Thoughts on 2009 Corolla SE vs 2008 Civic Sedan EX?

[IronWing]

I have a 46 mile daily round trip commute and I'm looking for a new ride. Based on the numbers and sitting in (but not test driving) a Civic EX and not yet touching a Corolla my current short list is:

Civic Sedan EX $22,606 25/36/29 mpg
Corolla LE $21,640 27/35 mpg

Prices are based on the respective online configurators plus ten percent for the squeeze. I'm looking for a comfortable car that can be expected to hold up well. I've axed the Yaris from my list after sitting in one and finding that the steering wheel doesn't rise to a comfortable driving height for me. I've also pretty much canned the Mini Clubman S as being too expensive, and with the dealer being 150 miles away, too much hassle, though I really liked it during the test drive.

I'll look at the Fit as well but my wife has stated a dislike of hatchbacks.

Anyway, any thoughts on the Civic EX vs Corolla LE?

 

[jjmIII]

I like the Civic....but I love Honda stuff in general. Both are great cars, but I like the look of the Honda better.

 

[KDKPSJ]

While I like the new look of 09 Corolla, I've always put Civic higher on the list. While both great cars with great resale value and good mix of everything, I think Civic is a little bit more driver's car.

 

[Throckmorton]

Corolla is more of a chick car.

 

[dandragonrage]

Neither car is exactly manly, though Corolla is indeed worse in that respect. I fail to see why the OP doesn't consider other cars like a Malibu, though.

 

[Bignate603]

I think the civic is a bit nicer than the corolla. If they are comparable in price I'd go with the civic.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: dandragonrage
Neither car is exactly manly, though Corolla is indeed worse in that respect. I fail to see why the OP doesn't consider other cars like a Malibu, though.

I cannot think of a econobox that excudes masculinity, but who gives a shit? People who put that as a main priority are simply displaying through words their EXTREMELY small penises.

 

[sniperruff]

civic has a higher resale value.

can you find an 08' corolla? it'll be a bit cheaper. also look into the matrix, rabbit, focus (really dislike the styling but love its whatever bluetooth system), elantra and some mid-size's such as altima, accord (doubt it'd be cheap), camry, fusion and the like.

mazda3's new model is coming out soon so i'll discount that.

overall, you can't pick a worse time to buy a compact/sub-compact. everything's selling for close to MSRP.

you can also look into something hot like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...VWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[spaceman]

we have an '08 ex 5 spd, tho we bought ours beginning of april so we paid quite a bit less, its a nice vehicle, quiet, superb on gas.completely mundane.
we test drove an 08 fit ex and were not impressed, especially considering the price vs the civic....it feels like you are driving on top of the hood in the fit and it seemed less smooth overall, the cargo room was nice however.....

 

[dud]

We own an '07 Civic LX. IMHO the best value in a small car, especially when you consider the price of gas. You might get a better deal on a Corolla right now as Toyota's sales are way down from last year ...

 

[bogart24]

I bought an 2008 civic EX in February. I looked at the corolla online, but never went to test drive one. I do regret that. I drive about 15,000 miles a year for work, and get paid by the mile. I used to drive a 2500hd, so you can imagine my delight in averaging something around 34mpg. The car is very sporty, but consider I have been driving a crew cab, long box 3/4 ton for 6 years. My biggest complaint is the 'A' pillar. For those of you who don't know, that is the pillar between the windshield and the side windows. It is long and has that wacky little peekaboo window in it. I can't tell you how many vehicles have hidden behind that pillar. I had better visibility in my truck. The civic is clearly a better looking vehicle than anything in its class. I do like the car, and have had great luck with it. I had 4 men and 4 sets of golf clubs in it, which was a pleasant surprise. The seats aren't nearly as comfortable as my chevy, but when I drive away after pumping 10 gallons of gas into it after having driven the same distance as my truck, there is no pain then. I have to recommend the civic.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: dandragonrage
Neither car is exactly manly, though Corolla is indeed worse in that respect. I fail to see why the OP doesn't consider other cars like a Malibu, though.

Who gives a fuck? It's a commuter car!

The Toyota Corolla is an excellent choice. A guy I work with drives one everyday and I've checked it out. Nice comfortable car that gets decent mileage...and it's safe and reliable.

I wouldn't recommend the Malibu. My sister-in-law had one a couple years ago and it was a total pile of crap. I can't imagine it gets any better mileage than a Corolla either and it certainly isn't manly...for whatever the fuck that's worth. :roll:

 

[dandragonrage]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I wouldn't recommend the Malibu. My sister-in-law had one a couple years ago and it was a total pile of crap. I can't imagine it gets any better mileage than a Corolla either and it certainly isn't manly...for whatever the fuck that's worth. :roll:

I've known people with piece of crap Hondas and Toyotas too. Fact is that it's not common for any of them.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: dandragonrage

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I wouldn't recommend the Malibu. My sister-in-law had one a couple years ago and it was a total pile of crap. I can't imagine it gets any better mileage than a Corolla either and it certainly isn't manly...for whatever the fuck that's worth. :roll:

I've known people with piece of crap Hondas and Toyotas too. Fact is that it's not common for any of them.

The Corolla and Civic have had excellent reliability ratings for decades. The Malibu is a fairly new design and the older ones were not highly regarded.

 

[The Stigenator]

i didnt like the 09 corolla one bit. If you can find a civic EX.. good job.. i cant seem to find my EX-L with Navi in So.Cal.. and nor is teh SI with Navi..

Woe me

 

[Synomenon]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: dandragonrage
Neither car is exactly manly, though Corolla is indeed worse in that respect. I fail to see why the OP doesn't consider other cars like a Malibu, though.

I cannot think of a econobox that excudes masculinity, but who gives a shit? People who put that as a main priority are simply displaying through words their EXTREMELY small penises.

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: dandragonrage
Neither car is exactly manly, though Corolla is indeed worse in that respect. I fail to see why the OP doesn't consider other cars like a Malibu, though.

Who gives a fuck? It's a commuter car!

Exactly.

Oh, I drive an '07 Toyota Yaris hatchback. I don't have kids so a two door is fine for me. I really like the 40 to 45mpg I get with it in city driving (drive at speed limit and coast whenever I can) and I didn't have to break the bank to get one.

I haven't measured yet how much I get on the highway. I don't drive on the highway often / long enough.

Resale value on it has gone up as well.

 

[thomsbrain]

If all I wanted was basic transportation, I'd look at a base-model Corolla, which can be had for under $15,000 from some dealers. The new redesign is still being out-sold by the Civic and dealers are already marking them down after only a few months on the lot. Getting it real cheap is pretty much the only Corolla advantage.

But I think if I wanted to spend the money for a tricked-out model like the ones the OP is looking at, I could never justify that much money on the Corolla and would have to have the Civic.

 

[BrianH1]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
If all I wanted was basic transportation, I'd look at a base-model Corolla, which can be had for under $15,000 from some dealers. The new redesign is still being out-sold by the Civic and dealers are already marking them down after only a few months on the lot. Getting it real cheap is pretty much the only Corolla advantage.

But I think if I wanted to spend the money for a tricked-out model like the ones the OP is looking at, I could never justify that much money on the Corolla and would have to have the Civic.

Good luck finding a Corolla for less than $18k around here. When I went looking for a new car a month or two ago, every Civic and Corolla was hovering around the $20k price. I went with the Prius at $24k. 4,000 dollars is not that big of a difference considering the better gas mileage and features.

 

[marincounty]

When my mom bought a new car a couple of years ago we test drove the civic and the corolla. The corolla had more comfortable rear seats, so that made the difference for us.
They are both good cars, I suggest you test drive them and see what you think.

 

[ballmode]

civic

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: BrianH1

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
If all I wanted was basic transportation, I'd look at a base-model Corolla, which can be had for under $15,000 from some dealers. The new redesign is still being out-sold by the Civic and dealers are already marking them down after only a few months on the lot. Getting it real cheap is pretty much the only Corolla advantage.

But I think if I wanted to spend the money for a tricked-out model like the ones the OP is looking at, I could never justify that much money on the Corolla and would have to have the Civic.

Good luck finding a Corolla for less than $18k around here. When I went looking for a new car a month or two ago, every Civic and Corolla was hovering around the $20k price. I went with the Prius at $24k. 4,000 dollars is not that big of a difference considering the better gas mileage and features.

You can get a Prius for $21K here. I guess not everything is more expensive in California after all.

 

[IronWing]

Yesterday I test drove a Yaris and 2009 Corolla LE.

The Yaris didn't do anything for me. The engine idled rough and sounded like it was two quarts low under hard acceleration (not acceleration really as stomping on the gas yielded awful noises with no comparable increase in speed). The rear view is worse than the FJ I've been driving. The A pillars are distracting and the speedo is way over there. Overall the car struck me as being cheap for the money ($16,995 sticker). Who ever designed the cup holders has never been to a Circle K or 7-11.

The Corolla ($18,550 sticker) was okay, not particularly interesting but about what I expected in a Corolla. Road noise was considerably less than the Yaris. The engine smooth and steady. Vision was good. The seats were comfortable for me but my wife didn't like them. The back seats didn't have much knee room with the front seat backs being fairly thick to hold the airbags. Cup holders again too small.

The Honda dealer called to say they have a Fit in stock so I'll see if I can test drive that and a Civic EX tomorrow.

 

[dug777]

Why the irrational dislike of hatchbacks?

They're infinitely more practical; you usually get more storage space, the back seats usually have more headroom, you can transport much bulkier objects, and they're usually easier to load more generally...

Especially in small cars, those things all mean a lot...to me at least

 

[dug777]

Do they sell the Mazda2 there? I've read some great reviews here, and it looks sharp.

 

[Shortcut]

Originally posted by: dug777
Why the irrational dislike of hatchbacks?

They're infinitely more practical; you usually get more storage space, the back seats usually have more headroom, you can transport much bulkier objects, and they're usually easier to load more generally...

Especially in small cars, those things all mean a lot...to me at least

I'd love for Honda to offer Civic and Accord wagons. The Fit is nice, but smaller than what I'd want.

The Matrix and Mazda 3s would be OK...if they didn't look like the prize from 2gr1cp.