Newer used Corollas ain't too bad!

 

I know when my dad was looking, certified pre owned Camry's, were in the high 14's. I told him I think that's a good price, but he thought the cars were too bland. They are proof you don't have to spend much on a car and have reliable transportation, we choose to spend. Heck if I had 14 I'm looking at a 2008 S550 lol

A coworker did buy a certified Camry like the above, they were willing to drop the price even more and even gave him the car to try for 2 days. He did have a few issues as I think these were service loaner cars, but all squared away and no problems since....been like 1 1/2 yrs.

 

Thanks all for your thoughts - 6 of you said the Accord (vs 2 for the Civic) so think the Accord is the way to go. I *can* afford the extra $4k and, to bitkahuna's point, since I'll be in this vehicle for quite a bit, that $4k especially when broken down by $2/commute, makes it easier to justify.

I genuinely did consider a used newer Corolla (17's have Toyota Safety Sense) but their adaptive cruise control doesn't work in full stop n go traffic, dis-engages below 25ph....still a worthwhile consideration though as they are in the mid-teens $$$

 

If your'e just looking for full speed adaptive cruise Ill throw in a dark horse candidate in the pre-owned 1st gen Kia Cadenza. They had full speed adaptive cruise, would be super comfy, although it wouldn't be new.

This is an example in the Virginia /Maryland area, but a 2014 Cadenza Limited, relatively low miles. You'd get heated and cooled front seats, pano roof, heated steering wheel, HID headlights, rain sensing wipers, blind spot detection, etc. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...de1=KIACADENZA

The Subaru Impreza with EyeSight will bring you down to a full stop, but it can't hold it indefinitely (it doesn't have an electronic parking brake).

Out of the Accord and Civic, I loved the new Civic (had the new Si sedan for a few months), but it was a little louder on the highway than I would have liked (often did longer highway stints at 70-80 MPH. Accord is definitely a bit more refined and quieter than the Civic, as others have noted.

Prius (if you can get over the looks) also offers full-speed cruise control since the 2016 remodel (i think on 2016 it was available on the Three and Four trims, looks like it's standard on all 2018s).

 

I'm not saying there is something wrong with the question, but when you are not comparing 2 cars of relatively equal prices, all the other differences come down to personal preference: size, features, styling, etc. It's hard for us to help the OP on those things.

 

could probably get a kia k900 luxo boat for a great deal too.

 

I finally saw the new Accord in the wild so to speak. I like it; I think it looks good. It's not a traditional three-box sedan shape and it looks big. I would get the Accord.

 

Thought about that and the Equus cousin (as well as Azera and the Cadenza twins) - the mpg's aren't the greatest, buuuuuut certainly worth consideration in the mix!! Thx for suggestions!

 

For $4k more, since you can easily swing that, go with the Accord. Its a lot more car IMO, definitely worth it in terms of the extra space and refinement.

Now I assume you are comparing Civic sedan to Accord sedan, but have you thought about the Civic hatch? Back seat isn't as big as the Accord, but the trunk might be bigger and its a heck of a lot more versatile for shoving huge/weirdly shaped objects in the back of it.

Personally I'm more of a Mazda guy when it comes to inexpensive commuter cars that look nice and handle sharply. Honda has all the right ingredients in terms of fit/finish, room, power, handling, technology, and refinement in the new Civic and Accord. Where they can't match Mazda is the looks, frankly I think both the Civic and Accord are ugly, the Mazda 3 and 6 are great looking cars IMO. I know style matters to some people(like me) and doesn't to others, if you don't care how the car looks, both Hondas are great choices.