Corolla vs. Civic

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These debates are always fun.
I for one could not be paid to drive a Corolla, it is an abysmal car, and unless Toyota removes their head from their rears one of these years it will continue to be.

The Civic is actually very nice and very well made. All you have to do is sit in one, and its obvious. As long as your eyes and hands are working you can see the Civic is the nicer car, its not even close.

I do own a Honda, but I am not brand biased, I just like what is good, and in this case, it is not Toyota. It would have been in the past, for sure.

That being said, this class is loaded with great competition, I would not stop your search at only these 2 cars...
 
The Civic is probably going to be more of a driver's car when compared to the Corolla. I haven't driven the current Civic, but the last couple of generations I have driven have been a little more sporty than a Corolla.

I've driven a couple of 2013 Corollas and did not like them very much. Interior quality really wasn't that great for such a new car. The DBW throttle and EPS were very robotic and numb feeling. It was like driving in an arcade game. I sometimes drive a 2012 Colorado also with DBW and EPS, and while it's not great either, it's better than the Corolla. A good test drive with some city and interstate driving will give your brother the best idea of which car he wants to live with everyday.

I would also second the suggestion to look at the Mazda 3, but the issue there is the dealer network. It's pretty inconsistent and varied. Many Mazda dealers push used cars more than they do Mazdas. The service departments can be pretty bad as well, which is less of a concern if your brother has a good indy shop or can do maintenance himself. If he likes having a good dealer service department close by though, Mazda may not be the brand for him. Some of the dealers are good, but many are fly by night hack jobs. My mom loves her Mazda 3, but will not buy another one because the dealer's service department has been so bad. The two times they touched the car, they screwed up. Once was an oil change (left oil cap off), once was a power steering recall. The next closest dealer was almost an hour away. My sister also loves her 3, but the dealer folded shortly after she bought the car, and the next closest one is about two hours away from her.
 
Lets see, my "best man" drove accords and civics ('88-'03). His most recent purchase: Mazda3.

The civic is not what the Civic used to be. If anything, they tried to make it like the Corolla. The Corolla is EXACTLY what it used to be, just different sheet-metal and plastic bits. Toyota took the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" literally and seems to have been doing so since 1998. It is a boring car but it does not break, or change. I have a MR2 and that 1.8 1ZZ engine is a good one. Oh, and the Si has gotten as fat, bloated as Elvis... aka a late '80 300ZX. The Fit is better than the Civic at being what the Civic used to be. Really, in the econo-car category, I think the 3 great options are: Fit (Japan built, no the upcoming cost-cutting Mexico version), Mazda3 & Impreza. Both Corolla and Civic are strong but are they as good folks think? No.
 
Originally Posted By: rwallac2
GMBoy, I take offense to your comment!
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I love my Civic Coupe. It's fairly sporty looking, has a pretty nice interior and I love the backup cam and bluetooth capability. Those Cruze's are pretty sharp, but my family has a (probably unfair) bias against Fords and GM's.


Hey no problem, I can respect that. It's not like I am not biased too, LOL!! Good luck with whatever choice you make.
 
In addition to all of the stuff mentioned earlier comparing L to LX, the Civic also has better fuel efficiency, remote keyless entry, and cruise control. And don't forget that crash test, there's no excuse for Toyota to produce something like that as a new '14 model.

If he's looking for an alternative and can shake the bias, one could argue that a Focus, as long as it has the 5MT, is among the best compact cars on the market, too.
 
If the corolla is CVT only, I'd pick the civic. Belt type CVT is not going to be more reliable than even a Honda 4 cylinder automatic (which is actually quite reliable in civic size car and engine).
 
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
If the corolla is CVT only, I'd pick the civic. Belt type CVT is not going to be more reliable than even a Honda 4 cylinder automatic (which is actually quite reliable in civic size car and engine).


The Corolla LE and up models have the CVT. But the base L model comes with the trusty 4 speed auto.
 
Originally Posted By: SF0059
2014 Honda Odyssey EX-L/RES: 3K mi, FF & OEM filter
2000 Audi A6 2.8 Quattro: 60K mi, M1 0W-40, Bosch D+


Strictly judging by your sig, I say you're alright in my book!
 
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
...

There's a terrific Sales dept at the local Toyo dealer ...

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
... My mom loves her Mazda 3, but will not buy another one because the dealer's service department has been so bad. ...

Why, oh why don't dealers and auto manufacturers take this more seriously? Both sales and service experience are important to customers!

As others have written above, if you like driving I think the Mazda3 is an easy winner. But what about your Mazda dealer? My impression of the local Mazda dealer is that of a money laundering operation.
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