Used car question

I know this is a bit off topic, but I was wondering if any of you own Hyundai accents or Honda civics.

DH and I are looking for a new used car. Right now we're torn between an 08 Accent and an 04 Civic...Price is about the same, insurance will be about the same.

Just wondering if anyone had any adivice or suggestions as to which is generally a more reliable model.

They're both used? You can try some of the Web sites that assess car dependability, like edmunds.com or kbb.com

Kias and Hyundais have come a long way in terms of reliability and quality than when they were first intro'd to the US market (and Canadian, too, I'd imagine.)

That said, you cannot beat a Honda for durability and resale. I would bet that the fit and finish are better on the Civic, too.

Good luck.

Without seeing the cars, I'd have to say Honda. I drove an Accent briefly a few years ago while our Toyota was in the shop. It was a perfectly OK little car, but didn't hold a candle to my '81 Honda Civic that I drove for 17 years. The only reason we let it go at that point was that its book value was almost nil, it needed ~$600 of repairs, and we had already decided we really didn't need two vehicles any more. So I let Rufus go, with much regret and a few tears. If I were buying today, I'd be looking at either Honda or Toyota.

That's my big toss -up.

Our other car is a 95 accent that we've dubbed "Tiny Car" in reference to it vs. my 6'2" DH. It's decent and it's been reliable, but nothing spectacular.

I'm not against another accent, but not entirely for one either.

We're replacing the DethVan (it certainly doesn't owe us anything) so no matter what the gas mileage will be better, but I'm leary on going competely sub-compact. I've heard a ton of great things about the civic, but it's a slightly older model...

From what I know about the two manufacturers, the honda probably has the more reliable drive train (engine & transmission). I know a guy with an early model CRX with nearly 400,000 miles and no major repairs aside from fluids, belts, sensors, spark plugs & wires, and a water pump... basically, tune-up stuff. And he passes smog with no problems and still gets better mileage than me in my beetle...

DH has bought nothing but Honda's since 1979; every time he pays one off (actually, when I TELL him it's paid off ) he buys another. We've both been very satisfied with Hondas, obviously.
When car shopping, one of my big questions is how good is the service dept., and is it convenient?
Good luck with whichever car you choose.