Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

[unique]

Hi,

My girlfriend got into an accident and totalled her civic si. We are now looking into buying a new 2006 Jetta 2.5 or 2006 civic LX. The VW dealer said Jetta is a stronger built car and it has more safety features in it than the civic. So, we are deciding if it is worth paying a bit more to get a jetta. A few questions we have came up:
1) Is vw generally expensive to maintain?
2) Is jetta reliable like the civic?
3) Are the parts expensive to replace? Ie. brakes
4) Any problems with your Jetta?

Any comments would help. Thanks!

Jim

[R_Ethug]

Re: Buy a 2006 Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

well the new civic Si has 200HP whereas the 2.5 jetta has 150..

the jetta will be a ton better built car but seriously look at the 2.0T jetta instead.. 200HP way better car.

[unique]

Re: Buy a 2006 Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

well the new civic Si has 200HP whereas the 2.5 jetta has 150..

the jetta will be a ton better built car but seriously look at the 2.0T jetta instead.. 200HP way better car.

THanks for your advise Ryan.
She is actually considering the new Civic LX (not SI)....
and for her, performance is not the main concern.... safety is

[unique]

Re: Buy a 2006 Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

sorry i am new to this forum... is there any way to correct the title??

[R_Ethug]

Re: Buy a 2006 Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

i'll change it

as for the LX then i'd get the 2.5 jetta.. they are super safe.. have a TON of features now.. go test both thats all i can really say

[forreal]

Re: Buy a 2006 Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

Hi,

My girlfriend got into an accident and totalled her civic si. We are now looking into buying a new 2006 Jetta 2.5 or 2006 civic LX. The VW dealer said Jetta is a stronger built car and it has more safety features in it than the civic. So, we are deciding if it is worth paying a bit more to get a jetta. A few questions we have came up:
1) Is vw generally expensive to maintain?
2) Is jetta reliable like the civic?
3) Are the parts expensive to replace? Ie. brakes
4) Any problems with your Jetta?

Any comments would help. Thanks!

Jim

1) If you get them dealer serviced then yes they are very expensive to maintain
2) Im not sure about the new 06 ones but the older 99-04 in my opionion are not as reliable as a CIVIC
3) VW Oem parts are ridicously expensive to replace
4) No problems at the moment

[bart]

Re: Buy a 2006 Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

get a civic, has to be good, motor trend car of the year 2006! ahahah

[Tuna]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

That's a tough comparison, The pluses about the jetta are roomier, quiter, more refined than the LX and will likely get a bit more power out of the 2.5 compared to the 1.6 (??) in the Civic. On the other hand you may have to look at fuel consumption of the 2 if that's a factor as the Civic might do a little better city (but I have a gut feeling the torque of the Jetta will help in that department a lot). I don't think you'll find the dealer experience quite as nice as Honda but I have very little Honda experience. I don't think you'll see quite the reliability as a honda either as some VW's tend to have small issues that tend to crop up and result in a trip to the dealer which may not happen as often as a honda. As for maintenance, the best thing to do when considering a vehicle is to call up a dealership, tell them what car you have (pretend) and ask what a certain job you want done (brakes, timing belt, etc. as that will give you a good comparison) SOME of the parts and labour will be more, but with the 4 vw's i've owned (all older mind you) they have been some of the cheapest cars maintainence wise i've had. I think you'd love the Jetta and how it looks and feels compared to a civic though so def. check one out and take it for a drive.

Thats about as subjective as I can be, hope this helps, and btw welcome to the site.

For what it's worth, My wife currently drives a 2004 Civic Si.

[Kor]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

Hi,

My girlfriend got into an accident and totalled her civic si. We are now looking into buying a new 2006 Jetta 2.5 or 2006 civic LX. The VW dealer said Jetta is a stronger built car and it has more safety features in it than the civic. So, we are deciding if it is worth paying a bit more to get a jetta. A few questions we have came up:
1) Is vw generally expensive to maintain?
2) Is jetta reliable like the civic?
3) Are the parts expensive to replace? Ie. brakes
4) Any problems with your Jetta?

Any comments would help. Thanks!

Jim

We are all VW drivers but I think we are also pretty objective in terms of other cars (mostly).

I would say the VW is medium-expensive to maintain compared to other cars. Probably more than GM, Ford, Honda, etc. Probably less than luxury car brands like Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Acura, etc. That is kind of because you are getting a car that is in-between in terms of features. Makes sense right?

Its hard to comment on reliability because the 2.5 engine is new. In the past, these "mass market" engines have been very reliable for VW. The previous 2.0L 4c engine was very very reliable. I would say VW's are less reliable than Hondas or Toyotas but still fairly reliable cars. I would definitely say more reliable than many cars out there.

Problems: I haven't had anything bad happen to me... my doors kind of sagged slightly out of adjustment, that is the only really annoying thing, the dealership says they can't fix it, have to go to a body shop or something.

For safetly I think VW is not going to be beaten unless you go up to a Volvo or maybe a more expensive car like a BMW/Merc. VW basically has all the safety features of Audi which is one of the leading companies in terms of incorporating new safety features before everyone else.

Sooo for safetly and comfort, I put VW ahead. For maintenance I put Honda ahead. Which is more important to you?

[vwsalesguy]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

(IMO)

The civic does not compare to the MK5 Jetta. Structurally speaking, the Jetta has the best crash test rating of and vehicle in its class (which is now a mid-size).

Drivability in the MK5 Jetta is far superior to the Civic, upgraded suspension from the MK4, electromechanical steering and the most important factor of any German car, ROAD FEEL.

Reliability of the new MK5 has been good thus far; I have not had any issues with my Jetta since I got it back in June. When this car came out VW assured us that quality control would be higher than it has ever been in the past.

Maintenance, regardless of what car you buy is going be pricey, especially if you service at the dealership. Parts for both cars are about the same price for OEM.

However if you have a valid membership with this club and you buy a car from me, I offer all members my staff pricing on parts and I can usually get a break on labor.

I welcome you to call me for a demo 273-2500, I offer overnight test drives and have a great selection of inventory.

Cheers
Adam

[Mitcheh]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

My $.02:

The jetta is way sexier. The new civic looks ridiculous

[NeonGTI]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

My $.02:

The jetta is way sexier. The new civic looks ridiculous

Interesting, I would have said the exact opposite.

The Jetta, in terms of 'safety' is likely more crashworthy. Remember these cars are designed to be less lethal when doing speeds substantially higher than our laughable limits (think autobahn), furthermore I believe the new Jettas are still make with galvanized steel so the chance of them rusting or losing structural integrity due to rust is pretty minimal. Their high steel content is part of the reason VW's are so darn porky.

The look and size of the new Jetta repulses me, however they will be one solid-ass car, that is for sure.

p.s. I think the Civic LX with the 1.8L engine is faster than the NJ too, but the brakes suck.

[vwsalesguy]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...



How can this repulse you?
And there is no way that a mooch civic is faster!

[RobG]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

I like the look and relibility of the Civic, and the feel of how a Jetta drives.

[Mr. Burns]

Re: Buy a Jetta 2.5 or Civic LX? Please help...

Personally I would go with the Jetta. Overall fit and finish will be much better. And it will be much faster than the Civic.