I wanted an upgrade, Budget didn't have any other car though. I've driven my share of slow cars and I know all about staying on the gas to keep the momentum up. With crappy brakes this is not an option though.
I know people have to get around and all, but I dunno. The smallest cars from manufacturers tend to be the worst ones on the road though:
'Consumer Reports' rips Toyota Scion iQ microcar
You wouldn't consciously drive a car not firing on all cylinders (not only from the engine damage, but not being able to keep up in traffic), a suspension with the shocks totally shot and bouncing down the road or a tie rod about to break, nor a car with leaking wheel cylinders--to me a "new" car that is TOO slow, doesn't handle good, or doesn't stop correctly is just as unsafe.
My car still isn't ready, waiting on the import of a $700 headlight assembly. Sigh. Anyhoo, got a "Chevy" 4-door Aveo with a trunk for a week. Big difference over the Spark. 16V engine and decent brakes.
I've lived in Ecuador for almost a year. This is a developing country still. Things are getting better here economically, but my concern for the future is the huge influence of Chinese cars, trucks, and motorcycles here. How much would you pay for a 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid with 12,000 miles? I had to pay $30,000. Yep. Food and rent are cheap here, but cars, electronics, and booze are ridiculously expensive. Would you pay $80K for a 2014 Passat AWD or Honda CR-V 4WD? Because cars are so high priced, people tend to buy the next model down, etc.
The streets are littered with Sparks, and 4-cyl. Suzuki Vitaras, and Aveos. And a lot of Chinese cars are also here that you've probably never heard of like Great Wall, Ambacar, Cinascar, Lifan. What is worse is that cars new or used are roughly double what they should cost, then motorcycles are the complete opposite in pricing. It's very hypocritical. You can have your pick of a brand new motorcycle starting at $700. Yep, 125cc of Chinese single cylinder crap on two wheels; Pulsar, Motor1, Shineray, etc. I see these guys broken down by the side of the road all the time, most of them haven't even taken off the light blue plastic on the chrome parts! I can't stand the motorcycles here. They get in front of you at a traffic light, take off full-throttle wheezing down the road and are still in your way. The Chinese have a huge market influence here (I think from a lot of back-door deals) it's just sad seeing people piss their money away on junk.
Again, I know everyone can't afford a decent car but to me it's like getting some money saved up and choosing between buying a 20 year old 2-bedroom brick house or a brand new mobile home.
They do sell decent cars here though. Chevy makes small 4WD diesel trucks here in Ecuador, the same with Mazda--both sell for about $28K new.