im getting a new car soon and my choices:

VW GTi or Jetta
Honda Civic or Accord Coupe

of course if i have more money i would get Lexus 250...

I don't think you can go wrong on any of those four. Drive them all and chose the one that you like best and best fits you. I'll even go further and say dollar for dollar I like any of those better than the Lexus actually.

Don't thread hijack... but I'll feedback on that.

The GTi's turbo 4 is actually a lot better than the I5 in terms of performance, but I wouldn't get it if you want a smooth ride. You get ~ the same fuel economy.

The Accord Coupe if you're getting the V6 with the FWD is a torque steer pig. As much as I like Honda, it's true, but they look pretty sweet, just hold on to the steering wheel. I don't understand why there's no helical limited slip differential, it doesn't really make sense. You can't really compare the Civic though, the Civic is about value and fuel economy.

The Lexus... don't get it. Bad fuel economy, NO steering feel, and only the RWD is available in manual. Audi A4 2.0T FTW.

those were a couple i was looking at too. i think the altima v6 is pretty expensive and is going to be hard to find one used since they just came out in '08

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I'd go for a Volkswagen Golf GTi. They are great cars, especially the anniversary versions.

I'd go for the Honda Civic. It's the best looking of the four, and it's the most reliable of the four. Then again, the Accord is just as reliable; all thanks to those VTEC engines.

As an avid motoring enthusiast, and former owner of a Honda Civic, I would suggest getting the GTI.

Theirs nothing inherently wrong with the Honda Civic, my big complaints with them is that the new ones are sort of half-assed. Also with the new styling its brash and noisy, it lakes subtlety or (because of its popular following) sophistication. The coupe looks alright, but you see them everywhere!

The GTI feels like how ALL hot hatch backs should be. It looks good yet its classically beautifully. If the Honda Civic is the Space Needle, the GTI is the St. Louis arch. On top of all that it is a JOY to drive. When you drive it its like its telling you " Go on, go on!" begging you to downshift pound on the gas, and surge ahead. Speaking of shifting, the DSG automatic gear box is magnificent. I I hate "push to shift systems" because their always connected to an automatic transmission and I'm of the opinion that torque converters where invented by the US government to take away our fun. The DSG gear box is actually a computerized manual, and it works! WELL! Not kind of not barely, WELL! its more practical than a coupe, and it's the most fun out of all the other cars you mentioned.

The Accord is alright but its sort of like carpet, its just sort of a car, and that's about it. Living up to its names sake, its just agreeable. To sum up adequate and boring, and it's more of the same with the Jetta, more torque is good, and it looks alright. But as a man a coulden't drive it. if your a woman its ok but the 4-door GTI is still the better choice.

But the only person who can make the final call is you, and to help you better make that decision, Here's a fat British man on both.

GTI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1belkkKAJXI...feature=related

Civic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvQ0m0hU-8k

Also, before I get any crap, that is not being released in the US, but keep in mind that the current SI is slower, so its still a valid comparison (at least of the points I made).

Maybe I'm doing it all wrong, maybe I shouldn't be focusing on gearboxes or lap times or suspension systems. Maybe I should be focusing on the other side of motoring. driving to work, picking up your date, cruising, maybe even some skirt chasing. Style, class and comfort. Because for the same price and suffering from just a touch less reliability... You could get something completely different. The Volvo C30...

http://www.volvocars.com/us/models/c30/Pages/default.aspx

You may think I'm crazy, but think of being in traffic looking around and saying to yourself "Lets see who elce has got one of these, NOPE, its just me. Its essentially a luxury hot hatch back. If the GTI is Cindy Crawford, the C30 is Coco Chanel. its probly quieter than the Lexus also.

^ I don't quite agree with that. I won't deny the advantages of it: The torquey turbo engine, great electromechanical steering, somewhat quiet ride. Brakes are OK and handling is pretty sharp. The interior is somewhat bland IMO though.

I understand that the Euro Civic is different from the USDM Civic, so you can't really do a comparison in that sense. The Civic is cheaper than the GTI (Even compared to the Si, as they're different grades of cars). The exterior is somewhat controversial as with Honda/Acura's new design language, but most people find it pretty slick. It handles really well and even without the VW/Audi e-mech steering it still retains that Honda feel unlike the new TSX and TL. The interior is great and looks a lot more high end then what you're paying for the car, but the double tier design -- interesting, I found it quite useful, although not universal appealing. Either way, the Civic (At least USDM) is a lot of car for the money, drives well for an economy car, great fuel economy. Downside is that they are too often used by ricers and way too common. But I can live with that, as long as mine is not a ricer.

I think many car enthusiasts would agree that DSG transmission does offer better performance, as well as the computerized shifts -- on the track, it has been proven that manual shift mode on the R35 GT-R with the DSG no one can time shifts for performance better than the onboard computer. Thing is though -- true manuals are where it's at for fun to drive, they might not have the performance of a DSG, but as they say -- for the performance, the driver would want to be 'part of it' with the shifting.

And the Honda Civic probably has much better reliability than the VW.

If fuel efficiency is your top priority, I recommend the Civic. Not to mention, it's driving dynamics are totally unreal when I test-drove one.

The man asking was in California so It would have been unfair to say "buy a Type R". I agree having a Type R in the US would make your choice more difficult. but i still think I would find myself going to the GTI for all of the reasons that we both seem to agree.

Also the GTI is not significantly better in reliability. The flaw I see in the GTI is high repair costs, and any turbo-charged car is going to be less reliable than a NA car. With the lower MPG your also looking at a higher cost of ownership, but in my opinion, getting a better car.

^ I don't recall my mention of the Type-R in my entire post.

I guess I miss understood. Because its in the GTI's price range and in Europe I figured that's what you meant.