Nissan Sentra vs. Honda CIvic

[CookieMonster]

I'm buying a new car and have narrowed it down to these two. The Sentra comes with more standard features and is cheaper, but the Civic has better fuel efficiency and resail value. Both are the 2005 models.

Does anyone own either of these cars and have any thoughts or advice for me? I'm not very educated in the automobile department and would appreciate all the help I can get!

Thanks dudes!

[SevenSeasJim]

Seriously consider the Civic Hybrid model as well.

[skelter]

i have a honda civic and i'm very very happy with it. there's tonnes of them on the road, and for good reason. If you look after it you'll have hardly any mechanical problems

[Gr8FuL]

i've actually owned both...i had a 2001 sentra that i got rid of about 2 monthes ago for A 2005 CIVIC SIR, go withthe civic all the way on this one....in my experience anyways my sentra was ok at best...not many major things went wrong but it seemed every little thing did...whick really adds up... plus theperformance of the civic is just far superior...

[headymamamyrna]

We owned both and they were very old.

I can't say we had any major problems with either of them.

If I was buying new I would go for the honda.

It will last forever and the resale value is the best ever.

Its your money so decide which is best for you

No complaints on a 15 year old Honda starting in -20 degrees temperature.

[c-towns]

you just got a brand new car??

civic for sure.

[Jaimoe]

My mother has a new Sentra and she wants to get rid of it and buy a Mazda 3. It's not that she's dissatisfied with her Nissan, but it's small and boring, and under-powered when comparing it to Mazda's and some Civics.

[Cosmic ChrisC]

In 2002, I bought a new Nissan Sentra SE-R. I like it and haven't had any problems with it. I didn't shop around because my father has a Nissan Maxima and is happy with it. Since SE-R is the sporty model, it is a more powerful car which is what I was looking for, but it's also not as fuel efficient.

When I was in BC a couple weeks ago, we rented a Toyota Corolla and were impressed with its fuel efficiency, but it wasn't a powerful car...it seemed to be having a hard time going uphill.

As for the Honda Civic, you won't go wrong with it. Two people I know bought new ones in the past two years, and are happy with it, mainly because of its fuel efficiency. They look boring, but hey, I don't think many cars nowadays look cool.

[Alexis]

hmmm get a smart car if you're single. that's my vote.

a new someone with a sentra, and it was old and great and never had had any problems mechanically that didn't cost more than $200 to fix. but it sucked balls everytime we had to drive up the escarpment in hamilton. and it sucked balls getting on the highway.

a friend of mine's had a civic for 3 or 4 years and she's happy with it. no complaints.

another friend of mine has a mazda 3 (the hatchback deal). i don't know how it compares, but the thing i like about it, that i don't think sentra or civic have the space for is that you can fold down the backseats and put a double sized inflatable air matress/bed type dealy into it. THAT i think is very cool. specially the show goer in me. i'd never ever worry about getting home or renting a hotal room after something knowing i could go sleep in mah car...comfortably at that.

i wonder what the salesperson would do if you tried to lay the seats back and lay down in either of those two models...picturing it is giving me the giggles.

[shainhouse]

I have a 96' Civic and I love it. 215,000km, been stolen a few times and had a snow plow run over it once and it still drives like a dream.

[CookieMonster]

you just got a brand new car??

c-towns, what I drive now is not a car and you know it!

Basically my big issue here is fuel efficiency on the highway as I don't actually live within the walls of the city I claim to live in. With the amount of highway driving I do, I would be hesitant to drive a "Smart-Car" and share the road with all those massive trucks that could just blow me off the road.

With regard to hybrid cars, they are great for the city, but not so efficient on the highway. In addition, because they are still relatively new to the market, their cost is still a little out of my league and their long-term reliablility has yet to be tested.

The fuel efficiency of the Civic and the Sentra on highways seems comparable and the "2006 Lemon-Aid" book that I've been using as my bible throughout this whole car-buying ordeal says that both cars are very enviro-friendly (as far as cars go) and would be a reliable bet. So I guess really what I'm down to is price and resale value. I like the civic more (as do most of you) but I can get the Sentra for 3k less.

Gaaa! Decisions, decisions! What's a gal to do?

Anyways, I appreciate everyone's feedback and advice. It's making me feel better about my choices and it's always good to hear advice from real people - not just consumer reports. Thanks a ton!

[ollie]

I'm Cosmic ChrisC's passenger so I'm biased but I'll throw in a vote for the Sentra, especially at 3K less. We've driven all across the province and through the States and really put it through its paces and have encountered zero problems.

[MoMack]

They hybrids generally have a full 8 year warranty on any of the "hybrid" technology part. And don't forget the tax right offs that you get.