Seriously Shopping for an ST Replacement (Update: Traded! Photos added too.)

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Nelson Atwell

Nelson Atwell

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I just don't need my truck as much as I thought I would. I mainly use it to commute and the gas to feed the ST is putting a serious dent in the pocketbook, in addition to big payments and little annoying maintenance issues.



I'm looking at Mazda 3, Scion xA, Toyota Corrolla, and the Nissan Versa and Sentra. I'm leaning more towards the Versa, Mazda 3 and xA, since I can get them equipped with a roof rack to carry a ladder or other long, lightweight item. If a Class II hitch will fit, I'll get one of those, and use a small utility trailer to haul things for gardening and remodeling projects. I think in the long run this wil be a better fit for my lifestyle and the cost savings will be immediate.



Along with my promotion next week, this will provide about $800/month extra in my pocket to pay off bills and accelerate my savings to soften the transition to civilian life in the next few years.



Edit: If anyone local is interested in my bed mat, wants to swap for my oversized Bridgestone Revos/wheels or wants my tonneau or receiver hitch, let me know. Details are in my library.
 
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My wife drives a Mazda 3 hatchback. It's fun to drive...just watch your speed after being in an ST. Gas mileage is in the mid to high 20s (which I think should be better for a compact car like this). We've had it for 2.5 years and haven't had any major problems with it other the the check engine light coming on twice (which was fixed under warranty).
 
What I read in your message is you're tired of fuel and payments.

Just buy a beater for cash and you'll have money at the end of the month.
 
You might consider the Pontiac Vibe since it can be equipped with factory roof rails. I see a few Matrix models with roof rails, but they appear to be aftermarket jobs. Other than exterior markings, the Vibe is identical to the Matrix under the skin.



I get 30 to 33 mpg city, 35 to 40mpg hwy with my 1.8L 5 speed manual Matrix. Granted, it is a smaller engine than the Mazda3, but is much more fuel efficient.



My only minor complaint about mine is the strange way the cruise control has to be set compared to the easy to use cruise control buttons on Fords. On the Toyota, the cruise control resides on a goofy stalk that sticks out of the steering column on the left side.
 
Nelson, the Versa is sweet. My girlfriend picked hers up two weeks ago. It is a great little car. They won't move on the price though, as they are selling it for 700 bucks over invoice. Still, for the price tag it comes with you can't complain. It has so much interior room it is amazing.
 
I bought a Black Mica Mazda 3. Got a sweet deal on my trade and will save about $200/month over what I am currently paying for truck payments and gas. My daughter thinks it is a cool car too. It is nice to get cool points. :D



I'll post pictures after they detail it on Monday. It was raining so we decided to wait until they move my XM over to the new car.



I spent about 8 hours shopping around today and test driving cars. The Mazda seemed to give the best bang for the buck, and they also gave me $1,000 more on my trade-in than the others would give.



I didn't keep anything from the truck, so I won't be posting in the swap and sell.
 
nelson you did the almost the same as i did :) i hauled most every thing on the roof and what fit in the bed under the cover fits in my protege5.the mazda p5 is just like the 3.i have been avgering 32mpg. with alot of city driving. my wift has dirven/rode in the mazda more in 1 week than the ST in 2 years ,she always felt compacted in the ST.

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Bought DW a new 06 Focus 4dr HB with all the bells and whistles for around 14k w/extended warranty. Great mileage, excellent commuter car. The dealer actually beat the X-plan price we had through her work utilizing the military money and specials they had going by about 350.00.



Just a thought, don't know if you can get it with a roof rack or not.



I feel your pain on the gas... I was burning 120-150.00 a week driving the ST. Bought the 93 4cy Mustang for 700.00 and paid for it in savings in 2 months.



Now, I am on deployment and the ST is sitting parked at a buddys house in FL, so my fuel costs dropped dramatically.
 
I bought a Black Mica Mazda 3.
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Good for you. I hope you like it. My brother-in-law to be has one and he likes it. Much better looking then the Focus, but mechanically they are similar, so you know it will last you for a long time.





Tom
 
Chet, no I don't plan to leave, unless Tom keeps comparing my new car to a Focus. :p



I've drove both today and there is no comparison. :cool:



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NelsonOKC... Sorry to see you give up the trac, but I guess we can understand.

By the way, if the picture of the black one under your last post was your's, it looks

identical to my trac!

Mazda is a "cousin" of Ford, so I guess you could say that you are still in the family!

And come back often to let us know how you and the new "baby" are doing.

Join us for our "Political Rant" hour, from time to time, also!

And I gotta say it again... Y'all lay off Caymen. I told you he's going through the

"pre-maritial jitters"! Give a boy a chance!!!;):D:p
 
I figure I'll stay here for a while. I still have a lot of experiences to add to the forum. I was only an owner for three years and put 36K on the first one and 52K on the second one -- a total of 88K. A lot of folks probably haven't driven theirs that much. I seem to have had all the common problems as well in that time (tranny flare, vacuum elbow crack, weak shocks, alignment issues/cupped tires, etc., etc.). I can speak first-hand about how I dealt with each and every one of those things.



I loved my Trac, but as time went on, it sort of became like my ex-wife. It had a lot of issues and was spending all my money. It became a major irritant and I had to cut it loose. :lol:
 
Can't blame you Nelson. I have been having similar thoughts even though I love my Trac. Because I've always been a DIY guy, I've always had a truck. But easily 90% of my driving is just back and forth to work every day and it's costing me $50 a week in gas. Now I'm trying to decide if I couldn't make something smaller work. I wish there was such a thing as a truck that got 30mpg but there's not. By the way, I bought my daughter a mazda3 a couple of years ago and she's still loving it. It was the number 1 rated vehicle in a recent Consumers Report.

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I bet little 'mini-pickups' make a comeback. I'd love to have a standard cab, 4 cylinder, 6 foot bed mini-pickup that gets around 30mpg.



Grats on the new ride Nelson. I never missed my Trac a bit after I traded it on my Toyota. The only people that missed me was the Ford service dept :)

 

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