hi im new to this forum.. so xcuse me if my post seems a little noobish

I'm shopping for a first car. (yep, i don't have much experience about cars)

People are saying that the Civic is a good first car mainly because of the resell value and its low cost maintenance. True ?

My first choice at first was actually the Smart fortwo but its only a two seats and i heard they break easy on bumpy roads and they were bad in snow area. (in my area we sometime get 10-20 inch of snow) so i need a car the can handle snow & icy roads. And i don't like big cars. I like them very small. (im a noob driver) and my garage is very small too.

I'm still very bad at parking if you know what i mean. And i still have issues with dead spots when changing lanes. So i really need a car that is very easy to drive. very good surround view, a Soft powersteering is also a must for me.

I testdrove a VW, BMW and A miata roadster and i hated them all. Their steeringwheel were just too hard around the corners. I don't like using both hands to turn the steeringwheels.

Is the Civic Coupe 2008 a good beginners car you think ?

 

My brother recently tested a Smart Fortwo and thought it was a bit rubbish. The Smart is just too underpowered for the way we drive in the states, besides that, it is very expensive for what it offers. As far as power steering, every car will have it's own feel, IMO it would be a bit harsh to dismiss a car based only on the feel of the steering. Every different car will force you, in one way or another, to make changes to your driving style, besides that, you should probably try using both hands as it is safer especially for new drivers on snow and ice (unless your an amputee and you don't have a choice). I went from driving a Ford Explorer to a 2000 Civic, trust me, there was a fair share of adjustment. As a Honda owner I would recommend test driving a Civic but it may be a bit too large for your taste if you were looking at Smarts. If so you might want to try a Honda Fit, they are considerably smaller and would probably be easiest to park since it has a hatch instead of a trunk. Plus as you correctly stated, Hondas are widely known for amazing reliability and low maintenance costs, mine has 103K miles on it and it drives fantastic, and you'll get to laugh at people in SUVs when you stop at a gas station. If the fit is too big then you might want to consider a Mini Cooper, just don't count on a soft steering wheel, since Mini is owned by BMW you can expect to get a very stiff steering feel.

I hope this helped

 

Thats what i heard too about the Smart Fortwo. Not quite confortable on bumpy roads.
The visibility on the smart is great in the front but apparently poor in the back.
The other problems i heard about the Smart Fortwo is the maintenance, apparently they require more maintenance than Honda or Toyota. Japanese cars are known for their resell and reliability value. Its the main reason im considering Honda.

Because im a noob driver i'm kinda affraid to testdrive a demo , i dont want the salesman to pee in his pants. lol
My friend has a 98 Civic, he said he will let me test drive his in a walmart parking in few weeks, but its a 98 civic. and i want a 2008. They look much cooler.

The honda Fit is a little too ugly imo. I don't like the look of the car. A car should either be a real sporty Hatchback, Coupe or seddan.. not a mix of all three. There is one nice Honda i really likethough its called the Civic Type R I don't understand why they don't sell the Type R here.

Anyway, tnx for the input.

What options are good to add to the civic coupe ? any advise ?

 

if you get a civic go for ex, but if you can afford it always go SI

all civics are easy to drive, they handle well, but depending on how tight the turn it you may have to use two hands to turn the wheel in any car.


stick/manual transmission is always the most fun to drive, although you may not like it at first if you don't know how to drive stick. 1st gear is the hardest part for a learner, but that's it really.

New civics don't look so bad as a sedan(4dr) but I prefer that sporty coupe(2dr) look

but really no matter what civic you get it will pretty much last longer and be more reliable than anything else you see on the streets.

 

I can not stand manual transmission, unless the shifters are behind the steeringwheels and dont require clutch pedal i can not stand stick manual.

for some strange reason UK and Japan seat positioning seem more natural to me (steeringhwheel on the right side)

I'm a right-hander, thus im stronger with my right hand and it seems more natural to use the right hand to turn the wheels and the left hand to change speed. I guess i should move to UK

Anyway, im getting automatic. I'm a very lazy type. So i need something for lazy. I'm not looking for sport sensation. I'm looking for a old dady sensation driving. Easy steeringhwheel, good view, comfortable, but at the sametime Small, easy to park, reliable, good resell value, and most importantly, nice looking car.
Honda Civic coupe has an ok look. it looks much better than the Fit.

But is the Civic coupe a good beginner car ? that's my concern cuz it seems quite large and long

Civic coupe: 174.8 in length, 68.9 in width
Saturn Astra: 170.6 in length, 80.1 in width
Smart Fortwo: 106.1 in length, 61.4 in width <--- not reliable, not comfortable, good view, nice look
Hyundai Accent Hatch: 159.3 in length, 66.7 in width
Civic Type R (UK) : 163.1 in Length, 66.8 in width <--- would be my choice but not sold here

 

i have the 08 coupe and it is by far the best honda out of the 3 ive owned, its quick, steerings really easy, its quiet, very comfortable, and rides like a luxury car (just dont lower it and put low pros on it if you wanna keep it that way) but yeah, its an over all good car, but if you can afford the si go with that because its way better.