my gf has seen the light with Corollas....

[Gibson486]

She was relectant to test drive a Civic b/c her family has been pro toyota for god knows how long.

Flash forward to last night....I drove her to the honda dealer...I got her in a civic. She had the biggest grin on her face.

We came home and her reaction:

"Wow....that drives so much better than the Corolla..."

I thought she was gonna decide to buy the Civic, but ofcourse, her next comment was due:

"Who the hell decided that the interior was good looking? It's not cool, it's nerdy!"

Can't say I blame her for thinking. that digital speedometer is just plan tacky.

I got her to see the light...but I still think the Corolla is going to win just because of the price alone and she claims its more comfy (I think it felt cheap in and out, but it's not my money).

On a different note....what was Toyota thinking? The new Corolla drives like ass. I am scared to see how this thing handles on the highway. ones slight nudge, and the thing will just start turning. If anything, the previous generation handled better (not that it was great in the first place). how can that car be called safe? It seems like it could be a challenge keeping the car straight at speeds greater than 60.

 

[MBrown]

I hope she goes for the civic. Hondas imo have excellent build quality.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: MBrown
I hope she goes for the civic. Hondas imo have excellent build quality.

She really did like it better, but I know she is gonna get swooped when she finds out how cheap the Corolla can go. i do not think the Civic can even get near those prices.

 

[lurk3r]

The corolla is cheap, its a flaming turd of a car but it is cheap. If that's her only measure have her look at the Hyundai/Kia, and maybe the Sentra ... Sentra's built in mexio, but I've seen lots of ads for it at $9999 here.

 

[BassBomb]

We were looking before at a new car @ Corolla S or LE vs Civic LX

2009 vs 2008, we saw the Corolla and man everything in the interior felt cheap as hell. Saw the Civic and it was worlds better (worth the few thousand difference IMO).
To save some money we decided to look for a used Civic and could not find one in good condition, unless they were just 3k below brand new price.
We ended on a 2007 Accord EX-L that we got for the same price as a brand new Corolla.

 

[angry hampster]

Check out Hyundai Elantras as well. They drive very nicely and are well appointed.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Check out Hyundai Elantras as well. They drive very nicely and are well appointed.

Check out everything in the class and see how they feel to you. I don't understand anyone who doesn't.

 

[satyajitmenon]

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Check out Hyundai Elantras as well. They drive very nicely and are well appointed.

+1

Drove a rental Elantra a week ago, about 800 miles. Quite impressed with it, considering the low sticker.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Check out Hyundai Elantras as well. They drive very nicely and are well appointed.

Check out everything in the class and see how they feel to you. I don't understand anyone who doesn't.

:thumbsup:

I may be a fan of the domestics overall, but if I were in the market for a new vehicle, I would let the test drive decide. Those who don't shop around are cutting themselves short.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: satyajitmenon

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Check out Hyundai Elantras as well. They drive very nicely and are well appointed.

+1

Drove a rental Elantra a week ago, about 800 miles. Quite impressed with it, considering the low sticker.

More on the Elantra from a user review on Edmunds.com

I have always bought new vehicles and driven them between 250-300,000 miles. After exhaustive research which included talking to other Elantra owners I purchased one. I got a tremendous deal out the door including financing for about 15k(on an SE not GLS). On the last trip at 75 mph with the air on, a full load of passengers and full trunk I got 34 mpg. This wasn't based on the trip computer, it was the old fashioned way of calculating.Mixed driving 29 mpg. After 20,000 miles I am thoroughly convinced that this is the best deal out there. I test drove all the other cars in the class and sure some are peppier or handle better but if you are looking for best bang for you buck, here it is.

Here's the editor's review:
Click me!

 

[Riverhound777]

Put her in a Mazda 3. That should put a smile on her face

 

[Gibson486]

we are checking the elantra after work today. She really wants a sunroof....so i bet i can get one with a sunroof for cheap. She likes the Elantra b/c "it looks like a cuter corolla".

I have a 3...she likes it, but she prefers a softer steering (more like honda's)

 

[StageLeft]

Maybe better but six of one half dozen of the other, I would buy either. I'd get a one year old something else entirely than these blah econoboxes.

 

[heymrdj]

I hate the Civic, Accord, Corolla, Rio, and Sentra all equally.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Have her try a Rabbit, if shes picky about handling and interior quality you pretty much can't get any better than that

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: satyajitmenon

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Check out Hyundai Elantras as well. They drive very nicely and are well appointed.

+1

Drove a rental Elantra a week ago, about 800 miles. Quite impressed with it, considering the low sticker.

+1

Forget about the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio though, they're not as safe as the Elantra/Civic/Corolla.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
I hate the Civic, Accord, Corolla, Rio, and Sentra all equally.

arent you special


the civic is a kickass car. best in class IMO. i think the digital tech is either love it or hate it, but i think its cool, in a "nerdy" kind of way! Kia has the forte coming out and it looks very promising. it looks pretty much like a civic clone though.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

the corolla and civic are pretty different cars, its hard to persuade one type of driver into buying the other. if they like the technological interior the civic is better imo. if you like snappier handling and a rev-happy engine, then the civic is also better. the corolla may be more of a boring but comfy car.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
the corolla and civic are pretty different cars, its hard to persuade one type of driver into buying the other. if they like the technological interior the civic is better imo. if you like snappier handling and a rev-happy engine, then the civic is also better. the corolla may be more of a boring but comfy car.

yeah...anything that involves moving, he civic is better. The Corolla is comfier. It looks like she is gonna buy the corolla s w/ a sunroof. The lowest we think she can get the Civic with sunroof is around low 17s. we have not officially talked numbers with the dealer, but doing research, I do not think they will let it go for less. as for the Corollas....hahaha...the prices keep dropping. That is all i will say about that.

we test drove the Elantra. it was alright. I was kind of dissapointed. For the price, it is worth considering. My gf felt that she would have to pay 12K with a sunroof to get her to buy one. That, I know, probably will not happen.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
the corolla and civic are pretty different cars, its hard to persuade one type of driver into buying the other. if they like the technological interior the civic is better imo. if you like snappier handling and a rev-happy engine, then the civic is also better. the corolla may be more of a boring but comfy car.

yeah...anything that involves moving, he civic is better. The Corolla is comfier. It looks like she is gonna buy the corolla s w/ a sunroof. The lowest we think she can get the Civic with sunroof is around low 17s. we have not officially talked numbers with the dealer, but doing research, I do not think they will let it go for less. as for the Corollas....hahaha...the prices keep dropping. That is all i will say about that.

we test drove the Elantra. it was alright. I was kind of dissapointed. For the price, it is worth considering. My gf felt that she would have to pay 12K with a sunroof to get her to buy one. That, I know, probably will not happen.

I wouldn't expect the dealer to go much lower, although it's worth trying. The downside to the way Honda sells its cars is that you have very few options available. Almost everything is standard based on the trim level. That means you're not getting a sunroof without getting the EX, which has an invoice of around $18k (I assume you're shopping 2008 models?).

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Strk

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
the corolla and civic are pretty different cars, its hard to persuade one type of driver into buying the other. if they like the technological interior the civic is better imo. if you like snappier handling and a rev-happy engine, then the civic is also better. the corolla may be more of a boring but comfy car.

yeah...anything that involves moving, he civic is better. The Corolla is comfier. It looks like she is gonna buy the corolla s w/ a sunroof. The lowest we think she can get the Civic with sunroof is around low 17s. we have not officially talked numbers with the dealer, but doing research, I do not think they will let it go for less. as for the Corollas....hahaha...the prices keep dropping. That is all i will say about that.

we test drove the Elantra. it was alright. I was kind of dissapointed. For the price, it is worth considering. My gf felt that she would have to pay 12K with a sunroof to get her to buy one. That, I know, probably will not happen.

I wouldn't expect the dealer to go much lower, although it's worth trying. The downside to the way Honda sells its cars is that you have very few options available. Almost everything is standard based on the trim level. That means you're not getting a sunroof without getting the EX, which has an invoice of around $18k (I assume you're shopping 2008 models?).

They do not have 08 hondas around here....they are all 09.

 

[MrMatt]

07 accord? (as someone else said)

 

[boomhower]

The new Focus has been getting good reviews. A couple users here have picked them up and been very happy with them.

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: boomhower
The new Focus has been getting good reviews. A couple users here have picked them up and been very happy with them.

As the Focus in most other aspects has slowly been improved over the years... the exterior styling has gotten uglier and uglier.

IMO they should have kept the exterior identical to when it came out and improved everything else.

Well, the good thing about ugly cars is you're not the one who has to look at it when driving.

edit: I drive an 07 sedan, so it's not that I hate the cars. I'd just prefer if the internals were wrapped in the 00-04 body.

 

[Paratus]

I wasn't impressed by the Civic at all, especially with all the fanboi hype around it. It has a whiny little engine and lacks a lot of features other vehicles have, even in it's own class. The Mazda 3 had a much nicer interior and handled a hell of lot better.