ES lancer VS. VTI civic

[shadou]

I need a car ASAP and have no time juggling university with part time work and fixing my own ride, so my question is for those who have test driven the all new lancer to the civic and what swayed them to a choice b/w the 2.
My concerns are:

Fuel consumption (needs to go from Doncaster to puffing billy area daily)
Safety.
resale/market value (in case of write off)

By looking at features I'm looking at lancer as it's base features are overwhelming compared to Honda's civic. But I've had a couple of bad experiences with Mistsubishi vehicles (magna's) in the past.

Contributions greatly appreciate as it is a matter of urgency (other makes and models welcome price range is around 20k no more than 30k on Road)
((oh no time for test driving but I'm not fussed on handling or power, I wouldn't get a family sedan if that were the case))

[VT1-R]

I would get the Lancer if you like something more current and less ppl have it...

I would get the Civic if you love to have some fun other than driving to work. A well done Civic VTI i assume is the current model, 1.8 VTEC, is quite a pleasure to drive if you put in some suspension mods and take some corners...

Honda have more potential in every way..LOL.. and magnas are lousy esp. the onces b4 Year 2000.. So mitsubishi have improved.. So according to your needs and likes, get what you think is best for you.. Both cars are rather safe.. LOL.. The driver makes them dangerous..

[shadou]

this vehicle will be kept stock, I have no intentions or any future intentions of modding it. I may however apply small cosmetic upgrades if I feel like making it a tiny bit unique.
I beg to differ on the "driver makes them dangerous" statement, my mom had an accident one time, a female driver nearly rammed her drivers door going 60km/h+

[dsp26]

i know its off topic but for the price you maybe paying have you considered the mitsu 380?

in my searches for the Aurion, the 380 came up as an option as apparently their selling real cheap fully loaded as they made their last 1 one before factory shutdown last week...

maybe worth enquiring about these as they try to get rid of them preparing to move to the US factory...

[shadou]

will look into it, but I'm not pushing the 380 it looks dangerously close to my quoted price range.
I'm not fussed about make or model as long as it falls into my quoted price range but these 2 cars have caught my interests. I've test driven the mazda 3 sedan and found that quite bland compared for what's it worth (originally going with the diesel but need an AUTO)

[TheSaint]

integra type-r

its around 20k lol =)

u can get a 01/02 wrx for that much too but they will chew fuel =(

[shadou]

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ................................... please stay on the topic, that would of been appreciated if the thread titled read along the lines of: "performance vehicle under 25k"

reason that I have stated the above 2 vehicles is due to reason
a: Brand new cars
b: Both have good qualities and I have trouble deciding b/w the 2.

but thank you, I appreciate you reading my previous posts, especially the one prior to the one you just so happened to post, I added the words 'auto' and then decided to cap locks the whole word to reinforce the requirements of my car purchase be in automatic transmission (DC2R comes in Manual as far as I am concerned)

[yorrick]

Test drove recently the Lancer, Civic, Mazda3, Corolla and Impreza. Out of all of them, I'd put money on the Mazda3, second preference - Corolla and Impreza (equal).

Mazda3 was the most responsive and fun to drive and the interior was well sorted out. The only negative would be the road noise compared to other cars.

What knocks the Civic out is the lack of active safety features (only ABS, no EBD, TCS and so on). Lancer is well specced on paper - but the drive was awful with poor power delivery and the interior was poorly laid out.
Impreza was nice but the power delivery was woeful and drive was spongy. Corolla did a decent job but a 1.8L engine tended to be "underdone" - but if you compare the Corolla with the Lancer or Civic, it does compare favourably with the 0-60 and 0-100 times.

[Limbo]

i dun trust Mitsubishi cars, they always seem to have poor builds from past experience

[shadou]

thank you yorrick your response is greatly appreciated and exactly what I was seeking, I've test driven the Mazda 3 on Saturday and it seemed alright but since I had nothing else to compare it I didn't think much of it at the time.
It seems I'll be most likely be purchasing the Mazda 3.

[Elwood]

^My mum just bought a brand new Mazda 3.

Stay away from all the add-ons like bluetooth and rear parking sensors.

We had nothing but problems with all this stuff, warranty covered it but the problems were hard to fix for some reason. (Dont ask why)

[shadou]

we won't be buying any accessories, I see no point in any of the offered accessories and I can source them much cheaper after market.

[Elwood]

Aftermarket JDM carbon fibre rear parking censors FTW!

Good luck with the purchase :)

[twing]

Recently I made engine comparison table:
Engine, Power, torque, consumption, Kerb weight, CO2
Civic1.8, 103kW @ 6300rpm, 174Nm @ 4200rpm, 6.9L/100km, 1180kg, 164g/km
Lancer2.0, 113kW @ 6000rpm,198Nm @ 4250rpm,7.7L/100km,1295kg,182g/km
Civic2.0,114kW @ 6200rpm, 188Nm @ 4200rpm, 7.9L/100km, 1260kg, 187g/km

Data is gathered from redbook.

IMO Lancer has a better look. It's more aggressive looking, while civic is more futuristic looking.
BTW: I think Lancer 2.0 engine is better than Civic 2.0. Only 1 kw less but more torque and more efficient.. Come on Honda, mitsu is catching up with the technology.

[[[d a n n y]]]

ES lancer the 2.0?
or the 2.4L?
ill be getting a 2.4L Mivec wagon for my daily soon.
2nd hand they seem to be well below 20K for a late model

[shadou]

yeah looking at Mistsubishi's resale value it really deters me (due to insurance reasons).
Engine power output doesn't interest me for a daily driver as such, it could be a 1.3 liter Echo engine for all I care.

[yorrick]

thank you yorrick your response is greatly appreciated and exactly what I was seeking, I've test driven the Mazda 3 on Saturday and it seemed alright but since I had nothing else to compare it I didn't think much of it at the time.
It seems I'll be most likely be purchasing the Mazda 3.

As a follow up to the discussion.
If you want a fun car to drive, decent interior and most safety features, the Mazda3 ticks all the boxes. It may not be the best in the interior class (the Civic does better), but it's a cut above the rest.

If you want a car that looks great on paper in terms of specs - the Lancer. Be prepared to be disappointed when you drive it for real (interior, drive and performance).

If you want a nice interior, the Civic does it nicely. Just be prepared for the sacrifice in active safety.

As for a good drive, even my wife said that the Mazda3 was a better drive and more responsive than the Impreza!

As a telling statement - the Hyundai I30 looks better for interior and styling than the Impreza and Lancer.

[Dane]

Honda have reputation for better quality finishing / panel fit, nicer looking / feeling interiors and longevity (engine, chasis ect)

Go Honda:thumbsup:

[yorrick]

Honda have reputation for better quality finishing / panel fit, nicer looking / feeling interiors and longevity (engine, chasis ect)

Go Honda:thumbsup:

Think again on the country of manufacture. Honda Thailand has improved the quality of the production processes, but has still some way to catching up with the Japan made vehicles. Don't let the I30 (Hyundai) fool you, the quality is starting to go toe to toe with the "second class" non-Japan made Asian branded vehicles (except for Proton - they are comparable to the China made cars...).

Civic = Thailand
Lancer = Japan
Mazda3 = Japan
Impreza = Japan
I30 = Korea

PS - had a friend of mine who bought a new Audi Q7 (almost $100K) - ended up more like a lemon than a car. Been back to the auto-dealers 5 times in 8 weeks on major issues. Guess where it was made? Try Germany for only the engine, production and assembly in Slovakia.

[shadou]

Thank you all for the contributions I took the afternoon off and went to check all viable options and settled on a VTI civic after much thought.

The lancer was below average IMO, I was rather disappointed by it's interior, felt rather cheap IMO, drive wise was much below my initial expectations.

In the end I settled on a VTI, silver Civic haggled to $24,200 drive away; from $26,780 (excludes any and all accessories, even floor mats), overall my experience with the Honda dealership I bought the civic from was excellent for a refreshing change. The customer service was fast and efficient, but the MING girl got on my nerves after she repeatedly tried to sell me accessories such as tint, paint protection, ect. after refusing such items numerous times.
Communication b/w salesperson to potential buyer was top notch and I didn't feel pressured by the salesperson to buy and test drive said vehicle/s as I have with some other dealerships.

[TheSaint]

Thank you all for the contributions (bar TheSaint) I took the afternoon off and went to check all viable options and settled on a VTI civic after much thought.

The lancer was below average IMO, I was rather disappointed by it's interior, felt rather cheap IMO, drive wise was much below my initial expectations.

In the end I settled on a VTI, silver Civic haggled to $24,200 drive away; from $26,780 (excludes any and all accessories, even floor mats), overall my experience with the Honda dealership I bought the civic from was excellent for a refreshing change. The customer service was fast and efficient, but the MING girl got on my nerves after she repeatedly tried to sell me accessories such as tint, paint protection, ect. after refusing such items numerous times.
Communication b/w salesperson to potential buyer was top notch and I didn't feel pressured by the salesperson to buy and test drive said vehicle/s as I have with some other dealerships.


thanks alot...

im only trying to help =/ i was under the assumption that most people on here had an 'open mind' and the cars i suggested are very good cars both for daily driving + safety and performance

faced with the same decisions we are looking at a wrx wagon

[shadou]

thanks alot...

im only trying to help =/ i was under the assumption that most people on here had an 'open mind' and the cars i suggested are very good cars both for daily driving + safety and performance

faced with the same decisions we are looking at a wrx wagon

sorry but your contribution to the thread was irrelevant to the question at hand, I appreciate you trying to contribute but it seems you posted without thinking or reading any previous posts IMO, others may think otherwise.

[TheSaint]

mate i read that you were buying a new car and that you were open to suggestions

the best 2 packaged cars i could think of at your budget sprang to mind so i suggested them

if you are going to be this difficult in forums please outline your rules of engagement down to the detail in your 1st post

this community is very open and easy going, i have been answering questions and helping ppl out here for a few years now and this is the 1st time i have run into any trouble like this

what u said was rude and unnecessary, there are nicer more easy going ways of saying 'thanks but no thanks'

im not checking this thread again so i wouldn't bother responding

btw - grats on the purchase + i hope u enjoy your new honda


sorry but your contribution to the thread was irrelevant to the question at hand, I appreciate you trying to contribute but it seems you posted without thinking or reading any previous posts IMO, others may think otherwise.

[CB7_OWNER]

out of the 5 competitors on the market, impreza-corolla-lancer-civic and the mazda 3.

I would prolly pick a suzuki swift hahaha.. there just so nimble...and under-rated...great cars i heard (even though i havent driven one).If your after a sedan(which you didn't mention if you require the 4 doors or not...) Then i would get a mazda3.. the interior is very neat =)


just noticed the above post -_-....Hope you enjoy your Honda!!

[yorrick]

At least we are spoilt for choice in the small to medium size car market.
The small car class has the following:
Toyota Corolla
Nissan Tiida
Mazda 3
Honda Civic
Mitsubishi Lancer
Subaru Impreza
Suzuki Swift
Hyundai I30
Holden Viva
Ford Focus
Volvo S30
VW Golf/Audi A3
Peugot 207
Renault, Alfa, Audi, BMW and so on (mostly out of our reach at $45K and above)

Most of the cars at the top of the list start at $18K to $25K for base models and it's down to personal preferences, features and price.

Good luck on your purchase and enjoy the Civic!

[[[d a n n y]]]

good choice..

[civic_07]

...........
What knocks the Civic out is the lack of active safety features (only ABS, no EBD, TCS and so on)....

correct me but the Civic does have ABS + EBD. But anyway, glad he bought the Civic and stayed away from the Lancer. ;)

[yorrick]

correct me but the Civic does have ABS + EBD. But anyway, glad he bought the Civic and stayed away from the Lancer. ;)


Honda Civic specs here (http://www.honda.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/internet/Honda.com.au/Home/Showroom/Civic/Specifications/)
Only the Sports (2.0L engine) has ABS + stability and traction control. And this was only added in February 2008. I looked at the Civic around October 2007 (Sydney Motor Show) and again in January 2008 and this feature was not included. Only when we test drove the CRV in February 2008 did they finally introduce it on the Sports (2.0L engine) model.

Compared to Mazda3, Corolla, Lancer, I30 and Tiida comes with ABS + EBD as standard and Stability Control, Traction Control and Brake Assist as optional extra from base model - only the Civics restrict this feature and doesn't even have it was an optional extra in the VTI and VTI-L ... which makes it embaressing to say the least!

Put a different way - if I wanted a car with at least ABS and EBD in a Civic, I need to shell out $30K list price for the top of the range whilst the other models go as low as $20K from the base model.