Honda Civic vs. Toyota Corolla

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Comments

  • ctalkctalk Member Posts: 646
    Oh, I just noticed I was looking at the North American built vehicles. :P (Bottom of the list)
  • tnltnltnltnl Member Posts: 9
    I've been looking at both these cars and can't seem to decide between the two. Anyone else already made the decision, if so would you say why you picked one over the other.
    I see in some past posts there were some older model comparisons.
    thanks
  • blaneblane Member Posts: 2,017
    You are posting in a forum that has not been active since March 4, 2006.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    And that's fine. It's time for it to wake up! :)

    Do you have any feedback for tnltnl on the cars?
  • pham0167pham0167 Member Posts: 48
    Not exactly the same, but I looked at Civic LX vs. Corolla S. I ended up picking the Civic LX. Personally, I felt that the Civic has a better/quieter engine with good smooth acceleration. Test drove on bumpy road was quieter on the civic than the corolla. It felt like the Corolla was working too hard when trying to get on the highway. Comparing just horse power alone, i think the civic is 140 hp and the Corolla is 129hp.

    For about $2000-$3000 more to get the Civic, you also get ABS and side air bags that aren't standard on the Corollas. This results in better safety, and cheaper auto insurance especially considering the Corollas received a poor rating on side crash tests on models without side air bags. I can't say much about the interior, but the civic has telescoping steering wheels while the corolla receives poor feedback with steering wheel comfortable position. The sound system was too quiet on the Corolla in my opinion. They both have six speakers and comparable power in watts, the Civic has speed sensing volume control (meaning if you accelerate on the highway, the radio volume will adjust to the speed under the assumption that your car gets louder when on the highway). EX also comes with optional navigation system if that's something you want. Hope that helps!
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    We also tested both vehicles and settled on the Corolla S. My wife is getting 30 + mph all city driving. The ride and power is just fine for her needs. :)
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Drive them both. For me, the seating position in the Corolla is AWFUL (i'm well over 6') whereas the Civic was just fine. The Corolla's steering wheel seemed much too far away to me.

    Also, the Corolla engine, while adequate, seems a little buzzy compared to the smoother Civic. (My girlfriend has a 2004 Corolla that I end up driving regularly. Her Corolla has several rattles from all around the interior - including the sunroof, the dome light, wind noise entering around the passenger door).

    I'd wait and see the 2008 Corolla before I made a purchase. That way, you can either wait and get the new improved model, or get a screaming deal on the current (then outgoing) model.

    The Corolla leaves me tepid, while the Civic is a hot car for the money.
  • cubssoxscubssoxs Member Posts: 139
    You are right because you cannot really compare the 07 Corolla with the 07 Civic because the 07 Civic is the winner. Of course Toyota I have heard delayed the new Corolla till late 07. So wait till the new Corolla comes out because I bet the 08 Corolla will beat the current generation Civic.
  • electrobuzzelectrobuzz Member Posts: 47
    I dunno.. maybe my '06 LE Manual beat the '07 Civic...
    46 mpg - Telluride to Denver. 7 gallons, 322 miles. She conquered 3 passes at 11,000 feet like a champ-- with the Fugees final CD blaring all the way! ;)
  • coolm3coolm3 Member Posts: 2
    I`m sure you are right everyone now toyota is the first in the japanesse cars.So more people said honda have abs and others.My friend have a honda civic and when he push the brake u fell like the car is broke.I think the corolla beat the civic.So the corolla is the 2006 model and the civic is the 2007.Just wait for 2007, and see the impresions. :P
  • coolm3coolm3 Member Posts: 2
    yep you are right my parents had a corolla and now the 2007 camry xle that car didn`t make any problems with engine like others people say.everyone now toyota is the best company.when i try the camry 2007 i saw have a cool acceleration the interior is big and no problems.
    LIKE YOU>>>>NEVER GO WRONG WITTH A TOYOTA>>ANY KIND
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    everyone now toyota is the best company.when i try the camry 2007 i saw have a cool acceleration the interior is big and no problems.

    So more people said honda have abs and others.My friend have a honda civic and when he push the brake u fell like the car is broke

    A little help here?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    He is saying he ("everyone") thinks ("now" as in "know") Toyota is the best company, he likes the acceleration of the 07 Camry, the interior is big and he has/sees no problems with it.

    He says Hondas have ABS (not entirely sure of the rest of this sentence). His friend has a Civic and he doesn't like how the brakes work/feel.

    It would appear that English is not his first language, but he did get his message across.

    Welcome, coolm3 - if I misspoke for you, I'm sorry. :)
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Ah... It doesn't help that I read all this after studying for my Literature exam for a few hours. My apologies; I was used to reading Victorian english and didn't make the changeover very well. After re-reading the post this morning, I get it. Some things just weren't clicking in my tired brain last night.

    Wish me luck on the test :-)

    Hope everyone has a great day.
    thegrad
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    After having owned two Camrys & two Corollas, I can honestly say they were all just...appliances. Had mucho problems with both the '93 & '96 Camrys and under EPA mpg's on the Corollas. I figured I'd give Toyota another shot this past June with the '06 Corolla. Did a back to back comparo with the '06 Civic and couldn't believe the difference in these cars. Bought the Civic and never looked back. Also had the opportunity to rent a '07 Corolla in August and this just confirmrd my decision. Both good cars, just in a different league. Sure hope Toyota finally gets it right with the pushed back '08 model.
    Reading many posts in this forum the last few days, I hope I don't get all the negative comments from other posters here. Read a bunch of posts with an attitude. Remember, our posts are just OPINIONS of our experiences. No need to flame what you disagree with!

    The Sandman :)
  • dkarschdkarsch Member Posts: 72
    It is hard to compare a newly redesigned car (06 civic) to the Corolla which is in its 5th year of its current design. If I had compared the two, I probably have come to the same conclusion. When I was looking I did price out the civic but cost was a major concern for me (college bills for kids :cry: ) and I could get a much better deal on the Corolla.

    I've only had the car for a few days but am happy with it. Would probably have been happy with the civic but my pocket would have been a little more empty!!
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    It is hard to compare a newly redesigned car (06 civic) to the Corolla which is in its 5th year of its current design.

    Yes, but like the brand new Camry vs. the 5 year old (2007) Accord, people still have to make that comparison. Lucky for the Accord, it doesn't seem that far behind to me, and the driving experience is still superior in the Hondas over the newer Toyotas.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I hear ya on the college costs, have a senior, junior & freshman in school right now. I would never have bought any car actually, but the '03 Sentra was having problems that the dealer couldn't get right after 7 attempts. The 3/36 basic warranty had just run out and with a small inheritance dropped in my lap, felt G-d had put all my ducks in a row, so I bought.
    I really wished that the '08 Corolla had been out in June so I could have done some back to back drives to help make a informed decision. Unfortunately, this didn't happen though the spy pic I saw of the Corolla looked nice, sort of a mini Camry. But never had owned a Honda product before, I am quite pleased with the Civic. Everything is where it needs to be and the power is more than enough for me. A win win as far as I'm concerned.

    The Sandman :)
  • quietspiritquietspirit Member Posts: 27
    Right now. The 2007's Hondas and Toyotas are kind of pricy to me. If I were to decide on a car built before the yea r 2000, let's say in 1998, or even older, 1993, which model would you think would still be running with the least amount of mechanical problems: a Honda or a Toyota? :confuse:
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I'd say its a crap shoot. Both Toyota and Honda were great, incredibly reliable vehicles in the 1990s too.

    I'm driving my 1996 Honda Accord that is closing in on 170,000 miles, and it has only cost me $620 in repairs ($300 for a main cooling fan motor at 131,000 miles, and $320 for a brake master cylinder at 155,000 miles). Still no problems from ANY engine components at all, and gives me 28 MPG in mixed driving. I drive it daily.
  • quietspiritquietspirit Member Posts: 27
    Thanks for the reply. A used Honda Accord will definitely be a car model I'll add to my list of cars to test drive before I decide to buy. :)
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I think you need to consider current realities here, not just what happened over ten years ago. The current reality with the Civic and Corolla is that the Civic was all-new last year and seems to be having some teething problems--check out the Civic problems discussions in Town Hall for details. The Corolla is a nearly five-year-old proven design, which is due for replacement in a year or two. If you are looking for what is most likely to be the most reliable car between the two of them, I think it's the Corolla.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    But I think he's shopping for old cars, which would make the current situation irrelevant.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Oh. Never mind!
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Hehe. I may be interpreting it wrong, but he mentioned busget constraints keeping him out of a new one.

    What you said is likely correct though, if he was looking at a new one. The long-established Corolla would be a safer bet than a first year model, although it seems the Civic is doing fairly well. Problem with getting a Corolla is falling asleep at the wheel... lol. They are nice little cars, but its like driving a yawn on wheels.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    True. With the Civic you have that big digital speedo glaring at you and the constant jolts from the firm suspension to keep you awake. ;)

    From all the problems being reported in Town Hall, I wonder whether the new Civic is doing fairly well. Hard to tell how many people are affected by those problems, however.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    True. With the Civic you have that big digital speedo glaring at you and the constant jolts from the firm suspension to keep you awake.

    From all the problems being reported in Town Hall, I wonder whether the new Civic is doing fairly well. Hard to tell how many people are affected by those problems, however.


    Right, I'm glad SOMEONE will admit it! Problems seem magnified on the boards (for all vehicles), because that's all the problems boards are for. Many other buyers are likely not experiencing these problems. I remember the new Camry that everyone thought was falling apart, when in reality, it was 160 vehicles out of hundreds of thousands.

    I happen to like the digital dash (I'm 19, so that may explain it for you), it was very easy to see without taking my eyes of the road for long. I don't remember the suspension being hard or soft, so I really can't comment on that. I HAVE logged a lot of miles in my (now ex-) girlfriend's Corolla. That thing had major rattle issues, and didn't fit anybody over 5'10" comfortably (i'm 6'4" for goodness sakes!). Not a bad car, but anything but overwhelmingly great.

    I'm off to church for the night, I'll check-in with everybody later!
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    The Corolla's driving position is really poor for lots of people, including me. I couldn't even consider buying one just because of that. Yet Toyota sells tons of them. I guess it proves that if a car is reliable and gets great fuel economy, it will be popular.

    Some of the Civic's problems as reported on Town Hall have generated TSBs or general actions by Honda, so they aren't localized to just a few people.
  • dkarschdkarsch Member Posts: 72
    Before I bought my Corolla I saw all the posts about poor driving position. I found that it didn't affect me at all. I'm just under 6' tall (used to be 6' but shrunk 1/4 inch as I got older - now that is a kick in the pants...LOL)
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    It doesn't bother everyone, as evidenced by the strong sales of the Corolla. I'm 5'10", 32" inseam, and for me the problem is that if I adjust the seat for enough thigh support, I'm too far from the wheel, then when I move the seat forward the thigh support is insufficient. I also found the angle of the shifter uncomfortable, but that may be just me because I have an old injury on my right wrist.
  • quietspiritquietspirit Member Posts: 27
    I'm a she not a he. But, you're forgiven.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Oh, forgive me (which you did). :blush:
  • eldainoeldaino Member Posts: 1,618
    I know this is about older versions of both cars but the fact of the matter is that most of these problems civic owners are experiencing have a great deal to do with it's current redesign, most of those kinks will be worked out by 2007, and the toyota corolla will not be exempt from that same rule of thumb of having more problems the first year of redesign, than after the second or third. As an ex-civic owner, i can second the whole 'problem forum' theory of not really experiencing any of those problems that those other civic owners are having save the vanity mirror issue.

    Get the civic. Although the corolla is just as good, the civic will be worlds 'cooler'. Most young people would agree. ;)
  • drarsdrars Member Posts: 3
    I bought a Corolla LE with all safety equipment including all airbags and VSC. I was also considering the Civic, which I liked a lot. JD Powers surveys rated them the same in terms of quality and reliability. Only the Corolla had the stability control, whose effectiveness had just been confirmed (http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr061306.html). Since I was buying the car for my daughter I had to go with the stability control. I had to buy the car loaded to get VSC.
  • sales2010sales2010 Member Posts: 33
    How does she like it now? Gas mileage, quality, etc. Do you live in a bad place for snow? If yes, how did it handle for her.
  • irismgirismg Member Posts: 345
    Or, it proves a lot of people are short! :P
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Haha, a very real possibility! Of course 97% of the world is short to me, being 6'4"!
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