Anyone with experience with a 2008 Honda Civic vs. 2008 Prius?

[Ventura]

I have already put down a $100 deposit on an '08 Prius #5, Mag Gray.

The only other car that seems to keep jumping at me is the Honda Civic, as you can outfit it with some pretty nice wheels to make it look more sporty than it is.

Sticker price between the two is only a few hundred dollars difference. The Honda looks a bit better, IMHO (especially with the 2K wheel upgrade), but the Prius is better equipped and gets considerably better MPG. (The Honda is rated at something like 28/34.) Both have navigation.

Prius has SKS and Bluetooth, and the Civic does not.

My question to the PCers here is this: does anyone have any real experience with the standard (non-hybrid) Civic EX-L versus the 2008 Prius? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[ForTheGlory]

I imagine that on a Prius forum you're likely to get a very one-sided consensus; we're a self-selected group who all bought a Prius. If you're weighing looks vs fuel economy and a few extra features, I'd go with the Prius, but that's me.

Both are good cars and I'm sure you'll like either of them. I think I would be bothered, though, to say about my car, "I bought it for the fuel economy, even though it isn't as good as another comparably-priced car that I could have bought instead"

[kfs2840]

My impression of the Civic that I looked at, was it was smaller and had less interior room then the Prius. I went with the Prius.

[Ichiro]

Did you consider the Civic Hybrid and why did you pick the Prius?

[JimboK]

Before I bought the Prius, I compared it to the hybrid Civic. I went with the Prius because of what I think is a better design for the hybrid system (not an issue for you of course, unless you consider the Civic hybrid), the better leg room -- especially in the back seat for my tall teenagers -- and the practicality of the hatchback.

[mrsboz99]

Actually that is the same dilemma that I was facing 2 months ago. The EX-L was a bit cheaper and it had really great, responsive handling and was very peppy. Loved the interior styling but was TICKED that the stereo was so crappy. Unless you get the 2 door version, you can't upgrade the stereo. There is some sort of Bass upgrade kit but the forums we checked all said it sucked. I have a long commute each day and having at least a decent stereo was important to me. Also, has NO traction control or Vehicle Stability Control...only ABS. That really gave me pause. So we shopped around with the Corolla (all the bells and whistles I wanted but had NO pickup and handled HORRIBLY compared to the civic....just couldn't stand it). Then we took the Prius out and fell in love. It had all the pep and good handling that the Civic had, along with all the bells and whitles (with VSC and Traction included), good stereo and GREAT gas mileage.

We had been okay at first with just getting the 35+ mileage that the Civic had because it seemed that the savings in gas we thought we might get with the Prius was balanced by the less expensive price of the car. This was factoring in a 40 or 45 mpg scenario for the Prius. Now the Civic would have more emissions so there is the environmental aspect of the argument. So glad we went with the Prius though! I love that I am being better on the environment, I have better safety features than the Civic AND I ended up getting 50 (cold weather) to 57 (warm weather) mpg so the gas savings totally makes up for the increase in price. And it just has such cool gadgets...it's geek paradise for my husband and I

[Husker4theSpurs]

Edmunds' Inside Line did a comparison of the two after the Civic was redone ... not '08s, but it's probably a similar comparison. I'd like to see one b/t a Touring Prius and the Civic hybrid though since the Civic is more sporty in general.

Hybrid Comparison Test: 2006 Honda Civic vs. 2005 Toyota Prius

Inside Line: Media Gallery

[Ventura]

Thanks all. My dilemma is between the standard Civic, not the hybrid. But the more I look at it, the more I like the Prius simply because of its technology. For 26K and a bit of change, I get voice activated nav, Bluetooth, backup cam, SKS, traction control and a great stereo.

On the Civic, I can't get the SKS, traction control, Bluetooth or backup cam. Plus, as others have said, the stereo is supposed to be mediocre at best.

[TheAnnoyingOne]

Somebody give him back his $100

[Sheepdog]

I found the Pri to be more room inside. I found the Pri to be cooler in function and instruments. I found the Pri to be a better 3 year resale too according to history.

Why would you consider the Honda? old technology, old styling, no price incentive and no 3 year comparability to the Pri.

Face it- The Pri is a one of a kind car and nobody has been able to equal it yet!