Let me first start by saying, it was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY TOUGH deciding between Protege5 and Civic EX
After knocking off Jetta, Golf, Sentra, Corolla, Camry, Altima, Protege, Lancer off my list, I had

Protege 5 VS CIvic EX

Protege5 looks better (Freaking everytime I see it, I just stare at it) and it was original while Civic had a stronger reliability and resale value.

Everyone in here knows I've been doing this back n forth thing for about 6 months. Gosh.. what a waste of time.

Cons for Protege5 - everyone complaining about rattling that makes everyone turn and Mazda not doing anything about it almost over a year and dealers trying to act like they don't know anything about it, bugged me. What kind of service will I get when there is an actual problem.. I don't know.

Cons for Civic - Yes, too many of them out on the road.. it's boring. Which matters a lot for some of us. I also felt Civic had a little rougher ride than the Protege5.

And the car for me is...
http://www.spoofee.com/images/mycar.jpg

There were other cars that felt better, other cars that performed better, other cars that looked better, but all around, Civic was a decent choice. Resale wise, reliability wise, mpg wise, safety wise, price wise.. for a non-racer like me, this car was right. The Protege5 would've been perfect too, just don't want to show up at my girlfriend's place rattling.

Mazda products are REALLY GOOD LOOKING, and if you guys don't mind, I'm going to still be looking in here.

 

well...I am GUESSING you got the honda....seeing as how all I can really see is the headlights....and they don't belong on a P-5....the rest of the picture is too dark to really see anything....try taking a picture during the day :{D

 

And the thread ends not with a bang but with a whimper. Solid choice, enjoy. I guess they will have to revoke your Protege Enthusiast designation.

 

OK, finally, thank god you got a car haha

how much did you pay, and what did you get?

 

Glad to hear you finally got a car! At least you're staying in the "japanese" branch. If you would have had a Cavalier or anything american, that would have sucked!!!! My folks had GM before they got their Honda and let me tell ya, they had constant car troubles. Their Honday seems to be doing well though.

Congrats on your new purchase!

 

Good choice man. Ive owned a few Honda Civics before. I didnt get the new one cause I didnt like the brakes and new electric steering, but its still a nice car.

I do hear they have problems with the 1.7... but every car has problems in this segment. Even Porsche dealerships have service centers in the same building.

 

solid choice, as it is a honda, but the new ones are lacking much, my friend has the same exact car as yours (as long as you have a 5 speed).... i really couldnt stand how it generally feels... but hey, as long as you like it, have fun.

 

Yeah, I think you made the right choice.

 

Yea, you're right. According to Consumer Reports, Honda's reliability has went down a tiny bit starting 2001 model. The Protege has seem to have gone up and it's sent straight from Japan. But still, Honda's resale value is higher. The Jetta and Golf was a nice ride, especially with the 1.8T, but their reliability is REALLY REALLY BAD. I asked some people over at vwvortex.com and they agreed that their 2001/2002's are already having problems. I'll remember to make use of the 36 month warranty!

 

I got a Honda CIvic EX - Sedan
We got it for $600 below invoice - I guess because they are getting ready for 2003 model. But after tax n all that, we got it for $17,998 out the door.

 

Damn, $18000 for a civic that isn't an SI? That is outageous. In my opinion all cars will last if you take care of them properly. My dad has a 1986 GMC Jimmy 4x4 with 260,000 miles on the original engine, transmission and clutch. That speaks well for reliability. I see just as many smokin' civics and other japanesse cars as I do americans. I would have never paid as much as you did for the civic because IMO the only plus for it over the protege5 was resale. I was offered a little of $14K for mine on trade and that was with me putting the stock stereo back in (I almost bought a 2002 miata a month ago). I only paid $15K and some change so I think that was an ok offer.....

 

You could have at least gotten the new Civic SIR. *yawn*

So um ... is anyone going to delete his account finally so he can stop cluttering the board?

 

Yeah, well you pay more for Civics because of their reputation... that's why the resale value is a bit higher as well, so it kinda works out in the end if you're selling it.

Kenji, you're welcome to stay on the board and chat with us sometimes, but please just don't ask us for advice on your next purchase, whatever it is hehe