Looking for a new daily driver......

[IceWindius]

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

People are going to shoot me for recommending this...but here it goes:

A new Cobalt LS or 1LT with the XFE badge. This is something GM just released. It's only available on those two trim levels, the lowest and second lowest, respectievly. The retuned a few things on the car, and with the 5MT, the fuel economy is 25/36. It's also dirt cheap and you get a 100,000 mile warranty.

[06civictx]

well if you're on a budget just get a 06 corolla s and call it a day

[boltuprite]

I stand corrected. The Civic's (DX, LX, EX) is indeed 140 hp whereas the Si is 197.

But the Civic(DX,LX,EX) runs on Regular. Premium is recomended for the Si.

And whatever you do, don't but Chevy crap. The only thing they know how to build is a truck.

[ironman1964]

Originally Posted by boltuprite

And whatever you do, don't but Chevy crap. The only thing they know how to build is a truck.

I'm pretty sure they know how to build Corvette's too.

[boltuprite]

a Corvette is a far cry from a 4 cyl econmy car. IMHOthe Americans have never been able to build a good small car like the Japanese and now the Koreans can.

Sure they built things like the Cavalier, Sunfire, Neon, economical but no where near the quality of Honda's or Toyotas.

[ironman1964]

Originally Posted by boltuprite

a Corvette is a far cry from a 4 cyl econmy car. .

So is a pickup truck

[Special Ringpop]

Say what you want, getting a Cobalt for $14,000 or less that gets 36 on the highway, and nets you a 100,000 mile warranty is far better than getting even the cheapest Civic, which doesnt even have a radio or air conditioning.

He didn't say he wants only Honda. He's looking for a good deal and a solid little car. Those Ecotecs are very reliable little motors.

[CrazyCarGuy]

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

Say what you want, getting a Cobalt for $14,000 or less that gets 36 on the highway, and nets you a 100,000 mile warranty is far better than getting even the cheapest Civic, which doesnt even have a radio or air conditioning.

He didn't say he wants only Honda. He's looking for a good deal and a solid little car. Those Ecotecs are very reliable little motors.

I can promise you, I don't want a Cobalt. Sure it is less expensive than a Civic. But I would be willing to bet the Cobalt will lose over 1/2 its value in the first 3 years. How many people bought a Cavalier, then got the shaft on resale value?

[IceWindius]

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

Say what you want, getting a Cobalt for $14,000 or less that gets 36 on the highway, and nets you a 100,000 mile warranty is far better than getting even the cheapest Civic, which doesnt even have a radio or air conditioning.

He didn't say he wants only Honda. He's looking for a good deal and a solid little car. Those Ecotecs are very reliable little motors.

Dude, have you even read the CR reviews on that POS? Seriously, think before you post.

[Special Ringpop]

Originally Posted by IceWindius

Dude, have you even read the CR reviews on that POS? Seriously, think before you post.

I won't get into how I feel about CR. All that I need to know is that the several people I know with the Cobalt have had less problems combined than I've had with my Civic. While this may be an isolated instance and not representative of the entirety, it makes me wonder.

I have no doubt that the Civic will retain value better...perception takes a long time to catch up to reality: GM worked themselves into a grave the last few decades, and they are only now starting to catch up.

But I can say this...the Cobalt is infiniately better than the Cavalier it replaced. I dunno, if I were looking for a base level entry car just to get around, I can tell you the Cobalt would be the first place I would look probably. That or the Fit, but they are kind of in different segments.

It's just my personal opinion. I buy based on the product, not the badge or national origin behind it. To be honest, the build quality of most compact cars is shoddy at best. The Civic just does a great job making it look less shoddy.

I do think before I post, I think the Cobalt would be a good little car for what he is looking for. At least test drive it before you rule it out. It's actually not that bad of a car. But then again, I also find the 103 horsepower in my Chevy Aveo rental to be sufficient haha.

[zergling]

can't believe I'm saying this, but a yaris or corolla might be worth checking...maybe even the tC.....

[EXcoupe]

Originally Posted by IceWindius

Dude, have you even read the CR reviews on that POS? Seriously, think before you post.

I wouldn't be so quick to slam the Cobalt. This was on my short-list but liked the Civic much better and was willing to pay the extra coin. Cobalt would have got the job done but I didn't like the seats (design & fabric choices), narrow interior and sun roof design opens over the roof the car. Underneith it didn't have independent rear suspension or disc's on the rear. To me it felt low-end & cheap compared to the Civic. This is coming from a Chevy owner, traded an Impala for this Civic and also have a Silverado collecting dust in my garage.

[CrazyCarGuy]

Well I hope to get this over with by the end of May. I am trying to hold out to see if Honda will have better pricing/better terms around Memorial Day. Anyone recall if they did anything last Memorial weekend??

[pks17]

I wouldnt really call any civic the best "dailydriver".
Sure it is low maintenance and great on gas, but to be honest, sometimes driving the civic can be a bit tireing, it just doesnt have the comfort or the torque to be a happy camper everyday all day.
But as a "commuter" car, it is one of the best.

[IceWindius]

Originally Posted by pks17

I wouldnt really call any civic the best "dailydriver".

Thats subject to personal opinions and viewpoints. Ones mans "daily driver" is another mans "POS" or "high end vehicle" and vice versa.

[CrazyCarGuy]

If gas was still under/around $2 a gallon I would be willing to look at something V8 and rwd. But they aren't so I need something more practical.

[msjdmlove]

if you're driving 40miles day you should really suggest a hybrid.
i have an hybrid myself and i would do 60-75miles a day depending where i go.
not only does the hybrid save the planet lol but it does save your bank & gas

[07Ex]

Originally Posted by CrazyCarGuy

08 Civic LX coupe 5spd manual (not liking the rear drum brakes)
08 Civic EX coupe 5spd manual
06-07 Civic SI coupe
04-05 Civic SI
02-05 Civic (like because the prices, but likely no warranty)


Any suggestions, thoughts?? Any 08 owners that have owned the older Civics? Pro's, con's?

I have an 07Ex sedan, manual transmission, and I get awesome gas mileage. I actually get better mileage in the 1.8L 07 than I did in my 1.6L 97 Civic Hatch. That being said, if I were you I would either go for an 08 Ex manual or an 02-05.

08 EX manual should give you better gas mileage than the Si. The 08s also have warranty, and if you get it in manual transmission, you will have that fund-to-drive factor as well. Sure, it won't be as fun as the Si, but then you won't need to fill it up with premium gas either.

The reason why I would also go for the 02-05s is because of the price and gas mileage. My wife has an 04 sedan and my brother an 01 coupe, and they are very econimical The only problem I see with you getting one now is that most likely you won't get any warranty, but you will definitely save a lot of cash. As far as problems with the 7th gens, the only problem my brother had was with the suspension, which my wife didn't seem to have with her 04. I think Honda made some modifications to the suspension for the 04-05 model year.

Good luck with your purchase.

[06CivEXJon]

Go look into the Civic EX,new Fit and/or Civic Hybrid.

[CrazyCarGuy]

Just came in from the dealership. Drove an 08 Rallye Red EX 5 speed manual shift. Drove pretty nice, much quieter inside than what I recall on the 04-05 models. As for the dislike, shifter was a little notchy, and big blind spots!! The blind spots would take some time to adjust to. Most of my daily driving is in 70mph straight open road with heavy traffic. So people are lane hopping all the time.

I left the Honda dealer to go eat. After eating we decided to go across the street to the Dodge dealer and see if they had a Caliber SRT-4 just for fun. They said they should have one in a couple of weeks. They said it would be about $24k......"No thanks"