You are here: Forums Sedans Honda Civic Economy Sedans (~$16k-$20k)

Economy Sedans (~$16k-$20k)

1205 messages,  Last post on Jul 16, 2009 at 4:31 PM

You are in the Honda Civic Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Fit, Mazda MAZDA3, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Sentra, Sedan

#61 of 1205 A few surprises and a question... by allfiredup Aug 22, 2005 (5:50 pm)
I'm a little surprised the Civic placed as high as it did. I guess it just goes to prove what a solid design it has been all along. The same can be said of the Focus as well. I'm also shocked the Kia placed third....I still hate it.   Wonder why they used the base model Cobalt with no power windows or cruise or numerous other convenience items. The LS model would have compared more favorably. Might even have placed a little better.
#62 of 1205 No one guessed correctly by cti Aug 22, 2005 (6:28 pm)
I was off by one. I had the Cobalt ranked several places too high, but otherwise the order was correct. A couple other people did the same.   And do we know the Edmund's editors or what? We all get lollipops for picking the Mazda!   Now it is off to read the article...   Jason Replies to this message: doohickie (Aug 22, 2005 6:56 pm) pat (Aug 23, 2005 12:18 am)
#63 of 1205 Re: No one guessed correctly [cti] by doohickie Aug 22, 2005 (6:56 pm)
Replying to: cti (Aug 22, 2005 6:28 pm) I wasn't trying to "guess correctly". I merely gave my opinion, which is no more or less ''correct" than that of Edmunds. Replies to this message: pat (Aug 23, 2005 12:18 am)
#64 of 1205 Re: No one guessed correctly [doohickie] by pat HOST Aug 23, 2005 (12:18 am)
Replying to: doohickie (Aug 22, 2005 6:56 pm) I'm thinking cti is referring to my "challenge" when I opened this discussion.
#65 of 1205 Losing my freakin' mind! by zoomzoomitis Aug 23, 2005 (3:14 am)
Concerning this latest article, I'm ready to jump! Have been reading these various threads now for sometime (very similar demographics to backy & doohickie...so VERY similar it's scary! Kid's future sled, the "Mrs.", value for the dollar etc. etc.). Was reeeeeeeally honing this decision down to which year-end model Elantra I was going to buy in the next month or two...until this article. Now it's happening again - I'm being pulled back to my disease - zoomzoomitis! I can't shake it.   As a super satisified owner of a 2000 Protege' LX with 173,000 blips on the radar (and still merrily Zoomin' BTW!), ol' Mary the Mazda has about run her course in the household this Fall... me thinks. Turning into a pumpkin maintenance-wise in a couple thousand miles since I don't want to put the bucks into such a high mileage roadster. Thus the need to enter "The Zone" (kinda like the twilight zone but with car salesmen! I think ya'll know what I mean). Have researched backwards, forwards and upside down so much so that I'm starting to know these cars better than the yahoos sellin' 'em. Anyways, had finally decided on the "dated" (the author's word, not mine) Elantra GT hatch...I think. Looking for a nice commuter (ride, decent gas mileage, "value", hatch-functional/practical etc.). Want the ABS. Would much prefer the 5spd over the auto. Could care less about the leather or the sunroof which tosses in the GLS hatch as a valid choice since you can option ABS without the sunroof which is not the case on the GT. But the GT in my area does tend to be in numerous supply in this setup whereas the 5 door is very limited. Supply and demand on year end models does enter into this equation. Best I've seen for a 2005 GT hatch (w/pkg #8 - "the works") - about 15K (auto)/14.3K (manual) give or take a dumb dealer fee here or there. Which brings me too...   Fifth place out of seven (Argh!!!!) and of course the car I've been tryin' ever so much to put outta my mind (simply based on cost at this point) comes in #1 just about across the board in this article! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I'm going mental fella's! How do you guys justifiy spending $3000 to $4000 more on a comparably equipped "Zoomer" that in your heart of hearts you know is truly an outstanding and superior automobile to the South Korean entrant in this field? Do we bite the bullet and see if my favorite car company will finally put a reasonable rebate on the 3 this Fall, close my eyes and sign the painful papers or do we roll the dice on this 5th place finisher? Damn, why'd they have to write that article...and why did I read it?!!!!!   Going crazy! ...I don't even know which icon to pick! Replies to this message: igor2 (Aug 23, 2005 4:59 am) inajoong (Aug 23, 2005 8:33 am) mdaffron (Aug 23, 2005 9:07 am) smith20 (Aug 23, 2005 10:30 am) zoomzoomitis (Aug 24, 2005 3:28 am)
#66 of 1205 I think it's hilarious ... by mdaffron Aug 23, 2005 (4:26 am)
... that the 3 was criticized (mildly) for its lack of cupholders compared to another entry.   Lordy, it's got SIX! This is a car, not a Coke machine!!!   Meade
#67 of 1205 Ahhhh....it's finally time for me by iluvmysephia1 Aug 23, 2005 (4:42 am)
to jump in this clean pool of car enthusiasts, looking for a bargain and a value and a good influx of sport. Good review, very well-written and entertaining. I enjoyed the reference to food along with fine economy cars, too.   It's nice to see the whole package being researched and written about. After reading this review I would only say that the Spectra looks even a better bargain and a better buy than I knew it to be before reading the article. And the well-honed bodystyle? Absolutely unbeatable IMHO! Kia has once again proven that their bodystylers are stylin' and smilin.' I would state it this way, if I had the software program and the clay modeling setup, the new Kia Spectra would be a great final product for a smart and stylish little sedan. Well done, my South Korean friends!   The Mazda 3 tries in the stylin' department, yet falls woefully short of the Kia. Where it turns a certain way in it's lines, it should have turned another way. It still suffers from that Mazda "blocky-chunky-itis" that I can spot even with a big 'ole roast beef sandwich in front of me and Guess Who classics blaring in my ears. Mazda should get a 'B' for trying, though.   All in all a good review and a must-read for y'all. Enjoy.
#68 of 1205 Re: Losing my freakin' mind! [zoomzoomitis] by igor2 Aug 23, 2005 (4:59 am)
Replying to: zoomzoomitis (Aug 23, 2005 3:14 am) use the employers discount price and look at the focus...   I know people call me "all american" but truly, the focus offers the same value, and quality, and with new engine, new interior and 4 body styles, it is only second to the utterly expensive Mazda..   you can get a 3 door (ZX3 SES ) with almost every option for 14k (i got mine for 13.5 with college grad discount) If you want a five door, tag a grant and a half on top of that. I think that still beats elantra...   then again, I didn't all your other posts in other forums, so I don't know ll of your needs.. but I just wanted to put this out there.. And n the end, i didn't listen to my friends either when I bought the Focus. (they all have the 3's)   Igor
#69 of 1205 Stylin' and smilin' ... by mdaffron Aug 23, 2005 (5:09 am)
"Blocky-chunky-itis" is in the eyes of the beholder. You should know, with how long you've been posting here, that posts about "looks" are taken with a grain of salt. To each his (or her) own!   And "where it turns a certain way in its lines"? Well, at least the Mazda's lines are straight! Seems Edmunds found the Kia to be a little "out of round," with comments such as on the exterior, both the hood and trunk lid were misaligned.   Mazda3 "falls woefully short" of the Kia in the style department?   There's nothing revolutionary going on in the cabin when it comes to design, which editors described as "clean, if uninspired," "a bit plain but tasteful," and "basic, functional, very reasonable."   Mazda should get a 'B' for trying, though.   Well, you're just a fellow student here. The teacher gave it an A+. Kia's got some homework to do.       Meade
#70 of 1205 The Edmunds "teacher's" by iluvmysephia1 Aug 23, 2005 (5:15 am)
may have given it an 'A' for many other reasons, and not for stylin', though. Kia smashes the 3 handsomely in the stylin' department, hands down.   The Mazda was heaped with praise in the driving categories, which it very well may deserve. If I can't get past the looks, I look no further though. When paying as much as one does for a new car, I want it to look great. When it's all packaged and bowed the Kia Spectra is my overall best choice. The Spectra powertrain is solid, too, and the comfort of the cabin and low noise levels are very impressive. There's just way too much to like and not nearly enough to not like with the Spectra-meister. Replies to this message: ctalk (Aug 23, 2005 5:23 am) richml (Sep 12, 2005 5:06 pm)

You are here: Forums Sedans Honda Civic Economy Sedans (~$16k-$20k)