@@KenanTurkiye the neon is the most fun of the cars in the video for me. If I could pick a different trim level I would go with the civic in si trim or the Corolla xrs
@@Prodriver33 i would still take the corolla today. slowest? sure! most bath tub like handling?? sign me up. They never offered a 2zzge in the 8th gen corolla as im sure you know .. i did own an 03 Matrix XRS for a year or two tho. what an incredible car it was!
It's crazy how back then there were more choices for compact sedans. But now there isn't much choices, since automakers think that everyone needs a crossover.
Actually, manufacturers realized how crossovers make quite a bit more profit per unit. So by getting rid of their small cars, they can force new car buyers into a more expensive crossover. It's not that nobody wants small cars, it's companies being greedy.
Oh yeah! I had a Protégé with a 5 speed stick as my first car. Bought it off a retired cop for $600. It was sitting on her lawn. Didn’t even have a For Sale sign on it. Bought the service manual and a $200 tool set and replaced the exhaust by myself, spark plugs by myself, fluids by myself, O2 sensors by myself, hoses by myself, and belts by myself. I preceded to drive it for 4 years with only oil chances and tire rotations. After 4 years I sold it for $800 lol.
@@emmanuelalva6597 That thing was rusting out, in, and all around. If the plastics and rubber could rust they would have rusted too 😂 Mazda was and still is terrible with rust lol. But I stay loyal to the company. I currently have a 2019 AWD Mazda3 Premium, and I convinced my sister in law last year to get a 2021 Mazda CX-5 and I convinced my best friend to get a fully loaded 2020 Mazda6 3 years ago.
What’s cool is that ALL of these cars have proven to be reliable and good purchases today if you just need a beater to get around to keep the miles of your car.
@@GalenlevyPhoto Yes, that is true lol. I actually had a face lifted 2004 Civic EX Coupe. I skipped the auto and got the manual. But then the head gasket warped so I got bit in the ass anyway lol. I ended up fixing it for about $800 and drove it to 230,000 before repainting it, reupholstering it, and then selling it for $4,000 so, not bad.
@@Soh90 ah I had a 2000 Honda civic EX coupe for 16 years. It had 38,000 miles until I junked it due to head gasket with 233k miles on it. It was an automatic.
@@GalenlevyPhoto Yeah those Honda aluminum engines are finicky. And the stock thermostats were finicky as well. All it takes is one thermostat failure (and for you to not catch it) and get that thing in the red once and the gasket will likely fail somewhere down the line. That’s what happened to mine. Thermostat failed and I didn’t realize until I got home. At that point I knew it was over. I replaced the thermostat, but several months later, boom, blown head gasket lol. But I was prepared for it. 233,000 miles? Should have just fixed it and sat it down to use as a winter beater. I still kinda wish I had kept mine. That was nearly 13 years ago.
@@allentoyokawa9068You say that as if no other review/promotion has ever been paid by a manufacturer and that Hyundai and Kia are the only manufacturers that pay for promotions
I was in the market for a small car when all of these were new on the lots. Narrowed it down to the Sentra and Civic. Unfortunately the Nissan dealer couldn't get the Sentra in the trim I wanted so went with a Civic EX. Got about 180k out of it before my sister rear ended a truck and sent it to heaven
Most of those with the manual are probably still on the road with 300k+ miles on em. They all probably have faded headlights and clear coat failure lol
My 2000 Focus ZX3 was absolutely fantastic. The styling inside and out was phenomenal, the handling was superb, and it was so economical and reliable. I miss it so much. The only bad thing about it was how vulnerable the rocker panels were to rust. My father got rid of it even though I was willing to fork out the 3k to keep it on the road when moving to a new province.
I had a 03 ZX3 (used) as well. I still think about that car to this day. It was so practical and fun to drive around. Not fast in the slightest but would still bark 3rd gear!😆
The Corollas are everywhere in SC. Still alot of Focus`s as well. The Civic had major auto transmission failures in this generation but manuals are still around and by far the most fun was the SE-R with the legendary 2.0 that was shared with the G20. Fabulous
My grammy had a used 2001 Ford Focus SE. I was in that car everyday for about 3 years before she traded it for brand new Volvo. Roomy, reliable, no frills. Nothing ever broke on it, but the seats were very uncomfortable.
From a happier time when our right hands were for shifting gears, not holding phones and lattes. But I'd buy that lil' 2001 Civic again in a heartbeat. Conventional mechanicals, simple controls and instruments, great gas mileage, light & airy interior, smooth driving experience.
It's why I won't give up my 2016 Accord sport manual. I drove a new Accord - it's like an appliance. Camry was ok, but a bit smaller than the Accord. Definitely not worth the $30k+ price tag, as it was no better than what I currently drive.
@@milfordcivic6755 You pretty much are driving a new car lol. Even a 2006 accord in my eyes is more or less a new car. It's the classic 90's era that were the spartan simple ones that were so lightweight and easy to work on and still look fantastic.
My Dad drove to work everyday holding a coffee cup in his 82 Accord. He had a stick too. I would be careful to distinguish between nostalgia and rose colored glasses. But there is something I love about small simple cars and in fact I owned a manual 05 focus. It was a great car.
Love that Neon R/T. Don't see many on the road anymore, well, especially in my neck of the woods. My dad had a 2003 Focus SE in Grabber Green Metallic. He loved that little car. Good gas mileage, and was a good commuter.
I have a low-mileage 2005 Sentra 1.8 S auto bought used in January 2022. Other than its sporty, eye-catching exterior design, I've been very impressed with its handling, steering, braking, and road feel. Rear seats are small and tight as mentioned, but I'm the only person who's normally in it. It has good low-speed acceleration, but passing at highway speeds and gaining speeds after entering a highway are slow. Steering response and feel are awesome with hardly any over steer and the perfect touch of stiffness while turning the steering wheel. I like how it has a nice touch of body roll while making sharper turns without looseness and much flexibility. I'm 5'7" 180 and the driver's seat is comfy and firm. The ride quality is so-so. Most bumps and holes are felt, but the chassis is solid, helping prevent any bouncing. From my perspective, the 2001-2006 Nissan Sentra is a great "driver's car" and very well designed.
About two years ago, I was riding to a Clemson Tigers football game in a 2003-06 Dodge Neon SXT in yellow with the manual transmission. The car was somewhat underpowered and it had plenty of interior space while the radio was placed too low on the dashboard.
We still had decently priced compact and subcompact cars all the way up till about 2017 when so many government mandates made everything so much more expensive. Go back and look at what you could get new in 2017
The added standard features and safety of new cars is the difference. It does make them heavier but you’re getting more even in base models. There are no windup window, radio delete and non ac cars now.
I was in the market for a compact car in 2002 and I test drove this very group of cars (minus the Neon) and my pick was the Corolla, which edged out the Civic (the Sentra was a distant third). I'm surprised by John's comments on the ride/refinement of the Corolla since, to me, it was the most refined and best riding car of the bunch, which were the main reasons I bought it since good levels of NVH and a smoother ride are among my top priorities in a commuter car. And with it being a Toyota, I've never had a problem, not even the oil burning issue that many Corollas of that generation have.
Only ones I see around from this era are the Corolla and Civic, with the Corolla ofcourse being slightly more common. The Sentras are few and far in between, the Focus are common as hatchbacks, the sedan is rare. The Neon was not sold where I live.
I bought a new 1999 Mazda Protégé for 15k. Gas was .98 cents a gallon. I was a student only working 25 hrs a week in retail sales. Things were absolutely more affordable!
We had a focus ZTS with the Blaupunkt sound system in drivers Ed. I loved when I would get that thing, it was so nice and drove awesome. There was also a Corolla S like in this test, it was chintzy and cheaper feeling in comparison
I had a 2004 civic coupe with 320k kms. Thing drove like a dream. You could throw it around corners in the parking lot like it was a go-kart. A full tank only costed me about 30$ too. My only complaint about it was how loud the road noise got on the highway, i had to yell to talk to someone next to me. To this day, i regret selling it
We owned both a 2000 Dodge Neon (not an RT), and 2002 Focus sedan (not a ZTS, but had that engine) back in the day and enjoyed both. I'd happily take 4 out of 5 of these (id pass on the Corolla) as a daily driver today to save wear on my modded Focus ST 😁 Really enjoyed the memories watching this one 😊
I grew up in a 2003 Honda Civic it lasted for 16 years we got rid of it because we had no room to store it but otherwise it was a reliable and spacious car at that time we had 7 family members and all of us fitted in that car.
I was a focus early adopter and I paid for it in recalls. That said, with its non interference zetec engine, they last forever and perform well. I peaked with a 2003 SVT focus in red. What a fun machine that was. Now Ford won't make a small car in the US because it won't line their pockets enough....
The focus and the central from the timeframe are still on the road. This Sentra did not have the problem CVt and the focus is very easy and relatively cheap to repair
I see way more Focus than Civic or Corolla of this generation nowadays. These gen Corollas and Civics were a step back from the previous gen in regards to reliability.
Funny this vid was randomly in my recommended. I'm still driving a 2002 Corolla sedan (same red colour) that my fam bought in 2003. It's at 300,000 km now, and served us well. Will be fun to watch how this car performed in these Motorweek tests when it was brand new. The drivetrain is still rock solid but other components are past their prime. Looking to replace it soon, but the new car wait times and used car prices are both frustrating.
I've only owned compacts and they never gave me grief. Then again, I never messed with a Neon or any other one of the big three for that matter. I just brought a 2022 Subaru WRX. Best financial decision I've ever made. BTW, what happened to the Lancer/Mirage and Cavalier. Those were FWD compacts.
My dad had a Sentra SE that was nearly identical to the one featured here when I was a kid. Great car, always had good memories of it. Unfortunately, a year after the SE came the SE-R Spec V, which he wasn't able to wait for. Also - these cars are TINY in todays world! Obviously 20 years ago cars overall were much smaller but even in my MK7 Golf I feel like I'm towering over one of these when I see one of them on the road.
Dodge neon ACR Corolla XRS Civic Si Sentra SER V-spec Focus SVT We’re the best choices in the states. Over the pond they had a focus RS that was incredible. Nissan made a concept turbo Sentra called the disco potato. In other parts of the world the civic type R was the boss.
The last year of that generation was 2002, which is the car I still drive! As for being outclassed; many of the aspects mentioned as negatives in the review are subjective; I tested that very group of cars (minus the Neon) and found the Toyota to be the quietest and smoothest riding by some margin (the Sentra was second in those aspects, but I preferred the Corolla's looks, size and expected long term reliability). Handling is not a strong suit, but it's not a chore either, not to mention that handling is not exactly a priority, for me, in a commuter car that is driven in straight lines 99% of the time. All in all, never regretted getting that car.
My thoughts on these cars. One of my friends had the Corolla and got over 250k. Another friend had the Neon and it was cheap built, but they were popular for racing. I had the 2005 Nissan Sentra. Prior to 2005 they were better cars. I had a 1998 version of this 2001 Civic and it was junk. Some model years of Honda are definitely better than others, but I liked the comfort and ergonomics. I rented a Focus and it was a nice riding car prior to the dual clutch nightmare. My personal choice the Corolla for overall durability.
Yeah well I got 250,000 mi out of my Neon and it was not cheaply built compared to other cars of its comparison. My sister had a neon in college and her friend had a Honda Civic My sister's neon outlasted her friend Civic by a long shot!
The powertrain in the Corolla, sure, but actually the body and trim on this generation were pretty terrible long-term. Door handles were made out of potato chips, inside and out. Having seen these all age through an import shop I managed, I would rather live with a Sentra of this generation. The Mitsubishi Lancer and Mazda Protege of this era were also cars we always found surprisingly nice if they were kept up at all.
Honestly, that award might go to the Sentra. The Civic had head gasket and transmission problems while this gen Corolla had defective piston rings and burned tons of oil.
Out of that group my pick would be the Corolla without a second thought, but I never understood the IIHS crash tests discrepancies between it and the Civic. The Civic fared better in testing, but my dad was a fire chief for a district that served a chunk of I-81 and owned an auto restoration business. In real life the Corolla was consistently better and my own experience backs that up. I was able to walk away from a crash in a 1993 Corolla that was hit by a drunk and rolled. It hit the ground so hard coming back down that the oil pan was flattened, a wheel into a C, bending a half inch thick shock absorber in the process, and the hood slammed down hard enough to break the grill and headlights. I walked away from that. Contract that to to fatal crashes my dad worked and they were almost always in Civics and a lot of people were seriously hurt in small import trucks on the road at the time.
Had a base 01 Corolla with the manual. Surprisingly comfortable for how cheap it was and would tickle 40mpg highway easily. T-boned and totalled with just over 200k still running like a champ. Honest no frills car that you could rely on every day that cost pennies to keep running. Great little cars Strange to hear their comments about interior rattles in the Corolla as well. Mine didn't have a single squeak or rattle until it's dying day. Always felt very solid despite being cheap
@Jonathan-mp7xg Interior cracks don't cause rattles. I agree with Random's comment; my 2002 Corolla is tight as the day I got it with zero rattles. The interior has held up too btw, but I've always parked it in an underground garage, which I'm sure helped
@Jonathan-mp7xg How about you reading Random's comment again? He's talking about his Corolla's interior having no rattles and you respond by saying that your friend's Corolla has cracks, which are irrelevant as I said.
To be fair they should compare real world prices. The Honda was so much more money out the door. Dealer markups were expensive. So if your budget was 15k (and you could barely afford the payment-probably around $350 back then, low down payment, 5 year loan) you could drive off in a civic DX, or a Sentra SE. that would be apples to apples in the affordability department, which is the number one reason to buy one of these new.
Where were you living where there were dealer mark ups 20+ years ago. I only saw dealer markups on exotic cars back then and in more recent times pretty much everything since the pandemic
@@llcross04the United States. Late 70s, all of the 80s, Honda dealers marked up their cars a lot, like 1-2,000. They used to pre-sell them. The salesmen had no cars to sell until the delivery truck arrived, and usually every single one of them was presold. They were so incredibly better than the competitors, zippy and fun, that even if you didn’t witness this, it makes sense. Check out (search on google) car and driver 1980 Honda civic 1500GL hits a home run. As Honda said, they really did sell themselves. Quite a sensation. Today not nearly as remarkable (a Honda). Others caught up, probably surpassed.
One of the reasons why compact cars have almost died out is MotorWeek, yes I may be joking :) but there may be some truth to it, so hear me out. 0:47 needs no explanation, that's pure down talk to kill the compact car :) 0:53 we know humans have a tendency to be seen taller, richer, in general capable than they are, and also want to be seen as engaging in many different sports, hobbies and activities including moving refrigerators ! All that commentary in reviews like this was the reason why consumers said ''hold on I better buy an SUV!!!'' and saw that as an enlightenment, and here we are where we are today. So there you go, MotorWeek did kill the compact car. : ))
I can say with pretty good certainty that the Corolla and Focus are both genuinely great, reliable cars, since I still see them almost daily nearly a quarter century later. The 2000s was the beginning of a downward spiral for Honda that I don't think they've ever fully recovered from. Almost every 2000s Honda with an automatic transmission was guaranteed to around 200,000 miles (which would be impressive for a GM vehicle 😆). The Neon...
crazy to think that we still see so so many of those civics and corollas around still. that generation of focus were absolute dog shit I can't believe they won awards
@TheBikemaster94 by a few hundred dollars and the civic is gonna be nicer and is same insurance group and the sentra has to be cheaper becuz the car u get is like from 2009
This body style of the Sentra is probably the best one since the early 1990s. Each subsequent Sentra has continued to look more and more like a cheap econo car.
It's definitely the most dependable. But I had a slightly newer Corolla S and it was incredibly boring. Just like here, it was slow and didn't handle well. I liked the Neon the best there's a reason why you don't see many on the road anymore.
@@Thankyou_3yeah, this generation of Civic is widely considered to be the worst. The Corolla is going to be more reliable but it’s not as fun to drive and by 2001 was an absolutely ancient chassis.
If they'd have just used their 6-speed slushbox instead of the horrible Powershift for the last generation, then it likely would've lasted longer on the US market. That horrible last gen transmission killed any good rapport the Focus name had with buyers.
It is still a massive shame Ford dropped the Focus. And if Dodge continued the Neon name I’m sure it would still be popular because it was so memorable at the time
I remember these well. Of the options, I'll take the Sentra. Honda lost their way starting with this Civic for a few years IMO. My first choice would be one not pictured, Mazda Protege ES. They had just been redesigned also and were a very nice car at the time.
Yeah Honda crushed it with that Civic. Good room, mpg, and equivalent acceleration with lesser power. I remember a friend and his wife had one back then and it was so easy to drive and compliant.
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This time in my life I was super into compact cars. I knew everything about each of these cars and the trim levels they came in.
Congratultions, you win !
Your prize is you get to choose one of the featured cars,
take your pick, which one will it be? :)
@@KenanTurkiye the neon is the most fun of the cars in the video for me. If I could pick a different trim level I would go with the civic in si trim or the Corolla xrs
@@Prodriver33 Yeah if the SI was available it would be nice. Take care.
@@Prodriver33 i would still take the corolla today. slowest? sure! most bath tub like handling?? sign me up. They never offered a 2zzge in the 8th gen corolla as im sure you know .. i did own an 03 Matrix XRS for a year or two tho. what an incredible car it was!
An orange Focus S for me. You can’t talk about fun without mentioning the Ford Focus. 😊
It's crazy how back then there were more choices for compact sedans. But now there isn't much choices, since automakers think that everyone needs a crossover.
You mean, since everyone thinks they need a crossover. The manufacturers make what people are buying.
Automakers have done a masterful job with marketing and convincing people they need crossovers. I miss honestly good and affordable cars.
Right. Everyone thought they needed a crossover and the manufacturers took that and ran with it. So now those are your only options
It’s even harder to get a full size sedan anymore. No more big highway cruisers with big trunks, besides the Chrysler twins leaving us soon.
Actually, manufacturers realized how crossovers make quite a bit more profit per unit. So by getting rid of their small cars, they can force new car buyers into a more expensive crossover. It's not that nobody wants small cars, it's companies being greedy.
I always forget how long ago that generation of Civic was released. I still see them around quite often.
20+ years and still going strong
I’m starting to see them a lot less here in Florida
It's a shame they didn't have the protege and lancer in this shootout, but these are all such fantastic cars
Oh yeah! I had a Protégé with a 5 speed stick as my first car. Bought it off a retired cop for $600. It was sitting on her lawn. Didn’t even have a For Sale sign on it. Bought the service manual and a $200 tool set and replaced the exhaust by myself, spark plugs by myself, fluids by myself, O2 sensors by myself, hoses by myself, and belts by myself. I preceded to drive it for 4 years with only oil chances and tire rotations. After 4 years I sold it for $800 lol.
@@Soh90was it rusting out?
@@emmanuelalva6597 That thing was rusting out, in, and all around. If the plastics and rubber could rust they would have rusted too 😂 Mazda was and still is terrible with rust lol. But I stay loyal to the company. I currently have a 2019 AWD Mazda3 Premium, and I convinced my sister in law last year to get a 2021 Mazda CX-5 and I convinced my best friend to get a fully loaded 2020 Mazda6 3 years ago.
Proteges were fun and reliable but they rusted like a '70s car.
A clean Protegé is a very rare sight nowadays. Probably even more rare than a clean early 2000s Ram. Awesome cars while the body lasts though.
What’s cool is that ALL of these cars have proven to be reliable and good purchases today if you just need a beater to get around to keep the miles of your car.
Except the 2001 Honda civic with high auto transmission failures.
@@GalenlevyPhoto Yes, that is true lol. I actually had a face lifted 2004 Civic EX Coupe. I skipped the auto and got the manual. But then the head gasket warped so I got bit in the ass anyway lol. I ended up fixing it for about $800 and drove it to 230,000 before repainting it, reupholstering it, and then selling it for $4,000 so, not bad.
@@Soh90 ah I had a 2000 Honda civic EX coupe for 16 years. It had 38,000 miles until I junked it due to head gasket with 233k miles on it. It was an automatic.
@@GalenlevyPhoto Yeah those Honda aluminum engines are finicky. And the stock thermostats were finicky as well. All it takes is one thermostat failure (and for you to not catch it) and get that thing in the red once and the gasket will likely fail somewhere down the line. That’s what happened to mine. Thermostat failed and I didn’t realize until I got home. At that point I knew it was over. I replaced the thermostat, but several months later, boom, blown head gasket lol. But I was prepared for it.
233,000 miles? Should have just fixed it and sat it down to use as a winter beater. I still kinda wish I had kept mine. That was nearly 13 years ago.
@@Soh90 it had other issues too. I don’t know why the head gasket failed. It had oil in the coolant, a huge mess. Thick slimey mess.
God I love MotorWeek, just the absolute pinnacle for real car reviews.
accept when they are paid by kia or hyunDIE
@@allentoyokawa9068You say that as if no other review/promotion has ever been paid by a manufacturer and that Hyundai and Kia are the only manufacturers that pay for promotions
Still see those corollas and civics zipping around town today.
Yep. My 2005 Corolla still runs great
I was in the market for a small car when all of these were new on the lots. Narrowed it down to the Sentra and Civic. Unfortunately the Nissan dealer couldn't get the Sentra in the trim I wanted so went with a Civic EX. Got about 180k out of it before my sister rear ended a truck and sent it to heaven
That’s funny. Same thing happened to me with the Sentra but they just sold me on an Altima instead 😂
women ☕
got a 01 corolla when my daughter was 3 yrs old. She ended up driving it through HS and college. It's a manual that's why it lasted this long.
Most of those with the manual are probably still on the road with 300k+ miles on em. They all probably have faded headlights and clear coat failure lol
The aisin autos are still on the road
My 2000 Focus ZX3 was absolutely fantastic. The styling inside and out was phenomenal, the handling was superb, and it was so economical and reliable. I miss it so much. The only bad thing about it was how vulnerable the rocker panels were to rust. My father got rid of it even though I was willing to fork out the 3k to keep it on the road when moving to a new province.
I had a 03 ZX3 (used) as well. I still think about that car to this day. It was so practical and fun to drive around. Not fast in the slightest but would still bark 3rd gear!😆
The Corollas are everywhere in SC. Still alot of Focus`s as well. The Civic had major auto transmission failures in this generation but manuals are still around and by far the most fun was the SE-R with the legendary 2.0 that was shared with the G20. Fabulous
@@astafford8865 never had an issue with them. Just saved $3 every 3 months to top off
Those compacts aged pretty well compared to early 2010's cars. Well, except for Neon - nasty garbage.
That's funny I still see neons on the road.
My grammy had a used 2001 Ford Focus SE. I was in that car everyday for about 3 years before she traded it for brand new Volvo. Roomy, reliable, no frills. Nothing ever broke on it, but the seats were very uncomfortable.
From a happier time when our right hands were for shifting gears, not holding phones and lattes. But I'd buy that lil' 2001 Civic again in a heartbeat. Conventional mechanicals, simple controls and instruments, great gas mileage, light & airy interior, smooth driving experience.
It's why I won't give up my 2016 Accord sport manual. I drove a new Accord - it's like an appliance. Camry was ok, but a bit smaller than the Accord. Definitely not worth the $30k+ price tag, as it was no better than what I currently drive.
@@milfordcivic6755 You pretty much are driving a new car lol. Even a 2006 accord in my eyes is more or less a new car.
It's the classic 90's era that were the spartan simple ones that were so lightweight and easy to work on and still look fantastic.
My Dad drove to work everyday holding a coffee cup in his 82 Accord. He had a stick too. I would be careful to distinguish between nostalgia and rose colored glasses. But there is something I love about small simple cars and in fact I owned a manual 05 focus. It was a great car.
Automatic transmissions back then were awful. Manual was a must.
Starbucks and cell phones were very much a thing in 2001
I smile whenever I see this generation of Ford Focus on the road. Absolutely love the styling.
I miss this segment so much. Look at all these great reasonable cars!
the cars are better than todays cars
I agree, not a bad car in this comparo. I'm partial to the Focus and the Civic.
Love that Neon R/T. Don't see many on the road anymore, well, especially in my neck of the woods.
My dad had a 2003 Focus SE in Grabber Green Metallic. He loved that little car. Good gas mileage, and was a good commuter.
My how times have changed! Three out of out of the five remain.
I still see all 5 dailied p much every day in the twin cities
@@dunt9913same up north in Duluth
I loved this gen's Sentra SE-R Spec V. Some guys even swapped in VQ35s.
How can anyone swap a VQ into a Sentra? Shenanigans.
Swapping a VQ35 into anything is an automotive sin
@@douglasb.1203 Maximas or altimas had a great FWD VQ variant. Simple google search will show ya plenty of examples
I had the ZTS with the 2.3 and manual. Loved that car!
I have a low-mileage 2005 Sentra 1.8 S auto bought used in January 2022. Other than its sporty, eye-catching exterior design, I've been very impressed with its handling, steering, braking, and road feel. Rear seats are small and tight as mentioned, but I'm the only person who's normally in it. It has good low-speed acceleration, but passing at highway speeds and gaining speeds after entering a highway are slow. Steering response and feel are awesome with hardly any over steer and the perfect touch of stiffness while turning the steering wheel. I like how it has a nice touch of body roll while making sharper turns without looseness and much flexibility. I'm 5'7" 180 and the driver's seat is comfy and firm. The ride quality is so-so. Most bumps and holes are felt, but the chassis is solid, helping prevent any bouncing.
From my perspective, the 2001-2006 Nissan Sentra is a great "driver's car" and very well designed.
About two years ago, I was riding to a Clemson Tigers football game in a 2003-06 Dodge Neon SXT in yellow with the manual transmission. The car was somewhat underpowered and it had plenty of interior space while the radio was placed too low on the dashboard.
Go tigers
I see every one of those (except the Neon) come through my shop till this day! Minimum of 200k mi on them and still running.
All these decent little cars for 13k. We have truly lost our way
In 2001 dollars, that's about $23k today. The prices are pretty much the same
We still had decently priced compact and subcompact cars all the way up till about 2017 when so many government mandates made everything so much more expensive. Go back and look at what you could get new in 2017
@@6ec6YRFPTcCI agree. You still have at least a dozen choices of compact and subcompact cars at $23,000 or less
The added standard features and safety of new cars is the difference. It does make them heavier but you’re getting more even in base models. There are no windup window, radio delete and non ac cars now.
The only ones you see on the road today are the Hondas and Toyotas and of course in Maryland they have historic tags no inspection no emissions
I was in the market for a compact car in 2002 and I test drove this very group of cars (minus the Neon) and my pick was the Corolla, which edged out the Civic (the Sentra was a distant third). I'm surprised by John's comments on the ride/refinement of the Corolla since, to me, it was the most refined and best riding car of the bunch, which were the main reasons I bought it since good levels of NVH and a smoother ride are among my top priorities in a commuter car. And with it being a Toyota, I've never had a problem, not even the oil burning issue that many Corollas of that generation have.
So great to see all the headlamp lenses crystal clear, too! 😂
Only ones I see around from this era are the Corolla and Civic, with the Corolla ofcourse being slightly more common. The Sentras are few and far in between, the Focus are common as hatchbacks, the sedan is rare.
The Neon was not sold where I live.
Neons went to the scrapyard in 5 years, followed by the Fucus.
I still see quite a few Civics and the odd Corolla. The rest are just a memory now.
I see Focus models of all body styles to this day in the Midwest. They were very popular here.
It's amazing how affordable these cars used to be.
Wages in 2001 for the economy car demographic were absolutely terrible. They're not as good of a deal as they seem.
I bought a new 1999 Mazda Protégé for 15k. Gas was .98 cents a gallon. I was a student only working 25 hrs a week in retail sales. Things were absolutely more affordable!
@@sjhudon386Everything else aside, 15K is $25.8K in 2023.
The Jetta was big seller in New England during this time period. Surprised it wasn't added to the matchup.
They're missing the excellent 2001 Mazda Protege - which is what I bought and drove for a decade. Not to mention its better looking than any of those.
We had a focus ZTS with the Blaupunkt sound system in drivers Ed. I loved when I would get that thing, it was so nice and drove awesome. There was also a Corolla S like in this test, it was chintzy and cheaper feeling in comparison
The Focus proved surprisingly solid but the hatchbacks seem to have had a lot fewer rust problems than the sedans and wagons.
Its crazy only three of these are still being made today
I had a 2004 civic coupe with 320k kms. Thing drove like a dream. You could throw it around corners in the parking lot like it was a go-kart. A full tank only costed me about 30$ too. My only complaint about it was how loud the road noise got on the highway, i had to yell to talk to someone next to me. To this day, i regret selling it
I see those Civics and Corollas on the road today
We owned both a 2000 Dodge Neon (not an RT), and 2002 Focus sedan (not a ZTS, but had that engine) back in the day and enjoyed both. I'd happily take 4 out of 5 of these (id pass on the Corolla) as a daily driver today to save wear on my modded Focus ST 😁 Really enjoyed the memories watching this one 😊
Focus 7.8 seconds wow
Love and still have my 2006 ford taurus. The taurus was the defibrillator to Ford in the 80s-90s. Its a nice small sedan especially for NYC parking.
Dodge neon R/T please 😁🤙
I grew up in a 2003 Honda Civic it lasted for 16 years we got rid of it because we had no room to store it but otherwise it was a reliable and spacious car at that time we had 7 family members and all of us fitted in that car.
I was a focus early adopter and I paid for it in recalls. That said, with its non interference zetec engine, they last forever and perform well. I peaked with a 2003 SVT focus in red. What a fun machine that was. Now Ford won't make a small car in the US because it won't line their pockets enough....
I had forgotten about the focus until I saw this video. You never see them around anymore.
2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 was just 14k. Would have been my pick even if a much older car than these. Value, reliability, and fun to drive.
People like to complain that modern cars look all the same. But the truth is - these 2001's Compact Cars are completely indistinguishable!
2023: The only 2 that are still on the roads: Toyota and Honda.
Focus are everywhere
The focus and the central from the timeframe are still on the road. This Sentra did not have the problem CVt and the focus is very easy and relatively cheap to repair
I see way more Focus than Civic or Corolla of this generation nowadays. These gen Corollas and Civics were a step back from the previous gen in regards to reliability.
Funny this vid was randomly in my recommended. I'm still driving a 2002 Corolla sedan (same red colour) that my fam bought in 2003. It's at 300,000 km now, and served us well. Will be fun to watch how this car performed in these Motorweek tests when it was brand new. The drivetrain is still rock solid but other components are past their prime. Looking to replace it soon, but the new car wait times and used car prices are both frustrating.
I've only owned compacts and they never gave me grief. Then again, I never messed with a Neon or any other one of the big three for that matter. I just brought a 2022 Subaru WRX. Best financial decision I've ever made.
BTW, what happened to the Lancer/Mirage and Cavalier. Those were FWD compacts.
I love the car I have now. But my favorite car to drive of all time was the Focus ZX5. And that's saying something. BTW my current car is a C8...
Retro reviews with John Davis is peak
My dad had a Sentra SE that was nearly identical to the one featured here when I was a kid. Great car, always had good memories of it. Unfortunately, a year after the SE came the SE-R Spec V, which he wasn't able to wait for.
Also - these cars are TINY in todays world! Obviously 20 years ago cars overall were much smaller but even in my MK7 Golf I feel like I'm towering over one of these when I see one of them on the road.
Dodge neon ACR
Corolla XRS
Civic Si
Sentra SER V-spec
Focus SVT
We’re the best choices in the states. Over the pond they had a focus RS that was incredible. Nissan made a concept turbo Sentra called the disco potato. In other parts of the world the civic type R was the boss.
The Toyota was completely outclassed at the time, but from what I remember it was probably the last year of that generation.
The last year of that generation was 2002, which is the car I still drive! As for being outclassed; many of the aspects mentioned as negatives in the review are subjective; I tested that very group of cars (minus the Neon) and found the Toyota to be the quietest and smoothest riding by some margin (the Sentra was second in those aspects, but I preferred the Corolla's looks, size and expected long term reliability). Handling is not a strong suit, but it's not a chore either, not to mention that handling is not exactly a priority, for me, in a commuter car that is driven in straight lines 99% of the time. All in all, never regretted getting that car.
My thoughts on these cars. One of my friends had the Corolla and got over 250k. Another friend had the Neon and it was cheap built, but they were popular for racing. I had the 2005 Nissan Sentra. Prior to 2005 they were better cars. I had a 1998 version of this 2001 Civic and it was junk. Some model years of Honda are definitely better than others, but I liked the comfort and ergonomics. I rented a Focus and it was a nice riding car prior to the dual clutch nightmare. My personal choice the Corolla for overall durability.
Yeah well I got 250,000 mi out of my Neon and it was not cheaply built compared to other cars of its comparison. My sister had a neon in college and her friend had a Honda Civic My sister's neon outlasted her friend Civic by a long shot!
The Corolla is by far the most reliable car here.
Those are actually the worse Corolla years
The powertrain in the Corolla, sure, but actually the body and trim on this generation were pretty terrible long-term. Door handles were made out of potato chips, inside and out. Having seen these all age through an import shop I managed, I would rather live with a Sentra of this generation. The Mitsubishi Lancer and Mazda Protege of this era were also cars we always found surprisingly nice if they were kept up at all.
Honestly, that award might go to the Sentra. The Civic had head gasket and transmission problems while this gen Corolla had defective piston rings and burned tons of oil.
It was kind of weird to see the Corolla get the worst grades across the board but was the best selling and most reliable car second to the Civic
Absolutely not true!
Out of that group my pick would be the Corolla without a second thought, but I never understood the IIHS crash tests discrepancies between it and the Civic. The Civic fared better in testing, but my dad was a fire chief for a district that served a chunk of I-81 and owned an auto restoration business. In real life the Corolla was consistently better and my own experience backs that up. I was able to walk away from a crash in a 1993 Corolla that was hit by a drunk and rolled. It hit the ground so hard coming back down that the oil pan was flattened, a wheel into a C, bending a half inch thick shock absorber in the process, and the hood slammed down hard enough to break the grill and headlights. I walked away from that. Contract that to to fatal crashes my dad worked and they were almost always in Civics and a lot of people were seriously hurt in small import trucks on the road at the time.
Sentra ser v-spec was cool. So was the Corolla xrs and Civic Si. But the neon ACR was top dog
Don't forget the almighty SVT Focus.
Had a base 01 Corolla with the manual. Surprisingly comfortable for how cheap it was and would tickle 40mpg highway easily. T-boned and totalled with just over 200k still running like a champ. Honest no frills car that you could rely on every day that cost pennies to keep running. Great little cars
Strange to hear their comments about interior rattles in the Corolla as well. Mine didn't have a single squeak or rattle until it's dying day. Always felt very solid despite being cheap
@Jonathan-mp7xg Interior cracks don't cause rattles. I agree with Random's comment; my 2002 Corolla is tight as the day I got it with zero rattles. The interior has held up too btw, but I've always parked it in an underground garage, which I'm sure helped
@Jonathan-mp7xg How about you reading Random's comment again? He's talking about his Corolla's interior having no rattles and you respond by saying that your friend's Corolla has cracks, which are irrelevant as I said.
@Jonathan-mp7xg What I've seen is that the interiors of all Japanese economy cars of that vintage age similarily.
You know your driving a beater when it car is in a motor week throwback.
Or yk, when it’s 22 years old
All of these cars are still be driven every day
This is when the auto market made sense to me. Nowadays I find little to get excited about.
To be fair they should compare real world prices. The Honda was so much more money out the door. Dealer markups were expensive. So if your budget was 15k (and you could barely afford the payment-probably around $350 back then, low down payment, 5 year loan) you could drive off in a civic DX, or a Sentra SE. that would be apples to apples in the affordability department, which is the number one reason to buy one of these new.
Where were you living where there were dealer mark ups 20+ years ago. I only saw dealer markups on exotic cars back then and in more recent times pretty much everything since the pandemic
@@llcross04the United States. Late 70s, all of the 80s, Honda dealers marked up their cars a lot, like 1-2,000. They used to pre-sell them. The salesmen had no cars to sell until the delivery truck arrived, and usually every single one of them was presold. They were so incredibly better than the competitors, zippy and fun, that even if you didn’t witness this, it makes sense. Check out (search on google) car and driver 1980 Honda civic 1500GL hits a home run. As Honda said, they really did sell themselves. Quite a sensation. Today not nearly as remarkable (a Honda). Others caught up, probably surpassed.
I miss the days when you can get a well-equipped compact car for under $20,000.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Fun to see which one of these is still on the road.
I had a 2000 Ford Focus ZTS. There are zero reviews on TH-cam for the ZTS. Thanks, I was starting to think it was all an illusion.
They knew the 2000-2001 Jetta would steal the show in both handling and performance
One of the reasons why compact cars have almost died out is MotorWeek, yes I may be joking :) but there may be some truth to it, so hear me out.
0:47 needs no explanation, that's pure down talk to kill the compact car :)
0:53 we know humans have a tendency to be seen taller, richer, in general capable than they are, and also want to be seen as engaging in many different sports, hobbies and activities including moving refrigerators !
All that commentary in reviews like this was the reason why consumers said ''hold on I better buy an SUV!!!'' and saw that as an enlightenment, and here we are where we are today.
So there you go, MotorWeek did kill the compact car. : ))
About the neon "that screams youthful enthusiasm" every neon driving granny's dream back in 02 😂
I can say with pretty good certainty that the Corolla and Focus are both genuinely great, reliable cars, since I still see them almost daily nearly a quarter century later.
The 2000s was the beginning of a downward spiral for Honda that I don't think they've ever fully recovered from. Almost every 2000s Honda with an automatic transmission was guaranteed to around 200,000 miles (which would be impressive for a GM vehicle 😆).
The Neon...
I remember my Neon well, good times.
crazy to think that we still see so so many of those civics and corollas around still. that generation of focus were absolute dog shit I can't believe they won awards
It's weird how after 20 years only 3 is left but the civic now got close to 200hp or 320hp for CTR and yet the sentra has 4 more hp
Sentra is probably cheaper to own with lower insurance rates as long as you don't keep it past 150k when the CVT tends to have issues
@TheBikemaster94 by a few hundred dollars and the civic is gonna be nicer and is same insurance group and the sentra has to be cheaper becuz the car u get is like from 2009
Used to have a 03 Focus, was a GREAT car! I sold it and regret it.
Had an 03 svt that I traded in on a Kia....
See when manuals where everywhere. Civic and corollas from this gen r all over Montreal to this day. Says something about how reliable they were
Actually I still see, of course these Generation Civic & Corolla on the road. And the Ford Focus.
This body style of the Sentra is probably the best one since the early 1990s. Each subsequent Sentra has continued to look more and more like a cheap econo car.
Yeah they had to cut costs some where so the quality went down hill its too bad
I agree. And the previous generation to it was the worst styling of any Sentra ever imho.
I’d take that Neon R/T
Had one. Great car
Corollas are still all over the place and a few Civics, the rest are gone. RIP
Corolla won the entire comparison especially with reliability and durability. Toyotas ages so gracefully.
I see more Civics from this generation on the road than I do Corollas. That generation of Corolla felt like bargain basement trash in comparison.
It's definitely the most dependable. But I had a slightly newer Corolla S and it was incredibly boring. Just like here, it was slow and didn't handle well. I liked the Neon the best there's a reason why you don't see many on the road anymore.
@@sleeksilver You must live in a bubble. Those Civics are garbage quality.
@@Thankyou_3yeah, this generation of Civic is widely considered to be the worst. The Corolla is going to be more reliable but it’s not as fun to drive and by 2001 was an absolutely ancient chassis.
Back when you could buy a compact car for under $20,000 and have it paid off in a year or 2, and it was reliable and fun. Not now.
You can buy a new Sentra for right at $20k.
Ford Focus despite its sometimes "bland" styling has always been a well thought out car. Too bad they discontinued them.
If they'd have just used their 6-speed slushbox instead of the horrible Powershift for the last generation, then it likely would've lasted longer on the US market. That horrible last gen transmission killed any good rapport the Focus name had with buyers.
Workhorses indeed.
Memories 😢❤
If you're smart you'll pick the Corolla
It is still a massive shame Ford dropped the Focus. And if Dodge continued the Neon name I’m sure it would still be popular because it was so memorable at the time
Id take the neon rt
You dont see many Focus's without the rockers completely gone these days, deep lose LOL
Those Focuses were actually fast tbh!!
You never truly lived unless you’ve witnessed a Dodge Neon ACR flyby 😂😂😂
I’d take the Civic
I remember these well. Of the options, I'll take the Sentra. Honda lost their way starting with this Civic for a few years IMO. My first choice would be one not pictured, Mazda Protege ES. They had just been redesigned also and were a very nice car at the time.
No Mazda Protege?
Yeah Honda crushed it with that Civic. Good room, mpg, and equivalent acceleration with lesser power. I remember a friend and his wife had one back then and it was so easy to drive and compliant.
I remember watching this. My wife needed a new car just for commuting to work. We went with the Jetta. 😝
I still see these Corollas and Civics all over the road in Illinois. Seldom see the rest.
My how things have changed.
どれもかっこいいですね。しかも今では考えられないほど安く、シンプルな装備と満足感を与えてくれる。
The civic for sure the best looking today.
Man if you could find a clean RT now a days😢
They're all clapped out and limping along now.
I'm shocked the cavalier was not in this one
It was a little bigger than those.
Once, a guy told me that he heard about a Neon that made it all the way to 32 thousand miles but he was known to exaggerate.