What did you almost buy? And why you chose the Civic

[FK7Hatch]

Overall mixed mileage is 31.9-32.9 mpg (2.0L). I can get 40 mpg+ on the freeway, but city mileage is a drag, consistently in the 20s. Almost like they should've rated it 25/32/40, instead of 31/35/40.

On my sport, I get 36-37 with mostly highway driving at 70-80mph. In the city I get 30 or so

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[Rokkas]

I was mainly comparing against the Mazda 3. While both cares retain their value well, and the Mazda has more sales incentives than the Civic, a couple things turned me off.

First off, the way Mazda did their trims so you have to go through a touring trim before you get to the touring trim of the better engine really pissed me off. The EX-T trim of the Civic saw me spending money on features I genuinely wanted going from LX all the way up to EX-T. To match that HP on the Mazda, I'd have to pay for a bunch of crap I didn't want. That more than ate up the savings from Mazda's incentives, plus I wasn't impressed with the gas mileage.

Then I went to test drive each car and just didn't sit right in the Mazda. The A pillar seemed to constantly be blocking my view to the left. The Civic also looks nicer and comes in a nice bright blue, so at that point it was a no brainer.

Other compacts weren't even really considered because of gas mileage, retention of value, and overall quality. Except for Corolla's. Those weren't considered just by being grandma cars.

 

[Deleted member 8759]

I've been considering a variety of cars that meet the following:
- Fun to drive.
- 6MT.
- Room for family.
- Fuel/cost efficient.

I've narrowed my cars down to:
- GTI: Probably the best engineered car of the bunch. Long term reliability (beyond 100K) is my only real concern.
- Mazda 3: Had they offered another Mazdaspeed3, I would seriously consider. But this car lacks the response & fun factor I've come to love from owning a turbocharged car. Otherwise I love the amenities and driving dynamics of the GT.
- Focus ST: Great driving car with a notchy shifter and awkward driving position, particularly with the Recaro seats. Interior ergonomics are a hit & miss.
- Accord Sport: More room and more refined interior (though less amenities by comparison). Weight and power delivery are minor gripes with me. Will be my choice if Honda botches the Si and I can't get a good deal on the EX-T 6MT.
- Civic Si: Patiently waiting for specs, but this will probably by my choice. Checks all the boxes except for possibly LEDs. Something that's reportedly easy to swap out with factory replacements. The driving dynamics, interior quality and ergonomics in the EX & Touring I have driven are good for the price, though not as good as the Golf/GTI.

Your List is basically the same as mine. Spent a great deal of time researching and test driving before ejected my Jetta diesel 3 weeks ago (buy back). Tested the Mazda 3, Jetta SE, Corolla S, even drove the Civic LX Coupe, but nothing quite fit. Just happened upon the LX Hatchback on the night of the buyback. The 1.5T 6MT combo at that price, with the upgraded suspension components really made the difference. The Hatch sealed the deal (My bass amp now can travel in style!) For me, a no brainer!

 

[Farcry1010]

Considered
Audi A3
Hyundai
Ford Fusion


Ended up with Civic because of the Tech.
The Civics price for what you get couldn't be touched by Audi. Yes Audi had Quattro which is by far the Ultimate since I had Audis for the last 27 years. So I had two A3's for 2 weeks on demo. I hated them. They almost stall off idle I guess turbo lag or something but same on both. And the interior was a joke compared to my Civic Touring. A3 had no ACC or lane keep assist. No touch screen. Yeah sure you can get all that for you will be up near 40,000$. The models I had test driven were without these features and they wanted $34,000!! Nope. I never heard of the new Civic when I first saw it. I was looking at used Accords and the salesman is like let me pull around the new Civic for you and I'm like I am coming from a 4.2 Liter Audi! I don't drive Civics! Hahahaha. He pulled it around and I was like 'This is not a Civic!' Hahaha long and behold after a 2 hour test drive. I told him no one drives my car anymore! I love it and I feel to this day I made a great choice. When I test drove the Civic it was 12/2015. They were very new. I had all kinds of head turns when driving through parking lots.
Now they are taking over the streets everywhere. I see them all over.
The other two cars I considered I can't speak for because the dealers and salesman kept me waiting too long so I left. I had 30,000 cash ready to spend on car so forget Ford and Hyundai.

 

[dthatcher7]

You know at one point I (very) briefly considered a Yaris or a Fit. Decided quickly that they were too small. Then I got a chance to ride in a Yaris with a relative who rented one. I'm sorry but the Yaris isn't even an econobox. It is a sub-econobox. Tiny and depressing. It's so small it only has one windshield wiper; that was surprising to me. If I'm going to make car payments I'm going to drive something I like. The market for these things are 1) people who are too strapped to buy a better equipped new car but don't want to be responsible for repairs on a used car, or 2) misers (Dave Ramsey disciples). Even in these cases I would rather buy a Honda Fit than a Yaris.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

You know at one point I (very) briefly considered a Yaris or a Fit. Decided quickly that they were too small. Then I got a chance to ride in a Yaris with a relative who rented one. I'm sorry but the Yaris isn't even an econobox. It is a sub-econobox. Tiny and depressing. It's so small it only has one windshield wiper; that was surprising to me. If I'm going to make car payments I'm going to drive something I like. The market for these things are 1) people who are too strapped to buy a better equipped new car but don't want to be responsible for repairs on a used car, or 2) misers (Dave Ramsey disciples). Even in these cases I would rather buy a Honda Fit than a Yaris.

Agreed. I too was looking at a Fit and Yaris, but for what it is, I would have been foolish not to buy the civic. For what they cost, it's just not worth the bang for your buck you get with the civic.

 

[CivicLX2016]

I often wonder why Touring owners didn't go with a WRX...

 

[FK7Hatch]

I often wonder why Touring owners didn't go with a WRX...

probably the premium gas requirement, higher maintenance cost, worse fuel economy, and higher insurance cost

 

[CivicLX2016]

probably the premium gas requirement, higher maintenance cost, worse fuel economy, and higher insurance cost

Nevertheless, I think that will be my next vehicle

 

[Dan.Raw]

Originally my list had the Mazda 3 , the civic, Elantra and Cruze . People say Subarus are good but the impreza is ugly af. The Elantra didn't have carplay and the front is only nice in pictures. The Cruze is not as good looking as it looks in pics either. So it was better the Mazda 3 and the civic. The civic came out on top for the following reasons:

Better looking. It looks clean, modern and futuristic, though the back is not as great. However the tail lights look amazing at night. The Mazda is nice looking as well and the tires are nice than the civic, but the civic is still nicer.

Also, the interior of the civic is clean and minimal, very simple and the dash is and lcd screen! So much tech in this car!

 

[compcrasher86]

• 9th Gen Civic SI
• 2013 Acura ILX
• 2011 BMW 335i
• 2013 BMW 320i

The Civic won because it was brand new, had the best fuel economy on my list, love the way the hatch looks. I also wanted Aegean blue. The other cars on my list were hard to find in a metallic blue because people must be too boring these days. Buying the Civic let me order one in the color I wanted. Lastly, its one of the survivor models still being offered with a manual transmission which means a lot to me.

 

[canalrun]

probably the premium gas requirement, higher maintenance cost, worse fuel economy, and higher insurance cost

I was seriously looking at a 2017 WRX before buying a 2017 Civic Sedan Touring.

The reasons listed above are exactly why I chose the Civic. The one thing I miss that the WRX had was Blind Spot Detection warnings displayed in the side rearview mirrors. I test drove the WRX 1/2 mile on a semi-busy highway and fell in love with this feature.

Barry.

 

[zonka81]

Was originally looking at a 2016 Focus hatchback with the sport package, a base Focus ST, a Chevy Cruze and Malibu. The Focus was top of my list because I didn't prefer the Chevys; they just felt too much like rental cars. Wasn't even considering any Honda because I was never a huge fan of the brand, until one of my friends told to to try the new Civic. Went that day to test drive it. Wound up falling for it on the first drive. The main points that put the Civic on top was its equipment vs price point. If I wanted a similarly equipped Focus, I would be paying almost 50% more per month on my lease than I am with the Civic.

 

[Swordfish]

Agreed. I too was looking at a Fit and Yaris, but for what it is, I would have been foolish not to buy the civic. For what they cost, it's just not worth the bang for your buck you get with the civic.

Was also looking at the Fit as well. I looked at the Mazda 3, but the car just looks flat out ugly. The design inside and out just looks exhausted and bland compared to the Civic, plus the Mazda 3 getting on the freeway was sluggish in my opinion.

The Fit was also pretty sluggish as well, but that was partially expected. I don't mind a small car since there's no parking here in CA, and I don't mind the design even though it is a bit dopey looking.

The Fit has gas lift struts like most hatchbacks. My last car, I had to replace them 3 times in 7 years b/c they would rust out or go bad. They were in the water drainage trough....why they were put outside the seal....who knows but they always got wet.

Also when I went to test drive the Fit, the salesman tried to start 3 different Fits before the 4th started. They were all dead. He played it off like "oh they haven't been driven in awhile"........sure.....so that means a brand new 2017 shouldn't start if it hasn't been driven recently....got it.

LOL after that I was like ok, I'll just get the civic.

 

[PGrif]

The only other car I considered was the Mazda 3 hatch. I think they're a good vehicle, but I couldn't get over the difference in looks. Don't get me wrong, I think they look good... but the Civic hatch looks better. And, my immediate family has owned Hondas since 1985. Not a single one has disappointed us. Ever. I just got rid of my '93 Accord at 300+k miles to a friend, and my daughter still drives my old '91 at over 250k miles. I had a Toyo Tercel hatch for a couple of years in college. Loved the hatch, disliked the car. This new Civic hatch is AWESOME. I live in Montana, and have already had it through some seriously horrible storms (with the right tires), and just yesterday, I stuffed a lounge chair in it with room to spare. It rocks.

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