what are our thoughts on the nissan versa 1.6
 

looking at buying a new gas sipper. the base versa is high on my list since it has absolutely no options, not even a radio. epa is 34 highway so its not bad, im thinking high 30's is more realistic for me. curb weight is 2500lbs so its fairly light. im probably gonna pull the seats since they dont fold down or really move and just keep the drivers. should knock an easy 100lbs off that too. im trying to get the cheapest new car i can find that i can mod without caring. my wife is getting tired of the beaters that move through the yard in the name of mpg. its 10k even otd but now that the new cash for clunkers has passed and ive got a few old cars to get rid of i can knock that down to 5500 otd. i dont think i can ever do better than that. id like a yaris but i cant seem to find any for less than 14k.

Bought a 2001 Toyota Echo today.
Silver 2 dr
$3300
NO AC
NO ABS
Power steering and a radio.
2dr
New Michelin Mx4 energy tires.
Paint and interior about 97%
5 speed.
Manual windows
2020 pounds on the title
108 hp, no timing belt VVT

Funky looking, without ac and a manual, very hard to sell, but also very hard to break.

regards
gary

yeah i looked at a few of those but couldnt find any strippers. the guage cluster was messing me up while driving, its odd location gave me a very unsafe feeling.

I just picked up a 2004 Corolla for $5300. It was worth it to get the extra two doors and more comfortable seats. I don't like that it is an automatic though. FE has been decent, at 42-45mpg with moderate hypermiling techniques.

I would suggest that people consider the Corolla, as there are a LOT of them out there and they are priced right. In my experience the Echo had a premium attached to it because it is such a rare car.

I began my car search with the Versa 1.6 (being that I drove two Nissan 200SXs during college). The Versa turned out to be a lot more than I expected ($12k, since there were no incentives on the 1.6), so I looked at Echos. I settled on my Corolla.

The Versa sounds like a good fit for you. If you like it, go for it. Don't forget to try its competitors if any match your requirements, of course.

I'm not so confident that you'll trim 100 pounds by taking out the seats; the only backseat I've read about being weighed was 30 pounds. I'm also not confident that 100 pounds will make a difference; I think you'll need to shave at least 300 pounds from that car before the difference will be measurable.

my friend has an upgraded versa and replaced the seats with spearco's and one of the stock seats weighed 70lbs. granted they are a step up but i figured at least 50lbs for the 1.6 ones. the back maybe around 30-40 but im not sure so i kinda guessed. either way their gonna go. i dont think i can lose any more weight from the car, theirs not a whole lot of anything on it. even the batteries really small and has very little insulation.
its only real competition is the smart car, honda fit or toyota versa. after my last kia those are out as well as hyundai. its gotta be new unfortunately so used cars are out. its a deal with the wife so i can keep some other projects.

Toyota just advertized 0.0% APR for 60 months on Yaris . . . sounds like a good deal. I just know you can get better mpgs with a Yaris than a Versa . . .

yea thats true about the yaris. only thing that really stops me from getting the yaris is it's about 3g more than the versa. and im having a really hard time finding one thats what im looking for. i do believe the yaris is a better car but at a much higher cost. im not sure i can swing it.

Paying cash? If not, it's worth calculating the total cost of each, considering the 0% rate on the Yaris.

yea im paying cash. although some of the rebates on cars are tied to financing with them. in that case ill finance the car and pay it off the next day. doesnt really apply to the base versa but the upgraded ones get a decent rebate with financing through nissan. their almost worth it but i dont really want all the extras. in the ideal world chevy would sell me a cobalt xfe with no a/c, no xm, no onstar, and give me a real spare for around $11k and id be all over it. since they wont i think the versa is the only new car thats fits my needs even though it does have a few draw backs. like why would they sell a car with no a/c and a black interior? why is it only possible to get in the trunk with a key, they have no remote releases and no latch handle? why wouldnt they make the rear seats foldable so i wouldnt have to rip them out?
its those little things that really stop me from getting it today. id just like a group opinion on it and maybe some alternatives.

Well, being a base model stripper without a radio, it's the sort of thing bought by people who don't want to pay for A/C. Same for the key-operated trunk...they used to all be like that.

The black interior shouldn't be a problem since you're planning to rip out most of it; you could put a cover on the rest.

Since you mentioned spares...how often do you get a flat tire that can't be plugged roadside (meaning sidewall failure)?

its not that i really care about the spare its just that gm doesnt give you one. the repair kit was something like 30 bucks extra and the actual spare was 75 bucks. id like the peice of mind knowing if i had a blow out id be ok. total number of times ive been stranded in my life with no spare is 3. complete and utter blowouts. i carry a repair kit in all my cars but they only go so far.
normally i wouldnt mind a black interior on the car but with no a/c i cant believe nissan as a company would put that and only that in the car. the other versions have a choice of interior colors but not the 1.6. when i test drove them they had a 1.8 car right beside the 1.6 but it had a tan interior. it was noticably cooler in it. but its really just me knit picking the car. even though i dont like their ideas its what they have.

I think the low end options package is an afterthought for a lot of designers (if that). Unfortunately I have one of the alternatives you've ruled out. I got my full coverage warranty extended to the full 100k / 10 (normally only the powertrain after 60k / 6) to make me feel better about getting a Hyundai. My ex had one and it was OK, although it wasn't that old. Wanted a Yaris, but there was a shortage.

My rear seats were 69 lbs, BTW, for both the uprights, seat, and metal frame for folding.

i've not driven one, but i've seen them up close. i like the roominess and the price.

but absolutely see what toyota and honda will do for you. if you decide to finance in full, see what nissan will do.

Anyone here have a Versa and listed in the garage? Then calculate the difference in gas mileage for the time you plan to drive it . . . 100k? and see if that factors in and also insurance rates for the two cars may also factor into it. We know the Yaris engine is in several models and has been very reliable so that is a proven winner.

no one really has a versa in the garage. theirs a few but they are too new or just not updated and no one has the 1.6l.
if i finance in full nissan will do nothing on the 1.6l. if i upgrade to the the 1.8 they throw in a few bucks but its pretty much fully loaded at that point. it does bring the price down to about 11k i think but its more than i want.
toyota does 0% and i think honda is pretty close and you get a small rebate for both. something like 500 each which is better than nothing.
im gonna go out and try to find the other cars that are optioned as low as i want. thats a smart car, toyota yaris and maybe a fit but im not sure how much i can option that down. the smart car is closest in price to the versa and the fit is the farthest.

take your time! this is a buyers market. i wouldn't be suprised if those dealers called you back to "negotiate."

well i spent all day looking at comperable cars. the smart is definately out. lowest i can get it for is 12.5. at that point im paying more for less. barebones stripper without power steering or anything. the 2 year warranty and chryslers role in the car pretty much sealed the deal for me. cheapest yaris i can get is 13.5. while it is a nice enough car its more than im willing to spend. the fit is no less than 14.5 and i cant even find any at that price. way too much for what i want. the cobalt is close at 11.5 for a regular one but is loaded with options i really dont want like onstar and satillite radio. i suspect the dealer will be calling me back with a new price on that one so ill see. the xfe version is about as low as 13k. still too high but i really like most of that car.
now it seems the versa is a good car for modding as well. its front end takes very well to airdams, is by far the cheapest, has zero extras, and has tons of room. theirs also a dealer in virginia thats selling the 1.6 for 8500 otd. its probably worth the trip to get it their. looks like the cash for clunkers could be signed as early as next week. ill use the time to wait for some call backs with new prices on the cars.

you're doing the right thing by researching and waiting. best wishes in your search, and don't forget to enjoy the experience.

Exactly. I tell this to everyone, the way you get into a good deal on a car is you have to be able to walk away. That's why women get such bad deals, they fall in love with the car and just have to have it. Other dealers will want your service if they don't, make sure they know that and while I don't usually(have to) do it mentioning deals other dealers are offering helps.

Check out what someone did to their Nissan Versa over at Ecomodder:

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-6-a-7489.html

that link is great. im not down for the whale tail but everything else is good. getting 40 plus mpg is just what i wanted to see.

I don't know how long you plan to keep the car, but if resale value comes into play, I'd personally stick with Honda/Toyota. I've had Jeeps and other domestics that were much cheaper to begine with, but resale was horrible. Honda's and Toyota's I've owned made up for that initial sales price upon resale. My Tacoma I bought a couple years ago for $10k is probably still worth that, at least (2001, double cab, 4x4, TRD, 120k miles), whereas my cousin's GMC is worth maybe half that. Not saying Nissan is that bad, but definitely not as good as Honda/Toyota.

My vote goes to a Fit or Yaris. I looked on ebay a couple of weeks ago, and there were some base models going for just under $10k. I've seen some locally for under $10k for both models, too.

If my HX ever dies, I am going with a Fit. Mainly for the very usable interior space. The Yaris does do better with MPG, but the Fit is not too bad at over 40MPG.