Used hatchbacks for sale near Ames, IA under $12,000

Great experience buying and great service on my Silverado

In Aug 2016, purchased the 2013 Fucus Hatch SE used in 2016, with 13,000 miles on it. With 35-37mpg on average with mixed driving. Early on OK without issues. Around 40K miles the transmission electronic control modual, ECM, needed an adjustment. The transmission is a learning transmission. It will learn how you drive and adjust shift points as your driving habits are learned by the transmission. My wife's driving habits are put it in drive and GO! My habits are different. Every now and then I will drive her car and shift the transmission as a manual drive, since the transmission is a manual drive transmission which has been automated. The engine and transmission only makes a subtle gurgle noise when as the car shifts from 2nd to 1st as the car comes to a stop. The car is sporty to drive, sensitive steering, good braking. It reminds be of a less expensive VW Golf. Currently we have 140K miles and the only wear on the car that shows is a failure of the heat shield and since I am a mechanically inclined guy who putters around fixing what is broken, there is wear on the clutches in the transmission, all due by my wife's driving habits of being a speedy driver. Since we already have it and its paid off, I will keep it. I will only purchase a Golf or Jetta when the transmission or electronic control module hiccups. I do realize the ECM has a recall if you're below 1450K miles.

This car is great for a first car! I’ve gotten this car as 16 year old brand new in 2015. Since then I had many oil changes and tire rotations. I use this car for transportation of friends and family, going to work and school. As of today I have over 200,000+ miles on this and it is still going strong. With me getting around 39-45mpg every day. (Back when gas was under a dollar I only paid $7 for a fill up. Now it’s $20 so definitely worth it instead of paying $40-$80 per fill up.) The only issue I have with it is the check engine light is on and doing diagnostics it has emissions issues with a small leak. The inside you get a basic radio I suggest getting a Bluetooth audio receiver so you can listen to your own music on your phone. Driving at night is one of the worst things in this car. You get blinded every time you go past a car in the opposite lanes. Also the cloth seats are amazing your xxx is never frozen compared to a leather seat.

Jeremy Wright went above and beyond for us. He helped us find the right car and right price. When you go there ask for Jeremy Wright. Tell them Aaron Haskin and Angie Butler sent you. The car is amazing.

I bought a chevy spark a fun car as i call it great on gas easy to park and get me where i want to go with ease not a gas guzzler at all fill the tank and see the gas station in a week in a half later.

I own a Kia Soul 2016 has currently 62,000 miles ,purchased it with 23,000 miles on it.So far its been a fantastic car. No maintenance issues. Keep up with all the recommended maintenance and I'm sure your have a long time vehicle.

David was a really good guy, I bought a truck last Friday and so far so good, I will definitely go back when myself or my kids need a vehicle, thank you David so much

We've had this car for 2 years and put 20K miles on it. We're the 3rd owner and it's driven mostly by my wife. Bottom line, we love the car. It's a confident ride, even in incremental weather with xDrive. My Hendrick BMW advisor told me it was built on a 7 Series Chasis. It's huge inside with reclining back seats! The double rear hatch design is unique but we rarely open the lower hatch so I'm not sure why it was engineered that way. I'm in my early 50's and this is our 6th BMW. I'd say my 2000 BMW 735i with staggered M Wheels was my favorite but now that we have a large family, this serves us well. Costco trips are a breeze and the panoramic roof is wonderful...until it broke. If you don't have the means to deal with repair costs, buy a Honda. I say this sincerely. We bought it for $19,500 cash from a private owner. At that time, dealerships were asking just under $25K. In 2 years, we've purchased run-flat tires, AC blower motor and Final Stage Unit (bought the parts from Bav Auto and installed them myself), Spark Plugs (they have to be BMW - installed myself), air struts died in the rear (BMW specialist shop), various suspension components (BMW specialty shop), battery, and just last week the sunshade ripped apart on it's tracks. We've spent about $6,000 in repairs (I'm including the quote on the panoramic sunroof and left out the cost of the tires). I'm not shocked because my previous two 5 Series BMW's had issues. Only my old 1986 325 never gave me issues for four years. I do love this car but it's costly to maintain. Now with 85K miles I'm sure we'll see more surprises, but my wife insists on keeping it. Personally I'd rather see her in a Lexus GS 350 AWD but she says the Lexus is dull. BTW - on two occasions the engine completely shut down on her and left her stranded. We took it to the BMW dealers and they found no issues. I don't feel she'd have this in a Lexus.

My husband and I just bought a 2014 sonic from Pat Clemons, Zach was our salesman and everything went smooth! He was very upfront an honest from the start. We were very excited to buy our first brand new car, and Zach did everything he could to make sure it was ready for us to pick up when we were ready! Dallas assisted us with the financing and he made sure we knew exactly what we were paying for before signing any papers! Our over all experience was wonderful and we are looking forward to going back when we are ready for another vehicle! Thank you

Really good car. Bought my focus 2 years ago, and it was amazing deal. Was by the far best deal on the lot. There was a Corolla on the lot, which was way older, had a higher mileage, and was $500 more. I said no way, stick it Toyota. I’m going American, and I am so glad I made that choice. My focus didn’t disappoint me at all, with a well designed well thought out interior design, and sporty exterior styling. Very comfortable and quiet ride. And impressive gas mileage. 37 MPG on the highway, and around town about 33. Awesome gas mileage, and it only costs me $50 a week for a full tank. Been pretty reliable, did have a few little transmission hiccups. But took it in and were soon fixed under warranty. Other than that, no other reliability problems to report in two years of ownership. Definitely recommend this car.

Very easy to deal with. Shopped for a used truck. Wasnt pressured at all. They were fair on the price aswell. Would buy a truck from here again

I've known the 2013 Ford Fiesta SE for the last 10 years, got it new back in 2013, it's at 168,300+ miles at the moment. Not fancy by any means, but the seating isn't bad if you're under 6 feet tall, for example I'm 5'5" and I have decent leg room and headroom, no one else but the driver gets an armrest, for entertainment it has Bluetooth and the speakers are nice, it gets the job done of going from A to B safely without costing an arm and a leg. Small eco cars of course may not favor well in accidents but that's countered by the cheap value, which is great for safe drivers who may not have deep pockets. 35MPG with 12 gallon tank gets you roughly 400 miles full at the 15K price range these days while being fairly reliable, can't really be beat. Only thing I've had to do is change out an electrical board piece, the caliper belt, brakes, battery and the tires, but that's just what it takes to keep a vehicle going long term. One thing I have noticed though is that the transmission has a tough time changing gears when you're at a stop and trying to accelerate out of the first gear, but after that it's smooth sailing. It's been doing that no worse or better for at least a year now, just a quirk at this point. Don't wanna waste any big money on a big part like that if it only happens in low speed conditions where it's safe to be quirky.

Demarcus, I definitely appreciate your help for helping me find what I was looking for! Great customer service and quality cars. Highly recommend their service.

Fabulous car gets me anywhere I love it. It is a 2013 and still feels new to me. I love the storage and small size of car. Very safe.

Scott went above and beyond for me! Will definitely visit and recommend Scott for all future needs. I fell while at the dealership and Scott made sure I was okay and provided ice.

The one weak point is that there is a design defect. The exhaust manifold leading to cylinders tends to get clogged up. Must be cleaned every 60 k miles (200 dollar job) to avoid head gasket replacement. Otherwise should run forever. 250 k miles and doesn't use drop of oil. 2014 is known to be vintage year, with all kinks worked out of generation 3 - except for aforementioned. Besides being ultra reliable, the car is simply the best use of space and readily available fuel possible. Enormous cargo space with back seats down. Up, passengers have room almost equivalent to full-size sedan. Simply best car ever made. Just look out for traction battery expense. But even that can be mitigated using rebuilt batteries and independent shops.

Purchased a 06 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited HEMI from Midwest Motors 2 months ago. Looked at and drove 5 vehicles in that price range and model years prior to choosing this one, it drove and handled better than all the rest. Purchase price was fair and the transaction was painless. The dealer also provided their initial vehicle inspection report and all service/maintenance they had completed before offering it for sale. NO ONE else provided that, which made my decision easier in addition to the fact it drove the best out of my list of prospects. They have the best value in town, several dealers on the auto mile but none that recondition their vehicles to this level so the customer does not have to.

This Is the best car I have ever owned. If it had a 200 mile battery it would be outstanding and it has a back up gas engine when you run out of energy. Bring it back

This was my first car buying experience from Willis Nissan and I was so impressed. Our sales rep KAM was easy and fun to work with, he was attentive and not pushy. I always pictured the experience as intimidating and KAM made it anything but! The rest of the team there was just as impressive - Austin in financing took his time explaining things - Jake sat with me and went through EVERY button patiently with me. My experience ended with the sales manager personally thanking me and shaking my hand. Class Act Willis, nice job.

One of the must fun commuter cars you can own. Good gas mileage, good acceleration and unique euro styling for less than many others in it's class.

Hassle free straightforward. Polite and helpful staff. Quick financing process. Knowledgeable staff able to answer all questions and help me learn to use my new cars features.

The Vibe is great transportation. It is very reliable and gets around in all weather. We have driven our vibe on many trips, and it just hums along. It's a great choice for a small family oor a couple. Good for hauling groceries!

My Dad has bought 4 cars from Toms before he over he passed away. I myself have bought at least 2 as far as I am concerned Toms auto is the only place to go for a Used car! So, as you can see, we have never been disappointed. This car I bought 3 days ago is the best yet! I had a saleperson that was great! Tom Phan thank you for all your help I sure do appreciate all your help and kindness!

The Beetle Turbo is a blast to drive, This car combines styling of the older generation beetle with good enough turbocharged power, making it a fun and exciting ride. Its 2.0l engine delivers a pretty quick acceleration, and the handling is surprisingly agile for a compact car. The interior is both somewhat stylish and comfortable, with a touch of the classic Beetle design. Plus, it's got a pretty good sound system. Overall, the 2012 Beetle Turbo is an amazing choice for a unique, fun car that puts a smile on anyone’s face every time they drive it.

Tom was great to work with. All staff was very nice. I would recommend to anyone looking for a great vehicle. I will be a return customer; )

I once owned a 91 golf, but I hear those new parts are alright though. I would like to have my little buddy back. 500 down 250 per month for 36 months.

Joe was my go-to guy at one of the lots where this vehicle I was interested in is they have four lots in Des Moines. It's always wanting to come up there and have the vehicle taken to another shop nearby and pay to have it inspected so I can find out what it needs and decide if I wanted this still purchase it with whatever it needed and that was no problem but they wanted me to fill out the credit app online and that was cool and Danny but there's no reason to pull a hard hard copy of my credit report if I'm coming up to go look at the vehicle because if there's more things that need to be done to where then I want to put into it I probably wouldn't do the deal and I'd have a hard thing on my credit report that I wouldn't be able to get taken off so other than that them telling me to go do that even though they knew I wanted to get it checked first was my only irritation. But something came up and I had to register another vehicle that I have in my personal access right now so I may have to wait a couple months before I want to go up there and do that but my job allows me to travel all over so I might get to go up there if I can this month and check out the vehicle to see if it's something that I really really want before someone else gets it so yes Joe I appreciate you working with me and look forward to consuming this business transaction soon. Crazy from Energy Illinois

The car meets a perfect speed standard for specific drivers, if you want power when you need to pass somebody or just got a nice long road you want to open it up on, you can do it, very well if I must say, the 2.0t is a amazing motor overall, so many different things you can do with it power wise, just overall a great balance car, butttt your back seat is not the best in a 2 door, which is what I have lol, oh well

Great service Samantha was absolutely wonderful we love our new F350 I would highly recommend Granger motors and be sure to ask for Samantha.

I have owned a Kia Soul Brownstone Edition for 6 years now. It hasn't given us any issues aside from a brake ABS failure in warranty. However, since Kia skimped out on immobilizers, I wouldn't get one without push button start, which is most of them, unfortunately. While they extended the warranty on the engine, they have plenty of fundamental issues with it, and also, my Kia after 4 years, has noises in front and back suspension sway bars, and the strut tower bearings make noise. While these don't need to be fixed, they make the car sound like crap. I just drove a 2019 Kona with the same amount of miles, and the suspension on that was just fine. Might be due to the larger wheels and smaller profile tires, I don't know. If Kia ever sells the EV soul in the US, I'd get that. So far, they've been good.

They went above and beyond helping me get approved to get a vehicle. They never gave up like other dealerships. I'm very grateful for everything they did. The vehicle I purchased is absolutely wonderful! Thank you guys again.

I absolutely recommend this car if you need a workhorse to drive you back and forth and not to die on you. A couple things about this car --- 200k miles with multiple total-loss level accidents because my jobs at the time had me on the road most days. Still running strong. I just took it on an interstate road trip and it doesn't miss a beat. This car is hard to kill. I don't know how this thing was built by Toyota but it is seriously impressive value for the money. Worth literally every penny for what I've squeezed out of it so far. Cons: the disrespect you get is insane. I've driven other cars and the hate that this car receives in particular is laughable. Also the performance is ridiculously bad, which everyone knows. One way to sum this up, I had a friend of mine once say, "It's hard to look another man in the eye while getting out of a Prius."

Good car for single person. Only problem is the back window which should be bigger for back-up safety. It has been reliable except when I had to replace battery

I was looking for a used SUV within a specific price range, and I decided to stop at Acura of Johnston. Chester had been my sales person, and he was welcoming and accomodating. He listened to what I wanted and showed me a vehicles I'd actually be interested in, which is so much nicer than the typical experience of being shown things that are either out of your price range or not what you're looking for. The dealership is clean, well presented, and the staff is friendly. Chester is great, and needs commended for his patience, as the vehicle I purchased only had one key (not the dealer's fault! The previous owner didn't provide it) and I was persistent on confirming this. Overall, I had a good experience at Acura of Johnston, and I didn't expect to buy at the first place I shopped, but this time, I did. They actually try to work with you, and that's appreciated.

Before purchase, I did extensive research on this vehicle bc it was it was as close to a Mini Countryman in design as I could find. I am completely satisfied & never regretted after many miles & years. I am forever amazed at how well it is designed for comfort & ease of repairs. It contains more standard options than most and more than some expensive top of the line brands. After 9 years behind the wheel of this 2014 plus, I can only desire two faults that I'd improve, and that's the sides of the hood get dented very easily & the steering "feel" is very dead and unresponsive

Prompt response. Good experience. Didn't buy the car as it was sold. Likeable sales staff

We purchased our 2017 hatchback new in the summer of 2017. Our only expenses at 134,000 plus miles has been gas, regular oil and filter changes, tire pressure sensor and tires. A VERY reliable car with average mileage 34 mpg, max highway was 55 plus! And normal highway at 70 mpg of 43 mpg. No interior, exterior or mechanical issues or viewable wear. I wish Chevy still produced them for sale in U.S.A. as we would gladly buy another. No other new vehicle this size, mileage, amenities at this price.