LexFather

The O.P has been a valued member here for sometimes. Surely he apologizes for not knowing all the intricate details on a basic transportation car that historically been crap for 2 decades. It is not bait he had legitimate questions.

Hyundai fans....smh

SoCalSC4

I'd rock the Hyundai - I like the avant garde styling of the new Elantra and Sonata. If it's going to be a frequently driven car, the warranty would definitely weigh heavily on my decision.

This from a car guy, and one who all but wrote-off Hyundai a decade or so ago. I guess I'm a car snob....

Another factor is... hate to say it... color. If I see one more silver, white, or black Civic, I think I'll quite literally puke. What happened to American's imagination? Their individuality? We go for whitewashed and 'safe' these days.

My '08 Odyssey has not been without problems; part of my beef with Honda and their dealerships is how they treat customers. Having owned mostly Toyotas and Lexus cars, it was a shock. If you pull into the Lexus dealer with a tastefully modified Lexus, they are inquisitive and interested.

Try this with a modified Honda and you get treated like a redheaded step child. Okay, perhaps there is a stigma about modified Hondas, but I am an old white guy, not a pimple-faced math champion. The local dealer tried to deny a window trim rattle on the basis that my van had been lowered - there was a TSB issued for this exact complaint, as it turns out. I read up on it and spent 5 minutes in my driveway repairing the rattle. At night. In the rain. The service adviser spent more time explaining it to me than the repair would have taken. There were other events with the dealer (more than one), but I digress....

I've also replaced the rear shocks, sliding door molding, warped rotors, and right rear wheel bearing, all out of warranty. It's amazing how fast the "whichever comes first" portion of Honda's piddly warranty gets used up.

The '94 NSX has been robust and reliable, but that's an entirely different Honda.

At the end of it all: I love my Honda, but I hate the company. It's unlikely that I will buy another one.

ST430

Bait? Clearly, you see too much into a simple question as I am neither a Huyndai nor a Honda proponent and am just asking a simple question. Thanks for the clarification on GDI, as the salesman told us it utilized GDI. Have you actually sat in an Elantra to compare it to a Civic? IMHO, it felts more cramped. And the "good warranty" was placed in the bad in the wrong place.

Thanks all for the opinions. We're trying to see if we can get a deal on the Huyndai. If they still won't budge for their 20K asking price (for the base model w/ auto no less), it's off to the Civic....

scgt652

Why is your dealer asking for $20k? The msrp on a base GLS with auto is only $18,200.

Anyway, I recommend you visit one of the larger Hyundai dealers. Hyundai's dealer incentives are structured in a way that benefits the bigger volume stores. The largest stores will receive as much as $1,000 more per unit in incentives than the smaller stores.

bagwell

easy choice --- go with the Elantra

1. the 12 Civic looks horrible IMO, especially the back.
2. Civic has been panned in reviews for cheap interior and crappy ride/handling;
3. the Elantra warranty is better-- 5yr/60K bumper to bumper with 10yr 100K powertrain versus Honda's 3/36k b-b and 5yr/60K powertrain; and don't they offer guaranteed trade-in value and buy back assurances as well?



comparo tool.... http://www.hyundaiusa.com/competitive-comparisons/

JCL2986

I would go with the Civic. I sat in a 2012 civic and I like the standard LCD screen. Everything inside is perfectly ergonomic.The 2012 elentra wins with Styling though

Lets go back 10 years.

2001 civic holds its resell value and extremely reliable.
2001 elentra is worth a quarter of a similar equipped civic.

mmarshall

Irrelevant. That's no longer an issue with Elantras. You're talking about a 10-year old model, which was built back before Hyundai had finished its transformation into a quality-car-company. Its products are far better today, more-appreciated by the public, more in-demand as used-cars, and depreciate much less than they did 10 years ago. However, IMO, some of the best Hyundai products were actually built 4-5 years ago, not necessarily today.

bagwell

Nice, almost 62% favor the Elantra.....these cars are in VERY high demand.....drive by a dealership and I bet you don't see one there.

mmarshall

True, but the Elantra is only playing catch-up. The Civic has always been a strong-seller. But Honda's efforts to cost-cut its design (ike VW's with the new Jetta) are starting to show.

Mr. Burns

What was wrong with the Jetta?

Kostamojen

Everything, minus the TDI.

scgt652

1. http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...-jetta-se.html

2.http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

LexFather

I lold

bagwell

a friend has a new Jetta TDI that's left him stranded 3 times....the last time he had diesel fuel spray everywhere under the hood