patrickfrisbie

I'm in the market for a 4 door sedan, out of all my research so far 2006 civic has been my top decision for its price and style. Anybody out there have any other recommendations?

K20Z3

Well you'll obviously be getting a biased opinion if you ask around here but it all depends on what you're looking for in a car.

How big of a car do you need?
Do you want front or rear or all wheel drive?
Whats your budget?
What kinds of options do you want on it?

Depending on these answers, a Civic may or may not be the best car for you, it all depends.

patrickfrisbie

I'm looking for a car that can get good gas mileage in comparison to my truck 16mpg. Something that has 4 doors, decent speed, has a good amount of space in the back seat. My budget is around 11 - 12 thousand. Also a car thats relevantly new.

Any suggestions?

LTDan

I'd say a Civic is a good choice for all of those. Unless you go for an SI, these cars aren't especially fast, but they're adequate for any daily driving. That being said, aside from the Mazda 3, these cars will keep up with any car in the class for the price. The fuel economy will depend on many factors. In my experiece, you should see around 25-27 in all street driving and around 35-36 in mostly freeway driving. If you make a lot of frequent short trips where the car has to warm up each time, your milage will take a big hit. I'm 6'5" and I can fit in the back seat surprisingly well, as long as the person in the front seat isn't taller than 6' tall. I have an 11' EX sedan and my brother has a 10' LX coupe. Both are great cars. I really wanted the sunroof and the USB Ipod hookup with steering wheel controls. I also really like the alloy rims on these cars on the EX's and SI's. If those aren't important options, the LX will be about $1k-1.5k cheaper.

In my experience for reliable/quality cars, the only other close competitor is a Corolla. They are a little less sporty, have a softer ride, but feel about as fast. And they feel a bit smaller on the inside, especially in the back seat. Biggest gripe with the Corolla is no telescoping steering wheel and it's tough to get comfortable on longer trips. The Mazda 3's are more sporty, quicker, but not as reliable in the long run. Hyundai's/Kia's are pretty reliable, but not as sporty and feel A LOT cheaper and the fit and finish isn't nearly as good. Sentra's are terrible looking cars, but I haven't driven one in 10 years. The Versa is an excellent inexpensive car. Very big on the inside and the fit and finish is surprisingly good. I don't know about reliability, but they do feel a bit underpowered depending on which engine you get, but they start at around $11k new. I'm not too partial to smaller American cars, so I stay away from them. I don't really have any insight on any American cars. I hope that sums it up for you. Good luck!