I wanted a light cargo vehicle to take the load off my aging F150; I have the last of the V6 manuals and the new ones just piss me off, figured instead of caving I would get something to drive 80% of the time and be able to keep the pickup another 5 years maybe Ford will figure out we don't all want V8 auto guzzlers just so we can carry stuff around.
Narrowed the quest down to a sub 15K hatchback, carried around an empty box, the largest I usually use for swords, so I could stop in at dealerships and test drive anything that the box would fit into... I didn't bother getting behind the wheel of anything that wasn't easy to pack.
There are actually quite a few good cars in the target range, and I put together a spreadsheet to compare features trying to make the best pick.
I had largely decided on the Soul or the Fiesta, the Soul looks different and had the best shaped cargo space, the Fiesta was a Ford and Ford has been the make of nearly every car I've owned. Nothing really stood out on the spreadsheet, they were all good cars, drove fine, solid, economical, it was hard to make up my mind.
I drove a Fiesta, though, and had largely decided that this was likely the pick, but it had a battery problem. The salesman suggested I try the Sonic since it was also in my category, since he had to charge the Fiesta back up. We knew I wasn't going to go with the Sonic, he didn't bother coming with me to point out features or anything, it was just something to do while he fixed the Fiesta... but FSM the Sonic blew the doors off everything else in the segment.
I still dithered around, it was literally a couple months before some divorce related financial issues were taken care of and I was able to buy, I still played with the spreadsheet, I drove a few more cars... but the honest truth was, that 15 minute test drive was the kill shot, the Sonic is so much better than everything else I'd driven, or did drive, that it wouldn't have mattered what else the spreadsheet might have revealed... it was no longer a question of weighing one slight advantage on one car versus a different slight advantage on another.
I did end up buying an LT with the 1.4, even though I'd fallen in love with an LS 1.8, and even though that did push the car slightly over my target price. Those extra months of research made it clear I'd like the 1.4 even better, enough for it to be worth breaking the target. A smaller more economical engine that also provides more power on demand? That hit my inner hippy, my inner child, and my inner nerd buttons all at once, too good to pass up.
Now I drive the Sonic 99% of the time, even when I should probably take the F150 I instead look for ways to fit the extra large cargo loads into the Sonic, which is Tardis-like in it's ability to fit more inside than it should be able to... the poor truck I bought a cheap ride to save has ended up a neglected emergency backup vehicle, or getting loaned to friends, honestly if it was worth anything I would sell it, and just rent a box van the few times I need more than a Sonic, probably be cheaper than maintaining the insurance and tags. Who knew?
