I'm looking for a reliable first car that is cheap to run, budget is <$5000.
I'm deciding between a 7th gen Toyota Corolla

or a 5th gen Honda Civic

I like the Civic's body style better, but in terms of general
reliability, which one would you choose?

They're both good. If you have particular cars you're looking at, you should decide by checking out milage, body condition, mechanical condition, service history, accident history, etc.

Cars driven by little old ladies on Sundays only are ususally best.

IMHO that's the best civic body style.

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That's the position I'd take. I'd be much more concerned about the histories of specific cars vs. model trends in this case as both should be fairly reliable.

I would definitely go drive both before you decide. For me, I found out that I can't stand how Toyota's feel to drive, whereas Honda fit like a glove. You're talking about two of the most reliable, economical cars around, so I don't think you can make a mistake either way. It'll be about which one fits you best.

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I heard from some people that Civic's spare parts are generally
more expensive than Corolla's?

If you plan on hotrodding it, get the civic. Otherwise I'd get the Toyota as a transportation appliance.

passenger = corolla
driver = civic

will u drive or sit in the car most of the time?

that is purely speculation.

ive ridden in both cars and the it is all about the drivers. the driver in the civic was a male 26 years old who had not much experience with aught but automatic shift and it was jerky, peaking in gear one with audible engine thrashing at all speeds and sometimes stall. sure, a great speed and detail in acceleration, but too much rage: a rock and roll car.

the drivers in the corolla were more relaxed, for the long run. there was no engine sibilance and over all i felt that it would blend well with any road. the veil that rested in the driver could be lifted with a bit of high octane petrol.

for an open version, the moonroof and the windows could be slide open in either car which lost the bubble effect and allowed for great drive stage. all in all, the civic emitted more artifacts with said mod and i would characterise it more as a car for the closed road while the carolla for the open.

it all could be placebo, but i did close my eyes whilst riding and am quite sure i could abx my results, even double-blind them.

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If you go for the civic, hopefully the previous owner(s) haven't followed this advice.

civic gets my vote

i actually own a 7th gen corolla and i'm getting a kick out of these replies...

i drive a 1991 corolla sr5 coupe, and even after 310,000+ miles it still kicks butt on the road: lots of fun to drive. as for reliability i did have to replace the clutch and some of the wiring is wonky but that's about it.

If you go with the Civic, stay away from the ones owned by kid ricers.

Like, if there are oversized wheels, or a spoiler, or a redone exhaust... even if the modifications are appealing to you, the car was probably driven very hard and is not in great condition. You know that the kid did all sorts of power launches or rough shifts and skids and such with it, and that the maintenance probably wasn't done properly.

I lucked out with my corolla. 1990 80k miles on it. Its got its usual dents and dings and the paint is slightly fading, but the interior literally takes you back, Everything is perfect.

I bought it from a writer in Princeton and he took care of it extremely well. Its a 5-speed manual and its a joy to drive, even more than my fiancee's 2001 civic.

The bottom line is how well the car was taken care of. DO NOT buy from anyone under 25, especially if the car is manual.

go corolla!

My first car was a 1994 corolla: Those things are easy to drive and last forever: I replaced it with a higher end Toyota when I was rear ended, and it was totaled. Like others have said, it really depends on the car at hand rather then actual brand (when we're talking about such old cars). But I just wanted to add my $.02 about how awesome corollas are (yes, they're vanilla but they don't give you any problems and have nice performance).