p>
<p>Heard a lot of good things about Chevy Cobalt. Plus, it is by GM, and is mostly or all American made. That can be important to those who think Americans need jobs.
Personally, I ask you to consider the “Detroit 3” before you automatically go foreign.</p>
<p>I love my Matrix. Very easy to fold seats up and hauls a lot. I’ve had it four years with out experiencing any problems. Unfortunately, my son also loves my Matrix…</p>
<p>A lot of the Japanese cars are made in the US, so you aren’t being totally evil by buying one. Personally, I had a Ford van and it was nothing but trouble, I did a happy dance when it was totaled, I’m so happy to be back in a Toyota again.</p>
<p>My niece who does alot of biking and camping and such has loved her Pontiac Vibe. </p>
<p>I have one of the new Saturn Vues and it is a Hybrid - love it - but the Hybrids are a little harder to come by - I did find mine with 10,000 miles on it and got a decent price. Small, but not too small. Back seat folds down.</p>
<p>I am aware many foreign owned cars are assembled here. Honda, and BMW are names that come to mind quickly. I know too that many <em>American cars</em> are made outside the U.S. I won’t bog down this thread with “how American is it?” or “foreign companies pay American workers” I hope others won’t either. 75% of sales go back to the homeland. I’d rather that homeland was the U.S.</p>
<p>I only suggest the potential buyer consider a product as American as possible. I don’t insist. I don’t say he must buy from the Detroit 3. I only would ask that he check them out first. If nothing can suit his needs, then by all means move on. I hope people here don’t think that asking for that consideration is asking too much.</p>
<p>DS inherited our Camry '97. Still gets 32mpg, rooomy, big truck space, lowww auto insurance rate for someone under 28, lowww WA registration fee. </p>
<p>He also bikes to work and uses the shuttle. He parks it on the street. He can use and abuse the car for trips to the woods and take friends along too.</p>
<p>Wow, I went out to dinner with friends and returned to all of these replies! Thank you for all of the suggestions so far :)</p>
<p>I do like the smaller hatchbacks and am happy to hear about the seats in the Matrix. That’s one of my favorites right now, but I was worried the seats would be different – from descriptions here, it sounds like they’re similar to the Scion fabric? </p>
<p>The Scions also look cool. Is it really possible to fit a bike in the back of the coupe? I’m thinking the hatchback might work and also that atrocious boxy model (XB) too. Although aesthetically, I think the XBs are horrible, the practical part of me is really fond being able to easily fit my bike(s) without popping off the front tire. Classic tug-of-war between form and function, I suppose…</p>
<p>Take your bike with you when you go car shopping. My friend dragged her cross country skis and poles with her to every dealership she visited, and that was her “measuring stick” (she was shopping for an upscale crossover).</p>