Best quality for the money, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic or Chevy Cobalt?

Question

Getting opinions for car shopping.

Emphasis on reliability than features. I want a car for the long haul (100K miles plus with minimal repair hassles, of course with appropriate maintenance applied)

Answer 1

Indeed, the Ford Focus IS (finally) made in America (the first few model years were made in Mexico)-- but while it is made in Wayne, Michigan, the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and the Lincoln Zephyr are made in Mexico. So, when you're buying that "American" car, you're buying from a company that ships a lot of jobs to Mexico.

The Toyota Corolla for North American sale is built in Fremont, California. While they may be a "foreign" company, they BROUGHT jobs to us, rather than shipping them away.

Honda also brought jobs to us-- by 2000 they had produced more than 3 million Civics in the US. Again, jobs were brought to us, not shipped off to Mexico.

One thing I've always found true of Honda and Toyota is that the more money you spend, the more bells and whistles you get-- but the quality always remains consistent from the lowest-priced model through the highest-priced one. This is in contrast to "The Big Three" where lower-priced cars also just don't wear as well as the more expensive ones (admittedly, they have been learning from this and have made strides in keeping the quality consistent. The '80s were a particularly bad period for the Big Three and I think the memory remains.)

I'm a Toyota man, myself-- but my mechanic (yes, sometimes things go wrong with a Corolla... like the '86 I had with 160Kmi on it needing work, and my friend's Camry needing some as well at about 155K) is a Honda man. While I go "Toyota, then Honda", he goes "Honda, then Toyota." I think it really just boils down to our personal preference and they're probably as close in quality as cars can get.

Test drive them all. Look around parking lots at older versions of the aforementioned cars. Just keep in mind that people typically describe the Corolla as having "legendary reliability."

If you MUST get one of the American cars, go with the Focus. The Cobalt is really not much better than the Cavalier it replaced. Granted, the Cavalier wasn't THAT bad a car mechanically, but the interiors and the emission controls sometimes didn't seem to wear very well. (Handles falling off, glove latches breaking, and emission control sensors failing.)

Answer 2

If you want reliability you should go with the Corolla.

The Focus is a good car, but less reliable for about the same money.

Cobalt and the new Civic are untested models. Theyre both new to replace unimpressive cars. Both are getting great reviews, but if your focus is reliability you should never buy an early model of a car, even if its just a redesign.
Buy something that has already had the problems worked out (such as the Corolla which hasnt been redesigned in years. It still sells despite this for a reason). You should be able to pick up a Corolla cheaper than the others because of this also-cost of design and all has already been paid off, so dealers spend less to buy them and can pass on savings to you. Also not targetting the people who want a sporty looking car tends to make the car a bit cheaper, and the Corolla is just about the only thing in that class that doesnt pretend to be half sports car.

Answer 3

The Civic or the Corolla. I think the Civic is the better car of the two, and to my knowledge it no longer needs the imfamous 90k timing belt service. Until the new Corolla comes out, the Civic is the best small car out there. And who is to say the new Corolla will be better anyway (due soon). The Civic has an excellent track record, and will still be worth a good deal of money when it has 100k on it.

The Focus is not a bad little car, but it is cheaply made and not as refined or reliable. The Cobalt replaced the junky Cavalier, and while it is an improvement, it tests at the bottom of pack. Either car will be lucky to get you a few grand in trade in with 100k miles on them. The Focus will be tempting as a new one is due out (just a mild revision), and Ford will be dumping the old design for next to nothing.

Answer 4

Strictly Price = Cobalt (Junk)
Reliability = Toyota and Honda are about equal
Quality = Toyota and Honda are about equal
Total Cost of Ownership = Toyota has a slight advantage over Honda.

Your real choice here is between Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. You have to choose which provides you with the features and options you find desirable, which has the best fit for your body type (if your tall, short, fat etc.), and finally which car has the look you like best. Do not underestimate the "value" in buying a car you LOVE.

Go drive them all, start there, do your internet research, finally locate the car your want and negotiate what you're willing to pay for it.

Good Luck

Also to answer the American v. Foreign argument...most of these "Foreign" cars are built here in the USA. When the Big 3 build cars Americans want to buy they'll sell them.

Answer 5

I never owned any of them, but from what I've read and heard, Civic or Corolla, then Focus or Cobalt. They should be similar in quality. The Focus has the best handling. They had quality problems in its early years, but have improved vastly. A new model is coming out in the fall. However, the Focus does not come with a replaceable air filter because Ford planned a life expectancy of 150,000 miles for the car. That is unacceptable to me. Everyone who maintains a car knows that the air filter gets dirty very often. The Cobalt had a higher than average problem rate when it came out. But like most cars, quality should have improved by now. I like the styling of the coupe. The Civic and Corolla are widely known for their quality and reliability. As such, they are priced higher. Take care of any of these cars, and they should run well past 100,ooo. Take care of the Civic or Corolla, and they should run past 150,ooo. I'm maintaining a relative's 2000 Mitsubishi Galant with a 4-banger with 134,000. My parents bought it new, and I've maintained it ever since (even after transferring ownership). There were only 2 problems that I had to fix outside normal maintenance and replacement. Because I did most of the maintenance myself (everything but belts, water pump, tensioner, adjusting the idle, tires, and body work), I can assure myself that the car is in good shape. The car runs great even after 3 or 4 accidents. The most reliable cars (and the cheapest to maintain) are the simple cars without the high tech features. They may not be the safest cars, but they're the most reliable. I'm sold on the U.S.-assembled Galant with the I4.

Answer 6

My civic is at 150,000 miles with no problems.

I would get a Toyota if their sales people would remember how to be real human beings.

Ford and Chevy make comparable cars that average about 100,000 miles before major problems set in.

If you are in for the long haul, go with the Japanese cars.

Answer 7

Toyota Corolla

Answer 8

Honda Civic

Answer 9

The Honda Civic, most reliable car on the road. I bought a 2007, my son owns a 1998, even thought he bought a BMW, he will never get rid of the Civic.

Answer 10

Ford Focus tends to over heat easily.
Honda Civics have starter problems.
Chevy Cobalt generaly low cost & low value.
Toyota Corolla.......Uhh.......I don't know? Not many problems.