Hatchback for commuting ep3, celiac gt, etc

I'm looking for a new dd for year round commuting. I already have lots of toy cars for most any sort of fun driving I'm looking to do. I need to replace my rusting like crazy protege 5. I want something that will be reliable and need very little in the way of maintenance. Any time spent in this will take away from time spent working on the miata, challenge car, truck, etc. Gas mileage is important I'd also like a hatch since I mountain bike a few times a week in the summer an my bike is nice enough I don't wan to leave it on a rack.

I was thinking a last gen celiac gt, an ep3 si, or a 318ti. I'm trying to keep the price in the under 5k range. Opinions? Other options I'm forgetting? Probably the most logical thing to do is keep the protege, but I have kind of grown to hate it for it's crappy shifter feel and crappy engine and the fact that I've had it for 3 years which is a long time for me.

ford focus! and of course the obvious integra/rsx unless you chose to omit them for a reason

In reply to mw:

I don't know about the others, but the Celiac GT always gave me a stomach ache

Toss a B&M in the protege and be done with it. That and AWR mounts were the best mods I ever did to my 5.

I like my protege more than my ti. The ti is a hell of a commuter though, small, comfy, and pretty impressive in the snow.

Have you got the kartboy shifter bushing for your P5 yet? If not, it certainly helps the shifting of the protege. I did this on the MSP in my driveway. It was a very easy install.

Focus and Integra would fit the bill.

Pontiac Vibe

+1 on the vibe. Toyota build quality, pontiac depreciation. All the foci I ever rode in left me horribly underwhelmed, but that's kinda what you're looking for. I've heard the celica gt can get excellent mileage, and it is a hatchback but I'm not sure if it's bike friendly.

of all you mentioned.. the 318ti has the biggest, most "square" hatch area. This means it is easy to fit all sorts of strange things in it.

It is also the only rear driver in the bunch.

Mine was pretty beat when I got it.. but after redoing all the bushings and exhaust, the car has never stranded me. Even when the fuel pump died, it started and ran just long enough for me to get home (actually quite as I was pulling into my driveway)

I refer to my 318ti as being as reliable as Gravity

AVOID THE EP3!!!!!!!

My roomate has one and another friend had one. Both had serious clutch problems and numerous other problems. A good bit of parts are shared with the base rsx, but way too many are ep3 only and expensive and hard to find. We are currently rebuilding a crx she bought then the ep3 will get a v6. If it doesn't fit under the hood, it will go in place of the back seat.

I would consider a 1st gen fit. My wife has one and it's a great car. Hasn't needed a single repair and it's an 08 with 80k.

For under 5k I'd say celica gt. I have a '96. Very tough motor. More torque than hp. Crisp handling, comfortable seats, decent mileage.

PhilStubbs wrote: AVOID THE EP3!!!!!!! My roomate has one and another friend had one. Both had serious clutch problems and numerous other problems. A good bit of parts are shared with the base rsx, but way too many are ep3 only and expensive and hard to find. We are currently rebuilding a crx she bought then the ep3 will get a v6. If it doesn't fit under the hood, it will go in place of the back seat. I would consider a 1st gen fit. My wife has one and it's a great car. Hasn't needed a single repair and it's an 08 with 80k.

Your friends need to learn how to drive stick. The EP3 has the same clutch as the base RSX, which I owned for 5 years and autox'd for three years. The only reason I'm not still driving it was an old man t-boned me. The car had 187k miles on it and the original clutch.

I have never in my life had a clutch break, but both of them had springs pop out. I have ridden with both of them and they drive perfectly fine.

There must be some differences cause it's a common issue with those cars. A few min on google shows it.

odd... but surely somebody here in GRM community must know of a better clutch that will fit in it?

Considering all of the other garbage parts in the car, I would never consider one as a daily driver. If its just a toy or track car then that's fine.

In reply to PhilStubbs: I've been on EP3 forums for 6 years and find your comments completely contrary to what I have read or experienced. Clutch problems are rare. Rare and expensive EP3 parts? Please. No offense but maybe you should research some more as they are typically dependable Hondas and your experience with them is very unusual.

FWIW, my roommate has an RSX with 80k on it. I was trying to help him diagnose a weird clutch issue, but he ended up deciding to just replace it. When he removed it, one spring had popped out and several were broken.

more than likely, Honda is using the clutch as a "fuse" to protect the rest of the drivetrain. Most americans tend to lug their cars by selecting too high a gear for the speed.. so that might cause some of the issues

I take 3rd to 108mph in my honda hatch, and 5th is only good for completely flat or downhill driving.

I dont like the looks or interior of the EP3. Also they kind of underdeliver on acceleration. If they hadn't called it an Si i would say it was a perfectly good effort..

I recently put a clutch in a celica gt at work (and drove it).. i liked it more than i expected to, and to be clear, i expected to like it. There were some things about how it is put together that bother me, but none of them are durability issues. I like the interior. The hatch area is slightly larger than an integra and my mom used to fit a crapload of stuff into her integra.. 3 folding tables, 2 10 ft canopies, and all the merchandise you can sell off of 3 folding tables under 2 canopies.. so i expect the celica to be minorly more useful than that. It was definitely a way more rewarding drivetrain the the LS/5spd integra (stock for stock).

GladlyTheCrossEyedBear wrote: In reply to mw: I don't know about the others, but the Celiac GT always gave me a stomach ache

I have nothing constructive to add but this needed proper recognition. :-D

Hasbro wrote: In reply to PhilStubbs: I've been on EP3 forums for 6 years and find your comments completely contrary to what I have read or experienced. Clutch problems are rare. Rare and expensive EP3 parts? Please. No offense but maybe you should research some more as they are typically dependable Hondas and your experience with them is very unusual.

I will admit that some of my opinion of this car isn't based on my own research, but having hands on experience with 2 of them that aren't raced or beat on makes me pretty confident in disliking them. My friend loved his till the day he sold it and my roomate has had hers for years and won't part with. They both complain about the same problems and it's a big list.

As far as expensive and hard to find, the last part we put on my roomates car was a clutch slave cylinder. Typical mantineance item on any Honda. She called all over town, ended up ordering one and paid $75 wholesale (she is a service writer for a shop) for it. I can walk into ANY parts store and get one for any 92-00 civic for $12 retail and they will all have it in stock.

heh... I can buy an original equipment BMW (FTE) clutch slave cylinder for my 318ti for $63

So I do not think that $75 is all that expensive. Guess I am not spoiled by cheap honda parts

But that's a BMW. I have an e36 M3 too and I expect to pay more for those parts. Hondas are half the price and usually are half the price or better to repair.

Hasbro, on a side note. I hope you don't think I'm arguing with you or anything. I'm sure there are perfectly reliable ep3's out there. I'm just trying to point out that 2 for 2, I have seen horrible stories with them.

No problemo. Most of them now have an owner or two and, like any other used car, it depends on how they've been treated. Usually the horror stories have been owned by kids that trash them. They seem to have multiple problems.

I also like the idea of a Celica GT S. I was behind one a couple of days ago. Black with polished rims and black centers, wide tires, tastefully lowered and no fart can. Set up to handle.Very nice.

An Ep3 would be great for what your looking for. My brother had one and it was much more comfortable than any other Honda. It had alot of storage compartments and a nice "true" hatch. Reliable, good MPG, regular fuel and somewhat fun. GRM had a good review. I don't think I've ever seen a car that has such polar reviews though. GRM gave the EP3 a higher stock rating than the 2007, which surprised me.