Hey, well, I've been here for a month or so, obsessing about the tC like the rest of you. This will be my first car, so I want it to be something that I am completely satisfied with. Today, I had the opportunity to check out the tC, Mazda3, Civic, and Accord.

Styling:
The tC's styling is MUCH better in real life than in pictures. Unfortunately, the front end looks wimpy/small and the rear end looks generic. The headlights are almost identical to the Camry's

Interior:
The interior felt cheap, although not as bad as the Civic's. It was very roomy and bright, unlike the dark confines of the Mazda3's cabin.

Stock stereo was so-so. The dual sunroofs were tiny compared to what I was expecting.

Overall:
It's much better than the Civic coupe and Corolla.

I really, really wanted to like this car, but it just didn't "wow" me as I had expected it to, so I didn't even test drive it.

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice car, but for a few thousand more, I'll be getting an Accord.

Cya guys, it's been fun

 

That proves that the tC is not for everone. Have a nice time in your accord.

 

I'm sorry he feels that way though... if he had test driven it, he would have known it blows the doors off the 4 cyl accord...

As if the accord was some kind of status symbol, the way people talk about it on here. oh well.

 

Not everyone is gonna love this car, i for one do. The interior is nice to me they hide all the nuts and bolts well, doors are nice and close well. Love the two-tone (didnt think i would) Its very fast compared to my elantra. All and all a great car!, But hey enjoy your Hon Duh.

 

Enjoy your Accord. My wife still likes her 2003 Civic EX coupe even though I think it looks not so good when next to my Scion TC hehe.

 

Hehe, well, if the Accord is anything, it's generic, because they sell sooo many of them

For me, the redesigned Accord's exterior feels like it has "presence" and the interior has an excellent fit and finish. The inside was spacious and the cabin transmitted very little road noise. It just had a different ambience than a more compact car, and I guess that's what I wanted all along ;)

 

Just out of curiosity, are you getting an Accord coupe? Starting price is $19,400 (on Honda.com) which means you are paying an additional 17% MORE than the tC. What do you get for that additional $3000?

Engine: Same Hp but 2 Lb less torque from 2.4L
Wheels: No 17's for you, 15" steelies with hubcaps
Inside: You get a little more front seat room, less rear seat room and same storage
Fuel: You do save a couple miles per gallon
Weight: You get to haul around another 130Lbs
Styling: Accord coupe = Bloated Civic, tC = BMW jellybean
Safety: ABS and SRS standard, but no driver's knee airbag

...this is assuming that you go with the base Accord coupe. The price goes up from there. Hmmm.... it would take a lot more than that for me to justify the extra $$$. But it is a slightly larger car and a little more "mature", although Honda seems to have tried their best to redesign it not to apear that way!

Darren

 

first of all... i don't think ANY sub 17g car is going to WOW anyone... i don't think the Civic wows anyone else either.

second of all, for the price, this IS a great car... you don't really get much more in any other car. however, i will say that you CAN get a better deal on a fully loaded civic EX depending on whether they need to get rid of inventory or not... i got a quote for a fully loaded Civic EX coupe that was VERY close to the price of a tC and the Civic has been around so no fear of "first gen car" issues... however, i just prefer the tC more... maybe it's all the options you can get and the fact it's something new...

test driving DOES enhance the experience. the engine is pretty peppy on the automatic tranny, so one can only expect more from the manual.

again, you can't expect the impact of a BMW 3-series (the 330 Ci wowed me...) in a 17000 car... but i think in this context it IS a great car for the money.

 

I also don't like the stock stereo...good for just casual radio & CD listening but this car is begging for a subwoofer. Also, I didn't have a problem but I can see how some might feel uncomfortable about the headroom...the B pillar feels really close when you are sitting in the car. I would of liked the whole console to be aluminum but that would of been something that raises the price...I was really suprised by the sports fabric on the seats. People might be complaining but it shocked me...not cheap furry cloth but sleek instead. Since I don't have many people that ride with me, I haven't checked out the back seats but the front ones are fine...good bolster on them and they hug me. I remember a guy talking about how they were too small for him...remember he said that he was 240 lbs.? *hint hint*

If you can afford the Accord coupe then I can't blame you for getting it: to me, it is a better overall package. But against the cars that this competes with (Mazda 3, Civic coupe, Hyundai Tiburon), this is a choice that no one could feel bad about .

P.S.: The stock engine has legs with the shifter .

 

i currently drive an 03 sentra gxe. i needed a new car because me and my sister have been carpooling so i'm giving her the sentra. end of winter i really started to look at various cars. ive done a ton of research and even made a spreadsheet of potential cars with features and prices, etc. in the end i was looking for something in the 15-17k range. it quickly got narrowed to a tC, civic and mazda3. i wanted the ex coupe but wasn't impressed with its pick up (better handler but just as fast as my sentra). the mazda3 i test drove, the smaller engine model and i loved it. handing was great and was def. faster than my sentra. everything bout the car is great .. looks inside and out.. i was just going to go with the 3i model since it had better gas mileage but decided on getting the 3 sedans S. to make things even better my brother cud've hooked me up with company discount on all mazda cars. but in the end, i priced my mazda3 and even with the discount it was pricey so i rememberd the tC. i was thrilled with its specs but not with its design, when more pics came out i became more impressed and in the end, the tC offered so much more for far less with toyota on its back and dealer a mile away (compare to the 12 miles from mazda) adn i was sold on the tC. insurance wise i wanted to get a 4 door but either way a new car for 20 male in nj wud be expensive anyway.

 

when i did see the tC for the first time, "wow" wasn't what i had in mind too, i guess i looked at so many pics and stuff that i practically knew what i was getting. plus the color on the floor wa ssome red/purple color i dint like. but when i brought my fam to see it, they were impressed. i still think the mazda3 is a better looking car, heck agood car all around, i still wudnt mind getting a mazda3 but the tC was just better for my budget, plus there won't be too much of them on the road, hehe

 

I'm either getting a LX or EX 4-door. The coupe looks kind of bloated when compared to the sedan. The rear seats will be good for hauling around friends and not having them be ____ed off at me

As far as the price difference is concerned, it doesn't really matter to me, so that's why I'm cross-shopping compact and midsize cars. The whole aim was to find a car that I really liked, with regards to styling and comfort, and it turned out to be the Accord

Haha, yes, at 5'10", that guy definitely needed a bigger car

The Winning Blue Mazda3s that I test drove today looked BEAUTIFUL. My dad drove it, too, and he didn't know about the manumatic shifter, so he accidentally redlined it for like 10 seconds in first gear until I set it to the normal "drive" mode I wish that they had made an effort to make the interior less confining. The black interior (the only color that the S trim comes with) didn't help with that

 

Sorry to lose another one to the Accord crowd lol. The LX accord and the tC ARE in the same price range. If you go to buy your Accord towards the end of the month, they will be hard-pressed to make a deal and I'm positive you can get one for $17,500 or maybe even less. I personally, hate how the four door accord looks, I like the coupe much better. But after test driving both, the tC has MUCH better handling. Also, if you want to get some nice wheels for your Accord, remember that's gonna be extra... If you do decide to get the Accord, try going to www.carsdirect.com and printing that sheet out. Show it to the dealer and they'll match the carsdirect price.
Good Luck :o

 

Yes, Hondas sometimes go for less than invoice That's the good thing..hehe.

I'm going to do the Carsdirect "spam lots of dealers" attack method and should get a good deal. I've found the Edmunds.com forums to be an excellent source for car buying info.

Let's hope the dealerships have some end-of-the-month sales quotas to meet in August

 

mazdas do look nice... but i hear that that's all they have going for it... quality is below average from what i hear

 

I'd recommend looking at the new Solara SE V-6. Some of those leave the lot at just over $21K. 225HP V-6, 17" alloys, fabulous interior and sexy exterior, toyota quality...ect. Its a much nicer car than the Accord IMO.

-Michael-

 

I considered it, but the rear end looks weird to me

 

I've driven the car several times, and many of them back to back with the Accord coupe. Overall, the Solara really feels like more car, and a more upscale car than the Accord. The back end isn't great, but if you think you can live with it, I think the Solara is head and shoulders a better car above the Accord. Not trying to slam your decision, but it's at least worth a test drive.

-Michael-

 

agreed

 

The "Baby Got Back" 2004 Solara. :D

The tC should come with independant rear suicide doors (ala Mazda RX. No need for the big moonroof when you cant even get out as fast. A regular moonroof should have been fine with this car. It was pain trying to get out of the front seat. I also hit my head while trying to exit. :D