ok, narrowed it down to 2.

[spikerS]

Hey guys, after a week of car shopping, visiting dealerships, auctions and private sellers, it looks like I have narrowed it down to 2 vehicles.

Search Criteria:
must be 4 door
hatch prefered
must be decent on gas
reliable
under 15k


My results so far:

CAR 1:
2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
37125km
3.5L V6
Maroon in color
very clean vehicle
power options include: tilt/telescopic steering wheel, adjustable pedals, automatic (tiptronic shifting tho), power seats, P/W/S/B/L plus more

price: $14,900 (no negotiating this price so far)

Car 2:
2002 Maxda Protege 5
85000km
2.0l 4 banger
5 speed manual
White in Color
Minor blemishes in paint on from bumper (scratches)
most power options

Price: $14,000 (all taxes levies and all that crap included)

I know we are all import buffs (for the most part), but please try to aproach this objectively.

Thanks for all of your help and input from this thread and the last! I really do appreciate it alot! :thumbsup: for all you guys!

[Weapon_R]

Have you dropped your warranty requirement? Because if so, you've opened the door for a couple of better choices. Older Subaru outback over any of those choices.

[DC2]

protege 5!!!

Im pretty sure it has more room than the malibu, and the malibu has a very cheap feeling to it. The whole interior is made of cheap plastic

[rc2002]

Car #2 seems very overpriced for what you're getting. I'd check out a few more cars before making a decision.

[Anton]

Originally posted by spikers
Hey guys, after a week of car shopping, visiting dealerships, auctions and private sellers, it looks like I have narrowed it down to 2 vehicles.

Search Criteria:
must be 4 door
hatch prefered
must be decent on gas
reliable
under 15k


My results so far:

CAR 1:
2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
37125km
3.5L V6
Maroon in color
very clean vehicle
power options include: tilt/telescopic steering wheel, adjustable pedals, automatic (tiptronic shifting tho), power seats, P/W/S/B/L plus more

price: $14,900 (no negotiating this price so far)

Car 2:
2002 Maxda Protege 5
85000km
2.0l 4 banger
5 speed manual
White in Color
Minor blemishes in paint on from bumper (scratches)
most power options

Price: $14,000 (all taxes levies and all that crap included)

I know we are all import buffs (for the most part), but please try to aproach this objectively.

Thanks for all of your help and input from this thread and the last! I really do appreciate it alot! :thumbsup: for all you guys!

Like you said, this is an import fan based site so the results will probably be fairly one sided.

From what you said in your post though:

The Mazda will be better on gas (obviously, being a 4 banger and a manual) and if you're simply looking for a point A to B car then gas is a big factor in your decision.

Another thing to consider is that the Mazda is standard while the Malibu is automatic. Most people I know have a preference towards one or another.

Since you're looking for a hatch, would you use it to go camping in ocasionally? If so, which one has cruise (if you ever use it)?

Just pick whichever one best suits your needs. They are completely different vehicles so I don't think the choice will be very hard.

As far as reliability goes, I have no clue how reiable/unreliable the Malibu is but this is where my Import loving habbits come out...so Mazda is more reliable..

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
Have you dropped your warranty requirement? Because if so, you've opened the door for a couple of better choices. Older Subaru outback over any of those choices.

well, the warranty is a huge plus in my books, but really not essential, as both vehicles are from a dealership and AMVIC certified, I figgure within 3 months of owning a vehicle i can spot any problems with the drivetrain.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by DC2
protege 5!!!

Im pretty sure it has more room than the malibu, and the malibu has a very cheap feeling to it. The whole interior is made of cheap plastic

The malibu has more room, interior wise, and more leg room in the back seat, and while the interior of the malibu does seem lacking, i don't think i would call it cheap tho...

[spikerS]

Originally posted by richardchan2002
Car #2 seems very overpriced for what you're getting. I'd check out a few more cars before making a decision.

Well, according to a few online price guides, 14k for the mazda seems about spot on for the average price of one of these.

[QuasarCav]

Buying used cars from a dealership gives you the ILLUSION that they are the same as buying a brand new vehicle, in reality I would say that a dealership would have a higher number of problems because they are all auction cars and lowball trade ins.

Pick the vehicle you like a buy it private sale. You could find a decent P5 for thousands less and it will be in better shape.

Good luck!

[DC2]

have you seen this one??

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156945

[Dj Dhaliwal]

mazda

better resale value
and better overall

i dont trust domestic cars
only imports

[spikerS]

Originally posted by DC2
have you seen this one??

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156945

it is yellow lol

but buddy won't be willing to finance me lol

[hussein]

I would take a P5 if I had to choose between the 2 cars. :thumbsup:

[mo_money2supe]

I've actually had the luxury, if you will, of driving both cars with nearly the same specs. My mom owns a P5 (standard), and when she was rear-ended about 2 years ago, the rear-ender's insurance company provided my mom with an auto Malibu (on which I test-drove liberally ;) ).

With the Malibu, it's very noticeable how much more torque there is, but in terms of overall driving, the P5 moves much higher up in the rankings. Yes, I'm a pro-import guy, but I'm sure for most people that actually drive a car rather than just slamming down on the gas in the 1/4 mile (or more realistically, the typical arrogant American muscle car driver who drains half the gas tank between each red light), within the first 5 minutes of driving each, you'll discover right away which car is better suited as a daily driver.

Anyway, besides my somewhat biased decision, from going through numerous dealerships for service, including having worked at one, I found the Mazda service dealers in town are much nicer and easier to deal with than GM dealerships/service stations.

[djayz]

Originally posted by spikers


it is yellow lol

but buddy won't be willing to finance me lol

I'd take a pink P5 over a malibu anyday :rofl:

If your looking for something that is fuel efficient get the P5...Malibu's always did and still do guzzle gas. A few of my dads friends owned them throughout the years they were made and they said never again. It has power and the big car feeling but handling sucks and reliability may become an issue.

Mazda FTW...just search around for private deals. I almost bought one last year for around 13k and it was in mint shape with 52xxxkm on it and i believe it was an 03. So look around.

[A2VR6]

If it were my choice I would definatly pick the P5, especially the fact that it's a manual. Haven driven one before, they are great little cars. Dont have the most power but it's plenty for around town, handles like a dream and is a blast to drive around. Now I havent driven the new malibu around but if it's anything like the old malibu it will be a very roomy comfotable car with decent power. Wont be as fun to drive around as the p5 tho.

[spikerS]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it. But I really need to finance the vehicle for 2 reasons. don't have 12-15k to drop on a dime, and 2, to get some credit. I got ZERO credit right now.

I am personally leaning towards the mazda, but we shall see....

[DGill]

id go with the mazda

[spikerS]

Well, Figgured I would let you all in on it.

I didn't get either. I had no credit, so neither dealership would finance me. Ended up going to Crowfoot dodge, and they managed to get me approved for a loan, and so for the next year, I am driving a Part-time cruiser. (PT Cruiser).

If you see me on the street, feel free to point and laugh, hell I would, but at least i got a newer vehicle with the cargo space i need for the dogs, kids, and wife.

I want to cheer for havin a new car, but :dunno:

[Ogpogo]

Edit: Glad you found something to ride in for a bit ^^^

But I guess I might as well leave what I said in case it helps anyone else.

Coming from a guy who works for General Motors, I would never ever suggest to anyone to buy a malibu. You wouldnt believe the problems that I see every day on those pieces of garbage, and Im talking straight from factory. Just dont get yourself into that mess and try the P5 (even though with your requirements I think there is much better out there). Just my $0.02 :dunno:

[TorqueDog]

Originally posted by spikers
Well, Figgured I would let you all in on it.

I didn't get either. I had no credit, so neither dealership would finance me. Ended up going to Crowfoot dodge, and they managed to get me approved for a loan, and so for the next year, I am driving a Part-time cruiser. (PT Cruiser).

If you see me on the street, feel free to point and laugh, hell I would, but at least i got a newer vehicle with the cargo space i need for the dogs, kids, and wife.

I want to cheer for havin a new car, but :dunno: Don't sweat it, a car is a car. It's not like you bought it to mod it/race it or something.

In the future, the easiest way to decide on what car to buy: Drive them both and buy what you like the most.

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by TorqueDog
It's not like you bought it to mod it/race it or something.

And if you did decide to mod it, swap in an SRT-4 drivetrain.