It approaches that time, when a beloved vehicle must be terminated due to age and maintenance costs. I will be selling my Jeep at the end of July, and my three top contendors to replace it are:
Volkswagen Jetta Honda Civic Toyota Celica
I'm looking for pros and cons on all. I will be purchasing used, and whatever I go with, I'm looking for: silver/black exterior, manual transmission, under 20k miles, cost under $16,000.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Jetta has quality, Civic has cheap price, and Celica has the sportiness. I guess it just depends what you want the most. I think the Jetta would be the most practical.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Checked out CarMax? Their site says that in MD there is a 2001 Civic, 10k miles, manual, black, two-door for $15,000, a 2002 silver with 16k for $15,000, and a 2001 silver four-door for $13,600 with 18k miles. If you don't see something you like, I think you can set up some sort of alert that tells you when the car you want shows up. CarMax is a great place to buy used cars. I've found my family's last two cars online at their site, and within 24 hours we've driven 'em home.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I've been checking Carmax for the last two weeks, actually, and it is where I plan to buy (and I have a buyer alert for a Celica). Ask Liz, I'm always like, "ooooh, oooh, look."
But what I'm looking for are pros/cons with the vehicles. I'm leaning towards the Celica, even if it does have "Devil's" headlights. Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
You'll be hard-pressed to find a Civic or Celica coupe with (a) less than 40K miles on its odometer and that (b) hasn't been motorically tortured by its previous owner. Those cars are aggressive driving magnets, man.
Of course, the mileage put on them is partially offset by the fact that (a) they never break down no matter how much abuse they've taken, and (b) cheap maintenance & spare parts (except for Honda's VTEC Civics).
Which models (year & engine) are you looking for, specifically? There's a major difference between a 1991 3d and a 2001 5d Civic...
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
What other cars have you looked at besides these three?
As for Pros/Cons...
Celica: Pros - Sporty, 180hp in the GT-S, durable engine, wide availablity of parts, 5-speed or 6-speed available on GT-S. Cons - Strict 2-seater with little storage space, looks take some getting used to, 27/33mpg in GT, 23/32 in GT-S, poor rear visiblity.
Civic: Pros - Economical, 32/38mpg, decent amount of room even in the coupe, large abundance of parts and service, easily repaired since there are so many, most mechanics would know how to work on them, cheaper so you can get a newer model then the other two Cons - Driving something exactly like thousands of other people have, not very sporty, small engine, 127hp the top of the line in EX, 5-speed only manual available.
Jetta: Pros - Roomy since its a 4-door only, incredible build quality so less likely to break down, optional 190hp 2.8L V6 over Turbo Inline-4. Cons - Volkswagen notorious for having poor mechanics and service, larger car without much sport in the design, poor gas mileage, 20/28 on V6, 22/31 on Turbo Inline-4, optional 4MOTION 4WD but only available with automatic, 5-speed only.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Good luck to you, Snay. My family just got our third car, mainly for my sister (who will be driving back and forth from the University of Kentucky during the year). It's a '97 Subaru Impreza, one of their "mini Outback" models. Haven't gotten a look at it yet, since they drove home with it only last night after dark, and seeing a black car by starlight isn't the most exciting thing to see.
I'm probably going to be buying a car that's all my own in a couple of months. But I don't need it as much just yet because I go to UD, only 20 minutes away from home.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
To add on to 359's notes...
Celica: My ex Heather drove a Celica. So did my freidns Mary & Keia. None of them liked it & drove them because it was what was bought for them. They complained of insufficient room, poor engine efficiencies, & an inability to keep things from falling apart.
Civic: Well, a lot of people I know have driven or do drive Civics, Most of them like it except for the fact that they feel the car is woefully underpowered & that the maintenance is annoying since the car is so finicky & has a "fragile" nature.
Jetta: I still don't understand why people buy these things. They break down all the time, they get horrible mileage, they have the aerodynamics of a brick. Parts are expensive & vary from model year to model year in tiny annoying differences. Plus I'm told that you basically HAVE to put in high-test gas or the engine can be damaged. Last time I was in Towson, I think I say high-test for what, $1.83-9?
To end, I'd like to say that the Civics are ok-ish if you just want to tool around, Celicas are useless for what you plan to do, & Jettas are utter SHITE. In fact, of the 15 people I've knwon in the past 5 years with Jettas, 9 of them have given up, thrown in the towel, & bought new cars. And of those 9, 5 bought Saturns.
So nyah.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
"they get horrible mileage, they have the aerodynamics of a brick"
Much like a certain deer combine. 8)
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shik: In fact, of the 15 people I've knwon in the past 5 years with Jettas, 9 of them have given up, thrown in the towel, & bought new cars. And of those 9, 5 bought Saturns.
Ick, I'd avoid Saturns. The newer ones are turning kind of crappy, break down easily, and parts aren't easily available since they don't share much of their componants with the rest of GM (the brand new ones do though). Plus they're so bland it's not even funny.
As for the premium gas for a Jetta, I haven't heard that before. It might just be for the W8 or V6, the Turbo I-4 most likely runs on regular. Maybe you could try a Golf/GTI? Same thing as a Passat except a 5-door hatch.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Well, Saturn isn't technically part of GM, anyway. And I don;t know how one would define "bland," although I will admit that I'm not fond at all fo the reworked grilling & some of the interiors on the 2003 L-Series. But everyone I've ever talked to who's owned a Saturn at any point has had nothing but praise. Including me.
The only thing bad (& it's not even really "bad") I could say is that they made the "mistake" of going for function over form; that is to say, reliability, safety, service, & customer satisfaction over aesthetics. But my Sheyja still looks like a gorgeous silverblue shark. So nayh. Again.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Saturn is completely part of GM, they were just different from Chevy/Pontiac/Olds/Buick/Caddy in that they were allowed to be independently run and do their own thing basically. Their cars weren't just rebadges of other GM products, their engines were unique, their plants are unique. That is no longer true though, the new Saturn ION is the same as the upcoming Cobalt/Astra/Sunfire/CTS/SRX, and their 2.2L Ecotec Inline-4 is used in basically every GM small car around the world.
As for bland, Saturns just have nothing really special about them. The SC2s were nice, but thats it. People also aren't buying the new IONs, GM had to shut down their plant for 2 weeks because they had so many in stock and no one was buying them. Aztek-syndrome strikes again.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Darth Jetta?
Darth Celica?
Darth Civic?
Which one sounds more threatening?
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
If you're looking at Jettas, might as well check out the Golf as well. It's got various models with extra letters on the end of the name that clearly make it accelerate faster and corner easier.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Which one sounds more threatening?
Darth Celica.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
As far as the choices go, here's where I'm at:
I don't like the new Celica... the headlights scare me, and Snay is aware of that. Plus they're tiny.
Civics, I enjoy... I had a Civic up until last summer, and I LOVED That car. Mechanically, never a problem, and I drove it HARD. I didn't notice that it was underpowered at all, and I found out from experience several times that in a crash, the car holds up pretty well, plus it was pretty roomy and comfortable, for it's size. A perk for the Civic as well is that you can get the Hybrid Civic and it gets 50+ MPG which is VERY nice and environmentally sound
Jettas? Don't have one, never have HAD one, but I have a lot of friends with them and they wouldn't give those cars up for anything. None of them have ever had a problem (these are all the newer body-style Jetta, not the older one) and I just think they're so CUTE!
Plus there's plenty of room in both the Civic and the Jetta for a kicking stereo system ;-) And a family, if Snay chooses to have one of those in the near future
BUT, I think that in determining the car for Snay, we're all missing the boat - given his history crashing into "objects" (ie. deer), maybe instead of coolness and design we should consider something even more important -
Crash Safety Ratings
Civic~ The 2000+ Civic is rated a first choice by the Institute for Interstate HIghway Safety in all categories. Definately a winner!
Jetta~ The Late '99+ Jetta is rated the highest score in all categories by the IIHS except the Structure/Safety cage and Restraints/Dummy Kinematics which both scored average. Still a good choice, but the Civic scored better.
Celica~ The IIHS has not tested the Celica, but according to crashtest.com, it is rated good overall, doing very well with frontal impact collisions, but only average with frontal offset. Also, it's very lightweight which raises some concern.
Also remember, 4 door cars are generally safer than 2 door cars, AND are cheaper to insure.
The moral of the story? I think you should look into getting a Toyota Corolla Sport - they're cute, reliable, and even safer than the Civic! Plus there's still room for a stereo ;-)
~LOA
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Cars!
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ultra Magnus: Cars!
Um...very astute? Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
I was trying to think of other cars that might be decent to also look at:
Acura Integra - A nice alternative to a Civic, 3 or 4 doors, sportier styling then Civic, same Honda reliability. (1.8L 140hp I4, 5-speed, 25/31mpg)
Mazda Protege/Protege5 - 4-door (Protege) and 5-door (Protege5), sporty styling in some models, Ford-built engine. (2.0L 130hp I4, 5-speed, 25/31mpg)
Nissan Sentra/SE-R - 4-door only, blah-ish looks, SE-R hot car with more aggresive looks if you can find one, engine is widely used and parts are available. (Sentra: 1.8L 126hp I4, 5-speed, 28/35mpg) (SE-R: 2.5L 165hp (standard)/175hp (V-Spec) I4, 6-speed, 23/29mpg)
Oldsmobile Alero/Pontiac Grand Am - Dunno how you feel about American, but these cars are 2 or 4 doors, and the 2-door has as much room in the rear seat as the 4-door, also has V6 but only with an automatic. (2.4L 150hp I4 or 2.2L 140hp I4 [depends on year], 5-speed, 26/33mph)
Subaru Impreza - 4-door and wagon, the 2.5RS/2.5TS models are pretty nice non-turbo alternatives to the WRX, tons of room, true sedan, TS wagon has plenty of extra cargo space. (2.5L 165hp Flat-4, 5-speed, 21/28mpg)
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
And Car Boy says he has no interests... 8)
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
I want the police issue Yugo that Danny DeVito drove in "Drowning Mona".
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
I LOVE my Mazda Protege.......
Posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
Well, I'm helping my aunt go car shopping to replace her 1988 Civic LX sedan. I went with her to a Honda dealer and saw that...
A) the new Civics have 112 hp 4-cyl engine B) the new Accords have 140 hp 4-cyl engine C) the V6 Accords have 240 hp engines
But since you want a used car... ever try buying through car auctions? I took a friend there to buy herself a car. She lucked out with a 2001 BMW 330i sedan that was repossesion by the Feds. It was fully loaded, silver with grey leather interior, 17,558 miles, and in excellent condition. She bought the car for $19,856 plus whatever else the auctioneers threw in. She drove home a nice used car for under $22,000 that used to cost around $50,000. You might want to try that Snay.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
So I shall be "Darth Celica", then.
Blue 2000 GT, 34k miles 5-speed manual transmission, AM/FM CASS CD, A/C.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
So the HID has the D/EN, while the AC and RON's are to the YMS?
I've only the CLE and VER with the LAD.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Toyota's blue is a nice color. Does it have a spoiler? And I thought you wanted under 20k miles?
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Here's the pic!
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
And I thought the Focus was bad. Pretty soon, they'll be making cars where the headlights stretch from the bottom of the front bumper to the back end of the trunk.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
What, you've never seen a Celica before?
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
The '94 GTs looked, uh, less Fordish. Those had unique styling, dammit...
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
See! I told you guys!!!! The headlights on the Celica are SCARY! *shudders*
Posted by Styrofoaman (Member # 706) on :
Yuck.
Plus that would be a expensive pain in the arse in a crash. All that plastic that'd need to be replaced.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
You talk about plastic a lot.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
HE COULD HIRE YOU !!
To replace the plastic, of course.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
are we contracting out our services? i will make gifbash images of variations of the 1701-refit design, 2 for 1 special
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
That car looks unpleasantly like some form of deranged insect.
Darth Snay in the Scarab of Doom.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
With deployable spikes in a rear compartment, anti-farm equipment missiles in the hood (for when someone is driving a tractor at 5mph on the road), and gatling guns hidden behind the retractable headlights. Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Erm, there's nothing wrong with the Celica's headlights IMHO. It doesn't remind me of a Focus at all. And I doubt it'd be any different from any other car in a wreck. The headlights on modern cars are all one big thing, if you damage one you can pop out the entire casing and stick a new one in.
Do the cars whisper sweet nothings to you after you've finished humping them?
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
...
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
Of course, if you drive a Focus, you tend to get more "those headlights suck!" reactions than if you drive a Gallardo, for some CRAZY INEXPLICABLE reason.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
You people are the first I have ever heard complain about the headlights on the Focus. Or Celica.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
I've always thought that the headlights on our Focus look like a cat with a stretched face...
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Erm, there's nothing wrong with the Celica's headlights IMHO. It doesn't remind me of a Focus at all."
Surely you jest?
Note the fact that they are both GIANT FRIGGING TRIANGLES! That's not a normal shape for a headlight.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Well the Focus headlights are more similar to equilateral triangle, while the Celica's are much more stretched out. The Celica's are stretched out vertically while the Focus' are wider horizontally. That, and if you actually look at a Celica up close, the headlight cover is not flat. The uppermost light actually sticks out in a bubble.
Basically, if one of those two cars were coming at me from head on, I'd easily be able to tell if its a Celica or Focus.
If any headlights remind me of a Celica, its the Lexus ES300.
BTW, nice picture of the elusive Focus RS.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
TSN is upset that he doesn't have a blue Celica, that's all.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Mmmmmmm..... I LOVE a Lexus!
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
I saw Bullitt once.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
"That's not a normal shape for a headlight."
Your shape deviates from the norm somewhat too, but you don't hear US complain. 8)
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"BTW, nice picture of the elusive Focus RS."
If you say so. I did a Google image search for "Ford Focus" and picked the first one that was big enough and in about the same orientation as the Celica.
And just because there are enough differences between the headlights to tell them apart, how does that mean they aren't similar? They're still triangular. Not to mention that my initial post on the subject specifically addressed the fact that the Celica headlights are even worse (ergo, different) than the Focus ones.
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