Through the wonder that is engadget, I was directed to a site called (oh, sweet heaven) Autoblog. Here again, I was redirected to a person who is having to go through the sad, sad duty of buying a brand new car. She has a list and is taking advice, which people seem to be answering through their own blogs. Out of those listed (Toyota RAV4, Toyota Echo, Subaru Impreza wagon, Hyundai Tucson, Honda Civic/Hybrid, Toyota Corolla, Honda Element, Hyundai Accent), I am pretty biased toward the Element, because there’s one in the family and it’s a very nice car. However, if she wants a “tiny” car, then the Element has to be out because, though it is many things, it is not tiny. It is fairly substantial. If you want tiny, you could try a MINI Cooper – however, despite being very cute, they are not as practical as one would think. Because it’s a BMW, it’s not exactly cheap to fix – hell, it’s not even cheap to buy, for a car of its diminuitive stature. So let’s look at another hatchback – I propose the very reasonably-priced Civic Si. There’s a lot more power than a standard Civic (the same 160 hp engine from the Element and CR-V), and a fairly high level of standard equipment. The only option is side airbags. This, however, could present a problem if you’re not a fan of manual transmissions, since it’s available no other way.

But let’s say four doors are mandatory, since that’s the impression I get from the list. The RAV4 is not a bad choice, as it’s the tiniest of tiny SUV’s. It’s nice-looking, and although it has less horsepower than some competitors, it compensates for this by being smaller. The Corolla’s also a nice car, but if hauling of any sort is involved it’s probably not bad to get a more wagon-like vehicle, and I would choose a Civic over a Corolla any day. I like the VW Jetta, but that’s kind of moot since there’s an aversion to anything Volkswagen. I think the Subaru Impreza is a nice little package, but nothing special unless you have the turbo, which is then just too expensive to be on the list. You could get a Kia Rio Cinco and have a car that is way less than all the cars on the list and is really fun to say.

But I digress; I’m going back to the Civic Si. Too bad they don’t sell the 5-door Civics here.