Help me make a decision on car choice...

Hi All,

I've been a long time subscriber to the magazine and figured I could get some good opinions on here. I'm have alittle dilemna trying to decide on what car I should keep for a daily driver and wanted to get an unbiased opinion on this forum. Obviously people are going to lean towards one car or the other based on their own experiences but let me know what you would choose and why.

Car A - 2002 Focus SVT, current car for the past 2 years, it's been a great daily driver but its almost pushing 200k(I drive about 50miles to work everyday) and its getting alittle tired. Mostly stock, other than a tune and off-road pipe.

Car B - 2000 Honda Civic Si, 161k, bought the car from the original owner to fix-up and resell, was burning oil and need a few other things, I rebuilt the engine and fixed all the issues. Car is bone stock.

Obviously performance wise the SVT is better right out of the box but I think the Civic could keep up with a few minor mods, also the civic mpg is probably better. I haven't had alot of seat time in the civic, but the interior seems to be very functional but not quite as nice as the SVT. Anyways, I think you all get the idea, let me know what you think, thanks...

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You didn't state what your end goal is?

I have a hunch the Si is worth more, so if you can sell it and dump the money into fixing the SVT, you could probably do almost anything you desire to it w/o spending anything out-of-pocket.

OTOH, the Si will probably continue to hold its value pretty well, and it doesn't sound like it really needs anything presently. So you could sell the SVT, bank the cash, and still have an enjoyable/reliable and semi-fun DD. And whenever you do decide to sell it, still probably get most of the $$ from it that you would by selling it now vs. almost certainly taking loss from selling SVT after dumping $$$ into it.

I don't have anything useful to say, so I'll go with 'Hi!' (...it looks like this is the OP's first post)

For me, the hatchback is the decision here. I really can't live without one.

I'd dump the Civic, but I am severely biased against Honderps. I may not be the best person to ask.

petegossett wrote: You didn't state what your end goal is? I have a hunch the Si is worth more, so if you can sell it and dump the money into fixing the SVT, you could probably do almost anything you desire to it w/o spending anything out-of-pocket. OTOH, the Si will probably continue to hold its value pretty well, and it doesn't sound like it really *needs* anything presently. So you could sell the SVT, bank the cash, and still have an enjoyable/reliable and semi-fun DD. And whenever you do decide to sell it, still probably get most of the $$ from it that you would by selling it now vs. almost certainly taking loss from selling SVT after dumping $$$ into it.

This, for financial reasons, plus the Civic seems like it will leave more time to work on your RX-7 swap (which I am inferring you have from your user name.)

In reply to rxrotorless7:

You obviously don't know what you've gotten yourself into.
I'm a Ford guy. I'll always pick the Ford first.

BTW, I'm happily accepting donations if you decide to ditch the SVT.

If you're just trying to decide which one to sell among two DDs, sell the Focus. The Civic's in better condition and you've dumped more money into it.

Can I be the dissenting vote and say keep the Civic? I have not had much experience with the SVT Foci so I have no basis to make this claim other than I rather like Hondas. It seems either car should fit your needs.

Miata

Yes

I would keep the focus, because I don't like the Honda and I can't imagine it being hard to sell.

I loved my 03 regular zx3 and always wanted a svtbut with the rebuilt engine in the Honda I'd problly go with that as its one less thing to worry about. Don't get me wrong I'd rather keep the svt but I feel the civic is problly the responsible choice

I like both cars actually. I love hatchbacks but love Japanese cars. The Honda having a rebuilt engine is hard to pass up for me though. Id stick withe the honda.

nepa03focus wrote: I loved my 03 regular zx3 and always wanted a svtbut with the rebuilt engine in the Honda I'd problly go with that as its one less thing to worry about. Don't get me wrong I'd rather keep the svt but I feel the civic is problly the responsible choice

Very true, and the realist in me says to follow this path as well. But just to play devil's-advocate, what's the Si worth - $4k-$5k? You could build a 220hp Zetec for $1500, then add a turbo if you really wanted to get crazy

pinchvalve wrote: For me, the hatchback is the decision here. I really can't live without one.

I agree. Though it sometimes depends on if there are other vehicles in the stable as well.

Wow, thanks for the great input! I was also leaning towards keeping the civic mainly because of the fresh engine rebuild, plus its something "new" to drive and tinker with. I have a tendency to get a new DD every 2-3 years but wasn't sure if the Si was a worthy replacement for the SVT. I've had an bmw e30, porsche 944 and miata over the past few years. Miata was a great car but alittle too cramped for a DD. Thanks for all the feedback...

rxrotorless7 wrote: I've had an bmw e30, porsche 944 and miata over the past few years.

Now I really know he's one of us.

rxrotorless7 wrote: I have a tendency to get a new DD every 2-3 years

You'll have to step it up a little more to keep up with a lot of folks here...maybe every year or even 6 months.