Honda has a much, MUCH better reputation for reliability than Mitsubishi does, and have historically made more fuel efficient vehicles. That is why they retain their value better, and why I am guessing you are looking at a 99 Galant and a 97 Civic which are roughly the same price.The Galant is a bigger car, though, so if that's what you're looking for, you could do worse. Safety is roughly comparable:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/sa...&model=CivicAs is reliability:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Re...mid=-1However, the Civic MURDERS the Galant on fuel economy. Not surprising, as it is a significantly smaller car.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/compx...ld=FindacarBuy the Galant if you're willing to spend more on fuel, but want a bigger car, which is (except for the Civic hatch, which I don't know if they even offered that year) better looking. It's also probably less likely to get stolen, and less likely to have idiots telling you that you should rice it out. Buy the Civic for fuel economy, or because you like a lighter, more nimble car. Really, they aren't directly comparable without knowing what it is you want from a car.