05 Honda Civic VTI-S 1.6 -or- 06 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6E?

**xtian119** · August 16th, 2011 07:42 PM

I would also choose the Civic over the Corolla. The legroom at the back is spacious, suspension is also better since the rear is independent on both wheels compared to the corolla which is a torsion beam setup. And also the optitron gauge on the VTI-S variant is nice.

**Navman101** · August 16th, 2011 08:26 PM

I'm assuming that the model of the Civic is the previous generation ES body due to it's variant code and the Altis is the ZZ body.

Civic
Pros:
1. Better looking form
2. More powerful engine
3. More safety features (passenger side airbag, ABS)
4. 15-inch wheels (for the VTi-S variant)
5. Higher resale value

Cons:
1. Weak suspension linkages (thinner than the previous generation models)
2. Hard-to-find surplus parts (I tried to look for a few for a customer's car and what people in Banawe kept on telling me is that "Sir, Dimension model pala hanap nyo, konti lang surplus nyan".)
3. OEM parts are quite expensive when you need to replace

Altis
Pros:
1. Reliable Engine (sludging can be solved by using semi-syn and fully-syn engine oils and shorter intervals as you noted)
2. Solid build (a reputation that Toyota earned over the years)
3. More affordable parts and maintenance
4. Availability of parts
5. Fuel efficient

Cons:
1. Small interior room / short legroom for rear passengers
2. The variant chosen only offers driver's side airbags
3. 14-inch wheels (E variant)
4. No ABS
5. Lower resale value

Given a choice, I'll go for the Altis since I've driven Toyota cars for years now (I used to own 3 Corollas, an AE92, and 2 AE101 models, Innova, and now Vios J and E variants).

The only Honda cars that I've driven were an EK model LXi M/T back in 96-99, and I bought another EK, this time a VTi A/T model in 2007 and was planning to build it as a toy car but never had the chance to until I sold it last year.

HTH.

**MusCorleone** · August 16th, 2011 09:04 PM

*xtian119 -- also love the optitron gauge of the Civic. with that design, the Civic seemed ahead of its time.

*Navman101 -- very helpful info sir. thanks for summarizing everything. I was already convinced to buy a Civic, but after giving it a second thought, i'm confused again.

my heart's shouting Civic but my wallet's demanding Altis. worse, I can hear Vios echoes too. lol!

it it weren't for budget concerns, i would've dealt for a Civic by now. guess I have to reconsider everything again. btw sir, what exactly is the 'dimension body' Civic? also, how is your experience with your Vioses? I'm now (painfully) considering a 2007 Vios 1.3e and 1.5g... TIA!

**Navman101** · August 16th, 2011 10:55 PM

Hello sir.

My Vios J (December 07) yields an average of 12kms/L (my wife driving) while the Vios E gives me about 14kms to a liter of petrol (2010 model).

Pros:
1. Fuel efficiency
2. Affordable maintenance
3. Availability of Parts
4. Easy to drive
5. Fits small parking spaces
6. Good resale value
7. Ample legroom and interior space (for a subcompact car)

Cons:
1. Slow response above 175kph (1.3L)

My take on it is if you just need the car for a couple more years prior to buying your SUV, get the latest model so you can avoid costly repair bills while keeping the car, younger cars have less risks of breaking down. You might even get lucky in buying a 2nd hand unit (08-09) still covered by warranty.

Just my 2 cents.

Happy Hunting!

**dragonical** · August 16th, 2011 11:35 PM

up ko lang
nice advice navman101
totoo 12km/L yun vios nyo? tipid pala ano

pasingit naman TS
navman my idea kaba kung sino mas matipid sa dalawa vios o starex?

**Navman101** · August 17th, 2011 11:22 AM

dragonical, yes sir medyo matipid pa rin sya considering almost 4 years na yung oto.

Sorry di ako makacomment about the Starex since hindi pa ako nagkakaroon nito. Pero sa mga naririnig ko, matipid daw at matulin yung current model na Starex. VGT na yata gamit na turbo.