Civic or Avensis?

[masta247]

ok I'm buying my first car and I'm stuck between this:

and this:

Honda Civic 1.4 - 1998 vs. Toyota Avensis 1.6 - 2000.
Honda costs 6000$ here while Toyota around 8000$, Honda wastes around 5.5-7l/100km while Toyota 7-9l/100km (gasoline both).

Which one should I get?
I think I like Honda more plus it's cheaper in use but is it a good car? Will a 10 year old car be reliable enough to work well for next few years untill I'll get something better?

 

[Rukas]

Id go with the Toyota, in my opinion it will be more reliable. Toyota make great cars, so does Honda I think they are both the leaders in regards to quality out of that region, but I would go the Toyota because it is newer.

Plus, 1.4 liter is pretty gutless. It depends how far you plan to drive?
Do you ever drive to Krakow or something? 1.6 is slow and weak, but 1.4 is a lot worse.

Having said that make sure it has enough luggage space in the back because I may need a lift from the airport in September ...

 

[Shadows]

wow. 1.4?

i have a 96 accord lx 2.0.

The only thing i had a problem was with the 02 sensor heater (last month).

It runs smoothly...all it needs is a paintjob, and its older than those 2 cars you listed by atleast 2 years.

i would say get the honda. b/c that would mean that, (if you go by the age of my honda) that all you would basically need to do is get a tune-up (for any used car u buy) then it should have no problems for another 2 years.

Honda's are more stylish and if you have a friend mechanic he/she might like to work on it, (dont ask me why) but mechanics love to work on Honda's around where i live.

The money you save ($2000), put atleast half in a Bank CD (or something), and pimp out the car.


But of course, no one here knows how the status of the car.

Wrecks?
Worn out wheels?
etc...


Good Luck

EDIT: To be more specific,

my car had 200,000 miles on it. Now it should have around 210,000. (i dont know cuz i had the odometer replaced b/c i dropped my car, and it stopped working)

my girls honda is a 99 accord, it has about 121,000 on it, and it runs fine, absolutely no problems. However, It needs a tune-up on the transmission b/c the OG owner didnt know how to drive it. (there are some serious retards out there)

 

[masta247]

The thing is that Honda weights significally less so 1.4 with 90 horsepower is still "better" than 1.6 with 110hp in Toyota.
Honda with it's 1.4 takes less than 12s to reach 100kph while Toyota with 1.6 takes more than 14 seconds.

Also Honda is cheaper in use (uses less gasoline, cheaper parts are easier to get, cheaper insurance) and IMO more stylish.
For the next 4 year I'll be studying so I need a car that is possibly the cheapest in use but on the other hand good for longer routes - so I can't buy a small car.

The only thing I'm worried about is that Honda is a bit older.
Also I'm not sure which brand is more reliable and I'm still a bit worried if they're not too old.

@Rukas: I'm not sure if I'll buy it before september but if so you're welcome

 

[Rukas]

If you are willing to wait until after September I suggest you save up a little more. What about something made a little closer to home like a Skoda or a Golf?

 

[masta247]

If you are willing to wait until after September I suggest you save up a little more. What about something made a little closer to home like a Skoda or a Golf?

I thought about Opel or Volkswagen but strangely they are as expensive as Japanese cars with the only difference that their repairs and tune-ups are cheaper.
Japanese cars are more economical tho.

I'm finishing my driving license now and I don't know when will I pass my last exam. Here it's average 30% chance of passing and if you fail you have to wait 2-3 months to approach again.
It sucks a bit, and that's why I'm not sure when will I buy my car but it will happen as soon as I'll get my driving license.

 

[Duke]

I'd go for the Civic since it's probably cheaper to insure as well. For the rest all the things to look out for apply. Check the cars out for damage and everything.

 

[masta247]

I'd go for the Civic since it's probably cheaper to insure as well. For the rest all the things to look out for apply. Check the cars out for damage and everything.

yes, it's 40% cheaper to insure.

Problem is I don't know much about cars and I'm a bit worried that I'll buy a damaged one.
I'll try to find a noble-looking seller.

 

[insomnia]

man.. come to lithuania and buy yourself a car here.
honda civic '98 - the one you're interested in will cost no more than 4800-5000 $ for you, while toyota avensis '00 will be about 7200-7500 $. for a student i'd recommend honda civic, or you could look at vw golf, opel astra.. there are plenty of similar cars.. when you're buying the car of 10 years old the most important thing is how it was driven by its' previous owner.

 

[masta247]

thanks :thumb:

I can't be sure how it was driven by it's previous owner,
I won't know if it has any hidden damages etc.

I don't know much about cars.

I think I could buy that car abroad but it's also even more risky.

 

[insomnia]

^^^ there's always risk when you're buying a used thing.

 

[masta247]

^^^ there's always risk when you're buying a used thing.

yes, I'm more than worried about getting a damaged car :/

It's not a mobile phone or mp3 player, I have to spend my whole savings

 

[insomnia]

never spend your whole savings when you buy a car. newly obtained car will need maintenance..oil changing, new timing belts, insurance, tires, hidden defects that might appear later...etc

 

[masta247]

never spend your whole savings when you buy a car. newly obtained car will need maintenance..oil changing, new timing belts, insurance, tires, hidden defects that might appear later...etc

yes I plan to save about 1000$ for insurance and about 700$ more for other things, but the car itself will take 80% of my savings