Cobalt vs Elantra vs Civic

Im thinking of either getting the cobal, hyundai elantra or honda civic and am wondering what people think bout them? I would like a car with good fuel economy, low maintenance and a good amount of cargo space.

Cobalt all the way.... Especially with the GM employee discount.

Yeah, the cobalt looks pretty sweet, too. I hate how the new civics look... I'm biased though b/c i own a 98 civic, i love the older styles, but not the new ones so much.

The Civic is the safest choice in this class, but if you're willing to take a little more chance on the build quality, the Cobalt and Elantra are also great values. I think that the Cobalt LS coupe with the 140-hp 2.2L Ecotec engine is quite a nice car, and it's going pretty cheap.

I'd take the Civic for a safe bet, a Focus or Golf V for anything else.

what about the scion tC. Bigger engine, factory upgrades, and tons of options for the money.

Scion is also tons more money. This is my first car so I dont really wanan go over 13K

Scion is also tons more money. This is my first car so I dont really wanan go over 13K



well even the most basic civic will start at over 13K which after taxes and all the other bs dealers throw in the package you'll look at over 15K.


the elantra also starts at 13K+ so it will be the same story

as for the cobat it starts at 14K+


so we'll have to look at used cars, and i'm sure you can find a used tC for 13.

Well actually take invoice, plus bargaining and rebates I can get the Elantra and Cobal at around 12K. The Civic would be around 13K-13.5K. The Scions however are all above 13K and the tc is close to 16 i believe

I would like a car with good fuel economy, low maintenance and a good amount of cargo space.

The Civic fits those categories perfectly. GM cars always break down and have problems, I dont know about Hyundai.

Civic's got everything but cargo space.

The Civic fits those categories perfectly. GM cars always break down and have problems, I dont know about Hyundai.

GM cars do not always break down, or have problems. Where do you come up with this stuff? Get a clue. Take a look at this link. http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=14&article_id=2273&page_number=1

Anyhow, the Cobalt is best of the choices. Most power, most torque, bulletproof ecotec under the hood, arguably the best interior, and probably the best value.

i wouldnt argue with lude...

my family has a nissan, a toyota, an acura, and a gm... we havent had any problems with any of the japanese cars since we have bought them... the gm on the other hand... i think my fathers spent over 3,000 in the past 2 years just repairing the stupid thing and it still doesnt work properly... im not saying that the engine is bad, its just the quality and the little things like the guages, and the doors not opening when u press the unlock button.. the small things... and then they over charge u when you get them fixed

i wouldnt argue with lude...

my family has a nissan, a toyota, an acura, and a gm... we havent had any problems with any of the japanese cars since we have bought them... the gm on the other hand... i think my fathers spent over 3,000 in the past 2 years just repairing the stupid thing and it still doesnt work properly... im not saying that the engine is bad, its just the quality and the little things like the guages, and the doors not opening when u press the unlock button.. the small things... and then they over charge u when you get them fixed

First of it really comes down to how well the car is taken care of. Any car regardless of brand if taken care of properly will last, period. I don't care about personal experiences because I could sit here all day and talk about experiences with cars.

The fact of the matter is American cars aren't behind the Japanese like they were 10 years ago, they are for the most on par with, or in some cases like the Cobalt better than many if not all of their Japanese counterparts.

I don't know what being overcharged for something has to do with reliability. Any time you go to a dealer you pay more. In most cases parts for GM cars are cheap and plentiful.

Scion is also tons more money. This is my first car so I dont really wanan go over 13K

If you don't want a new car that are under over $13k then your only choices are the Chevrolet Aveo, Hyundai Accent, Saturn ION and Toyota Echo. Your best bet at a good buy for that price would be to go to Canada where you can get the Echo hatchback, which is pretty much the closest thing to a Toyota Vitz that is closest to the US.

Unless of course you go to Mexico and perhaps they sell the Toyota Yaris (European Vitz) there.

You can also go there to maybe get a City Rover too, since MG Rover sells cars in Mexico. They probably have them on clearance now, maybe you can even get a MG ZR now for a good amount of pesos there as well.:cwm27:

But actually being more serious, if you are willing to spend around $13k rather than below there is always the Suzuki Forenza, Aveo or Reno.

I would personally recommend the Aveo since it has just as good fuel economy as the Forenza but with 12 more hp stock, even though the cargo space may be a bit smaller. Or if you want a car for around the same price but with more cargo and foot space you can always go with the 123hp Suzuki Reno.

For slightly higher you can also get the lowest trim Hyundai Elantra or Saturn ION sedan.

First of it really comes down to how well the car is taken care of. Any car regardless of brand if taken care of properly will last, period. I don't care about personal experiences because I could sit here all day and talk about experiences with cars.

The fact of the matter is American cars aren't behind the Japanese like they were 10 years ago, they are for the most on par with, or in some cases like the Cobalt better than many if not all of their Japanese counterparts.

I don't know what being overcharged for something has to do with reliability. Any time you go to a dealer you pay more. In most cases parts for GM cars are cheap and plentiful.

all the same people drive the cars... also the gm is newer than 2 of the other cars.. the mr2 and the maxima.... but the only one that has EVER had a problem... also the mr2 is 11 years old and driven a lot harder

how does a guage refusing to work or the door not opening when you press the button on the key holder have to do with how it is taken care of?? ... also it wasnt from slamming the door too hard, because none of the doors opened... it was something with the wiring of some sort... these things dont happen because of driving the car too hard, or forgetting to change the oil... its just the quality of the car

your right that american cars arent as far behind like they were 10 years ago, but its not a FACT as you state it that they are on par or infact BETTER in reliablity than japanese cars

being overcharged for parts should be looked at, because if the car breaks down a lot, then you might regret not spending the extra 1 or 2k on a better car with better reliablity, and then end up spending even more on the car purchased... id say that honda parts are cheap and plentiful as well.. especially a civic dont you think

all the same people drive the cars... also the gm is newer than 2 of the other cars.. the mr2 and the maxima.... but the only one that has EVER had a problem... also the mr2 is 11 years old and driven a lot harder

how does a guage refusing to work or the door not opening when you press the button on the key holder have to do with how it is taken care of?? ... also it wasnt from slamming the door too hard, because none of the doors opened... it was something with the wiring of some sort... these things dont happen because of driving the car too hard, or forgetting to change the oil... its just the quality of the car

your right that american cars arent as far behind like they were 10 years ago, but its not a FACT as you state it that they are on par or infact BETTER in reliablity than japanese cars

being overcharged for parts should be looked at, because if the car breaks down a lot, then you might regret not spending the extra 1 or 2k on a better car with better reliablity, and then end up spending even more on the car purchased... id say that honda parts are cheap and plentiful as well.. especially a civic dont you think

I'm not trying to start a flame war here, so you can chill out. You're talking to a former mechanic here. I know what I'm talking about. Every brand has bad seeds. I've owned Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, and GM products. My Maxima was on it's third transmission when I sold it, the car was not abused. My Accord was such a piece of crap that I sold it for a few hundred dollars to get out of my driveway. My 2001 Infiniti already developed an oil leak, and interior parts are not of the best quality, otherwise it's a great car. My 2004 Lancer hasn't had a single problem in the 16 months I've owned it. My 2000 S-10 was trouble free when I sold it, which I regret doing. Moral of the story is some have good experiences with certain cars, some have bad ones. It doesn't mean that brand x makes terrible cars across the board. Mechanical things break, it's just the nature of the beast.

I can get a Elantra base for 12K. I'm talking real price, not bs msrp

Which reminds me, since there are not many changes done to most of these cars within at least 2 years. So you can make a great deal on a last year model, which isn't any different aside from the fact that it has been in the lot a bit longer. Either way once you purchase the car the dealership is usually obligated to do one free initially checkup before it roles off the lot. :naughty: