Civic vs Scion

[hondajosh]

Heres my opinion......
At the end of 05 I bought an 06 TC manual drove it for 18k miles and traded it in June of 06. The car was nice especially for the money. It had plenty of torque and the hp wasnt bad either. However the interior was cheap and the car handled funny. Mine also had a few rattles and a lot of rock chips. I never had any real problems out of the car. But the trade in/resale value is amazing!! It hardly dropped at all!!! I traded the car in for an 06 350Z manual enthusiast model with LSD and HIDS, now for a stock car for less than 30k that was a monster! RWD, 6spd, 300hp AMAZING, however at the 11k mile mark I had the engine replaced due to oil consumption, the car never went to the track and was rarely driven hard.....Once the new engine was put in, the car never felt the same I drove it for about 1k more miles and traded it in on an 07 si sedan with nav. Although the civic is dinky in the power area compared to the Z it is a much nicer car. My biggest complaints about the si are WEIGHT, it feels like its heavier than my Z was, and the LACK of torque. Now my Si only has 400 miles on it so I have yet to really hammer it, but as for now I feel I made a good choice.

My point is: Buy the TC if:
A- You cant afford the Si model with nav
B- You want a car with NO oil consumption issues
C- You like torque
D- You plan on turbocharging
E- You like cheap interior
F- You plan on riceing the car, we have enough riced out civics


Buy the SI if:
A-You love HONDA ( i know I do)
B- YOu like VTEC and K series
C- You like LSD
D- Navigation is a plus
E- NICE interior (although the seats prob wont hold up)
F- YOu want to be part of the civic nation
G- You like 8k rpm

Buy a 350z if you:
A- want plenty of power out of the box
B-Dont care about reliability and like to work on a brand new car
C-Arent worried about being stranded on the side of the road
D-Enjoy bad customer service

*Please keep in mind I had an 06 Z, it had a different engine than 03-05 and if you read the my350z.com forums 06 model engines had a lot of problems. However 03-05 guys are extremely happy with their 350Z.

[Special Ringpop]

The Civic has a cheap interior as well that I doubt will stand the test of time anymore than the seats will.

I don't want to hear the crap that "they used softer, more appealing plastic".

I'd rather they use GM hard plastic if it meant an interior that will hold up after I sneeze on it.

[striker_1818]

WRX > 350Z and WRX costs 23K it's roomier unlike the 350z...what a waste
but then again HE IS ASKING FOR A COMPARISON BETWEEN AN LX BASE MODEL VS A tC!!
Not an Si and a tC...

[Sai]

Just test drove both again today, I must be really retarded if the major feature I like about the civic over the tC is the speedometer, but that's pretty much what it came down to. I tried driving the Si, wasn't too impressed. (I guess testing a 350z does that lol) Navigation was a really big letdown for the price you pay. So I decided a no-nav auto coupe was the way to go.

Until the numbers started.... Every dealer I went to quoted invoice pretty much immediately and wouldn't budge. Invoice is the new MSRP to me... So I agreed to it to practice trade-in haggling, and came away unsuccessful in getting to fair-market value. (2.5) When I did this at Scion, they offered me a mere 500 initially. Then went up to 2k when I said I would buy one right there for 2.5, so I think I have room for improvement. Anyone got tips on how to haggle lower? :)

[Mac2118]

I hate to bring up an almost week old topic.. but.. what I have to say is actually pretty funny, but has helped me in my decision.

my friend used to have an '05 Scion tC. he let me drive it once, but I didn't like the pedals at all. I wear size 13 shoes, and when I went to give it gas my foot would catch off the break pedal. the only way I could see to have that not happen was to have my foot at an angle, which was uncomfortable after awhile.

last summer he traded in his tC for an '06 Si (lol.. his dad bought one too) and he let me take it out for a drive. it was so comfortable and smooth. i fell in love with it.

I'm actually looking at taking one home with me within the next month or 2 if all goes well.

personally, I would go with the civic over the tC. I've owned a 96 civic for the past 6 years and have had no major problems with it. they're very reliable vehicles.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

i'll just say this i have a girl friend (not girlfriend)....with a 06 TC with a few mods....her last dyno was about 195 or so with ??tq (i forgot )........i let her drive my STOCK Si the other week and she called me yesterday to tell me that her TC was already sold and she's getting an Si....she already ordered one and is getting parts for it already.....

[striker_1818]

Originally Posted by bizzybearfigiblue

i'll just say this i have a girl friend (not girlfriend)....with a 06 TC with a few mods....her last dyno was about 195 or so with ??tq (i forgot )........i let her drive my STOCK Si the other week and she called me yesterday to tell me that her TC was already sold and she's getting an Si....she already ordered one and is getting parts for it already.....

whats her number? :)

[HybridRoninX]

Prior to ever seeing what an '06 Civic looked liked, I wanted a Mazda 3 5-Door. Mainly for the pretty nice hatchback look. But I finally got a glimpse of the Civic, and I was swept away. My plan was to get an Si when I went home on vacation. This is my first car, so I had to make a solid choice... I had 500 down on a reservation on an Si. When I got home I found out that my Si I had reserved was bought under me with cash... Sad... But then I was asked what my next choice was. I yelled out, "EX Coupe!" And as fast as they were being sold, I was informed there was only one EX Coupe left, and everything else was LX and Sedans. Seeing I didn't want to make my parents go all over the place looking for an Si since they were doing enough by co-signing with me, the EX Coupe and I were destined to be united.

This was a birthday gift to me...

Atomic Blue Metallic, Metallic Trim Kit, Fog Lights, and the upgraded alarm system... She's My Blue Angel.

I love my Civic... Although I hear trash about I should have an Si, or a manual, I am content with her. I hope to do minor performance and visual mods, but other than that, I don't plan to get carried away.

That is, unless I run into a large sum of money. LoL

She drives smoothly, looks awesome, and easy on the wallet. I honestly don't mind if I don't have an insane amount of HP or Torque. It's not like I'm a professional racer or something. I'm just a guy in the Air Force, living my life, and in need of a reliable vehicle. I couldn't ask for more than what I find in my Civic. You know Honda's reliability, and what potential a Civic has. And I'm sure you know what Toyota has to offer as well... Make the decision for you. It'll be your car; your baby.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

on another note the TC has wayyy more factory upgrade options that you could do....and they all let u keep ur warranty.....

but when it comes down to it the Si is just an overall better car....fun factor, looks, about the same MPG, etc....

[Sai]

Closure time!

I ended up buying a 2007 Civic LX Coupe.. Convoluted reasoning to follow!

1) I liked the Civic interior design and layout a lot better than the tC's. Something about the tC's interior dash texture just really annoyed me (elephant skin?) while the Civic's layout was a lot "cleaner" to me. Didn't like the flip down radio cover the tC had either.

2) Exterior was split. Liked both stylings the about the same from the front & side, although the tC's optional tail lights were nice.

3) Price. I chose the LX over the EX because I did not feel it was worth the cost. While some of added features are nice (2 rear disc brakes, better sound system) the rest of them I didn't really care for (sunroof, alloy wheels, exterior temperature, intermittent wipers?, 60/40 split). Compared to the tC and their "pure pricing" + the fact Toyota really didn't seem to want my trade in = Honda offered me a lot more on my trade in. Pretty close private-party value, or at least what I was trying unsuccessfully to sell it at. (96 Corolla). I didn't really get why both Toyota dealerships I went to offered the lowest amount of money for it ($500 and $800) of all the dealerships I went to. Neither haggled up to $2000, while the two Honda dealerships I went to haggled past $2500 pretty easily. I ended up official getting $3,200 for it. Maybe Honda is better at selling used Toyotas than Toyota is?

All in all these were my final choices (all OTD prices haggled down to after trade-in w/ 6% tax)
$15,000 for the LX / $17,800 for the EX (no nav) / $22,000+ for the Si ($2k "markup" over MSRP ftl)
$17,000 for the base tC (Flint Mica!) / $19,500 for the R.S 3.0 (Blizzard Pearl blah)

4) Practicality. Sure, this one doesn't really make sense because bought a coupe, but I don't live in the best of areas so I didn't really want to invest too much money into a depreciating asset considering I don't own a house yet. (but maybe soon!) Fuel economy and standard side airbags helped the Civic. Si was definitely fun to drive (after my 1st 2 test drives where I stalled at a light and spilled the free coffee everywhere from my awesome shifts) but I'd almost rather spend a few more k and get a G35. I know, blasphemy on this forum. :)

5) Because I think this deserved its own section: (the dash incase the image doesn't link properly )


Banana time!

[07k20si]

Ok, so I have an 07 Si and my wife has a supercharged 07 tC. We trade our cars at the same time, cause we can't stand for each other to have a newer car.

Well, I would recomend the tC over the Lx coupe. The tC has more standard features and power compared to the lx coupe. The only thing I dislike about the tC is the dash, and since I'm 6'1 I barely fit in the driver's seating area.

Now, the Si is a great car and I love it. By all means I would recomend the Si over the tC, but for a 5k difference you really can't compare the two. If you were to supercharge, and work on the tC (to equal the 5k) the two cars would be almost identical in power and features.

When we race, my Si pulls on the tC. Her car has the TRD supercharger, exhuast, intake, and springs. It was all installed by the dealer, so it stays under warranty. My Si only has a Fujita SRI and compTECH short shifter.

If it matters, the Si will have greater resale value. tC's are dime a dozen. In conlcusion, I would recommend the tC over the LX, and the Si over the tC.

Hope it helps. If you have any other questions or concerns, just PM me.

[Mac2118]

lol.. so I'm the only person on here that had large foot problems with the tC?

[DNieves]

I'm thinking of picking up a TC one of these days for the wife, reliable, it's nice looking car (except for the hideous dashboard -I LOVE the unique Civic two tiered dashboard)!

[sk8ter4life]

Scion are made in china. (most people dont know) not all in china though.

[Si_Jeff]

Originally Posted by sk8ter4life

Scion are made in china. (most people dont know) not all in china though.

lol.. unbelievable.. that's ridiculous..

[jaker]

Originally Posted by Mac2118

lol.. so I'm the only person on here that had large foot problems with the tC?

Nope, I do too, and also I'm 6'5", so the tC drivers area was waaay too toight. Sure, the tC has more power, but the Civic is a more refined car, better gas mileage, more comfortable. Depends on your situation in life, I guess.

Personally, I'd take my LX sedan over a tC...

[darna]

cant argue w/ the OP... you made the right choice!

welcome to the family.

[AbsoluteGG]

Originally Posted by sk8ter4life

Scion are made in china. (most people dont know) not all in china though.

Joking right?

[jasongg06]

Originally Posted by sk8ter4life

Scion are made in china. (most people dont know) not all in china though.

So what if they're made in China?

[ABM JDM]

To OP, as a fellow LX owner, I have to say congratulations on your fine choice, you won't be disappointed! I also chose the LX b/c the EX's added features I didn't really feel like I needed (honestly, the one I'd want the most is variable intermittent wipers! and that wasn't a big deal)... more money for mods this way! And I daresay you'll be more and more pleased the longer you own it!