New civic vs Mazda 3

[3drian]

Hey guys my girlfriend is in the market for a new car and she is being super picky, so as of right now it is either a 2013 civic or a 2012-13 Mazda 3.
Seems like the mazda has a lot of more fancy features, and the sky active system sounds pretty cool, BUT I have heard nothing but bad things about mazda which is kinda scary.

On the other hand Honda has a higher financing rate, 2013 civics don't look as good (IMO) BUT I know they are super reliable.

Her budget is around 25-27k any opinions on either car? bad/good experiences?

I really appreciate it thanks in advance.

[HHURICANE1]

I've had a 3 for 4 years now and it's been really good. Only 2 recalls and 1 warranty problem since new. I'll probably get another when the time comes.

[Graham_A_M]

PM TomcoPDR, he has a 2012 Civic SI he's selling. I think it has under 1k km's on it.


I'd avoid Mazda's like the plague. I've owned 4 over a 7 year period and yeah.....

Besides, Mazda's love to rust. After about 4 or 5 years it'll start rusting, maybe more if she's lucky, but it wont be much longer.

[zieg]

The skyactive thing scares me a bit with its ultra high compression. And even the salesman in a candid moment told me he thought it was junk and underpowered for what it was.


What about the Subaru Impreza? Fits perfectly in the budget and AWD.

[Graham_A_M]

^ Yeah tell her to keep looking. Just about anything is better then a Mazda.
I'd get a Focus or the like *LONG* before any Mazda garbage.

[eglove]

Mk3 ford focus titanium?

[85regal]

I'm a tech..worked on plenty of mazda's 3's..my sister owns one...and they are pieces of junk...mostly ford parts..with that budget look at toyota or honda...even nissan...

[Canucks3322]

New Altima, new Sentra, Juke...

[tch7]

Haven't had a single problem with my 3 since I bought it in '06, and still quite happy with the purchase. I haven't driven anything comparable that has the same fun factor.

That said, I'd try to hold off till they release the 2014. I don't care for the current generation's styling.

[got_mike33]

The one thing I have learned about this forum is almost everyone will have a complaint about a car you are thinking of buying.

Buy what you like and if you're buying used, make sure you have a mechanic look at it.

[Sasuke_Kensai]

Have a used '05 Mazda 3, love it. Their main selling point is the 'fun drive', which it is for a cheap price. Mine has quarter panel rust though, yes they are known to rust (cheap steel, bad design, combo?). It also isn't the most refined drive.

I don't know that I'd recommend it for long-term, and seeing the words "girlfriend" and "reliable" my gut says go for the Civic.

[skylinegtr20]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ Yeah tell her to keep looking. Just about anything is better then a Mazda.
I'd get a Focus or the like *LONG* before any Mazda garbage.

Ummm not sure if your aware but the 2.0L Skyactiv Mazda motor IS the new 2.0L Ford Focus motor.. and they use identical powertrain, suspension & fuel systems only difference is transmission and obviously Looks inside & out... curb weight is even within 6lbs of each other. Ford does cut corners here and there with production finish however standing underneath the cars you couldnt tell the difference.

[3drian]

I think she is going to go with the civic even though it is a bit more expensive and the interest rate is way higher. I personally dont LOVE the civic looks but my girlfriend is getting tired of the mazda salesman, its like he does not care.
The guy doesnt answer her calls or text messages and tried to upsell her to a GT mazda 3 without letting her know that it did not have the Skyactiv engine.

I told her that if she ends up buying the civic, she wont be making a bad decision plus we get a trip to vegas!!

[4doorj]

Civic definitely, but she should also check out a impreza.

[3drian]

Originally posted by 4doorj
Civic definitely, but she should also check out a impreza.

I told her that, but as I said before she is being really picky and does not like the impreza since its a hatchback
Impreza would be my number 1 pick

[4doorj]

Originally posted by 3drian

I told her that, but as I said before she is being really picky and does not like the impreza since its a hatchback
Impreza would be my number 1 pick

They come in sedan as well.

[3drian]

Im an Idiot, I did not know that and just trusted what she told me. Yes I just realized they come in Sedan I just told her to go and check it out!

[Mitsu3000gt]

If she just wants a car that is cheap to own/operate, will never cause any problems, is screwed together very well, and holds its value - just get the Civic. That's what I did, and while it's not a sports car obviously, it's perfectly adequate for 90% of driving, especially in the city.

More than I ever thought I would, I am enjoying the $45 fill ups, 550km/tank city range, $70/mo full coverage insurance, and peace of mind that nothing will ever (likely) go wrong with it beyond routine maintenance. It allows me to not even think about owning a car as a significant expense month-to-month.

That's the conclusion I came to when I decided to buy a more "sensible" vehicle when I stopped having to commute. I will have my fun again someday, but for my current lifestyle I'm quite impressed with the Civic.

Also if she can, get a manual transmission. It makes a huge difference in making these under-powered cars feel a little bit better.

[4doorj]

^I agree. I prefer the civic myself. I know alot of people dont like it, but I think the interior is wayyy nicer then the impreza. I like the digital guages. I've owned civics and imprezas. The build quality seems wayyy better in the civic.

But AWD in winter would be awesome.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by 4doorj
^I agree. I prefer the civic myself. I know alot of people dont like it, but I think the interior is wayyy nicer then the impreza. I like the digital guages. I've owned civics and imprezas. The build quality seems wayyy better in the civic.

But AWD in winter would be awesome.

I agree, I drove every "compact" car in the segment, and it was the only one that had no rattles and just had a nice low "thud" when I drove over railroad tracks - the rest of them did not feel nearly as tight. When I was shopping, it definitely felt like it was screwed together better than any of the others.

I thought I'd hate the digital gauges but they really grew on me, and I'm glad they left the tach in analog.

I've had the car for almost 2 years now and I am far more impressed with it than I ever expected to be to be honest. It seems to live up to the expectations of a model that has been tweaked/refined over so much time.

They dropped the ball a bit in 2012 in effort to get the MSRP down, but I think that is the about the only year I would overlook.