[Pvt. Joker]

My 2000 323Ci (135,000 miles) is tired and needs replacing. I've come to the conclusion that less is more and will get either a Civic or a Corolla.
Which would you choose?

 

[MG67]

beetle or golf...

 

[Will_325i]

Mini Cooper S

 

[AB]

beetle or golf...

Exactly.

Why bland down that much (ie Civic or Corolla?) Certainly there are other cars at that price point that you would enjoy more. If enjoyment is not on your required list, then optimize on price/reliability.

 

[bmw325]

Out of those 2, I'd choose the Civic. I'd alos check out the Mazda 3.

 

[Pvt. Joker]

If enjoyment is not on your required list, then optimize on price/reliability.

I now think of cars as appliances and figure that those two cars are the best for price/reliability. When the radiator on my E46 exploded in March, I had a Corolla rental and was thoroughly impressed. It was a pleasure to drive.

 

[Pvt. Joker]

I'd also check out the Mazda 3.

It's a rebadged Ford Focus.

 

[drallafi]

I've now think of cars as appliances and figure that those two cars are the best for price/reliability. When the radiator on my E46 exploded in March, I had a Corolla rental and was thoroughly impressed. It was a pleasure to drive.

I did the same thing with my 325i and a Nissan Maxima. For the rental period, I was grinning ear to ear, so when my lease was up, I got a Maxima, and spent the next 6 months missing RWD. Civic is a good car, but I wouldn't be caught dead in a Corolla.

 

[AG]

It's a rebadged Ford Focus.

Rebadged Euro Focus. I think the Focus sold in the U.S. is still based off of the old platform. :dunno:

 

[ed325i]

Mazda 3 Sport, or TSX

 

[hugh1850]

Out of the two...walk.

 

[obmd1]

WRX :dunno:

EDIT... although if you are looking for reliable... :tsk:

 

[sunilsf]

I would say that you run the numbers for everything (initial cost, insurance, gas) and get the cheaper of the two.

My guess is that the Corolla is going to be cheaper to insure and everything else will be equal. So Corolla is probably better.

 

[PhilH]

Mazda 3

 

[Uber330i]

Civic

 

[99flhr]

My 2000 323Ci (135,000 miles) is tired and needs replacing. I've come to the conclusion that less is more and will get either a Civic or a Corolla.
Which would you choose?

Toyota: :thumbup: weld the hood shut, (you won`t need to look under there) VERY strong resale

Toyota: :thumbdwn: vanilla ice cream

 

[equ]

Mazda3 or Subaru for sure... Go out and drive your choices. I had a blast last year driving all the contenders repeatedly. So much fun that I almost want to shop again - except I don't need a car anymore.

 

[Bavarian MW]

WRX :dunno:

EDIT... although if you are looking for reliable... :tsk:

FWIW, My 2002 WRX has been very reliable. It is a blast to drive, and very fun to mod. Now if only I could dial in a bit more BMW steering feel! :thumbup:

--MW

 

[Fast Bob]

Scion Coupe tc....

Regards,
Bob

 

[Rowag]

Toyota: :thumbup: weld the hood shut, (you won`t need to look under there) VERY strong resale

:stupid:

COROLLA! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

You'll be at a zero on the style scale versus a Civic (which at least gets a "1"), but for reliability Toyota is untouchable in my eyes ("Planet Toyota", anyone?)

I had a 1996 Corolla DX that my wife and I picked up in '98 for $12k with about 18k miles on it. We shared it, and it was beaten to ALL HELL for 6 years straight.

Here's what we put "The Green Car" through:

20,000+ miles per year
4-5 miles of dirt road every day (at rough speeds ~ 30-40 mph)
At least 6 cold starts a day, every day
Not-so-nice oil changes (4k-5k miles)
The hard, unyielding right foot of a now BMW owner

I ran into the guy who has it now, and it's got over 240,000 miles on it. Here's ALL of the maintenance and repair that has been done between the two of us:

- Tires
- Battery
- Oil changes (and overdue, remember?)
- Transmission fluid flush (twice)

- front CV joint on each side ($120 each)
- Alternator ($140)
- 1 Power window regulator ($50)
- Motor mount ($60)

The thing is still kicking. Everything else is original equipment - power windows, power locks, air conditioning, automatic transmission, and the engine. It burns a little bit of oil on startup (for maybe 10 seconds or so), but that's it. The A/C even has the original freon in it.

It's the third Toyota I've owned. The first was another Corolla that was a shared car between myself and my two brothers. We each wrecked it to the tune of $2k. (It was the you're-young-and-stupid learner car). That car was a maintenance dream.

The second was an '87 Celica GTS, accidentally driven by my dad for 200 miles with ZERO oil in it before it died. :tsk:

My wife and I love our Porsche and BMW now, but the wallet definitely remembers the good ole' days of the Toyotas.