looking to buy a new car, need help

looking to buy a new car, need help

ok, i'm planning this a year in advance. i drive a 97 rolla dx auto with 89000 miles on it. by next years car selling season, i should be around 99000 miles or so. the car is in pretty good condition, interior is clean and exterior has the usual dings but nothing major and no rust. it's got new rims and tires too and it runs well. i'm trying to decide what to do with it. should i keep it or should i buy something new. i'm leaning towards a new car. i'm thinking of a lancer or a scion Xa. don't get me wrong, i love toyotas and a matrix would be mine, but i just want something a little different. i do really like the matrix though, but they are really hard to find around here (cleveland) for some reason. i've had my heart set on a new scion xa for as long as they have been out, but the only thing that holds me back is sluggish performance. my new car would have to be a 5 speed also.
the ideal car would be something that had the following:
import other than a honda
at least the same amount of hp as my corolla (which isn't much)
5speed.
4 doors (maybe a hatchback too)
a/c
power windows and locks
small and good on gas

let me know what you guys think. i'm also trying to decide whether to lease or buy. the lancer is like $139 a month right now lease, thats not bad. let me know, thanks!

Word of wisdom, stay away from the Lancer or any Mitsubishi for that fact. You will thank me for this a few years down the road.

but if i buy it new, it comes with like a 10 year warranty...

get the Xa, its pretty ok if its 5spd.

dont ever lease a car unless you just like setting money on fire cuz thats basically the same thing

yeah because all mitsubishi's are just terrtible. i dont think so. my cousins eclipse runs strong, and without i would have been screwed. my dad's montero has taken me places that i wouldn't have been able to go, and both cars are still running strong with 80k+ miles.

there's a world outside of toyota.

i heard Mitsubishi is on the edge of bankrapcy?

Think about! the reason why they are offering the 10 year warranty vindicates my conjecture. Why is it that Toyota or Honda ( or do not have to) offer a 10 year warranty??

Ok I will stop quizzing. Daimler Chrsyler dumped their 37% shares and the major say in the car company this year. They effectively betrayed their customers for years by cleverly hiding design and manufacturing faults. The Mitsubishi president said this year that it is their last chance to survive. Mitsubishi has 3 years to live - at best.

yah i have a bad eye for mitsubishis. i know their lancer evolution is an awesome car but i don't trust the marksmanship of mitsubishi. even my dad says to stay away from mitsubishis.

stick with honda or toyota for reliability. the 10 year warranty is mitsu's only selling point and when they do honor a warranty repair it is like pulling teeth. my sister has a eclipse and not only is it a pain in the ass to get warranty work, it is not the best car around for the price.

also leasing was a concept brought out for businesses expecially for writing off the expenses. It generally is not a good idea to lease if you are going to keep the car beyond three to five years. dealers laugh when people lease. do the math and you will see simple as that if you are financially strapped.

if you're curious about cleveland area Matrixes talk to DRolla...he lives in the area and he has a trix

I say forget the Lancer, if you like the XA that much then get one but I would go for the Matrix in your position. But theres other cars besides those 3.

celica, maybe even GT-S, but it's not 4 doors

He is not going that expensive. If you really want to look for a car in that price range. Your best bang for the buck is the Corolla XRS. Nothing in it's class compares to it.

the scion tc gets pretty crappy gas milage, but looks sweet, lacks 4 doors though

I am averaging 27 mpg with my Corolla XRS, which is almost the same as my previous 04 Corolla S automatic ( I hit lift only occassionally so it depends a lot on this factor). It is 100 times more fun to drive even at slow speeds than my Corolla S. My insurance for the XRS is the same as it was for my S.

have you thought about the scion tc? for a small good gas mileage car it's a really great looking piece of workmanship. matrix is too bulky, xa looks kinda like an egg, but not bad overall.