You may be cutting yourself short by not considering the Mazda 3 5 door. Quit reading specs and go out and drive some cars. I bought a 2005 M3 5 door for my daughter a few years ago. It now has 110K miles on it and has required an 02 sensor and a set of brake pads period. It's also a great driver and screwed together well. All the Mags put it at the top of the pile a few years ago in the economy car shoot-outs. It feels like a much more expensive car than it is, and is available with all that stuff you find important..

Fit sits like you are in a bus, it doesnt handle like the Mazda 5

Yes, I need to drive them -- after I get a short list. In 04 I bought my wife a TSX because I fell in love with the specs, and didn't even look at the car. She, OTOH, didn't like going down from an ML-320 (tank) to a 4-banger. (A year later, she got a TL, and has been happy since with a FWD V6 ... until she took my Z out a couple times.)

Test driving the Cube won't be a problem since I'm due for an initial Z oil change at the dealer in a week or so. I'm predisposed now not to like the Cube ... part of my evaluation involves availability of a Thule rack and mounting a 58# Penobscot 16 on +the roof (ABS canoe). [The coefficent of drag must be slightly worse than a Boeing 747.]

The Fit has to be on the short list. A base Element is, too. Regrettably, hybrids won't make the cut (this time).

Mazda3 5-door hatchback (not Mazda5) is on the list. Manual, grand touring. (Finally, I get a stick.) The only negotiation is whether they'll meet the best price from overstock.com, $500 off invoice, or whether I have to travel 80 miles to that dealership (after the local test drive).

It's odd shopping a third car. No Bluetooth, moonroof, sat radio -- yeah, we got that stuff already on our good cars. :) HIDs are one luxury I'd allow myself, but easy fog or driving light mounting points would be almost as good.

There's room for one more on the list, then I'll post the configurations (with overstock.com price) to throw out the 2 low ones.

Sadly, my truck doesn't qualify.

It's a 4-banger, and according to the EPA it gets 22 (or is it 24?) combined MPG...which is VERY hard to believe...

I'd trade it in, but, I doubt I can afford anything that I'd want to take in trade, even if I could get the rebate...

i'd buy a cube if it wasnt for pot holes.......the cube would get stuck in them :shakes head:

also, if i'd buy one would my 14mpg car i have laying around count as 2 clunker cars??

I took one of our demo Cube's out for a day at the beach...we had a great time...now my gf wants one...tons of room, super small and easy to park, back seats fold down for tons of storage room, great gas mileage, and a great value!

I'd rock one...but my Titan plays double duty as my daily driver and tow vehicle for the race car! ;)

I actually saw one here in Milwaukee. If that's what you want, there's more than just functionality. Get it because you like it. It's totally funky, but I drive an '09 FX for my second car. That's an ugly car to some that I LOVE! I think it's beautiful (My FX.) Some people hate it. It's realiable, just like any other Nissan, and has all the bells and whistles. Love your car because you love it. Not what everyone else thinks. That's what makes horse racing, and in this case, that's the perfect phrase.

I also love the show "Kings" on NBC that's getting cut. It's getting awful ratings on TV (though one of the top downloaded shows on the net), but I think it's the best show I've ever seen. My opinion, of course.

Prepare for a lengthy but thought out opinion friends... lol
Hey wats up guys! Just throwin in my two cents really quick. I saw that they mentioned
Kia. Actually the car and driver review came out pretty much tie to the xb.
Scion was more refined but kia was a better handler. One thing we must remember that
From 1968 till about 1984 our japanese cars we love so much got the same exact
Reviews that hyundai was getting b4 98. Kia has been strong for 3 years and hyundai for 10.
I was going to mention the kia forte. It shares a lot of tech with the genesis coupe.
That car I test drove the 3.8 and it performed so well that I was planning to purchase it.
The genesis is one of those cars. U won't believe me till u drive it.
I decided to wait and save an extra 8g grand cuz one day I went to service my 3.5se
At the dealership. N they know me so well there that when they saw me lookin at the 370z. They just through me the keys. Lol well after 45 minutes I was in luv. On my way to buy a genesis coupe,
I passed a nissan dealership for one last test drive. After another 45 minute test drive. I didn't get the genesis. But my point is. The genesis was truely comparable to the performance of the G37 for 10k less.
The Z's 2 seat platform gives it an edge with less weight and wider tires.
But hyundai surprised me BIGTIME. So I recommend if u consider a hyundai/kia?
Test drive it. As we know... reviews can be very deceptive when the bigger companies have more money to endorse the magazines.
Just as BMW has been buying there reviews. I've driven these 2. They are great handlers. And powerful.
But honestly nissan is most definately comparable. And has been for at leaast 3 years. But magazines act like nissan is just catching up now. Honda often gets better reviews than nissan.
My wife having owned a couple of accords I can tell u the altima whips its butt. She drives nissans now as well. I guess my dragged out story is saying. Lol
If it interests you? Just test drive it. In 2009 2010. There's a lot of comp cuz everyone has a superior segment right now. Even hyundai kia.

The cube looks alright, but I haven't driven one though.

Side note: I know no ones talked about Yaris, but do not get that car, I had to drive one for a week, it's terrible. I like small underpowered cars, but this car had to be one of the worst other than maybe a Chevy Aveo, or kia

If you like one get one. Don't let anyone tell you different, get what you want.

PS: Don't forget to show us pics of what you decide to get. :)

I would add that this third car has to be city parkable. With the Yukon, I've always been able to cheat a little because it has steel bumpers, but there aren't many cars on the road like that any more. You can actually see the back pretty well from inside -- I've been able to parallel park with less than a foot of extra room, front and back.

But many modern cars are designed like the Nissan Murano, where you've got no clue there even is anything in back. The blind spots on the Z don't bother me when I'm driving, but when I back into a parking space using mirrors, I tend to leave an extra 6-8 feet behind me. (Force of habit? Desire not to replace the rear bumper and exhaust in the first year of ownership? :) )

Here the Cube actually scores well enough, because it's neatly squared off and you've only got the hump from the rear window wiper motor to obstruct your view. The (upright) Honda Element would be better than the Fit. The Mazda 3s 5-dr hatchback, not so good, but I think on the trim level that has HIDs they also include a rear "proximity warning" thingie, which is something I'd have to test on a TD.

(I'm prepping myself to expect the Cube to be like a big white delivery truck -- think of an International step van -- so anything better wins the low expectations game.)

The EPA numbers have always been screwy. They say this Yukon is 13 mpg combined, but for 11 years I've always gotten 16.5 mpg on regular. For my friend the retired racer's old Dodge pickup, the EPA combined estimate is 3 mpg the OTHER way -- he always gets much worse than they project.

A lot of people I know would really love to have a 10-year old POS worth $4500 credit toward a new car, but the government says, "because you were prudent back then -- 'no soup for you' ". (In my defense, I actually needed the Yukon when I expanded the house, then kept it a few extra years to carry around the dog in my avatar. But he's gone, now...)

Under the restrictions I can't give this $4500 credit away, nor can I sell it to someone and have them get the credit. I'd have to buy something that someone wants (new), then sell that to them. But the highest possible value is like I said at the beginning -- a "milk run" car (so I can keep the miles off the Z).

Go drive an xB. I have one and I LOVE it. Practical and unique.

Hmm. Well, I have a problem with the nearest Toyota dealer. They're the ones trying to sucker Prius buyers with a 10% over sticker "market adjustment".

I drove the Mazda3 5-speed HB last week. It's a nice little car ... but off the short list. My experience is: single drivers try to "zoom zoom" my Z, or it's used as a loaded-down family-wagon. But the real issue was -- I couldn't stand that dealership. (Open Road Mazda, East Brunswick, owned by the same group we got the Acura from). There are two dealers closer, but they're both smaller.

Now when you line up the Fit, Cube, and Element, it's more like Goldilocks. I know both Honda and Nissan local dealers, but might buy out of the area to save a few $$$s.

Trying to sucker a buyer isn't the same thing as refusing to make you a deal you can live with. Go drive the xB :)