Time to replace my Corolla, what should I get?

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: lovcom
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: XCELERATIONRULES
It looks like they are close in price,but once you add options the cars are $3000-$4000 apart.
I cannot afford a $400 car payment,and the price difference keeps me within my budget.
I don't enjoy the $16,000 sticker,but most used vehicles I looked at were $13,000+ with 40-50k miles.


Yeah, but I think MOST people look at it the way I do, why buy an optioned out Yaris or Fit when you could get a moderately optioned Corolla or Civic for the same, or almost the same price?


Not in the Milky Way...on any planet there, a Yaris sells for thousands less then a Corolla...you make it sound as though they're very close in price...they are not....you can get a fairly good equiped Yaris for $12,800 out the door...far less then a same-equiped Corolla...


I don't know at which dealerships you're seeing these prices, but the only Yaris' I've seen that even come close to that price are the bare-bone base models which have no options.

 

[grampi]

Saturn Fan

You are right, looks are totally subjective. I happen to think the new Civics look leaps and bounds better than any of the Corollas, inside and out. The '03-'08 Corolla is pudgy looking, and for a complete redesign, the '09 model sure looks a lot like the '03-'08 models. But we are talking about economy cars here and I doubt many of these cars sell mainly because of their looks. They sell because they're well built, they're reliable, and they're good on gas.

Of the cars I'm considering so far (the Yaris, Fit, Civic, and Corolla), here are my conclusions.

I love the look and the utility of the Yaris liftback. Comfortable interior (it's much roomier than it looks from the outside). The major drawback of the Yaris is there is really no middle of the road trim levels for this car. Your only choices are either the bare-bones base model (which comes with basically a steering wheel and seat belts), or the optioned out "S" model which is way too expensive. Toyota does offer option packages for the Yaris, but by the time you add enough of them to make it a decently equipped car, it's also too expensive. Fuel economy and reliability I'm sure would be top notch as you'd expect from a Toyota.

The Fit is a bit of an anomaly to me. The base model is better equipped than the Yaris base model, but it feels underpowered compared to the Yaris. Supposedly the '09 model has addressed that issue with a more powerful engine, but I haven't driven one yet. The price has also gone up on a car that was already more expensive than the Yaris. I've been told the top of the line Fit is priced $1K more than the most expensive Yaris.

What more can I say about the Civic. Some aren't as crazy about this car as I am, but I think Honda did their homework on this project and they hit a home run! However, I think the reason I probably won't end up with a Civic is the same reason I haven't bought a Honda in many years now. PRICE! For some reason Honda has let their reputation go to their heads (so has Toyota, but not to the extent Honda has) and it has affected the pricing of all of their vehicles. ALL Hondas are overpriced, including when buying them used. Because of this, Hondas have lost some of their value. I wish Honda would go back to doing what got them where they are today. Building well built, reliable vehicles AND selling them at reasonable prices.

For me, what it comes down to is value, and I still think the Corolla is the hands down winner in this catagory. While it may not be the nicest looking compact car, it's well built, comfortable, reliable, gets excellent fuel economy, and will last 200K-300K with minimal maintenance. It can be had for usually $1k-$2K less than a comparably equipped Civic, and it's a nicer and more comfortable car than either the Fit or the Yaris. I will probably end up buying an '03-'08 model.

Of course, all of this is subject to change as I continue to test drive other cars, but right now, that's how it sits.