Hello all. The name is Marcus and I'm completely new to this forum. Let's get to it. I have a pretty simple question.
I am shopping for a car. I'm a nursing school student, so I've got a very limited budget, and a very particular set of options; I need something economical, practical, reliable, and easy to work on. I had a '95 Nissan Altima for about 4 years, but it finally died on me. It had so many problems from transmission to electrical when I bought it. But anyway, now I need a new car.
I've narrowed it down to these:
1993 Toyota Corolla (1.6) with ~113k miles. It's an automatic (can't find a good 5spd here that doesn't have some outrageous issue, just timing I guess). Belts have been replaced, as have the brakes. I've had it looked over, and it's in excellent shape. Even the paint. Price: $1400 OBO
Then there's a 1996 Honda Civic coupe (1.6) with ~121k miles. Also automatic. The same maintenance has been done to this car, and it's also in terrific shape. Price: $1500 OBO
I'm leaning towards the 'Yota, because me whole family has owned them for years. But never a Corolla. I've got a friend who's a mechanic, and he told me they are about the same as far as reliability, but that this generation Corolla has some gasket issues, and transmission issues (auto anyway). I've had this echoed by a few other mechanics I've talked to.
I know this is a Toyota forum, so it may be a bit biased. I also know that any car that's nearly 20 years old will have gaskets go bad and other misc. parts and pieces that will need replacing, just due to the wear and tear that comes with age. But are there really any underlying issues with these cars? Which car am I better off getting, honestly?
Well, I truly appreciate all of the help. Perhaps if I land the Toyota, I'll be seeing this forum much more regularly!
Honestly, Pass on both, and try to find a Geo Prizm instead. The Prizm is a Corolla, just with a Geo badge. It was just as reliable, economical and durable as the Corolla, but used at a lower price. You could find a same year and/or later 1.8 auto or manual model (if that is what you wanted) for the same price or less as the Corolla and Civic. Reason for the lower price, some people did not realize that the Prizm, was the same as the Corolla, plus the Prizm looks better. Take it from someone who used to hate the Prizm, but the little bugger is growing on me.
As far as issues are concerned, the mechanic is right. You can't go wrong with either choice, but again, not being biased, if you can find a Prizm in good shape, that would be the one to go with.
Yeah the Prizm will cost you less. And I am with zythr on the look of the Prizm, with a little work you can make a Prizm look mean without changing bumpers or any of that stuff.
Finding a 1.8L of either car will be tough though, but more particularly for the Prizm. I got lucky and found an LSi with power everything and even leather interior, but I got a bad karma on me and didn't notice that it was burning huge amounts of oil when I bought it.
Don't know what those mechanics are talking about with the gasket problems. Everyone knows head gaskets are regular service interval items on Civics
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94 Prizm LSi 1.8. Auto and still quick as hell.
Yeah the Prizm will cost you less. And I am with zythr on the look of the Prizm, with a little work you can make a Prizm look mean without changing bumpers or any of that stuff.
Finding a 1.8L of either car will be tough though, but more particularly for the Prizm. I got lucky and found an LSi with power everything and even leather interior, but I got a bad karma on me and didn't notice that it was burning huge amounts of oil when I bought it.
Don't know what those mechanics are talking about with the gasket problems. Everyone knows head gaskets are regular service interval items on Civics
As are 3 speed automatic transmissions in Corollas and Prizms. Get the 4 speed AT if you get an AT. MUCH better unit.
The Geo Prizm was never imported to Australia, so don't even bother looking . My opinion is biased, but I'd recommend going for the Corolla. They're extremely reliable, cheap and simple to work on, easy on the eye and have adequate power when you need it.
I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you decide to purchase, but the Corolla's got my vote
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Honestly, Pass on both, and try to find a Geo Prizm instead. The Prizm is a Corolla, just with a Geo badge. It was just as reliable, economical and durable as the Corolla, but used at a lower price. You could find a same year and/or later 1.8 auto or manual model (if that is what you wanted) for the same price or less as the Corolla and Civic. Reason for the lower price, some people did not realize that the Prizm, was the same as the Corolla, plus the Prizm looks better. Take it from someone who used to hate the Prizm, but the little bugger is growing on me.
As far as issues are concerned, the mechanic is right. You can't go wrong with either choice, but again, not being biased, if you can find a Prizm in good shape, that would be the one to go with.
If you want a nice looking car id go with the Corolla
LOL geez Loney, obviously the preference of looks of Corolla vs Prizm is subjective, but personally I would rather have the Prizm's rear end than the Corolla's any day. Also I feel that the front bumper on my Prizm gives a much sportier look than the typical Corolla front end.
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94 Prizm LSi 1.8. Auto and still quick as hell.
Wow! Lots of replies! I really appreciate all of it!
I actually forgot about the Prizm. I looked around and found a couple of them that did, indeed, have lower price points than any Corolla I've found. Plus, I haven't been able to find ANY 1.8 Corollas in good condition for a reasonable price.
My wife, however, also found a couple cars. She came across a 1997 Mazda Protege, which I know almost nothing about, and a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage. She is a huge EVO fan, so she's investigating the Mitsu mostly now. We won't come into money for another 3 weeks or so, so we've got that time to research and shop around.
I'm still leaning towards a Corolla/Prizm just because I'm a huge Toyota fan. But I guess we'll see come 3 weeks from now!
Oh and I got some insurance quotes and the cheapest byfar, at least quoted, was the Prizm, even cheaper than the Civic. I haven't tried to Mirage yet, but I'd imagine the Prizm would out-do it as well.
That's good. It looks like the Prizm will be the best car for you. Try to find an LSi if you can. I believe it was the one that came with the 1.8 liter engine.
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(same price range really, and not too rare at all).
1993 Toyota Corolla
. My opinion is biased, but I'd recommend going for the Corolla. They're extremely reliable, cheap and simple to work on, easy on the eye and have adequate power when you need it.
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