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View Full Version : Mazda3 Gt Vs. Honda Civic Ex



ronaldo
08-01-2007, 11:01 AM
Hey guys lookin at pickin up one of these two cars pretty soon. was wondering beyonds opinion and personal experiences. all feedback is appreciated. thanks.

stealthy13
08-01-2007, 11:11 AM
mazda3

waypastfast
08-01-2007, 11:13 AM
actually you should consider the new 2008 Subaru Impreza as well......looks like a mazda 3 with AWD!

ronaldo
08-01-2007, 11:23 AM
^^ ive looked at the other options and pretty much have it narrowed down to these 2 cars. thanks though

Boneyard
08-01-2007, 11:27 AM
I was in the same boat as you and I went with the Mazda 3.

ronaldo
08-01-2007, 11:29 AM
^^ how is it so far? hows actual gas mileage? any pros or cons?

Doozer
08-01-2007, 11:35 AM
Originally posted by stealthy13
mazda3
^^ I'm sure this comment was very helpful.


Everyone has their own unique needs, so it's tough to give advice to someone when you don't know what factors are the most important. Price? Power? Room? Warranty?

When I bought my Altima new last year, I took the major description catagories and prioritized them. That helped me finalize my choice. My number one priority was interior room (since I was buying it with the expectation of a family to come), followed closely by performance and price. Then came things like appearance, safety, warranty, etc. My main other choices were the Acura TSX and the Mazda 6. Price between the Altima and Mazda was close, and the Acura was a little higher. However, when I looked at my priorities, The Altima was bigger than all 3, and had more power than all 3. When I looked at it that way, the choice was easy.

Once you figure out what the most important factors are for you, it should become clear. But if it helps, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either car.

4doorj
08-01-2007, 11:35 AM
i got the new civic but only lx...
i seriously love the car!!!! awsome gas mileage
i get about 520 kms a tank.... should get better soon....
ride is very smooth
and u know honda has awsome reliability and re-sale...
mazda 3 is awsome too!!!!! fully loaded price is sweet!

the only thing that i absoultly hate with the civic is the stupid headrests... sooooo uncomfortable.... i hate it!
other then that its sweet! all the little things make me love it
mp3 player, movable arm rest, digital guage (reminds me of my s2000 when im not driving it) awsome placed cup holders, lots of storage

u cant go wrong with either in my opinion

beyondpinoy
08-01-2007, 11:40 AM
ionno about the mazda 3.. they have that security flaw with the door handles... ive seen soo many dented mazda three's in the city.

Boneyard
08-01-2007, 12:14 PM
Originally posted by ronaldo
^^ how is it so far? hows actual gas mileage? any pros or cons?
It's good. I've had it almost a year now. I bought the 06 GT with the GFX package. I think they organize the trims differently now, but the only things I didn't get where the heated leather seats and cd changer. It does have a bigger engine engine than the civic, so it will use more gas. I don't really keep track of the gas mileage so I can't really say what it's like. I think about 450-500km a tank. That is just a ball park though, don't put too much stock into that. I think my average is 9.2L per 100km in the city.

Here are some of the things I liked better about it than the civic. The 3 has a bigger engine, it has better handling, 4 wheel disc (civic had front disc and rear drums), nicer interior, nicer exterior (personal opinion of course), more cargo space and better suited for taller people. Some other things that sealed the deal where the, rain sensing windshield wipers, 17" wheels and sunroof.

Of course it's not all good. Some of the downsides as compared to the civic are the 3 only has front airbags where as the civic has front and side. Also the A/C is a littler weaker than the civic's, but it's never been inadequate, even in the past couple weeks when it's been really hot.

Another downside to the 3 is the door problem. I don't know if you have heard about it or not, but the 04-06's have a flaw where if the drivers door is dented in a certain place the door will unlock. They have fixed it for the 2007's and they seem to be fixing the previous years if you ask the dealer (they fixed mine for no charge). There was a big rash of door denting happening in Calgary, but as far as I can tell it has died down considerably. It started in Vancouver and seemed to make it's way west.

The problem is a little exaggerated on this forum. But in my experience the only people that I know that have had their door dented is me and my friend. My happened at a train station, and the dent is hardly noticeable. My friend however parks her car outside, downtown, in an alley, and it has two sizable dents in both doors. Other than that, I have never seen another 3 on the road with a dent in the door, and there are lots of 3's on the road, and I'm looking.

Even with that problem, I am still very happy with my 3. Sometimes I think I should have gotten something else, but that something else is a Nissan X-Terra which is 10k more and out of my price range anyways lol. There is a pretty good after market for the 3's, and it is getting bigger. You should check out mazda3forums.com for that kind of stuff.

Hope that helps, if you have any other questions let me know.

heavyD
08-01-2007, 12:22 PM
If you plan on keeping the car past it's 3 year warranty period get the Honda for sure. Mazda's have worse reliability than domestics and are definately the worst of the Japanese automakers (Suzuki is poor also but their so low valume they don't matter).

viff3r
08-01-2007, 12:32 PM
Just to clear a couple things up -



Originally posted by Boneyard

4 wheel disc (civic had front disc and rear drums)
This is true for the Civic LX...however, the EX has front and rear disc.


Originally posted by Boneyard
sunroof.
EX has a sunroof as well.

I've had my 06 Civic coupe EX for almost a year now, only problem so far was my rear shocks leaking, but that was fixed under warranty. Great little car, just took it to Winnipeg and back a couple weeks ago and got around 6-7 l/100kms. My only complaint is the paint quality (several rock chips right down to the primer, no I didn't get the 3m stuff, but several of the chips are further up the hood/along the A-pillars/above windshield so I dunno if that would have even helped).

Boneyard
08-01-2007, 12:58 PM
/\ Sorry I should have clarified, but in the price range I was looking at the civic did not have those features.

06civic
08-01-2007, 01:11 PM
I had the same problem you did, I went with the civic, just because it was newer at the time.

You should also consider the resale value, Hondas are worth more used.

boredengineer
08-01-2007, 01:32 PM
I am tall so I went with the mazda3 which I can actually fit into... The hondas were like trying to put me into a sardine can. Made my choice pretty easy. All in all mazda's have comparable resale value to the hondas in either case not to mention Civic's are the #1 stolen car in canada. If you want reliabilty why are buying honda? Might as well buy toyota...

gpomp
08-01-2007, 01:34 PM
Originally posted by 4doorj
i got the new civic but only lx...
i seriously love the car!!!! awsome gas mileage
i get about 520 kms a tank.... should get better soon....
ride is very smooth
and u know honda has awsome reliability and re-sale...
mazda 3 is awsome too!!!!! fully loaded price is sweet!

the only thing that i absoultly hate with the civic is the stupid headrests... sooooo uncomfortable.... i hate it!
other then that its sweet! all the little things make me love it
mp3 player, movable arm rest, digital guage (reminds me of my s2000 when im not driving it) awsome placed cup holders, lots of storage

u cant go wrong with either in my opinion what other cars did you look at before buying the civic?

rc2002
08-01-2007, 01:46 PM
I've driven both - the Mazda 3 has more power and is more fun to drive, but that's about it. You have to consider the flipside too:

1. Mazda is less reliable than Honda (^ heavyD)
2. Honda resale is better (^06civic)
3. Mazda will be updating the Mazda 3 body style soon whereas the civic has already been redesigned in 2006.

Resale and reliability matter more to me. Personally, I would buy the civic.

4doorj
08-01-2007, 03:20 PM
Originally posted by gpomp
what other cars did you look at before buying the civic?
mazda 3
mazda 6
lancer
fit

thats about it


wrx too, but i didnt want to pay that much for my daily driver....

i will be looking into the wrx again but to replace the eclipse though

teggypimp95
08-01-2007, 03:30 PM
Dont go with the mazda you will be so dissapointed. I went and drove the shit out of one a while ago becuase the sales guy stayed behind. It was horrible. handeling was burtal, power was gutless, brakes nothing to brag about. Interior was nice but too must cheap plastic.
I am a detailer when i have time and if there is one thing about mazda that is known, is its horrible paint. You will get rock chips very very easy and could even peal. Mazda uses way to thin of paint, and to thin of clear coat. The clear coat is also way to soft making it easy to scratch or swirl.

The Honda would be my choice, it wouldent be even something i would be debating over.

rc2002
08-01-2007, 04:25 PM
Honda paint isn't much better than Mazda. Rock chips and rust control are huge problems for Honda as well.

Boneyard
08-01-2007, 05:00 PM
Which ever car you get, definitely get some 3M applied to the front.

signature7
08-01-2007, 05:00 PM
they're both nice cars, my brother has the mazda 3 and i like the interior a lot, has more power. I dont know about the paint situation, but i feel like the civic has cheap plastic inside the car as well. The ex is nice, you get a sub and sunroof, i like the commanding blue light dash. the reason i chose the civic was because it looks sportier on the outside.

SilverRex
08-01-2007, 05:04 PM
did I not read somewhere the mazda 3 was ranked as a one of the more dangerous car around? It has poor ratings for the side impact crash test or something like that.

jay42w8
08-01-2007, 05:37 PM
2008 Lancer GTS > 2007 Mazda 3 > Civic

I unfortunatly went with the 3 instead of the Lancer :(

tomsweet1990
08-01-2007, 05:57 PM
as for the paint problem let me clarify some things....we do live in calgary and every car gets chipped...the only people who notice and bitch abhout it are the people who get close enough to see them all or who do tailgating....the mazdas have very thin clearcoat....this COULD cause problems later by not giving enough uv protection therefore causing the clear to delaminate or peel....the honda clear is much thicker....and as for rust...i dont' really see an issue any more...when was the last era civic you've seen that always rots.....eg? not that many ek's are rustbuckets other than the trashed ones and mazda not bad either....i think that if any paint would be an issue it should be a color option available to each model....chipping to primer is bad???? would you rather it chip to metal?

urban.one
08-01-2007, 06:02 PM
I dont know when the 08 civics are coming out but heres rumors which have been around all summer.

Civic 2008:
- Civic DX - no changes
- (New model) Civic DX A (Slots between DX and DX-G) - adds A/C to DX model
- DX-G - adds cruise control and alloy wheels
- LX adds power sunroof, split folding rear seats, 4 wheel discs, and lip spoiler
- EX is replaced by EX-L - adds LEATHER!!!for the 1st time in Canada a Honda Civic has factory leather

Si Sedan is now available in Canada !!! 6 speed manual only, should be spec'd out similar if not identical to the U.S. market Si. And NO, there will NOT be an automatic transmission made available for the Si Sedan. (Or Coupe)


CSX 2008:
- No Touring model
- VSA
- Tech Package offered (Which is basically the NAVI, plus maybe iLink, Foglights.. maybe even the Day/Night Compass?)
- No more Habanero Red (And one of the Blue's... I think it was Neutron Blue.. not sure)
- Replaced by Tango Red Pearl
- Addition of Taffeta White to all models
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System
- Illuminated driver’s and front passenger’s vanity mirror
-About a 1000$ less for the Premium.

signature7
08-01-2007, 06:11 PM
Do you know how much more money it's going to be for the 08 civics? my lil bro wanted to buy a dx-g coming up, it'll be sweet for him to add on the ally wheels but do you still get back a grand from honda for the modelling of government incentive? and does it come in white or is that still reserved for the lx and up? any intel would be great! :)

4doorj
08-01-2007, 11:18 PM
^as of right now lx and up only has white!
white civics is hot!!! thats what i got

rusich
08-02-2007, 02:32 AM
When I leased Mazda 3 this spring my monthly payments were almost $100 lower than civic's. If you are leasing or financing check the interest rates. THey make a difference.

viff3r
08-02-2007, 08:47 AM
Originally posted by urban.one
- EX is replaced by EX-L - adds LEATHER!!!for the 1st time in Canada a Honda Civic has factory leather

Never heard that rumour before...pretty sweet if it's true. Although, i'll believe it when I see it. Doesn't really make sense though, leather usually adds around a grand or two to the price of a car, and I don't know how well a $25-26k non-Si Civic would sell!

As for the Si Sedan...I highly doubt we'll be seeing that, since we already have the CSX type S. Wouldn't make much sense for Honda to canabalize already poor CSX sales by releasing a very similar car for several thousand dollars cheaper.

4doorj
08-02-2007, 09:02 AM
Originally posted by viff3r

Never heard that rumour before...pretty sweet if it's true. Although, i'll believe it when I see it. Doesn't really make sense though, leather usually adds around a grand or two to the price of a car, and I don't know how well a $25-26k non-Si Civic would sell!

As for the Si Sedan...I highly doubt we'll be seeing that, since we already have the CSX type S. Wouldn't make much sense for Honda to canabalize already poor CSX sales by releasing a very similar car for several thousand dollars cheaper.
this is true about honda taking away csx sales.... but i also heard a rumor, forgot where that they will be axing the csx, which would make sense for honda making a leather civic and a si sedan

oz388
08-02-2007, 09:18 AM
go get the 2008 Lancer, it's better than all of them...

stealthy13
08-02-2007, 09:34 AM
I said mazda 3, so I could demo on his car what i saw on the news.

jonnycat
08-02-2007, 09:58 AM
Lancer's resale value will drop faster than a hookers panties when the Navy's in town.

The 3 has got to be the fastest of the 3 competing cars. The Lancer GTS is loaded up pretty good for dirt cheap and I couldn't even bring myself to a Honda dealer to look at a civic.

ronaldo
08-03-2007, 01:48 AM
leaning towards the mazda3. test drove both cars again today. simply more power in the mazda, and nicer drive. also it is available with a lot more options such as leather and 17"alloys.

financing/lease offers are a big attraction at mazda as well....

4doorj
08-03-2007, 08:11 AM
Originally posted by ronaldo

financing/lease offers are a big attraction at mazda as well....
i agree :thumbsup:
i beleive even finacing/leaseing a mazda 6 is even cheaper

ronaldo
08-03-2007, 09:55 AM
financing is 1.9% for up to 60 months with no payments for 90 days

and as for leasing is 0% for 24 months or 1.9% for 36 months

seems to be best rates anyone is offering.

Aleks
08-03-2007, 10:22 AM
Originally posted by 4doorj

i agree :thumbsup:
i beleive even finacing/leaseing a mazda 6 is even cheaper

I bet it's even better on Mazdaspeed 6 but then again it's being discontinued because no one is buying it...



Originally posted by ronaldo
financing is 1.9% for up to 60 months with no payments for 90 days

and as for leasing is 0% for 24 months or 1.9% for 36 months

seems to be best rates anyone is offering.

You have to ask yourself why that is? If you have the car 7 years from now will the civic be worth more than what you save on financing on your deal with mazda?

bobby_lu
08-03-2007, 10:26 AM
Originally posted by oz388
go get the 2008 Lancer, it's better than all of them...

By better do you mean ass uglier?

HyperZell
08-03-2007, 10:45 AM
Originally posted by bobby_lu


By better do you mean ass uglier?

No, he doesn't. Thanks though.


For me right now it would be between the Lancer GTS and the 3 GT. One thing I love about my 3 - the interior. In my opinion, it's a class above most of what you can get in that price range, including the Civic's. Also, it drives very well, which has been mentioned a couple of times here. I have had 0 problems with my 3 and it's been 2.5 years.

I am very, very interested in seeing how the Lancer drives though...it looks better than the 3 on the outside and almost matches it on the inside. The only thing that sucks about it is knowing that it's not an Evolution...

heavyD
08-03-2007, 09:34 PM
Originally posted by HyperZell


No, he doesn't. Thanks though.


For me right now it would be between the Lancer GTS and the 3 GT. One thing I love about my 3 - the interior. In my opinion, it's a class above most of what you can get in that price range, including the Civic's. Also, it drives very well, which has been mentioned a couple of times here. I have had 0 problems with my 3 and it's been 2.5 years.

I am very, very interested in seeing how the Lancer drives though...it looks better than the 3 on the outside and almost matches it on the inside. The only thing that sucks about it is knowing that it's not an Evolution...

Sounds like there will be a Lancer ralliart awd/turbo version that will be a poor boys EVO. May be ther perfect compromise as the GTS looks sweet but it is in need of more power to go with the looks & handling of it's ultra-stiff chassis.

ronaldo
09-17-2007, 06:24 AM
just thought id let everyone know i picked up the mazda 3 and am really glad i did. loving the car so far

HyperZell
09-17-2007, 08:05 AM
Originally posted by ronaldo
just thought id let everyone know i picked up the mazda 3 and am really glad i did. loving the car so far

Nicely done, I thought you would.

What color?

ronaldo
09-17-2007, 11:59 AM
i got the white 3 gt fully loaded with leather and everything. and got the rear windows tinted as well...looks pretty sickk