Easy decision here you go:

1) tC more car for your money. Civic may get a mile or 2 better MPG but again the tc over timeis still a better buy.

2) Here is a selling point for your parents. ( available air bags.)

Tc is a much better buy.

Oh, by the way I own both a civic and a tC and I still stick with the aformentioned opinion!

 

Im in the same boat you are buddy, im looking at both cars and i actually like the civic. The tC is cool but what really turned me off was the pure price deal, the interior was a bit crappy with all the rattles and cheap plastic and i was disappointed at the mpg from its 4 cyl

The civic is yes allot slower, but gets better mpg, you can get a nice navi and still have it around 20 and i just found that car to be better built...

but i dont know, both great cars...

 

Well you're comparing a 2.4L 4 cyl vs a 1.7??? 1.8??? 4 cyl. Acutally milage on paper SHOULD NOT be consider when buying a car. You won't achive that kind of milage in stop and go, mix driving and other enivormental factors.

When you're buying a car, think long-term. Is this enough power to carry friends, families, luggage, etc.... I made a mistaking in getting a Corolla because it didn't have the power I need to move those things around. Is the brakes good enough to stop a huge load. Drums brakes don't do a thing when you have a full load. Disc is the perfer choice in stopping power. And so on.

 

I was kinda in the same boat, i had about 18k i could spend, since i had to buy my own car.. and i needed it immediately.

i narrowed it down to two cars, the Civic and the tC. I thought the civic shared the same engine as the Si so i figured it would be an easy head or engine swap, but its a completely different car, and thats why i ended up with a tC.

all i have to say is 2AZ > R18, the tC engine has been around forever, in previous and present cars, the R18 which is the civic's engine, is brand new, who knows what kinda kinks may be down the line.

plus, the tC interior is HUGE, compared to the civic. also, in all honesty, the tC is better looking compared to the civic which looks similar to an egg.

 

Heres the best advice i can give.

Drive both of the cars. Explore everything inside of them. Spend a long time with each and really think about what suits you.

Buy the one that you feel better about and makes you happier. I love my tC, but i will admit i would have bought a 07 Si if not for Hawaiis $6000 markup on them

 

ok... i didnt really read up on all of the other comments... i think it got to where people were talking about how SI is faster than tC stock for stock... even though the thread starter is asking about EX model... anyways... heres my .2 cents...

tC:
so far i have averaged of 35mpg... no bs
looks good
lots of stuff you can customize to your liking
lots of interior space
pretty cool that you can recline the back seats...
also, you can recline the front seat and connect it with the back seat to make into a bed... did that once while watching movie in my car at the parking lot...
my friend loved my car... the way it drives and it looks
not too noisy inside the car when on the fwy at 75

EX:
driven it.... no torque
had to floor it hard just to merge into the fwy
new engine, so cant really tell what probs will it have
crappy gas mileage for a 1.8L engine
too noisy inside when on the fwy at 75mph
ugly looking car
oh yeah... too many rattles, engine prob (o2 sensor gone kaput, burning oil every 1k miles), crappy headlights blew up at 2k miles.


id say, get the tc... not because i own one but because ive experienced both. besides, its cheaper than the Civic

 

I get about 26-27 mpg...and I don't baby my tC at all. I speed(75-80 on the highway) and I still get such decent mpg. If you care about gas mileage, you can get 30 with the tC.

Also, the tC is a lot more fun to drive than the Civic. The tC is very easy to work on and it's a much better value

 

i get horrible gas mileage, i average about 20mpg, i mean thats mainly street driving so i guess you can expect it, and i drive my car HARD.

 

Have you checked your tire pressure recently? I filled all my tires up to 32 and gained at 3-4 mpg

 

The tC is way faster than a 2.5 impreza and regular cobalt. I don;t know much about a rabbit only thats its a 2.5 i think. But my friends impreza had intake, pulley, and exhaust and i would beat him every time stock. And my mom has a cobalt non ss and it not even close to the tC.

 

2006 Civic Si:
2005 Scion tC


So I suppose the Si can be a bit faster, but there's still something to be said for not having to rev really high to get your power. The difference is truly negligible on the street. IMO the only advantage to getting a Si is the LSD. I just get tired of people treating the Si as if its some supercar compared to the tC, when its really pretty much the same...

 

Try 39 or 40! Seriously, I managed to get 29 (all city!) at last-last fillup

 

Isn't the Si lighter than the tC?

 

Manual tranny Si curb weight: 2945

Manual tranny tC curb weight: 2905 lb

So, no.

 

here is some funny for you.........Honda treated my wife so badly while we were shopping around that after I was done trashing the SI for 20 minutes........i went to Toyota.........to buy a Matrix or Avalon........and somehow ended up with the tC.........it just feels good sitting in it...........Honda did have a nice stereo in it though.........and the one I looked at came tinted.........

 

Recommended is 32...39 or 40 is too high. You get better gas mileage but you risk blowing a tire

 

Tc by a landslide, Ive driven both and the Tc feels much more quicker and clutch is smoother

 

Sorry man but the curb weight is actually 2886 pounds
http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-s...oup=dimensions

 

Show this to them I dunno bout the 07 though this is an 06 civic but its a head on wall
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eJhtbGRGPRQ

or this

http://youtube.com/watch?v=C_fN6YK40WI

 

They're both excellent cars, and i think you'll be happy which ever choice you go with.

Now, I had your dilemma early 2006, choosing between the civic EX and the tC...well, not really, i was hell bent on getting that EX, but thats another story.

When i test drove the EX auto, i thought it felt a lil sluggish, but maybe that was just me, its been a while ago. Do you like the new design of the dash in the civic? Anywayz, good luck!