Question for Any '09 Corolla or Civic Owners

[Pat in Speedway]

Hi all! My wife's got an itch to get a new Corolla. I told her to do what we did five years ago and compare both the Corolla and Civic (NOTE: Those are the two models we're going to pick from).

Any of you out there have either an '09 Corolla or Civic? Looking for your experiences with either thus far. Also looking for any known red flags to look out for or just general opinions on either one. Thanks in advance!

 

[rjundi]

I have driven both as rentals (09 Corolla & 08 Civic). They are a bit different.

The one she likes better is the best car.

 

[Cutehumor]

Big 3 could appreciate a purchase. oops!

 

[fillitup]

my wife has a 2009 toyota corolla she likes it but finds backing up visablity not very good.the interior plastic stratches very easy around the ignition and any of the flat black plastic.i believe the seats are more comfy than civic i was in the back seat of the new civic when my wife test drove it.the back seat was like seating on a rock.sofar no problems with the car aslo do not have to adjust valves i not sure about honda if there is valve adjustment.another thing about toyota in canada you can change your own oil and you wont void the warranty just keep the receipts.honda will not let you do that you will void the warranty.i had new gm ,ford dodge no problem can do your own oil change wont void warrt but honda no way.

 

[rationull]

I've got an 07 Civic coupe. Same car except I assume you're talking about a 4 door AT, while mine is a 2 door MT. But in case it helps, I wrote up some impressions back in August here.

 

[Sparkland]

I have driven both cars but in the 2009 Corolla and the 2008 Civic. We ended up buying the Civic.

If you want some opinions read this link and switch over to the Civic forum.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/...a&model=Corolla

The biggest difference is probably getting used to the steering on the Corolla. They call it steer-by-wire and it takes a little practice. Another thing is that it seems rather unstable when passing semis.

One last point about the Corolla is that some have complained about the paint quality.

As far as the Civic, some complain about tire wear.

I agree that ultimately it is whatever your wife likes, as she will be driving it. My wife just preferred the Civic.

They are both top notch vehicles and you should get good service out of either.

Happy shopping,

Brad

 

[Bulli]

bought a civic. its a 07 but almost the same aside from a new front end.

The civic looks more modern and cleaner both inside and out.
the corollas interior looked over sized and just not good.

some civic's have some kind of issue with the blocks cracking due to weak casting so look into that haha

 

[ravenchris]

Pat, check prices at Fitzway see stock #049386.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

My aunt got a 09 Corolla. It meets her needs. I drove it a couple times and I think it can be better. Interior materials feel cheap, but the fit is really good. It's kind of tall for a compact. I didn't like the seats. I feel cramped sitting in the front even with the seat all the way back. In my 04 Civic I actually felt that I had a lot of room for its size.

The Civic just looks more modern or even futuristic. Maybe I'm just biased though. And I think Honda used higher quality materials or maybe they just made the materials look higher quality. Granted I've only rode in an 8th gen once.

If you haven't looked at it, I think the Mazda 3 is a good compromise between the two.

 

[1999nick]

Originally Posted By: fillitup
my wife has a 2009 toyota corolla she likes it but finds backing up visablity not very good.the interior plastic stratches very easy around the ignition and any of the flat black plastic.i believe the seats are more comfy than civic i was in the back seat of the new civic when my wife test drove it.the back seat was like seating on a rock.sofar no problems with the car aslo do not have to adjust valves i not sure about honda if there is valve adjustment.another thing about toyota in canada you can change your own oil and you wont void the warranty just keep the receipts.honda will not let you do that you will void the warranty.i had new gm ,ford dodge no problem can do your own oil change wont void warrt but honda no way.


This Honda oil change requirement must be something that is allowed in Canada. In the US, such a requirement would mean that the oil change has to be free.

 

[mstrjon32]

I wouldn't buy either car since they're both overpriced and overrated, but if you had to have one of the two, the Civic is much, much nicer than the Corolla.

A friend had a rental '09 Corolla with under 5,000 miles and it was a PIECE. Cheaply made, noisy, horrible engine, ugly, etc. It had panel gaps that made early 90's GM cars look like they were carefully built by hand. The only thing it had going for it was that it probably got decent fuel economy, but who really knows.

The Civic is a much nicer car overall. I maintain that the only reason to buy a Toyota is because you've been brainwashed.

 

[dishdude]

I think the interior on the Corolla is very cheap and plasticy. The climate control knobs are terrible to operate, they are tough to turn and are actually a mechanical connection opening and closing the vent doors. I really think it is overpriced.

The civic has a much better interior materials, but I don't like the spaceship design.

 

[mstrjon32]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
I think the interior on the Corolla is very cheap and plasticy. The climate control knobs are terrible to operate, they are tough to turn and are actually a mechanical connection opening and closing the vent doors. I really think it is overpriced.


I had a Nissan Versa rental that had a mechanical connection between the controls and the mixer doors/whatever else. I guess it's one less thing to break, but man did it feel horrible to operate.

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
I wouldn't buy either car since they're both overpriced and overrated


What would you buy instead?

 

[smokey1]

have you driven a '09 YARIS ? Some states have a $1,500 rebate ( your area may have this , if not , PENNSYLVANIA does ) . You can usually get a dealer discount of $500 > $1,000 as well . They now have SIDE / CURTAIN AIR BAGS and Anti Lock Brakes standard . You may want to wait for newer models by TOYOTA and other manufactures due this spring . GOOD LUCK

 

[smokey1]

$650 for IN. , but should be able to get dealer discount of around $1,100 ( possibly $1,200 ) along with the TOYO rebate . Will have to pull some teeth tho . ;- ) . Happy car hunting .

 

[Mr Nice]

I like both cars (drive a 2007 Civic EX, 5 speed) but its hard to say without her driving both cars. Maybe you can rent each car for the day to see how she really likes/dislikes each car.

I just hit 60K miles on my Civic and its been very reliable, smooth and quiet. Its cheap on gas, insurance, maintenance and no longer any timing belts to replace. I even had it up to 117 miles per hour and I was surprised at just how smooth the car drives at that speed. The only thing I don't like is that the seats could be a little softer.

BTW, did the body shop not do a good job repairing her Corolla after the accident ?

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I think the interior on the Corolla is very cheap and plasticy. The climate control knobs are terrible to operate, they are tough to turn and are actually a mechanical connection opening and closing the vent doors. I really think it is overpriced.


I had a Nissan Versa rental that had a mechanical connection between the controls and the mixer doors/whatever else. I guess it's one less thing to break, but man did it feel horrible to operate.

Sometimes the mechanisms do break, and a lot of work goes into replacing them.

At least the parts cost much less...

 

[addyguy]

Cobalts are great compact cars. They are worth a look...

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Cobalts are great compact cars. They are worth a look...


I had a 2005 Cobalt I really enjoyed. Never had any problems with it and it has that great cartridge oil filter, ecotec engine and bulletproof automatic tranny. Rode nice, quiet inside, handled decent, good power, no timing belt to worry about.

BUT - The back seat was a little small, and I didn't like the armrest and rear part of the center console.

Mazda 3 is also very nice.