Ok so my mom drives an 04 chevy venture but she wants something with better gas mileage for obvious reasons. she is a 40 year old woman so nothing sporty and as comfortable as possible. right now i think she could get 4.5K trade in for it and we could go 1 to 1.5k on top of that. i was thinking of a mazda protege5 hatback. you guys have any suggestions? i appreciate any help

I'm assuming she still needs the utility of a van/wagon/hatchback since she has a Chevy Venture and your first suggestion is a hatchback. Staying in line with the Mazda Protege5 and the budget, I might suggest looking for a Subaru Impreza wagon, though the fuel economy is a little worse (25/31 for the Mazda and 21/27 for the Subaru according to MSN Autos). This is, of course, due in no small part to the Subaru's AWD system. You may also consider a Ford Focus wagon. It has the same fuel economy figures as the Mazda. Both the Ford and Subaru would be very reliable alternatives, though I'm pretty sure the Mazda is reliable too.

I would say get the mazda protege 5, my family has one and its great in alot of aspects. Its has alot of trunk space beleive it or not.

Go with the protege5, great car

yep, go for the protege 5

I'm assuming she still needs the utility of a van/wagon/hatchback since she has a Chevy Venture and your first suggestion is a hatchback. Staying in line with the Mazda Protege5 and the budget, I might suggest looking for a Subaru Impreza wagon, though the fuel economy is a little worse (25/31 for the Mazda and 21/27 for the Subaru according to MSN Autos). This is, of course, due in no small part to the Subaru's AWD system. You may also consider a Ford Focus wagon. It has the same fuel economy figures as the Mazda. Both the Ford and Subaru would be very reliable alternatives, though I'm pretty sure the Mazda is reliable too.

an impreza wagon would be awesome but i live in texas where the gas the awd uses would just be a waste of money. and she doesnt necesaraly need a hatchback. it can be a sedan just as long as its comfortable, economical and it has enough trunk space.

I would say get the mazda protege 5, my family has one and its great in alot of aspects. Its has alot of trunk space beleive it or not.

Go with the protege5, great car

i read a review that said the ride was a little harsh with a lot of road noice is this true? also hows the fuel economy? i know its advertised as 25/31 but what is your family getting?


i was also thinking of maybe a passat or a jetta but not really sure how reliable they are. anybody have any experience with them?

This is a bit out of budget. But being a 40 year old mom, a Honda Fit would be perfect. lol...

I kid. I kid. I couldn't help myself.

In the same vein as the Mazda Protege5, she could look at the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe. I dunno what they are going for these days, but I bet she could find one within budget.

Matrix is a nice car, my sis has an 05 model and it is fairly spacious, and has a big boot... the gas mileage is good. although not great..., power is just eh, but it is fairly smooth to drive.. the Pontiac Vibe, which is exactly like the Matrix might be a bit cheaper than the Toyota, tho im not sure if it gives same mileage...

with abt 75k miles on it, my sis car is worth abt $8000, she has the XR model with the 1.8l engine and 130 hp, its a toyota which is reliable and has other things like 6cd changer, moonroof and rims and all taht.

if you go for the base model, it might be even cheaper, or how bout an scion Xb, not sure how much they go for but they have small engines, or how bout a Honda Element...