Which car?

Question

Good afternoon Scotty. I have watched you for years and really respect your advice. I know you love toyotas for there dependability and I agree. My dilemma is this, my top concern when buying a vehicle is safety. I have kids and a wife so that is my number 1 priority. I am looking to buy a new small car. The top safety pick plus ars are the Hyundai Elantra SE, Mazda 3 2.5 s, and the Kia k4 LX, I only want the standard gas engines. Which car would you choose for the most dependable out of these 3. Thank you so much for your time.

Chuck Tobias · Accepted Answer

If you want "dependable" steer clear of Hyundai and Kia. https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/hmg/

MountainManJoe · Answer

Toyota's aren't unsafe.   [quote data-userid="180221231" data-postid="335763"] Hyundai Elantra SE Kia k4 LX [/quote]   These are some of the worst cars you can choose. They will fail or catch fire.   [quote data-userid="180221231" data-postid="335763"] my top concern when buying a vehicle is safety. [/quote] It's not very safe if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere so I would say that should be top concern. N.American vehicles are pretty safe overall, but do your research regarding recalls (https://thecarguyonline.com/). Especially related to brakes and critical systems.   Also, check out Scotty's top picks, and video car reviews at the bottom of our main page. As well as the buying guide in the FAQ.

Justin Shepherd · Answer

[quote data-userid="180221231" data-postid="335763"] Hyundai Elantra SE [/quote] [quote data-userid="180221231" data-postid="335763"] Kia k4 LX [/quote] Hyundai, Genesis and Kia are all produced by the Hyundai Motor Group conglomerate. Looking at the two cars, they're the same car. Hyundai puts in a more "premium" interior than Kia does. We have a whole section that's dedicated to Kia/ Hyundai products and why you should avoid them like the plague: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/hmg/ The closest equivalent to the Hyundai Group conglomerate that I can think of was when Ford owned both Mercury and Lincoln. You could get the Ford Crown Victoria as a "base" car, the Mercury Grand Marque was the mid-tier option, then the Lincoln Town Car was Ford's premium entry into the segment. All three cars were more or less basically the the same, but their interiors were more upscale and refined, based on the model you chose. The same with Kia, Hyundai and Genesis.  [quote data-userid="180221231" data-postid="335763"] Mazda 3 2.5 [/quote] Get the Mazda. Mazda has partnered with Toyota and are improving their quality vs when Ford owned the company.