Car Choice: Honda Civic or VW Golf?

Olivia Gill is moving on to her second car and wants five doors, a manual gearbox and low running costs. The budget is about £11,000

(Honda)

A car for the head

Olivia’s first car was a Polo and she rather fancies a Golf, but we will come onto that. The Honda Civic would seem to fit her requirements, although she is not at all sure about the styling. She should enjoy the made-in-Britain build quality and the fact it is comfortable and relaxing to drive. It is certainly spacious, so lots of room for friends and luggage. The 1.4i-VTEC should manage up to 50mpg overall. We found a 2015 45,000 miles example in white for £10,498 with a full Honda history. Perfect

(VW (VW)

A car for the heart

Trading up to a Golf is the logical thing to do and no one ever made a mistake buying one. The early 1990s ones were not great, but the revamped models from 2013 are brilliant all-rounders. Golfs are certainly spacious and the Bluemotion Technology models are incredibly fuel efficient. The 1.4 TSI is a petrol engine, incidentally, which returns around 66mpg overall thanks in part to the engine stop/start technology. We found a 2013 example at a car supermarket, with 41,000 miles and three previous owners, for £10,799.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@bangernomics.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com