Help Me Choose a New Car- Honda,Toyota, or VW?

I am new to this community but it seems like I might be able to get some
decent feedback. I'm in the market for a new car. What I'm thinking about
for now is a 2004-05 Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Matrix, or VW Jetta. I do
about 50/50 city and highway driving. But the highway driving I do is
mostly long-distances so good gas mileage is a major plus. Basically, I
want something that is reliable and will last a long time with as little
maintenance as possible. I'm not very car savvy, so I need some help.

 

If you want something reliable, then scratch VW off your list.

Since you do 50% highway driving, I really don't think you'd be saving
much, if at all, in the long run by buying a hybrid. The extra cost to
buy a hybrid is not likely to be offset by the savings in refueling costs
unless you do A LOT of driving, especially in the city.

Therefore, the only logical choices for you (IMO) would be the non-hybrid
Civic and the Corolla/Matrix. These should still get very good mileage on
the highway. My folks took a trip in their 2004 Corolla (automatic) last
fall and it did about 40mpg (yes, those are U.S. gallons). The Civic
should get similar figures under similar conditions.

 

--------------------------

Stay away from VW if you don't like driving a 'loaner' all the time. On
one of our Canadian driving shows they recently admitted they couldn't
recommend vW because of serious long-standing electrical issues. Good
for them! It's nice to know of a TV show will tell you the truth. Get
Consumer Reports and see for yourself.

Been there, done that.

'Curly'

 

Corolla or a Civic. both are reliable to the point of being boring.

 

To back up the claims of others here re the superior
reliability of Toyota and Honda vs. VW, I strongly recommend
perusing the April 2005 issue of Consumer Reports. They
survey thousands of readers about the reliability of their
cars (over many years and many models) and present the
results in an easy to read format.

That's what first hooked me on Hondas and Toyotas some 20
years ago.

The Hybrids are still not cost justified, overall. So if you
buy one, it's your contribution to the environment, but a
loss to some charity that could use your donation of several
thousand dollars.

Consider waiting for the Honda Jazz/Fit to come out in the
U.S. within about a year. Supposed to get 50 mpg on a
conventional engine, IIRC.

some help.

 

Avoid VW like the plague.

 

Pretty much.

If driving a paid-for car that just works and doesn't break down makes
you smile every time you get into it, Corolla or Civic. (Or used Lexus.)

Drive each of them extensively, and buy the one you like. You will NOT
go wrong.

You may decide you like one car better but the other dealer better. If
that happens, go with the dealer you like. But check out the service
department first.

 

honda or toyota. if you want really good mileage, wait for the toyota
yaris- 40mpg.

 

i just like the idea of riding in the carpool lanes alone, which you can
do in a prius, in california.

yup. toyota yaris, too.

 

What's the engine displacement supposed to be for the U.S.
Yaris?

 

1.5L, 4-cyl, 106HP
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/future/yaris/pressrelease.pdf

According to the press release, Yaris is only 34/40 mpg. Which is very
unimpressive for such a small car.

 

Seems right for an unbroken in 1.5L. The Echo is 1.5 L I
believe and gets about that.

I thought the Fit/Jazz was dipping down to 1.4 or even 1.3 L
in some countries.

Thanks for the reference.

 

Many will warn you off the V-dub based on reliability. It's hard to
go against that given the Consumer Reports results and a lot of
word-of-mouth. But frankly, most any car today is pretty darn
reliable, even if another might score "all reds" vs another being
all "half black circles". Still, if you want the most reliable, it
is the Toyota followed by (non-Hybrid) Hondas. Don't know if the
hybrids have enough of a record yet.

If you decide Matrix, also shop the Pontiac Vibe which is the same
car from the same plant with just different body style. Might find
it at a better price. They are both a nice combo of utility,
reliability and mpg.

 

i totally agree with everyone about VW's. i test drove one a few weeks
ago. biggest POS i ever had driven.

 

The differences in reliability during the first few years may be minimal
(although I know a few people with fairly new Crapslers that have had
lots of problems with them already). But after, say, 5 years and/or
100,000 miles, Toyota and Honda continue to rank near the top. And I
believe the OP said he does a lot of highway miles, so that is important.

 

Not the VWs.

Just ask any owner.

 

i just like the idea of riding in the carpool lanes alone, which you can
do in a prius, in california.[/QUOTE]

And you'll pay $5K or more for the privilege?

I think California could be onto something--turn the HOV lanes into toll
lanes...obviously, people are willing to pay for the privilege...

 

As others have suggested the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla/Matix are
probably your best bets. However, check with your insurance agent
regarding premiums. We found it significantly less expensive to insure
a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry than the smaller cars. For us the total
cost of ownership worked out lower for the larger Accord or Camry
(nearly new) than for the smaller Civic or Corolla (new car purchase).

Before you buy any car, be sure to take long test drives on the roads
and at the speeds you typically drive. You may find that one car has
some annoying trait (too noisy, too rough a ride, lousy radio) as
compared to a comparable car. A test drive at night is also helpful.
www.edmunds.com has lots of useful info. for car buyers.

Good luck.

 

They are essentially the same car, but made in different plants
(Matrix in Canada, Vibe in the US). The Matrix / Vibe is something
like a Corolla hatchback / wagon.

 

California was not the pioneer. Virginia has allowed hybrids in HOV
lanes for a few years... with disastrous results. Virginia is not
extending the experiment when it expires July 2006.