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Comments
It all depends on what is being done ot the car. I hope you didn't just ask them :how much for the 30,000 mile maintenance?" Many dealerships add items to the schedule maintenance that is not necessary. follow the manual as to what is needed. List them and ask the service manager how much is it to do these items? This way you get done exactly what needs to be done.
Also, what type of "trouble" did your friend have with his Civic at 5 years? About the 5 year mark is when you have to start replacing items such as battery, alternator, timing belt, etc. Most of these items are not covered by any warranty as they are wear and tear items. If you do get a warranty, check how the warranty work is paid for; make sure where you get the car serviced will except it; and check what exactly is covered by the warranty. You should have to pay more then $800 for the warranty. Any more, it's a waste of money.
About new Corolla: It has a solid rear beam(NON independant) suspension, the same old classic 'Toyota' numb/overboosted steering (from the reviews) VERY ackward styling on 'S' Trim. The styling is a bit odd with the increased height & Toyota is expecting to sale 220,000 a year. I guess Civic taregt is 340+ with SI joining soon.
By the way, does anyone know at what point the VTEC for the EX switches cams? There was a rumor at 2k1civic.com that the VTEC in the 01/02s was a 3-stage VTEC, but I think it's just a 2-stage like the previous generation's...
re: Corolla -- has anyone been able to configure the LE to get sunroof, side airbags and ABS all at once (a la the Civic EX)? If they can get all of that into a car with an MSRP around $17k, they'll probably be able to steal a good amount of sales from the Civic EX, no matter how it looks.
Will be interesting to see if the Corolla will challange the Focus and Golf as the worlds best selling car.
Corolla Production: The 2000 and 2001 Corolla sold about 240,000 units each year. Because of the Matrix/Vibe sharing assembly line time with Corolla at Fremont and Cambridge plants, it may be hard for Toyota to increase Corolla production beyond 250,000 units unless they increase capacity somehow and somewhere.
cwliang: MSRP for Civic EX with side AB - $17700
MSRP for comparably equipped Corolla LE with side AB: $16855. Of course the Corolla is currently going for much closer to MSRP as cars trickle into dealers.
dtownfb & sobers: Please list the "lukewarm" reviews on the 2003 Corolla. Thecarconnections.com and Car and Driver's preview are the only ones I've seem. Consumer Guide at the news-stand is the other review though it was obvious they drove a preproduction model.
BTW I am still a Civic ('89 with 217000 miles) owner until my Corolla S 5 spd comes in within a week or so.
(Toyota also has a funny thing about tires, I guess all the cars at the same trim level do not have the same tires ? I have seen same model year & trim Camrys with Michellins & Dunlops ??)
Basically Toyota is not tryong to attract younger buyers with the Corolla....They are going to bait on the new Matrix & the new devision for that. (Don't know hows that going to work)
Honda has developed more Brand Loyalty in USA than anywhere on the World !! Not even in Japan can surpass this Brand Equity!
I can't wait for the Model-X & Pilot SUV to arrive. Arrival of Pilot & the new 2002 CR-V might put more used CR-Vs in the market & make them more affordable. Right now, used CR-V cost more than the Diamonds!!
Yes, price is an issue but it is offset with the greater resale with the Civic. Corollas depreciate more than Civic in the first 3 years due to a LOT of fleet sales. (10-12%)
Thats the reason Celica has enjoyed a VERY strong resale (no fleet sales) even though it had NO SPORT factor to it in the pre 2000 models !! FLeet/Rental sales just KILL the resale in first few years !!
Note that these are hatchback comparisons, but I think most of the criticisms can also be applied to the sedan versions (don't know if the Peugeot comes in sedan form).
Am I missing something in this story ? :-))
A Civic EX, Options: auto, Side Airbags stickers at $18,500 and sells for $16,944.
A Corolla LE, Options: Auto, ABS, Side Airbags, Cruise Control, All Weather Guard Pkg, Pwr. Moonroof, 6 speaker CD/Cass/AM-FM and 5pc Floor Mats/Trunk Mats, and 15 inch Alloy Wheels has an MSRP of $18,356 and sells for $17,266.
So for the $300 extra bucks, you're getting a couple more speakers, the All Weather Guard pkg, and the much better looking Alloy Wheels. Yea, they are extras, but to me, the Corolla looks like a better deal. Plus, Toyota's warranty is better.
I think Honda should have done more than remove the hump from the rear floor if they planned to keep the Civic at the same level of competitiveness as former generations. IMO, the Focus and Protege are better cars, just not reliable enough. As such, I think this upgraded Corolla should have Honda worried... No doubt, if historic traits continue, the Civic is most likely the more agile and better handling of the two, but the new Corolla's interior is very classy, with a more up market look. And the exterior.. while tall, isnt as boring and evolutionary as the Civic, which looks to me too much like the 1994 version I owned. Finally, the Corolla's engine has been retuned to provide better torque characteristics, which should make a difference in everyday driving (although I have not driven one yet). The Civic EX's VTEC is fun, but sometimes its a pain to have to rev to get good grunt.
Just my .02, considering this has been a hot topic around here lately.
~Alpha
You think it's just fine to pay a measly 200.00 over invoice for a Civic yet you think the mats and mud guards still ought to be thrown in for that price?
What am I missing?
I have seen dealers charging $150 for mats (includes 50 for installation???) & more than that for the gaurds!! What about that ? Can't they just add that in the invoice ?
Persoanlly I would pay $100 MORE for better dealership & ownership experience. (which I did, I paid $200 more as I like the 'no-games' approach of our dealer.
Isell, It is just supply & demand. They are charging MSRp + for the Odysseys!! There are n number of Civics seating on the lot!
The buyers will be scoped out and the sales person determines how informed the customer is going to be and how much $ they can get above fair market price. All of us Edmunds educated car buyers will definitely fall under the informed category, A.K.A. "cheap skates." So if anyone wants to haggle the price of a Civic to $200 over invoice and still want car mats thrown in for free; go for it!
The Corolla is not going take many sales from the Civic. Considering none of us has actually driven a 2003, we can only base our opinions on what is written. Based on what i've read, the Civic doesn't have to worry about the Corolla. The Vibe/Matrix could be another story. The competition for the Civic is the Focus and Elantra. Focus because it's the only car in the class that can match the Civic for interior space AND offer a better ride and handling but it's reliability (or perceived reliability) keeps it from selling more. The Elantra is about equal to the Civic in ride and handling but I found I had more room in the Civic and let's not talk about reliability. No other car in the class can beat the Civic on all four fronts (interior, ride, handling and reliability). Having test driven the Elantra and Civic back to back, the only reason I can see buying the Elantra is the price and the warranty. Not a bad car at all but the Civic was better.
There was an annoying rattle coming out of the rear deck that I recently fixed. Apparently, the plastic covering of the rear deck light flexes according to the temperature, and in that position it is affected by sunlight! So when I would start driving after being parked at night in a dark garage, I would hear a periodic clicking (not associated with movement) from the rear deck, especially if I was driving on a sunny day. You can fix this by going into the trunk, and using some foam to plug some of the openings where the metal meets the plastic. Solved that problem, but now I have buzzing from the glovebox and an intermittent clicking from the dashboard...
I have to agree that the Corolla's ('01) steering really turned me off to the car. I only wish that Toyota would improve the feel of its steering because they make the rest of the car so solidly. I've driven the Focus, Civic, Corolla, and a 318i, and of those I'd rank the Ford, Honda, and BMW pretty close (not necessarily in that order; there was a lot of time in between each car and so I can't directly compare them). What'd I'd really like is steering that's as accurate as the Civic (my current car), maybe a little more so on dead-center, with a little more heft like the Focus and the BMW have. A little less body lean in the corners would be nice too I think. The Civic definitely is willing and capable to take the twisties, but I do feel a bit less confident in the car than I did in the Focus or the BMW (or the Accord, for that matter). I didn't even consider purchasing a Focus because of Ford's current problems...
~alpha
Hope to hear from you before Feb 22 via the Talk to the Press discussion or at jfallon@edmunds.com with your thoughts and contact information.
Thanks as always,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director, Edmunds.com
ong2000@yahoo.com
Bloke - yeah, I've had my '02 EX sedan for 2 months and I've spent most of the time fixing rattles
Thanks!