Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

Hey Guys-

Using my parents lovely van as a commuting car, though its getting close to 180,000 miles and probably could go at any moment. I'm looking at spending $6-10k on a commuting car and would like to get something like 4 years/100,000 miles out of it. Just curious if anyone has a Toyota Corolla (looking probably at model years 05,06,07). From the little I know about them, they seem to be steady, though not flashy cars. My Nissan Murano gets about 23-24 MPG... so getting 30-32+ would be gravy. Basically i'm looking to keep the miles off my Murano and improve my fuel efficiency a bit.

 

Honda Civic i'm pretty familiar with, though its seems that a similar car/miles/year Civic is priced somewhat higher than a Corolla. Would appreciate any feedback you'd have on the Corolla or if anyone would have another model that they'd recommend:

 

Looking for #1 reliable, #2 MPG, #3 price $6-10k (3-5 years old)

[greeg35]

I have an '07 Corolla CE stick and love it. No troubles at all and I get 36-40mpg regularly driving more city than highway.

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

Did you buy it new Greg? What does something like that run brand new? I'd like A/C, power locks/windows, CD player etc... but cloth interior, no sunroof, no power seats etc...

[greeg35]

I got the basic basic model new in November '06 for $12,700. It has AC, cd player, and a thermometer; but that's about it. Most people who ride in it are surprised they still make a non-power window/lock model http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[hawing]

My first car was a 1990 Corolla. I bought it new because I had just moved to a new city and to take a used car to a mechanic I trusted would have required driving it across the state. I had it until 1998 and can literally count on one hand the few problems I had with it.

"Steady but not flashy" is an apt description, which made it a very good car match for me.

[Teatoe993]

Civic has a slight edge but you really can't go wrong with either car.

[chadomac]

I agree, I've had a Corolla in the past and drive a Civic now. They're both very reliable cars.

[wallus]

I wouldn't touch a Toyota with their problems. Go with the Civic if you have to only look at those two.

[Invader3K]

I wouldn't touch a Toyota with their problems. Go with the Civic if you have to only look at those two.

Not to go off on a big tangent, but it sounds like Toyota's "problems" have been really overblown.

[greeg35]

I was trying to think of a non-big tangent way of saying the same thing. Put simply, many car companies have had many issues, and there are many Toyota models that were not in the recall. Mine was not on the recall list and I have had zero problems with it.

[Gobias Industries]

I wouldn't touch a Toyota with their problems. Go with the Civic if you have to only look at those two.

Not to go off on a big tangent, but it sounds like Toyota's "problems" have been really overblown.

That's what I've heard too. Driver error was cited in every incident that they've investigated so far. Don't let that influence your decision.

 

As for the original question, I guess it depends if your spending the 6K or 10k. If your spending 6, you'll probably be getting something in the 2001 - 2002 range. The Corollas from that period are prone to start burning oil before the even hit 100,000 miles (Same for its twin, Chevy Prism). Go with a Civic if your looking at those type of models. The 2003-2007 body style Corollas do not burn oil. You should be fine with one of those.

 

If your spending close to your max price, I don't think there's a wrong answer. Civic seems a little bit more modern to me, so that's what I'd personally go with.

 

A lot of CE or LE pkg Corollas and DX or LX Civics don't come with ABS. That's pretty crucial for midwest winters.

[Diskono]

One other thing to consider - will the gas savings over four years even add up to 6-10k? Going from 23 -> 32 mpg, and driving 25k miles a year, would save just over $3k over those four years at current gas prices. Of course, you have to consider the increased depreciation on the Nissan with the added mileage, but I suspect that it would end up pretty close either way. Add in maintenance/repairs, registration, etc. of the second car, and it could end up costing more.

[Buckylovesbeer]

I love my 09 Corolla. Never have had a problem. This is a great topic, because it was these two models that I chose from. I think both cars are great.

[wallus]

I wouldn't touch a Toyota with their problems. Go with the Civic if you have to only look at those two.

Not to go off on a big tangent, but it sounds like Toyota's "problems" have been really overblown.

Based on what Toyota said? There have been many many recalls and quite a bit of evidence to say it was under-blown if anything.

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

I look at it this way... despite having two cars on my insurance. The Nissan was $35k new. Say I get 200,000 miles out of it, that is 17.5 cents per mile. If I spend $6-10k on the car and can get 100,000 miles out of it, that is 6.0 to 10.0 cents per mile. Assuming maintenance costs, tire costs are equal. I've calculated I spend $13.4 cents per mile on gas (Premium at 2.95 for 22 mpg). If I can get 32 miles per gallon on unleaded (2.59) that is $8.1 cents per mile... so now I'm looking at the difference betwen 30.9 cents per mile for my Murano (Gas/Depreciation). With a $6-10k more fuel efficient car i'm looking at 14.1 to 18.1 cents per mile.

 

Assume 4 years and 100,000 commuting miles. That is $14,100 to $18,100 for the fuel efficient car. Figure $30,900 for the Murano. Say I pay $600/year for the additional car insurance ($2400), and I can still save significant dollars.

 

The question becomes "why keep the Murano?" I love the car, and love taking my boat out in the Summer. I'd really like to get 12-15 years out of my Murano. I hope that if I take good care of it, I can make it last awhile. With a commuting car, I doubt I'd put more than 5,000 -10,000 miles a year on the Murano and figure I should be able to easily get 12-15 years out of it at that pace.

[mothershipconnection]

I had a '91 Corolla/Prizm and that thing was fantastic. I ran it to about 100k and only had an $89 cracked exhaust manifold before some schmuck in a van ran a stop sign and tore the front end off.

 

Hondas, IMO, are not worth what you pay for them used. Sure, they may run for a long time, but why not buy a new one under warranty? We looked for Civics in vain when my wife wanted one a couple years ago, and a 2 year-old model with 60K was almost the price of a new one. What kind of idiot pays that? Honda fanboys can go on about how wonderful they are, but belts, hoses, tires, exhaust components, batteries, power window assemblies, break pads, etc will go out under the best of conditions, and under the worst of conditions, the car was owned by a dork who didn't change the oil. That's why I won't buy a used car without a significant markdown.

[BREWCREW5]

Based on what Toyota said? There have been many many recalls and quite a bit of evidence to say it was under-blown if anything.

Oh boy.

[Invader3K]

Based on what Toyota said? There have been many many recalls and quite a bit of evidence to say it was under-blown if anything.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/unintended-acceleration-in-toyotas-the-ghost-in-the-data/

[wallus]

Based on what Toyota said? There have been many many recalls and quite a bit of evidence to say it was under-blown if anything.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/unintended-acceleration-in-toyotas-the-ghost-in-the-data/

Sending me to TTAC is like me sending you to ESPN for sports intelligence.

 

I do not have to look hard to find recalls/articles begging to differ.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100824/ts_nm/us_toyota_stalling ( found this one today)

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...ue.kare?hpt=T2

http://autos.aol.com/article/toyota-problems/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/22/toyota.throttle.warning/index.html?hpt=T2

 

There are many more out there but I would hope you get the point after seeing that. If this was GM, Chrysler, or Ford that had these recalls, people would be going crazy. I never understood why that is the case. I am sure a lot of you have had positive experiences with your Toyotas and that is fine. But to ignore the truth is kind of shocking to me.

[lodiness]

You really can't go wrong with either one. For what it's worth, I sell used cars, and I would take either one, depends on what you like. In my opinion, it is what you want for styling, also for some reason for what I've come accross, a decent Honda is a bit harder to come by at a good price than a Toyota. To me the recall thing is way overblown. I'm not going to rag on Foreign or Domestic Autos, every company has there problems. You'll get around 36mpg highway with either one. Price wise, your probably in the ballpark of one that is 3-5 years old. If it helps you out at all, I have a 2010 on the lot now for $14,295 with 27,000 miles on it. Just a little something that you can compare numbers too.

[SquirrelMaster]

It truly is a shame Saturn no longer makes the S-series. I would've taken one of them in a heartbeat over a Civic or Corolla.

[lodiness]

I wouldn't be scared about buying a Saturn either. Federal Law states that they have to make parts for 10 years after the last model year.