Honda Accord or Civic?

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#1 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 3:54 pm

I've no need for a new car right now, but I am thinking about buying a used 7th generation Accord (2003-2007) or 8th generation Civic (2006 - present) sometime in the next 2-3 years.

The car will be used for light commuting (15-20 min drive twice a day), food shopping on weekends, and a longer drive every couple of months.

I like the extra size and performance of the Accord, but the Civic has really gotten some nice upgrades in the latest revision and the fuel economy is hard to beat.

Any thoughts?

agarza · #2 Post by **agarza** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 4:06 pm

My mom drives a 05 Accord, really nice car. My aunt drives a 02 Civic. I like the new Civic though. I'd say both are good choices, if you're looking for a more comfortable car go with the Accord, but the Civic is a very good option too.

Turbo Audi · #3 Post by **Turbo Audi** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:22 pm

My brother had a 2 door '03 civic, until last summer an 18 wheeler literally ran over it. [censored] guy fell asleep at the wheel. So bro lived, barley, so now you know its safe!

#4 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:11 pm

So far 3 votes for Civic and 0 for Accord. Anyone want to post further reasons for Civic?

teetee · #5 Post by **teetee** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:13 am

I own a 96 Accord LX (4cyl. F22B2) with currently ~160K miles on it. It has been running fine and requires minimal maintenance since the first day I bought it used (~136K). The gas mileage is usually around 26-30mpg for daily driving. I too drive 15-20 mins to school and back almost everyday and do grocery shopping every two weeks. Once a while I drive to Boston and New York City. I've test driven a 93 civic and it was a nice car too. However I felt the civic I drove doesn't have much leg room and the seat was very low. I feel more comfortable driving an Accord mainy because of its roomy passenger compartment and bigger chasis. However it might be just the fact that I am used to drive an Accord.

One of my colleagues drives a new Civic(2006). It looks almost as big as an Accord (in length) with better gas mileage.

If I were to buy a car now I would probably choose one from 04-06 civic, corolla, scion, 06-current yaris. I really don't care much about the horsepower. It's the reliability, fuel efficiency, and safety that I really care about. And if anyone are making electric cars like those EV-1 within $20k I will be all over it.

dsigma6 · #6 Post by **dsigma6** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:45 am

Since you'll be waiting, there's a nice Accord revision on its way. I'd go for that.

The new Civics look very nice- I find them stylish for the first time in the models history. My post is vague, and I like it that way!

#7 Post by **K. Eng** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:37 pm

dsigma6 wrote:Since you'll be waiting, there's a nice Accord revision on its way. I'd go for that.

I've heard the 8G Accord is due this fall, and I've seen pictures of the coupe version (which I like). I guess it depends on how much I want to pay for an automobile. Honestly, unless the 8G Accord is revolutionary, I'd probably be happy with a used 7G.

I parked next to a 8G civic today, and it is about the same size as my 5G Accord. My one concern with the Civic is that its engine doesn't have quite as much torque as the engine in my Accord (128 ft lbs versus 139 ft lbs, both at 4200RPM). While I don't need a whole lot of performance, I like the fact that the Accord can put out some decent acceleration if necessary.

teetee · #8 Post by **teetee** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:41 pm

K. Eng wrote:
dsigma6 wrote:Since you'll be waiting, there's a nice Accord revision on its way. I'd go for that.
I've heard the 8G Accord is due this fall, and I've seen pictures of the coupe version (which I like). I guess it depends on how much I want to pay for an automobile. Honestly, unless the 8G Accord is revolutionary, I'd probably be happy with a used 7G.

I parked next to a 8G civic today, and it is about the same size as my 5G Accord. My one concern with the Civic is that its engine doesn't have quite as much torque as the engine in my Accord (128 ft lbs versus 139 ft lbs, both at 4200RPM). While I don't need a whole lot of performance, I like the fact that the Accord can put out some decent acceleration if necessary.

From the other point of view, "power-to-weight ratio" is what's important in comparing vehicles among different classes(ex. mid-size Accord vs. compact Civic).

Ref.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-to-weight_ratio

5g Accord spec. ref. (curb weight=1,325kg=2,921lb)
http://tinyurl.com/2tv7cr (1996 Accord 2.2L 4cyl.)
Every lb of Accord gets 139/2,921 = 0.0475 ft.lb torque.

8g Civic spec. ref. (curb weight=2,593lb)
http://tinyurl.com/2vjuqx (2006 civic 1.8L I4)
Every lb of Civic gets 128/2,593 = 0.0493 ft.lb torque.

I would assume in this case, 2006 Civic will still have faster acceleration than 5g Accord due to its lighter weight.

shahbazi · #9 Post by **shahbazi** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:58 am

the 8th gen civic's look really grows on you, but it depends were you looking into a coupe or sedan?

if you are looking into a coupe i would go with the civic, the 8th gen civic's interior is completely different from past generations, and it is starting to grow on me. The ex trims come pretty loaded with most of the options you want.

on the other hand, if you want a sedan, go with the accord. The added power and mid-sized chassis make the accord a wiser decision. The car is larger to accommodate your needs. The ex or se trim on the accord come with a lot of great options without raising the price tag too much.

I own a 8th gen civic, and i love it. Needless to say, you'll be getting Honda reliability no matter which choice you make, so you cant go wrong! I feel the civic is right for me for a number of reasons. One, i am a student which goes back and forth from school and work, and thats all i use my car for. Second, the iPod link is way better than a FM transmitter. And third, the gas mileage is great. My car, a 2006 5spd Manual, gets 30+ in the city!

In the end you just have to look at your needs, but you cant go wrong with either car!

dsigma6 · #10 Post by **dsigma6** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:40 am

teetee- I hate you in the nicest way possible. I started looking up the weight for each vehicle after K. Eng posted about the torque factor...But you beat me to it. Nice job!

teetee · #11 Post by **teetee** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:49 am

dsigma6 wrote:teetee- I hate you in the nicest way possible. I started looking up the weight for each vehicle after K. Eng posted about the torque factor...But you beat me to it. Nice job!

LOL!!

skitty4gzus · #12 Post by **skitty4gzus** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:09 pm

p-t-w ratio is only absolutely crucial for someone looking for all out performance. although i will never usually say this about a car with an optional higher performance engine; the 4-cyl 7th gen is a nice car especially for the money and what you want to do with it. the extra size, the comfort, the fuel consumption. nice package, good quality go with accord.

p.s. if performance was a big part of your decision go with an Si hands down.

#13 Post by **K. Eng** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:50 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions

I will keep them in mind.

Performance is a factor, but not the most important factor. I just want to make sure my next vehicle has similar or better performance than my current one.

Edit for clarity: I am looking at Sedans.

t20user · #14 Post by **t20user** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:16 pm

You forgot to add neither to the poll.

wolfman · #15 Post by **wolfman** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:09 pm

I agree...

I'd have voted for a Corolla, have 209k miles on mine and still going with *no* issues on my 1997 CE model (I'm the original owner).

#16 Post by **tomh009** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:19 pm

K. Eng wrote:I parked next to a 8G civic today, and it is about the same size as my 5G Accord.

Close. It's actually seven inches shorter than the 5G Accord -- but it's 15 inches longer than the original Accord. (I remember a Road & Track comparison test with the Accord hatchback, a VW Scirocco and a (Mitsubishi-based) Dodge Challenger in 1978 or thereabouts ...)

#17 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:53 am

One of my neighbours swears by Honda Accords. He buys a new one EVERY year. Always an automatic 2.0 engine.
The few times I was a passenger in them, I was always impressed by the quality and smooth ride.
The only reason I'm not driving one myself, is the prohibitive price of Honda body parts in Ireland. And because of the reckless driving that a lot of people here practice, you'll visit a bodyshop sooner rather than later. My brother-in-law has one, and he is inundated with work.

teetee · #18 Post by **teetee** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:44 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:One of my neighbours swears by Honda Accords. He buys a new one EVERY year. Always an automatic 2.0 engine.

He buys a new one EVERY year? Uh?

RealBlackStuff wrote: And because of the reckless driving that a lot of people here practice, you'll visit a bodyshop sooner rather than later.

Ah...now I see why.

#19 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 1:02 am

If you'd see the Irish license plates, you know why he buys new every year.
Plates are made up of 2 digits for the year of first registration, then the city/county designation (1-2 letters), followed by the sequence-number of the registration, starting from 1.
A car bought new today in Dublin would have a plate like: 07-D-53475
People want to show off that they have a new car.
The No. 1 in Dublin is always reserved for the Lord Mayor, who also gets a new car every year (at tax payers expense).
And if you 'know people', you can also reserve special numbers like (Peugeot) 407, (BMW) 323/528/730/850, (Porsche) 911 etc.
The best one I've seen so far is an Aston Martin DB9 with 07-D-9.
But I am deviating...

#20 Post by **K. Eng** » Sat May 12, 2007 6:20 pm

I'm giving this thread a bump because the pics of the 8G Accord are now available

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=679080

A lot of the lines are obscured by masking tape, but it looks like Honda stole a lot of styling cues from the BMW 5 series

I think I'm leaning towards an 8G Accord in 2 years, if the rest of the 8G turns out good.

Turbo Audi · #21 Post by **Turbo Audi** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:42 pm

Classy looking. Kinda if a new A6 smashed into a 5 Series.

Dimitri_P · #22 Post by **Dimitri_P** » Sat May 12, 2007 11:55 pm

Neither.

better wait for this:

http://www.teslamotors.com

#23 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun May 13, 2007 2:50 am

You can probably buy 3-4 Hondas for every 1 Tesla.

#24 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun May 13, 2007 4:22 am

Dimitri_P wrote:Neither.

better wait for this:

http://www.teslamotors.com

That would surely be fun to drive

but,

(1) At $92,500 base price, it is far far out of my price range
(2) It doesn't carry enough people
(3) I want something with greater range than 200 miles

Dimitri_P · #25 Post by **Dimitri_P** » Sun May 13, 2007 11:41 am

After Roadster, they will be coming out with Sedan, that will cove all those "3"

#26 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun May 13, 2007 2:04 pm

Dimitri_P wrote:After Roadster, they will be coming out with Sedan, that will cove all those "3"

That doesn't address my concerns about cost or range. I cannot afford a vehicle more than 35k total, and I am unwilling to spend more than 22-23k at the most!

There are also no service centers in PA.

Bottom line is that unless there is comparable price and service in my area, this car is completely out of the question.

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