Civic vs Dedicated Sports Car

[jrschultz]

My current Civic hatch has been a fun car. It's stock other than the Hondata tune. My lease is up in 10 months, and I'm starting the process of deciding what to do. Option 1) Buy the Civic. Buy out is $13,300. It's fun, economical, and practical. Option 2) Turn it in and purchase a used sports car for $15K or so. I'm thinking Miata hardtop or ecoboost Mustang. What I'm wrestling with is the balance between fun and practicality... The spectrum of sacrifice. I can toss my mountain bike in the back of my car, get groceries, have passengers, etc. Is the sacrifice worth it to have a dedicated rear wheel drive sports car? Will the driving experience be that much better? I'd have to get a rack or hitch for my bike. I'd lose trunk space. Fortunately it's just my wife and I with no kids. I also can't afford to have a toy car. Any car I get will be my daily driver. I live in Wisconsin, so I deal with winter. I'm not afraid of rear wheel drive in the snow. I use winter tires. Has anybody here daily drove a sports car? What would you do if you were in my situation?

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[jayy_swish]

My current Civic hatch has been a fun car. It's stock other than the Hondata tune. My lease is up in 10 months, and I'm starting the process of deciding what to do. Option 1) Buy the Civic. Buy out is $13,300. It's fun, economical, and practical. Option 2) Turn it in and purchase a used sports car for $15K or so. I'm thinking Miata hardtop or ecoboost Mustang. What I'm wrestling with is the balance between fun and practicality... The spectrum of sacrifice. I can toss my mountain bike in the back of my car, get groceries, have passengers, etc. Is the sacrifice worth it to have a dedicated rear wheel drive sports car? Will the driving experience be that much better? I'd have to get a rack or hitch for my bike. I'd lose trunk space. Fortunately it's just my wife and I with no kids. I also can't afford to have a toy car. Any car I get will be my daily driver. I live in Wisconsin, so I deal with winter. I'm not afraid of rear wheel drive in the snow. I use winter tires. Has anybody here daily drove a sports car? What would you do if you were in my situation?

Well both those cars I wouldn’t classify as sports cars lol, more like sporty looking. If you can’t afford a weekend car and are looking to daily drive why not stay with the practical obvious choice? Your needs basically described your civic lol.. I mean really you leased your car and you know the history of it so getting your car at a used price with a car you know, was serviced on your knowledge, and you know any & all issues of wear and tear that have come from it... vs. A used car that might have been used & abused, not serviced well, you don’t know the wear and tear price of owning, and could have had an accident that was not reported. I’d stay with the civic on a safer money-wise stand point. Modify your civic more, trust me the car only gets more fun to drive. Especially handling mods to take it on some curvy roads.

 

[saz468]

I would keep the civic if you like the car. The Miata is a great little car for a second car .
personally the mustang would have reliability issues that’s my opinion

 

[Vexels]

Well both those cars I wouldn’t classify as sports cars lol, more like sporty looking. If you can’t afford a weekend car and are looking to daily drive why not stay with the practical obvious choice? Your needs basically described your civic lol.. I mean really you leased your car and you know the history of it so getting your car at a used price with a car you know, was serviced on your knowledge, and you know any & all issues of wear and tear that have come from it... vs. A used car that might have been used & abused, not serviced well, you don’t know the wear and tear price of owning, and could have had an accident that was not reported. I’d stay with the civic on a safer money-wise stand point. Modify your civic more, trust me the car only gets more fun to drive. Especially handling mods to take it on some curvy roads.

Miata and Mustangs aren’t sports cars? Every thing else I agree with though ?

 

[Drake]

As long as you stick with a manual I'll support whatever choice you make

 

[charleswrivers]

This might be digging myself into a hole but... here it goes:

To me a sports car is a 2 seater with RWD, preferably in a manual transmission that is a dedicated ‘fun’ machine with little compromise to add practicability. That was my early definition and while cars continue to evolve and change to meet the desires of consumers, I still hold on to that idea, though differing powertrain/drivetrains I can accept as consumer desires and technology advances.

The Miata is absolutely a sports car. Its all about the drive, caring little about space and practicality. It’s all about the drive. Little sports car still = sports car. If the car has more than 2 seats and with it generally a short wheelbase and minimal interior storage to make for a tight, nimbly steering platform, I just don’t see it as a sport car. One can try to push the 2+2s that can’t really fit a human being in the backseat as one... eh... I don’t like the idea that much. (shrug) We can all, I suppose, make out our interpretation. By my definition, I’d be saying a 911 isn’t one... or a 3000GT. I’ll say this to my start. They never make a turbo 2+2 Z in the US. That has likely skewed by imagine of 2+2s being negative... but they generally all have longer wheelbases if there was a 2 seater vs 2+2 variant, making them handle less sharply. That was a compromise to me.

A Mustang is a ‘muscle car’... it’s a 2+2 but at least RWD. Usually over engined, nose heavy and with meh suspension... but they’ve really come on the last decade. To me... I’d never consider one without a V8. That’s where it’s heart and soul comes in. Slapping a buzzy turbo 4 cylinder in a muscle car seems blasphemous and completely negates the purpose of the car. I’ve always looked at 4/6 cylinder muscle cars with disdain... as a ‘sellout’ on what was supposed to make those cars great. Without the big motor... they just were missing the muscle in ‘muscle car’. But... that’s my opinion. Think of this though: how many guys who bought the base 4-turbo or V6 said... I wish I got the 8 vs how many V8 guys wished they got the 4/6?

A Civic... any Civic trim, including a CTR is still going to be a FWD 2+2. It may handle amazingly well but I’d never consider it a ‘sports car’. It’s a coupe/sedan that is born as a economy car offering basic transportation that performs well. One can say a CTR can outperform sport cars, a Miata for instance... and they’d be right in many metrics... but performance metrics alone don’t make a economy car all of a sudden become a sports car. The CTR to me is more of a ‘hot hatch’ and is too practical-centric... sharing its basic design and structure with a plain-Jane econobox Civic to consider it a purpose built sports car. Yes... the removed sound dampening material... tightened up the chassis... put in a great powertrain and make the suspension do wonders... but a zebra can’t change its stripes and neither can (or should) a Civic stop being a Civic.

OP... I’d encourage you to try out the cars you’re mentioning and see what you like. They are both drastically different than the Civic and each have their own merits and drawbacks. My Civic can not replace my 300zx and my 300zx cannot replace my Civic. The drive is distinctly different. IMO... the Civic is easier to drive quick compared to trying to drive my Z slow if I’m just going from point A to point B. Pushing them... the Z is very rewarding. The Civic is... well... a Civic. It’s a very good 5 seater FWD car. Light steering... light clutch. Nice shifting. A good dose of torque with its reflash. Very good chassis for a FWD. But... it’s not a sport car by any stretch of the imagination. A purpose-built sports car, whether it handles as good or as fast as a Civic can be made to be will have a level of driver connection I don’t think you can get from a Civic.

Some may disagree... and that’s fine. If they’ve never owned a proper sport car... then (shrug) they’re missing out. If they have and still think I’m out to lunch... well... (shrug) ok. My Civic could be made to exceed my old Z in ever performance metric but it would not provide the visceral feel or level of engagement my Z can as a real sports car. I also never look back at my Civic and feel the same way for it as I do my Z.

 

[repeet]

In my past, some of my daily drivers have been, a '72 Triumph GT-6, 74 Datsun 260Z, and an '85 Corvette. Yes there is a noticeable difference. But...

You're not in a position of replace your daily driver with a sports/muscle car. Keep the civic and save up for a "beat up" sports car.

That way you will have something to "tinker with" and still have solid dependable transportation.

No, the beater will not be dependable. Most sports/muscle cars aren't, even off the showroom floor.

But on the nice days when you want to "throw around" something quick, you can have that experience. Knowing that your insurance is less, and if you "need" to get somewhere, you'll have another vehicle that will always get you there.

Or better yet. Save up your pennies to "rent" a sports car a couple of times a year. And even better than better, save up to take a driving course at a driving school where they provide the "track car". It will still be cheaper, safer, and more convient than living with a "sports car" as your only transportation.

 

[Annexed]

Hello fellow Wisconsinite here, hope everything is going good! I would say stick with the Honda because Miata and winter are not a good match. If you can keep your Civic and buy a Miata for 4k I would.

Secondly only buy the 5.0 coyote engine for a mustang, otherwise it's not worth, especially with reliability.

 

[Devcom]

Keep the Civic and save for a muscle car/sports car. If you want the Mustang don't get the Ecoboost get the V8 it is a safer route reliability wise. Not a fan of the Ecoboost due to experience of it in their trucks that an old boss had me drive to tow trailers with.

 

[VarmintCong]

I went from a 2004 330i ZHP 6MT to my Civic Sport - I don't really miss the BMW - it was certainly more fun, but the Civic is more balanced - more comfortable on long trips, and getting 40 mpg out of a car this fun to drive is just cool. And everytime I pop the hatch and throw the kids' soccer bags on top of all my work crap, I love the car.

So if you have only one car, it's a great compromise. I think it's important to consider reasons why you like a car, and sportiness/performance might only be part of it.

There are other cars that would score higher in fun/sport but lack a 6MT or hatchback, so they aren't as good a fit. WRX, GLI, Civic Si etc.

 

[jrschultz]

Very well thought out replies by everyone. Thank you. I have a lot to think about.

 

[Cornercarver]

My current Civic hatch has been a fun car. It's stock other than the Hondata tune. My lease is up in 10 months, and I'm starting the process of deciding what to do. Option 1) Buy the Civic. Buy out is $13,300. It's fun, economical, and practical. Option 2) Turn it in and purchase a used sports car for $15K or so. I'm thinking Miata hardtop or ecoboost Mustang. What I'm wrestling with is the balance between fun and practicality... The spectrum of sacrifice. I can toss my mountain bike in the back of my car, get groceries, have passengers, etc. Is the sacrifice worth it to have a dedicated rear wheel drive sports car? Will the driving experience be that much better? I'd have to get a rack or hitch for my bike. I'd lose trunk space. Fortunately it's just my wife and I with no kids. I also can't afford to have a toy car. Any car I get will be my daily driver. I live in Wisconsin, so I deal with winter. I'm not afraid of rear wheel drive in the snow. I use winter tires. Has anybody here daily drove a sports car? What would you do if you were in my situation?

I think a Civic SI will provide you with a good balance of fun and function. Get the sedan. Or there is the CTR which gives you hatchback practicality, but a nonstarter if you deal with much snow and ice, or have a lot if potholes.

 

[Danny'sss]

My current Civic hatch has been a fun car. It's stock other than the Hondata tune. My lease is up in 10 months, and I'm starting the process of deciding what to do. Option 1) Buy the Civic. Buy out is $13,300. It's fun, economical, and practical. Option 2) Turn it in and purchase a used sports car for $15K or so. I'm thinking Miata hardtop or ecoboost Mustang. What I'm wrestling with is the balance between fun and practicality... The spectrum of sacrifice. I can toss my mountain bike in the back of my car, get groceries, have passengers, etc. Is the sacrifice worth it to have a dedicated rear wheel drive sports car? Will the driving experience be that much better? I'd have to get a rack or hitch for my bike. I'd lose trunk space. Fortunately it's just my wife and I with no kids. I also can't afford to have a toy car. Any car I get will be my daily driver. I live in Wisconsin, so I deal with winter. I'm not afraid of rear wheel drive in the snow. I use winter tires. Has anybody here daily drove a sports car? What would you do if you were in my situation?

Get the mustang gt fastback the 2020 ones are insane

 

[forum_user]

Well both those cars I wouldn’t classify as sports cars lol, more like sporty looking.

Miatas are definitely sports cars. What else would they classify as? They are literally a purpose built sports car platform. Extremely light, agile, 2 seater RWD convertible with great balance, great steering, exceptional road feel for a modern car, naturally aspirated motor, and ND2s redline at 7500 and are decently quick. Hell, you can even buy one in factory racecar form.

 

[nawx]

Why not get a GT86 ??‍

If you find it too slow you could always boost it. It has TONS of aftermarket support and can be a perfect daily.

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