Recommend Mazda3?
October-31st-2004, 07:05 PM
#16
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,164
Originally Posted by Bluehatch32
Quick question. Why haven't you driven one yet? On another note there are other cars besides the civic and the 3. There is the integra from subaru. Unturbocharged it has the same horespower as the 3 and has all weel drive abs and such for about the same. There is the tc from scion. Costs the same and has almost all the same stuff as the hatchback 3. Now how do they compare is your desision. Mine was this. Because of the all weel drive the subaru lost some horsepower so that was out and the tc did not compare in ride feel to the 3. Because the tc is a coupe it had less space in the back and they both had the same 0-60 times so the 3 won. Now as far as safetey goes the scion has abs standard and the 3 does not. That did not bother me. The 3's 4 weel disk brakes have been more then enough for me. But if you are more safety oriented you can have that in mind. Although the 3 does have an optional abs package that comes with more airbags and electronic brake assist to boot. Sorry about the rant but I wanted to bring up two more options besides the piece of crap...I mean civic and the most perfect 3. :-)
November-1st-2004, 01:12 AM
#17
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Look I have only had my 4 door about 2 months but this car just leaves the other in the dust no comparison.I test drove a Toyota before i bought the Mazda 3 .It felt like I was sitting in a tin can.It shuddered on the road at even the tiniest bump. It felt like it was about 3 feet wide I just didnt like it at all. The Honda has always had a great reputation for reliability but they just dont have any spark they all look the same as the one before. When i drive down town in my new Mazda people look at it they all want to know what it is where i got it ect. Dont just buy a car because it gets good mileage you have to drive it on the weekends too. LOL hope you make the right choice for yourself
November-1st-2004, 04:09 AM
#18
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Posts: 38
Yeah, when deciding on which new cars, it came down to the 3 and civic HX because.... tC is a ripoff for 16+grand, its just a tiny 2 door coupe...whereas the civic 2 door coupe is a lot cheaper... and if I am going to spend 16grand on a car(I'm not rich, I'm a working college student) it mind as be a spacious 4 door... on top of that, reliability, comfort, quality, gas mileage, styleetc. comes along too.. So thats why it came down to only the Civic HX coupe and the Mazda 3i sedan. And to answer why I never test drove, its because I was on rush that day, and the dealership just seemed very rude, very pushy, they didn't even ask me for a test drive, just got right into financing and trying to make me buy a used mazda 3, lol...bastards.
November-1st-2004, 04:13 AM
#19
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thats why I just left the dealership, but their eagerness to sell could come in handy when purchasing a new 04 rather than a new 05... they are essentially the same aren't they?( or did they fix a lot more bugs and tinkers in the 05?)...... my main concern is reliability, but definately some performance and fun factor as well.... i'm sick and tired of my boring corolla, has no umph to it... haha, even the 117hp civic HX makes my car feel slow.
November-1st-2004, 01:53 PM
#20
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Leesville, SC USA
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No matter what you decide to purchase, be sure and SHOP AROUND online before you buy. It really, really helps if you have several quotes to work off.
It sounds like you are being smart and doing a lot of research, so you probably already know this but I just wanted to bring it up in case.
Check out http://www.carbuyingtips.com/
It sounds like you are being smart and doing a lot of research, so you probably already know this but I just wanted to bring it up in case.
Check out http://www.carbuyingtips.com/
November-1st-2004, 07:29 PM
#22
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: maine
Posts: 83
go with the 3... even the i would be more fun to drive then the civic... and like it was siad before you have to drive it on the weekends as well... if that mazda dealership was pushy go to another... then show up there to get some service done in your new 3...haha... anywho, i was torn between the matrix and the 3.. but for the fun factor in the matrix i would have dropped about 4 more grand for the all wheel drive with the bigger engine, the awd is the only thing i wish i had in the 3... living in the north east it does come in handy, (can't wait for the ms3...!!!) from what you have said it sounds like you are already leaning towards the 3... you see tons of geriatrics driving civics....do you see any driving a 3... nope didn't think so... that should tell you right there!!!
November-2nd-2004, 01:59 AM
#23
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Hey, now, easy there tsunami! I'm close to geriatric, in fact, 3 years away from the senior meal at Coco's! And I recognize a good ride when I see one. My wife has a 94 Corolla, so I know a little about them - if you try and accelerate too hard it sounds like someone's ripping hair out of a cat!
The civic is nice, very reliable, but dull as white bread, and slow, unless you get a two-door. The 3 is a very svelte machine, especially with 2.3. With the upscale version I'm driving, it is a (Beemer? VW Golf? Lexus 300i?) for folks who don't want to spend 25K plus on a car.
The civic is nice, very reliable, but dull as white bread, and slow, unless you get a two-door. The 3 is a very svelte machine, especially with 2.3. With the upscale version I'm driving, it is a (Beemer? VW Golf? Lexus 300i?) for folks who don't want to spend 25K plus on a car.
November-2nd-2004, 08:58 PM
#24
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Hello everyone!!! As you can see by the exclaimation marks, I am quite excited! I am pretty sure that I will go with the Mazda 3. With all honesty, I wanted the car to begin with, but if I could get a civic HX for more cheaper, it would be a lot more economical. Fortunately/Unfortunately, there are no more 04' civic HX's on clearance, so those jerks are asking around 15grand(take maybe 600 bux max from that), and for that price, I would much rather go with a mazda 3, pay alil more, get a lot more........ but anyways, next step, do any of you guys know any good credit unions?? I have personally had a bad experience with Capital One, so I was wondering if you guys recommend any other places? (according to carbuyingtips.com e-loans is good as well, but I'd need first hand experience) thanks guy!
November-3rd-2004, 08:41 AM
#25
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 92
Vtoh - what ever you do, take a good drive before you commit to buying.
Highway, country back roads, and in town type driving. Fast and slow, curvy and straight. Do some hard braking and some fast accelerations.
Judge how comfortable the seating is, how the car sounds (too loud? can you hear your music at highway speeds?)
Sure on this board we like the Mazda's "zoom-zoom" - but in the end you might decide that you feel safer, with the more tried and true Honda or Toyota. Nothing wrong with that.
Highway, country back roads, and in town type driving. Fast and slow, curvy and straight. Do some hard braking and some fast accelerations.
Judge how comfortable the seating is, how the car sounds (too loud? can you hear your music at highway speeds?)
Sure on this board we like the Mazda's "zoom-zoom" - but in the end you might decide that you feel safer, with the more tried and true Honda or Toyota. Nothing wrong with that.
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