Honda Civics have gone down in quality since the late 90s, probably to keep the price down despite inflation, so the legendary reliability you hear about them is old news. Lancers have never really been a good value. Civics are a bit better on gas. Hondas in general are easy to break into since criminals know them very well since they're more popular, but the Lancer has rally car styling which may be more appealing to some.
Which has less mileage? Which has more features? A/C, power windows, locks, air bags, anti lock braking, power steering, etc. What kind of condition? What color? What look do you prefer? You'd may be surprised that some cars don't come with A/C standard, like the Hyundai Elantra.
I'd think the Lancer is more of a chick magnet. The Civic will likely take less money to keep running. The Civic also may hold it's value better because of the Civic's reputation (old news, but people don't know better). The Lancer is newer, but I'm suspicious of it being as cheap as the Civic. If they're in similar condition, the Lancer is a better buy.