Test Drove a Civic & IS250 Today

[Paratus]

I'm looking to replace my 1998 Olds Intrigue (3.8L V6 195Hp, 230ftlbs). The tranny is going and I'm leaking coolant and oil.

I'm looking for a small well appointed sedan (leather, CD changer, Aux in jack, climate control), with decent gas mileage that's fun to drive.


My drive is currently about 15-20 minutes in mixed city/highway and I don't need a family hauler as we've got an evil Suburban that runs on baby seals.


I've test drove:
Subaru Legacy GT - nice, fast and fun to drive but mileage kinda sucks, somewhat expensive
Chevy Malibu LTZ 4cyl w 6Spd Auto - decent interior, decent handling especially for a natural 4 also very cheap as I can get the GM employee discount
Civic - didn't like it. Not enough amenities and engine has no go enough when revving
IS250 - loved it, but my fiscal side says to expensive


What else should I be looking at?

 

[Budmantom]

I'm all about bang for the buck, if the Malibu is OK you may want to look at a used Pontiac G6 with low mileage, I bought mine(GTP) it was a year old and had 29k miles on it and I paid almost half of retail.

 

[hans030390]

Was the Civic the Si or not?

I generally would have a hard time picking anything over a Civic...good gas mileage, looks great, and is pretty much guaranteed to be one of the most reliable cars you can buy (plus it holds its value longer).

 

[xanis]

I know you said that your fiscally responsible side is telling you to not get the IS250, but it doesn't seem like that bad of a choice. Sure it's more expensive than the others, but it's a nice car and probably gets respectable gas mileage. Don't forget that it's also a Toyota so it'll probably be very dependable.

 

[dug777]

Get the Scooby

 

[sniperruff]

you have the GM employee discout, so i'd probbaly go for the malibu.

or a nice Saab 9-3 Aero...

 

[Pandaren]

I'll vote for the Malibu.

The Civic is a great car, but it places priority on fuel economy rather than performance, and it seems like you want a car with some kick to it. I drove a Civic many years ago. It got great millage, it just did not have enough torque. I switched to an Accord and never looked back.

 

[Jumpem]

If you only drive 15-20 miles I would be looking at an AWD + turbo Subaru. With that little driving I wouldn't be concerned with gas mileage.

 

[Paratus]

Originally posted by: Budmantom
I'm all about bang for the buck, if the Malibu is OK you may want to look at a used Pontiac G6 with low mileage, I bought mine(GTP) it was a year old and had 29k miles on it and I paid almost half of retail.

I'll check out the G6 and see what's different from the Malibu, although I will most likely buy new if it's a GM product.

Originally posted by: hans030390
Was the Civic the Si or not?

I generally would have a hard time picking anything over a Civic...good gas mileage, looks great, and is pretty much guaranteed to be one of the most reliable cars you can buy (plus it holds its value longer).

It was the non-SI. It was the high end standard civic. It definitely had good gas mileage but I liked the looks and handling the least of the ones I've tried, not that it was bad. My wife felt the same way. I also intend to keep the car for at least 10 years so residual value won't really be a deciding factor.

Originally posted by: dug777
Get the Scooby [/b]

I would if I still lived where it snows. My folks have two Subys but down here in Texas I'd be paying extra in money and mileage for AWD that's not going to see much use. (Also I'm a little jealous just a little though, that some friends without kids just got an STI and IS350)

Originally posted by: sniperruff
you have the GM employee discout, so i'd probbaly go for the malibu.

or a nice Saab 9-3 Aero...

The malibu is what I'll probably get, although I will now check out the Saab 9-3 as well. I may look at the CTS because the discount would apply to it

My other thoughts were to look at a Mazda 3 or 6 and possibly the Acura TSX

 

[ElFenix]

definitely look at the mazda3, might be right up your alley.

 

[alphatarget1]

I get up to 28mpg with my legacy when driven very slowly on the highway

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
definitely look at the mazda3, might be right up your alley.

although the mazda3 is being completely overhauled in a year or two, and now compact cars are over-priced because of the oil prices, so i personally find mid-sizes and small SUV's to be bargains now.

 

[BassBomb]

test drive the civic SI

 

[thomsbrain]

The Accord is a much more obvious competitor to your other options than the Civic. The EX-L has a 4-cylinder with 200 HP and leather.

I know you said "small car," but frankly the Civic is the only car on your list that even approaches "small," so you might as well just admit that what you want is a mid to large size car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: hans030390
Was the Civic the Si or not?

I generally would have a hard time picking anything over a Civic...good gas mileage, looks great, and is pretty much guaranteed to be one of the most reliable cars you can buy (plus it holds its value longer).

The Si does not get good mileage. Expect 23mpg city and maybe 30mpg at best on the freeway.

The IS250 is about the same for fuel economy but you can get 32-33mpg freeway. I know, I have one. It's a great car, my only real complaint is the staggered tires and the fact that they are uni-directional so you cannot rotate them. The car is not prone to losing its geometry though so alignments are not really required but tires tend to last about 25,000 miles before they are completely bald and need to be replaced. We have the 18" performance wheels on our IS.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
The Accord is a much more obvious competitor to your other options than the Civic. The EX-L has a 4-cylinder with 200 HP and leather.

I know you said "small car," but frankly the Civic is the only car on your list that even approaches "small," so you might as well just admit that what you want is a mid to large size car.

The IS250 is definitely a small car. I'd bet that the Civic is more roomy in the back actually.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
definitely look at the mazda3, might be right up your alley.

I went from a Civic to a Mazda3 and the Mazda is MUCH more fun to drive, with slightly lower gas mileage.

 

[zoiks]

The IS250 is a womans car. I wouldn't recommend one unless you had chesticles++.

 

[Paratus]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
The Accord is a much more obvious competitor to your other options than the Civic. The EX-L has a 4-cylinder with 200 HP and leather.

I know you said "small car," but frankly the Civic is the only car on your list that even approaches "small," so you might as well just admit that what you want is a mid to large size car.

Well I should clarify what I meant by "small"

I basically meant smalled than my Olds.

The Intrigue was Olds' midsize sedan, larger than the Alero and smaller than the Aurora.
It's actually bigger than the new bigger Accord by about an inch in all dimensions. It's already pretty tight in my garage with both vehicles inside, so smaller would definatly be nice.

I sat in the Accord while I was at the Honda dealer, it's nice but I would get the Malibu over the Accord due to the price difference so it's not really in the running.

 

[Paratus]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
test drive the civic SI

While the SI appeals to me it has to pass the Wife Acceptance Factor and it feels to much like a boy racer. We'll both be driving what ever vehicle we buy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: zoiks
The IS250 is a womans car. I wouldn't recommend one unless you had chesticles++.

Yeah, because real men are defined by what kind of car they drive...:roll:

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: zoiks
The IS250 is a womans car. I wouldn't recommend one unless you had chesticles++.

Yeah, because real men are defined by what kind of car they drive...:roll:

Nopes. But cars can be defined by the kind of drivers they have. Those with breasts tend to drive IS250's.

 

[Excelsior]

I'd vote for the Malibu.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: zoiks
The IS250 is a womans car. I wouldn't recommend one unless you had chesticles++.

Yeah, because real men are defined by what kind of car they drive...:roll:

Nopes. But cars can be defined by the kind of drivers they have. Those with breasts tend to drive IS250's.

Get a manual. Women can't drive those. Well, most women. And come to think of it, most men can't either.

I think the 250 is the only one with a manual available, unless they removed that option recently. The 350 is auto only.

 

[Funyuns101]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: zoiks
The IS250 is a womans car. I wouldn't recommend one unless you had chesticles++.

Yeah, because real men are defined by what kind of car they drive...:roll:

Nopes. But cars can be defined by the kind of drivers they have. Those with breasts tend to drive IS250's.

Get a manual. Women can't drive those. Well, most women. And come to think of it, most men can't either.

I think the 250 is the only one with a manual available, unless they removed that option recently. The 350 is auto only.

Yeah, the IS250 is only available Lexus with a manual... but not the AWD one.
They're kinda hard to find though. I had to wait over a month for the nearby dealer to get one in stock to test drive. And then they said that they might just discontinue all manuals from their lineup in the very near future.
A fun little car, but it's not practical with the backseats not folding down at all. You just get the little pass through in the middle armrest.

OP, maybe you can test drive the TSX?