Hey everyone, hope y'all are doing well. I currently own a 2008 Lexus GS 350, but I am going to upgrade to a new car, and I would appreciate if you guys (and you too Scotty!!) can shed some light on which of these cars would be best to choose from. I am looking for a car with a good combination of: comfort, reliability, being fun to drive, not-terrible fuel economy, and a solid powerplant. Basically, I am looking a fun but not too expensive daily driver. The options are: 2020 Honda Civic Si, 2020 VW Jetta GLI, and 2021 Honda Accord 2.0t Sport.

I first thought about buying the Honda Accord 2.0t Sport. This is much bigger than the Lexus, but performance-wise, is great. It has a solid power plant (252 hp and 273 lb ft), and it drives pretty smooth, but the suspension is still sturdy. It comes standard with a bunch of convenience features, such as wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, USB ports, and Honda Sensing. Yes, this is a $31,000 car, but I have received Truecar offers that are below the MSRP of this car, which is why I am considering this in the first place.

Then, I set my sights on the Jetta GLI, because of a video Throttle House did on it. It seems that despite VW's reputation about lying about emissions (among other things) in the past, this car is actually a very reliable one, particularly so if you factor the fact that this has a cast iron block engine in it as opposed to Honda's aluminum block engines. If I were to buy this car, I would avoid the automatic transmission and get the manual, as the manual is much more reliable than the automatic. Comfort-wise, this car definitely has everything you could want, from heated leather seats to a good infotainment system. This car is about $28,000 on average, although MSRP is lower (because of dealer markup, high demand, etc).

Finally, due to the fact that it is virtually the same price point as the Jetta GLI (again, due to high demand and dealer markup), I am considering the Honda Civic Si. This is very comparable in performance to a Jetta GLI, and is fun to drive, like a Jetta GLI is. Also, it is a Honda Civic, which is known for reliability, and which Scotty has made a video about recently. The seats are comfortable, and the shifter is at a good position in relation to your driving position. The only major drawbacks about this car is that the infotainment center on this particular model is dated, and Honda is redesigning the Civic for the 2022 model year, which will only further date this car. Not to mention, this car does not have a lot of the same convenience features as the other two cars, like Android Auto and Apple Carplay, and USB charging port.

I first chose the Honda Accord, but now I am not so sure. And before you ask, yes I considered the Camry, but in terms of power, they all seem to be a little low, besides the TRD and the XSE V6, which are both considerably above the price-point of these cars. They do ride well, and are very reliable, but when you buy a car for yourself, you need to feel the car, and I just don't get the feeling of excitement and love in the Camry (the non-v6 ones). So, that's where I stand. If you made it this far, thanks a lot for reading this, I appreciate it, and if you could share your thoughts on this, I would appreciate it even more 🙂

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!