Mazda 3 Vs. Civic .. (maybe a Toy?)

[Jason425]

Originally Posted by eviltechie

mazda 3 and civic arent classic cars
new thread is needed for that

well here it is...

I'm in the stage of 'passively searching' for a car (new or used, but probably used) and those are the two that have caught my eye as good and a good value... As far as cars go, i'm kind of like that guy that wondered why overclocking was good... I know there are some car freaks here so I hope to get some good responses.

I currently drive an 88 Olds Cutlass Calais 2 door 4 cylinder coupe that will cross the 130,000 mark on the way home from work today. It works perfectly except for the horn and power locks (some fuse problem that I don't care enough to get fixed yet) After a period of crap and like $450, it's running very well as far as i'm concerned.

It's good for now, but eventually, it's gonna go, so i'm keeping my eyes open.

As far as the new cars I value gas milage, looks and reliability over everything else, although performance doesn't hurt either. (I don't know of any cars that i'm considering that have safety issues)

Let me know your thoughts... thanks!

[vee_ess]

Both of the cars you mentioned are good about fuel economy, as well as reliability. As for looks, that's more of your own taste, but I'd say the Civic is ugly. And, NO!!! An ironing board put 4 feet above the trunk doesn't make it look hot or fast.

I'd definately suggest a VW Jetta over both of those two, however, despite my attitude towards VW. While the Civic will get slightly better fuel economy, the Jetta will still be very competitive in this area, and in most situations it will still outperform the 3. More importantly, (at least in my book) the Jetta will be, by far, the best in terms of build quality in this class. Because of the superior workmanship, the reliability of the Jetta will kill that of the Civic or the 3. The resale value will also remain higher. Also, if you want to overclock your car at all, the 1.8T engine in the Jetta is supposed to easily get into the 13's with a little money put into a few easy modifications.

I'd stay away from Neons, Cavaliers and Sunfires, Kia Rios, Saturn Ions, and Suzukis.

[Jason425]

lol you can OC cars? I haven't looked at the price of Jetta's.. and have always liked them from what i've seen. How close is the milage and price? Also, because of the reliability, would that make the jetta cheaper in the TCO aspect?

[StinkyMojo]

civic over mazda 3.. compare civic price/power ration with the mazda.. thats how i came to buy the civic.. more bang for your buck, how old are you going to go for a used car?

[Jason425]

mazda is cheaper.... doubt it has that much more bang... prob no less than 98.. nobody knows for sure...

[StinkyMojo]

mazda si cheaper used yes, but if you are going new...... then a civic it is. depends on what yor budget is, really.
you should check this if you didn't
http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/r...=used&x=20&y=7

I'll stick with my Chevy C1500 with the 350 SS. Gas can kiss my... I just put $40 in it.

[StinkyMojo]

Originally Posted by gnogtr

I'll stick with my Chevy C1500 with the 350 SS. Gas can kiss my... I just put $40 in it.

haha, thata boy gnogtr

[Jason425]

that's 2 tank fulls for me.. and like a month of driving.. and yea i've checked autotrader.. doesn't seem to be anything to die for

[MIK3]

You think you could give us a price range too work off of man?

It seems as if you're looking into the small car class. True, the german engineering will play a big factor in the Jetta category...I'd suggest that for one. Looking for say a 98 Civic however, eh. Stray away. In time, you will be adding gradually towards the car. Sure they may chug for a good 200k+ miles, but thats only if your additives to the engine and transmission are added, moneywise. They'll get you from point A to point B a million times, but the power factor will not come into play. You'll be wanting more accelleration from the car, trust me. And in order to get that, you'll be putting more into the engine then what the car is worth, eventually. So yeah, give us a price range and I'm sure you'll be getting better answers.