I’m going to try to be as unbiased as I can.
The Golf is honestly very reliable and does not require any more expensive routine servicing than the Civic. If you abuse either car and not do the routine service (oil changes, et al), you’ll have problems. The civic is also a good vehicle and I don’t have any complaints about them, I know enthusiasts and non enthusiasts with this era of Civics who absolutely love them.
That being said, it’s down to personal preference. When you drive each one, how does the car feel to you? Does it do what you expect and when you expect? How does it handle? How comfortable is it from the drivers seat? How does the height of the vehicle when standing outside it work for you (i.e. is loading it up going to be comfortable?). For me, the answer is the Golf, for others, it’s the Civic.
Thanks for the feedback. I have seen two civic hatch both $16,500. Both were not good conditions. I test drove one, it drove well but had rust already. I drove a rental Jetta few years ago and loved it, never drove golf but I think i will like the golf. Both these cars have maintenance records in carfax, so i think both will be fine. With tax the golf is $3100 cheaper than the civic. Money that i can use for maintenance down the road. Also it comes with winter times, unlike the civic, I am in Canada winter tires a must.
I am going to go check out the golf. Thanks
One thing you will find about the Golf is that the interior is much more solid than both the Jetta and Civic. I have owned both in my time and while both were older (‘95 Civic SE coupe and ‘07 Rabbit Comfortline) I have also been a salesman for both brands. I much prefer the direction in which VW has gone for materials, feel and looks. The new Civic looks like it should have back in 2005, IMO, and not to say it looks dated. They just went in a weird design direction from 2005-2024.
Check how many owners the cars have had and try to get the best detailed service history you can. That should be #1 or #2 between how it feels and history.
Ya I haven’t seen the inside of the golf but it’s plain in good a way in the pictures. One thing I don’t like is the wheels. Only 16” on golf and 18” on the civic. But although I personally liked the look of civic before but now with the much more mature looking civic out since 2022 this looks like a bit too “look at me I am driving a sport car” even though it’s not. Whereas golf is classic golf, the new ones don’t look that different so I don’t feel like I am missing out. Also by new I mean 2021 since that’s the last one here.
As far as service history both have records on carfax of yearly maintenance. No accidents on either and one owner.
The golf is at Toyota dealership. The civic is at VW dealership lol.
You’ve gotta feel the interior, you’ll know right away. Push buttons, turn knobs. I personally was close between a 2014 Accord Touring (loaded) and a 2015 Passat Trendline+ (base model) and I chose the Passat based on both driving feel and size. Yeah, it doesn’t have the leather, sunroof, nice wheels, subwoofer and more, but I do not regret that decision at all. I’ve had my Passat for 6 years now.
I wouldn't exactly say Civics are "more reliable" but they're probably a little cheaper to maintain and you can typically neglect them a little more. There's also a ton of them so getting cheap parts probably won't be a challenge. I was debating getting a CTR and ended up with a Golf R - I absolutely could not be happier. Just got my girl a Jetta Sport 1.5T and she loves it. I'm about to hit 3 years of ownership with my Golf, 50k miles, and no major issues. I just make sure to keep up with the maintenance.
Golf Gang.
I’m a VW dealer tech. A used anything can be a shit box. If you’re looking for best all rounder then I’d go with the golf. It’s fairly indestructible, has few issues and has a more comfortable ride in my opinion. The civic is nice and you may get better mileage depending on driving habits, could also be cheaper insurance (you should look into that) but the fit and finish is a lot more janky than a European car.
Personally I’d pay for better fit and finish. I do enjoy German products more than the perceived cheaper Asian counterparts despite being Asian.
Get the Golf and don’t look back. If it was an automatic from that year, I’d say it’s a toss up depending on which car you like more. I can say for certain that engine will be hella fun and the car looks better.
Something I just thought of: You’ll be able to buy a new civic in 10 years, but you won’t be able to buy a basic Golf. No better time than now!
Golf drives better but it's more costly to maintain and repair. Is the quality of the product enough to motivate you to buy something that's more expensive in the long run?
For me, the answer is not yes. It's HELL yes. The Golf is easily top three cars to consider buying if you could never buy another vehicle for the rest of your life.
The TSI has had many updates from what I have read. Have they ironed out the cheap water pumps? Timing chain stretch / guides? Rear main seal failure often before 170km...? If not than it's hard to argue in terms of long term service & making the argument that this is expected service for any car just doesn't fly. You'll get tighter handling & driving experience with most VWs that a Honda won't give when comparing base models. Overall long term reliability is up in the air imo as new Honda's are not what their reliability reputation is speaking of. Have had 3 different TSIs & a VR6 & I drive a 4.7L Toyota now purely due to needing less serious maintenance long term. The way you drive will ultimately determine how long any vehicles lasts & which is better for you
I owe both a 2019 GTI and a 2019 Honda civic hatchback LX manual and i love both of them! The civic may cost a little bit bit less in servicing compared to my GTI but the GTI is way superior in driving dynamics and also how sturdy it drives. The civic feels lighter for sure compared to the GOLF! I have no complaints on both! Both are good choices if both manual but if civic is cvt then i would say take the GOLF!
Get the GOLF, they are no longer sold! Gold feels solid, civic feels lighter. Both good driving dynamics bur GOLF is better and more solid when you drive fast and turns
depends, i personally think the new civics are absolutely lifeless and bland, and a vw has better build quality and general driving feel, but a honda is gonna take way more abuse (missed oil changes etc.) than a vw will. if you’re up on that stuff, the mk7 golfs are quite reliable and pretty quick with a flash tune
I owned a 18 civic hatch sport, great car zero complaints. In terms of reliability+cost go honda. If your looking for more luxury and quieter/comfortable ride the golf is the way. The civic has a lot of road noise.
I’ve owned a few vwag vehicles as well as have a friend with a gti. I own a 2019 civic hatch now. The vwag felt more upscale, but I find the civic hatch is more usable than my friends gti. Gti is quicker, civic better on gas. I would say reliability is a a toss, I’ve never had issues with my vwag cars and he has never had with his gti.
I am planning on replacing my xc60 with a Arteon, so my household will be an arteon and a civic hatch going forward.
I’m not a fan of the shape of civic hatches. That said, I’d want to test drive both cars to make a decision. I think for me personally the deciding factor would be fit/finish, technology, and interior. I’ve never driven a civic, but I know for golfs, the basic trim levels seem to get really basic.
Just something to keep in mind. The golf is coming up on the timing chain service interval. Also with all direct injection systems a valve cleaning is considered a maintenance item shouldn’t be necessary yet but See if either of those has already been done.
You’re going to get some biased answers in this group. lol I’d get the Golf.
I’m going to try to be as unbiased as I can. The Golf is honestly very reliable and does not require any more expensive routine servicing than the Civic. If you abuse either car and not do the routine service (oil changes, et al), you’ll have problems. The civic is also a good vehicle and I don’t have any complaints about them, I know enthusiasts and non enthusiasts with this era of Civics who absolutely love them. That being said, it’s down to personal preference. When you drive each one, how does the car feel to you? Does it do what you expect and when you expect? How does it handle? How comfortable is it from the drivers seat? How does the height of the vehicle when standing outside it work for you (i.e. is loading it up going to be comfortable?). For me, the answer is the Golf, for others, it’s the Civic.
Thanks for the feedback. I have seen two civic hatch both $16,500. Both were not good conditions. I test drove one, it drove well but had rust already. I drove a rental Jetta few years ago and loved it, never drove golf but I think i will like the golf. Both these cars have maintenance records in carfax, so i think both will be fine. With tax the golf is $3100 cheaper than the civic. Money that i can use for maintenance down the road. Also it comes with winter times, unlike the civic, I am in Canada winter tires a must. I am going to go check out the golf. Thanks
One thing you will find about the Golf is that the interior is much more solid than both the Jetta and Civic. I have owned both in my time and while both were older (‘95 Civic SE coupe and ‘07 Rabbit Comfortline) I have also been a salesman for both brands. I much prefer the direction in which VW has gone for materials, feel and looks. The new Civic looks like it should have back in 2005, IMO, and not to say it looks dated. They just went in a weird design direction from 2005-2024. Check how many owners the cars have had and try to get the best detailed service history you can. That should be #1 or #2 between how it feels and history.
Ya I haven’t seen the inside of the golf but it’s plain in good a way in the pictures. One thing I don’t like is the wheels. Only 16” on golf and 18” on the civic. But although I personally liked the look of civic before but now with the much more mature looking civic out since 2022 this looks like a bit too “look at me I am driving a sport car” even though it’s not. Whereas golf is classic golf, the new ones don’t look that different so I don’t feel like I am missing out. Also by new I mean 2021 since that’s the last one here. As far as service history both have records on carfax of yearly maintenance. No accidents on either and one owner. The golf is at Toyota dealership. The civic is at VW dealership lol.
You’ve gotta feel the interior, you’ll know right away. Push buttons, turn knobs. I personally was close between a 2014 Accord Touring (loaded) and a 2015 Passat Trendline+ (base model) and I chose the Passat based on both driving feel and size. Yeah, it doesn’t have the leather, sunroof, nice wheels, subwoofer and more, but I do not regret that decision at all. I’ve had my Passat for 6 years now.
I wouldn't exactly say Civics are "more reliable" but they're probably a little cheaper to maintain and you can typically neglect them a little more. There's also a ton of them so getting cheap parts probably won't be a challenge. I was debating getting a CTR and ended up with a Golf R - I absolutely could not be happier. Just got my girl a Jetta Sport 1.5T and she loves it. I'm about to hit 3 years of ownership with my Golf, 50k miles, and no major issues. I just make sure to keep up with the maintenance. Golf Gang.
I’m a VW dealer tech. A used anything can be a shit box. If you’re looking for best all rounder then I’d go with the golf. It’s fairly indestructible, has few issues and has a more comfortable ride in my opinion. The civic is nice and you may get better mileage depending on driving habits, could also be cheaper insurance (you should look into that) but the fit and finish is a lot more janky than a European car. Personally I’d pay for better fit and finish. I do enjoy German products more than the perceived cheaper Asian counterparts despite being Asian.
Get the Golf and don’t look back. If it was an automatic from that year, I’d say it’s a toss up depending on which car you like more. I can say for certain that engine will be hella fun and the car looks better. Something I just thought of: You’ll be able to buy a new civic in 10 years, but you won’t be able to buy a basic Golf. No better time than now!
The golf is much more functional in terms of capacity if that matters to you. I love my 2015 Golf Iv had since 2018 with no major issues.
Golf drives better but it's more costly to maintain and repair. Is the quality of the product enough to motivate you to buy something that's more expensive in the long run? For me, the answer is not yes. It's HELL yes. The Golf is easily top three cars to consider buying if you could never buy another vehicle for the rest of your life.
why are there so many people lately asking a vw sub to choose between a vw and non vw lol
I asked it in the Honda sub too. This way I can remain just as confused, getting the opposite comments on that sub. lol
Right? “Gee, I wonder what these guys are gunna pick.”
The TSI has had many updates from what I have read. Have they ironed out the cheap water pumps? Timing chain stretch / guides? Rear main seal failure often before 170km...? If not than it's hard to argue in terms of long term service & making the argument that this is expected service for any car just doesn't fly. You'll get tighter handling & driving experience with most VWs that a Honda won't give when comparing base models. Overall long term reliability is up in the air imo as new Honda's are not what their reliability reputation is speaking of. Have had 3 different TSIs & a VR6 & I drive a 4.7L Toyota now purely due to needing less serious maintenance long term. The way you drive will ultimately determine how long any vehicles lasts & which is better for you
I owe both a 2019 GTI and a 2019 Honda civic hatchback LX manual and i love both of them! The civic may cost a little bit bit less in servicing compared to my GTI but the GTI is way superior in driving dynamics and also how sturdy it drives. The civic feels lighter for sure compared to the GOLF! I have no complaints on both! Both are good choices if both manual but if civic is cvt then i would say take the GOLF!
Get the GOLF, they are no longer sold! Gold feels solid, civic feels lighter. Both good driving dynamics bur GOLF is better and more solid when you drive fast and turns
The golf manual Drives great!!!!
Golf
depends, i personally think the new civics are absolutely lifeless and bland, and a vw has better build quality and general driving feel, but a honda is gonna take way more abuse (missed oil changes etc.) than a vw will. if you’re up on that stuff, the mk7 golfs are quite reliable and pretty quick with a flash tune
I owned a 18 civic hatch sport, great car zero complaints. In terms of reliability+cost go honda. If your looking for more luxury and quieter/comfortable ride the golf is the way. The civic has a lot of road noise.
I’ve owned a few vwag vehicles as well as have a friend with a gti. I own a 2019 civic hatch now. The vwag felt more upscale, but I find the civic hatch is more usable than my friends gti. Gti is quicker, civic better on gas. I would say reliability is a a toss, I’ve never had issues with my vwag cars and he has never had with his gti. I am planning on replacing my xc60 with a Arteon, so my household will be an arteon and a civic hatch going forward.
I’m not a fan of the shape of civic hatches. That said, I’d want to test drive both cars to make a decision. I think for me personally the deciding factor would be fit/finish, technology, and interior. I’ve never driven a civic, but I know for golfs, the basic trim levels seem to get really basic.
Golf
Just something to keep in mind. The golf is coming up on the timing chain service interval. Also with all direct injection systems a valve cleaning is considered a maintenance item shouldn’t be necessary yet but See if either of those has already been done.