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Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra
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Comments
We previously had a Civic ('96 model), and the seats and carpet in it were very nice. The biggest problem I had with it was some of the plastic interior parts/covers coming undone. I believe the headliner had also come undone at one point, and we had to get it put back in place. We kept the Civic until it hit 97K miles.
I won't be seeing much of that car anymore though, the folks just moved to Oklahoma in it, leaving me in Alabama!
I used to own a 06 civic and the only problem i had was the visors that the dealer replaced for free.
My car had 21000! And i neverhad a problem with the seat fabric. Not to say you didn't get a dud because every car is prone to them; yes even hondas; but your particular case shouldn't be the reason no one buys a civic. You really think they would sell that well if it was such an issue, or an issue that EVERYONE had?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
WhooHoo!!!
The Sandman
And remember we only have words on a screen to go by.
And maybe sometimes pictures.
If you would have read my other post, the reason we didn't get another civic is because the dealer we went to had no models any of the colors we were considering. There was absolutely nothing wrong with my car and i'd still be driving it if we could have had things our way. The dealer had no bare bones ex models; only a few lx's in atomic blue (which my wife thinks looks less than stellar on the new civic) and a decked out to the gills ex that was out of our price range.
My wifes car had negative equity and being newlyweds there was no way we were going to be able to counteract that and the easiest way our would have been trading in both of our cars since we wanted to car pool anyway.
Had honda had a royal blue lx coupe or ex coupe or sedan (with limited add on's i.e. no dvd nav) we would be driving that right now.
We stopped at the vw dealer as an afterthought and the rabbit was the right price, my wife liked it, and if i ever do trade it in, it will still be within its warranty. (Though i hope to run her up past 100k.)
We like our rabbit very much, and are glad that we see ourselves in a car that we see hardly any other people in. But we both know if he had the civic we really wouldn't care all that much.
In either case, my civic (with over 20k miles in less than a year mind you) still ate a nice chunk of her negative equity despite the fact that it was not even a year old yet, which says a lot about the resale value on the car( perhaps its hondas vehicles and not their name that sells cars huh?
We are happy with our rabbit but may consider a civic again when we can both afford newer cars.
And no i didn't need to re write that entire post, but i decided to do so just so that it would be clear.
Lets say you know about 30 other members who have civic seat fabric issues. How big of a percentage do you think that is when compared to all who own new civics? Its microscopic. I feel for your troubles, and theirs, but in the end, to say you got a dud makes a lot more sense than saying the new civic sucks. That isn't opinion; its common sense.
Did it ever occur to you that because the amount of civics honda sells, you probably will find more problems posted, just because of the sheer amount of people who have them. I know this is a bit of an afterthought, but still, common sense.
Again i'm sorry for your problem. You should ask all the other premature fabric posters what kind of pants they wear and if they are the same as yours. It may be possible that you all in a turn of fate, wear the exact pant that is NOT compatible with honda's fabrics. :P
Just kidding by the way.
At any rate, your whole "don't buy a civic" attitude is very off putting and you gotta realize that its hard to swallow a comment like that when you are basing yourself on a personal problem that very well could be something specific to the batch of civics yours was included in. It sucks, but still no reason to come off like that man.
I bought this 2006 Civic (my first Honda product of any kind) because I loved the styling, still do by the way, and was pretty much sure given all the hype and glowing print used by professional auto testers over the years that I was safe in doing so. On the drive home from the dealer (7 miles showing) I heard rear suspension noise over some bumps, oh oh. Time went on and it turned out that both rear shocks leaked and the right side was dry. In July last year with about 3K miles both rear shocks replaced ( a common problem with 06 and prior years). Somewhere along there the "lug-bug" noise showed up...waited a year for the TSB to acknowledge and fix that. Concurrently the "glove-box" noise became evident after the shock replacement quieted the interior down enough to hear that one. TSB outstanding for a fix which I haven't had the time to get to yet (motor mount needs replaced). I feel fortunate that I haven't had some of the other problems haunting other 2006 Civic owners e.g. oil leaks that require a fair amount of engine disassembly (another TSB issued for that one)...power steering leak (yet another TSB)requiring some elbow piping replacement. Some software upgrades to eliminate a "check engine" lamp (TSB issued for that). Engine immobilizer problems (cannot start car and another TSB). There are some other TSB issued for problems I forgot. I have printed those in case I experience some problem down the road a bit. Additionally, there appear to be paint, glass, and rust issues on relatively new Civics. Oh, lets not forget the cheap and very easily scratched interior plastics (especially the waffle pattern on the doors) and finally the upholstry on our 1995 Dodge Stratus looks much beter @ 180K miles (I wear ALL types of pants) than that on the 6.5K mile Civic. There is absolutely NO reason for the pattern to be wearing on these seats nor any reason for the fabric to be "bunching" up in one place. So, am I disgruntled that this Honda has been way less than expected..you bet! And the price ( EX automatic $19,680 sticker, no discount, last fall..$20K or over now). Even the deluxe EX model lacks many features found on competetors models found for much less...oh yeah they don't have that Honda "H". I will give you this however, resale is great and I intend to take advantage of it soon.
Please do not tell me how to "come off" regarding this car. I spent a premium buck for a less than premium car so the least I expect is something I don't have to take in for repairs..TSB's installed etc. on a semi-regular basis. If I had wanted to spend my life in a customer service lounge...use charged leave time from work...travel to and from the dealer (about a 50 mi round trip) and general agravation I would have kept my Ford.
Just want to keep the discussion fair and balanced guys.
The Sandman
Civic: 128
Elantra: 136
Personally, the Civic didn't feel that torquey to me, but after accelerating from a stop to about 65MPH down a straight, ampty, four-lane road once and only once in my dad's 2007, shifing manually at 6,800 RPM, I loved the major top-end rush the car had! What a hoot!
My 1996 Accord has more low-end, but lacks the high-rpm thrust of the Civic.
Civics never felt torquey to me, either. They do have that high-rpm thrust, though. I just don't tend to wind up my cars to that degree--hurts fuel economy. Low-end grunt is more important to me than the rush at 6800 rpm.
The civic is awesome for top end power.
And honestly its all about feel. My rabbit FEELS faster than my old civic, simply because of the torque. in reality though, it is only a tiny bit faster, and for having 17lbs of torque its suprising how 'not much faster' it is.
So in theory, you like the 'feeling'. But your not really going that much faster.
If you really wanna compare; lets talk about how the civic manages 140 horsies out of an engine .2 liters smaller than the elantra. (what does the elantra get? 138.)
And yes i know i have a 2.5 that gets 30mpg on the highway and only makes 150. But i got plenty of torque, and this is the elantra vs civic. (i felt i had to say it because someone else would have!
But the new 1.8L motor isn't in the Elantra yet (I felt I had to say that because someone else would have).
A-Ha! That was great. I do too!
What do you mean they don't have that 'honda "H"'? Mine had it on the steering wheel, the front and the back. Triple H.
(isn't that a wrestler?)
I feel for your probs target. I really do! I'd be unhappy as well. But i never EVER, EVER had any of those problems with my civic. Just the driver side window noise thing (which was barely audible even when it was doing it) and the visors. I got mine in november of 2005 so i dunno what the dillio was with yours. I can't explain it and never said i could, but to say you DIDN"T get a dud now may be far from the truth!
Are there other cars for cheaper that have more standard features? Yes. And alot of them are like that now, probably directly related to counter civic sales and the fact that people are eating them up.
If the lack of features upset you, why did you buy the car? Why not shop around, read these websites? Sorry bro but that is your fault not hondas.
Never considered a civic (even as nice as they are now) a true 'premium' car.
Honda did their's on their own.
Honda is not behind anything. They had a 1.8 that made 170. Have yet to see anybody touch that but toyta and they needed yamaha's help to do it and it actually only puts out 164 and didn't rev as nicely to redline as b or k series engine. Lotus makes 190, but that is after some major tuning and isn't generally an affordable car for a lot of folks and not too practical, even though its awesome.
Sorry backy i know you like having the last word. :P
One question: how many times in your life have you taken a car to redline? I've done it exactly zero times in over 30 years of driving. At 4000 rpm (which I rarely hit btw), my Elantra is moving out so fast I can't imagine ever needing to get to 5000 or 6000 rpm, or even redline. Unless I were racing maybe.
The Sandman
I'd bet the entire farm and 20 years salary that all of the US built Civic problems completely disappear. When buying Japanese, buy Japanese! Trust me on this!
I guess I should feel honored you have taken all that time to read all of my posts for the past few years.
I've been trying to accelerate between 3k rpm's and 4k rpm's when going from a dead stop and am quite amazed how the car drives. Very smooth. Our Mazda 3s is much more torqueier (?), but it has the larger 2.3 engine.
I'm very interested to drive the Elantra now. I just feel a bit strange going into a Hyundai store for a test drive with no intention of buying. I hate to waste the salespersons time. Maybe on a slow Tuesday morning...?
The Sandman
sandman46, "Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra" #1500, 1 Mar 2007 4:38 pm
If you want to try an Elantra without wasting someone's time, you could rent one for a day or two. That's a better way to get a good feel for a car than a short test drive anyway.
Backy i'm 22 years old. I've run it PLENTY of times. How could you expect me not too! Not that being young has anything to do with it; geez my gramps even runs to redline for kicks! Anyway, Thats the fun of a honda engine, its what they are made for and where they excel at. Granted not ALL honda engines are torque less and require one to do this, but even the 2.4's in the tsx and accord are fun to do this with!
If you rarely hit 4000k? Oh goodness backy you are one of those 'slow mergers' aren't you? YOU ARE!
Backy, don't be so sensitive. When it all comes down to it i'm just words on a screen and nothing more. Thats what everyone here is! I was having a civil discussion and wanted to poke a little fun at you, thinking you yourself would realize that you have a tendency to want the last word,(as even sandman has pointed out), but apparently that is too close to home for you to admit. Sorry you took a joke to heart.
I know alot of how you feel about me probably has to do with my rants awhile back in the fit vs accent forum and that was uncalled for. I didn't have all my fact straight, but just because i didn't say some of them in the nicest way, didn't mean that some of them weren't valid.
Anyway back to the civic vs. the elantra.
And I'll take the last word on that, thankyewverymuch.
I drive a 4 speed auto Elantra wagon and I always try to keep it under 3K RPM's and I always keep up with traffic coming off of stop lights (unless there is only one car in front of me and they take off like a bat out of hell). Heck many times when I am first in line and keep it under 3K the cars next to me don't pass me. Most of the entrance ramps around here allow me the luxury of entering the highway an normal speeds keeping the RPM's well under 4K.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You may be correct US built problems MAY disappear eventually, however that will be far too late for me since I will not buy another.
Hyundai ALWAYS had more features than Honda for far less. And as far as why I bought Honda verses Hyundai, well I explained that too a couple of times when accused, as you accuse me,of "not shopping around" and not knowing what is out there. I knew very well what was available but in a nut-shell and one more time...in the fall of 2005 gas hit an all time high (over $3.00 per gal)I had an SUV that I was otherwise happy with ( a Santa Fe) gas price uncertainty prompted a switch to a smaller car (read fuel efficient). I knew a redesign was in the works for the Elantra and couldn't wait for it to be released and didn't want an "old" design in a new car. Couldn't get a Corolla with any safety features I wanted e.g. ABS/traction control/side airbags etc. because none of those features were available in my region...too bad for Toyota. Didn't want a Mazda 3,didn't want a Ford Focus,certainly didn't want a Cobalt/Cavalier/or any of the GM variants.I seriously considered a Sonata but desided to go smaller yet. Saw the styling of the 2006 Civic, loved it, felt good at the time about buying a Honda, bought it and the rest is history.
While the Civic isn't a premium car by definition it is by size class verses price asked. Come on, over $20K sticker puts it squarely into larger car territory e.g. Sonata..Optima...Fusion..Malibu (I'm not real sure about Honda's own Accord these days)and maybe a Camry.
Thats fine if you didn't want those other cars, i'm just saying if thats your best reason for not going for a better equipped car for less, its still your thing and no one can help that.
around 20k for a compact seems pretty much the standard these days despite what hyundai offers. You can get the malibu and fusion, but the resale on them is probably awful. (not to mention their 20k price tags are for bare bones four cylinders.)
The civic (except the si) does not have traction conrol either.
Sorry about your woes target.
No one is disputing that hyundai offers more for less. They have to have some appeal you know.
What? you are now second guessing my reasons for the Honda..you think I should offer a better one for not buying another brand? I trusted Honda would give me a better car than I received. Yeah, my bad..trick me once!!
For $20K you can get a whole lot more car than the Civic resale value not withstanding.
And traction control isn't the only thing missing on the Civic. A 2007 Elantra SE has the following standard:
Fog lights (optional on the Civic)
Heated side mirrors on all Elantras (not available on Civic)
4 wheel disc brakes standard on even the cheapest Elantra (available standard only on the EX or most expensive Civic)
multi-function trip computer (not available on any Civic)
XM radio (last I looked an $800.00 dealer installed option on other than GPS navigation system equipped Civics a nearly $2000.00 option)
heated front seats (an option on the SE) not available on the Civic.
A bigger passenger and luggage volume on the Elantra
The Elantra does not have traction control..neither does the Civic.
Oh and lets not forget the warranty. And don't tell me you will constantly need it on the Hyundai.
Take it from me pricing isn't the only area Hyundai has appeal...
You can be as sorry as can be but that doesn't change the fact myself and more than a few others do not view Honda as the best there is. Obviously there are those who refuse to believe this can be true..keep dreaming.
A constant 3,000 RPMs will keep me going a little over 75 MPH and with 132K on the odometer I rarely go past that. I can easily do well around 85 at 3500 RPMs.
But most of my driving is on regular streets and I rarely hit 3k RPMs unless for some odd reason I need a quick burst of speed (say an emergency maneuver or passing on a country road).
Starting out behind some cars at a stop light if I get it up to 4K RPMs I would rear end the guy in front of me the vast majority of the time.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
honda is the most expensive compact sold. mazda 3, corolla, focus, cobalt (and all gm models of it), spectra, lancer, sentra, and forenza all start fairly far below in price than the civic. so no, 20K for a compact is NOT the standard these days.
For sure (and on topic), there is a large price disparity between the Civic and Elantra now, especially looking at out-the-door prices. Is Civic worth the extra money? That is the question...
yeah but that cable for the internet connection has to be very long.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Or get a wireless card e.g. Sprint for the ol' laptop.