2003 Economy Sedan Comparison Test

[BigSmooth]

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/100022/article.html?tid=edmunds.h..reviews..4.*

This was open to new/redesigned vehicles since the last test in 2000 as well as the defending champ (the Sentra).

The skinny:

8. Saturn Ion
7. Suzuki Aerio
6. Mitsubishi Lancer
5. Toyota Corolla
4. Nissan Sentra
3. Mazda Protege
2. Hyundai Elantra
1. Honda Civic

 

[RossMAN]

I haven't read the article yet but I'd think the Corolla would be at least #1 or #2.

 

[RossMAN]

I was reading about Edmunds long term 2001 Hyundai Elantra and this really caught my eye.

Final Sale & Delivery to New Owner
The good news about the Hyundai ended when it came to settling its after-Edmunds fate. We had actually purchased the car, rather than leasing it, because it was so inexpensive, and because we were being given high-interest lease quotes. As we mentioned, we paid $12,100 for the car; after only a year, its TMV® private party price, when estimated at the "clean" condition level, was $8,370.

We advertised the car through newspaper classified ads but received no calls from prospective buyers. We even tried auctioning it through the online company eBay. Over a week's time, there were eight realistic bids ? the highest for $7,900 ? but the "reserve price" of $8,300 was never reached.

Finally, it was decided that the car would be offered for sale to the friends and family of the Edmunds staff. The brother of one of our editors needed a basic commuter car and purchased it for $7,750. This means that, in one year, the Elantra lost 36 percent of its value. Anyone thinking of buying this car should review depreciation and other ownership costs for the 2002 Elantra at Edmunds' True Cost to Own. Our long-term Elantra was subsequently delivered to its new owner in the Phoenix, Ariz., area where it now resides. (It should be noted that when the Elantra was sold, the balance of the warranty was not fully transferable. However, the car will still be covered for 5 years and 60,000 miles.)

 

[BigSmooth]

Ouch, that hurts. People should definitely think about resale value when considering an Elantra vs. a Civic etc.

 

[TubStain]

Thats an old review!

the 2003 model lines are totally different....

 

[AthlonXP]

There is a large rice community that will be happy with your civic when you are done with it, thats why the civic has such great resale value.

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: TubStain
Thats an old review!

the 2003 model lines are totally different....

Huh? This is not old, it was posted today, and all of the cars included ARE 2003 models.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: BigSmooth
Ouch, that hurts. People should definitely think about resale value when considering an Elantra vs. a Civic etc.

Exactly. Same goes for the Protege...but I'd still buy the Protege over the Civic, Sentra or Toyota.

 

[BatmanNate]

I wouldn't buy any of those cars. :beer:

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: BigSmooth
Ouch, that hurts. People should definitely think about resale value when considering an Elantra vs. a Civic etc.

Exactly. Same goes for the Protege...but I'd still buy the Protege over the Civic, Sentra or Toyota.

I agree, although I rented a Protege once and it was pretty loud inside, louder than my Sentra. Handling and visibility were good, though.

Speaking of the Sentra, it didn't do too badly for being the "old man" of the bunch. It got fairly poor subjective ratings, though, and it's still as blah-ugly as it ever was. It's been a solid commuter car for me, though.

 

[BigSmooth]

Bump... any more comments on the article?

 

[Lifer]

Go Civic! :beer:

 

[Ryan]

Yay! Go Civic!

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: BigSmooth
Ouch, that hurts. People should definitely think about resale value when considering an Elantra vs. a Civic etc.

Exactly. Same goes for the Protege...but I'd still buy the Protege over the Civic, Sentra or Toyota.

So would I! So would I! Speaking of which, my friend just bought a 2002 Protege ES 2.0 5-spd. Since he doesn't know how to drive stikck yet, Iget to teach him..and drive the car in the process!!

And yes those cars have pretty bad resale value! He bought his used..it cost him $14k CDN b4 taxes which is pretty damn cheap considering the Camry we just bought was a 99 model and cost $14.5k CDN b4 taxes!

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
I haven't read the article yet but I'd think the Corolla would be at least #1 or #2.

The Corolla has nothing to make it stand out among the competition. Sure its a freaking great car with a quality interior, but then the Civic, Protege, and even Elantra also have that. Ok maybe the Elantra may have slightly less quality, but the large difference in price sure makes up for it. The Corolla is way to expensive for what you get. i'd rather buy a Protege which is significantly less, and it still looks better, has the same nice interior, and drives better.


btw, for resale value, I think 10 years down the road, all these cars will be roughly the same cost to buy used. Resale value only matters for the first 5 years or so.

 

[SuperTool]

18+ K for an econobox? Forgettaboutit.

 

[psteng19]

My comparison of the older models -
My '95 Sentra GXE vs. my sister's '99 Protege LX.

Engine - both are 1.6L
Sentra
I have 80k miles on it and it's running smooth as butter. Seems to get better with age.
While it does not have much power, it's very quiet and refined. Just wish it had more oomph...
The 1.6L in the Protege has 40k miles on it and is LOUD and buzzy. Power delivery and acceleration is smooth, but not as refined.
Both put out about the same amount of power.

Interior
Protege
Not really a fair comparison, since my Sentra's a '95 and the Protege is a '99 but...
The plastics are more plasticky in my Sentra (door handles, HVAC controls) and the valour seats aren't as soft.
But there's no rattles, nothing has fallen apart and the dash actually feels better than the new Altima's

Handling
Sentra
Could be due to my Progress/AGX 15" Low profile tires combo
But when my Sentra was stock, it had a more sport feel. Even with the puny 13" wheels.
The stock protege suspension (14" wheels) is decent but obviously can't compete with an aftermarket setup; but it absorbs bumps better - duh

Brakes
Protege
Plain and simple, the brakes on my Sentra suck.
The Protege's grab like a mother.

Sound system
Protege
The stock sound system is pretty darn good. The CD player is starting to skip now, but it still pumps out good bass.
The 'ole Sentra stock system (Clarion cassette deck) was pretty weak.
So I put in a Pioneer CD HU/speakers + MTX amp/sub... pretty good system for ~$500.

Exterior Looks - subjective
Protege
I have to admit the Sentra was pretty ugly until I made a few changes (rims, drop, fogs, spoiler).
The Protege looks good stock, especially with the new headlights and the stock spoiler.

It's a close call between the two, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Sentra.
The loud, buzzy engine of the Protege really turns me away from it.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: psteng19
My comparison of the older models - My '95 Sentra GXE vs. my sister's '99 Protege LX. Engine - both are 1.6L Sentra I have 80k miles on it and it's running smooth as butter. Seems to get better with age. While it does not have much power, it's very quiet and refined. Just wish it had more oomph... The 1.6L in the Protege has 40k miles on it and is LOUD and buzzy. Power delivery and acceleration is smooth, but not as refined. Both put out about the same amount of power. Interior Protege Not really a fair comparison, since my Sentra's a '95 and the Protege is a '99 but... The plastics are more plasticky in my Sentra (door handles, HVAC controls) and the valour seats aren't as soft. But there's no rattles, nothing has fallen apart and the dash actually feels better than the new Altima's Handling Sentra Could be due to my Progress/AGX 15" Low profile tires combo But when my Sentra was stock, it had a more sport feel. Even with the puny 13" wheels. The stock protege suspension (14" wheels) is decent but obviously can't compete with an aftermarket setup; but it absorbs bumps better - duh Brakes Protege Plain and simple, the brakes on my Sentra suck. The Protege's grab like a mother. Sound system Protege The stock sound system is pretty darn good. The CD player is starting to skip now, but it still pumps out good bass. The 'ole Sentra stock system (Clarion cassette deck) was pretty weak. So I put in a Pioneer CD HU/speakers + MTX amp/sub... pretty good system for ~$500. Exterior Looks - subjective Protege I have to admit the Sentra was pretty ugly until I made a few changes (rims, drop, fogs, spoiler). The Protege looks good stock, especially with the new headlights and the stock spoiler. It's a close call between the two, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Sentra. The loud, buzzy engine of the Protege really turns me away from it.

My 1998 200SX has the EXECT same engine as your Sentra, and the engine is one of the loudest engines I have ever driven (only when pushing it heard, it's not really loud, just very "buzzy" - I was warned before i bought my car that the 1.6l engines were loud). I have driven 2 other Nissans with the same engine, and two of my relatives drive them too, and their engine are the same way.

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: psteng19
My comparison of the older models - My '95 Sentra GXE vs. my sister's '99 Protege LX. Engine - both are 1.6L Sentra I have 80k miles on it and it's running smooth as butter. Seems to get better with age. While it does not have much power, it's very quiet and refined. Just wish it had more oomph... The 1.6L in the Protege has 40k miles on it and is LOUD and buzzy. Power delivery and acceleration is smooth, but not as refined. Both put out about the same amount of power. Interior Protege Not really a fair comparison, since my Sentra's a '95 and the Protege is a '99 but... The plastics are more plasticky in my Sentra (door handles, HVAC controls) and the valour seats aren't as soft. But there's no rattles, nothing has fallen apart and the dash actually feels better than the new Altima's Handling Sentra Could be due to my Progress/AGX 15" Low profile tires combo But when my Sentra was stock, it had a more sport feel. Even with the puny 13" wheels. The stock protege suspension (14" wheels) is decent but obviously can't compete with an aftermarket setup; but it absorbs bumps better - duh Brakes Protege Plain and simple, the brakes on my Sentra suck. The Protege's grab like a mother. Sound system Protege The stock sound system is pretty darn good. The CD player is starting to skip now, but it still pumps out good bass. The 'ole Sentra stock system (Clarion cassette deck) was pretty weak. So I put in a Pioneer CD HU/speakers + MTX amp/sub... pretty good system for ~$500. Exterior Looks - subjective Protege I have to admit the Sentra was pretty ugly until I made a few changes (rims, drop, fogs, spoiler). The Protege looks good stock, especially with the new headlights and the stock spoiler. It's a close call between the two, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Sentra. The loud, buzzy engine of the Protege really turns me away from it.

My 1998 200SX has the EXECT same engine as your Sentra, and the engine is one of the loudest engines I have ever driven (only when pushing it heard, it's not really loud, just very "buzzy" - I was warned before i bought my car that the 1.6l engines were loud). I have driven 2 other Nissans with the same engine, and two of my relatives drive them too, and their engine are the same way.

Then you'll be happy to know that the Protege is even louder and buzzier.
I don't find the engine in the Sentra to be that loud actually. Could be because I always have my sound system blasting

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: psteng19
My comparison of the older models - My '95 Sentra GXE vs. my sister's '99 Protege LX. Engine - both are 1.6L Sentra I have 80k miles on it and it's running smooth as butter. Seems to get better with age. While it does not have much power, it's very quiet and refined. Just wish it had more oomph... The 1.6L in the Protege has 40k miles on it and is LOUD and buzzy. Power delivery and acceleration is smooth, but not as refined. Both put out about the same amount of power. Interior Protege Not really a fair comparison, since my Sentra's a '95 and the Protege is a '99 but... The plastics are more plasticky in my Sentra (door handles, HVAC controls) and the valour seats aren't as soft. But there's no rattles, nothing has fallen apart and the dash actually feels better than the new Altima's Handling Sentra Could be due to my Progress/AGX 15" Low profile tires combo But when my Sentra was stock, it had a more sport feel. Even with the puny 13" wheels. The stock protege suspension (14" wheels) is decent but obviously can't compete with an aftermarket setup; but it absorbs bumps better - duh Brakes Protege Plain and simple, the brakes on my Sentra suck. The Protege's grab like a mother. Sound system Protege The stock sound system is pretty darn good. The CD player is starting to skip now, but it still pumps out good bass. The 'ole Sentra stock system (Clarion cassette deck) was pretty weak. So I put in a Pioneer CD HU/speakers + MTX amp/sub... pretty good system for ~$500. Exterior Looks - subjective Protege I have to admit the Sentra was pretty ugly until I made a few changes (rims, drop, fogs, spoiler). The Protege looks good stock, especially with the new headlights and the stock spoiler. It's a close call between the two, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Sentra. The loud, buzzy engine of the Protege really turns me away from it.

I think the new 4-cyl engines on the Civic & Corolla are buzzy as well. The smoothest 4-cyl (to me) is the 1.6L used in the older Corollas (all variants). Now that is a work of art!

The SR20DE is a very smooth motor. I test drove a 2L and 1.6L 2000 Protege and found both of those motors to be very smooth..and they loved to rev.